Vice President, John Mahama is blaming the difficulty in appointing women to frontline positions, especially in political and public offices, on their reluctance to put themselves forward. He acknowledged that this is partly because of the vindictive nature of politics in Ghana but says women must be bold to take up such challenges. According to the Vice President, women can make great impact on poverty reduction, especially at the district assembly, level if they show interest in such elective offices. John Mahama, who is attending the 21st biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Perth, Australia, was interacting with the Ghanaian media. He said “because of the kind of politics we have – it can be quite vicious – and so a lot of women are reluctant to put themselves forward for elective office particularly. We need to encourage more women to come out, to be courageous to come into our politics both at the local and the national level.” Special Adviser to the President, Christiana Amoako Nuamah who is among the delegation called on the media to use their platforms to promote affirmative action. She said the media can play an integral role in changing the way people see women and help in opening up opportunities for women.