Nineteen (19) Women filed their
nomination to contest the up coming District Assembly Elections in the Upper
West Region. The Upper West Office of the Electoral Commission has revealed.
The figure, which represented
1.96 percent was out of a total of 968 contestants who completed their nominations
for the purpose of contesting the forth coming District Assembly Elections.
This according to figures
confirmed by the Electoral Commission was in sharp depreciation over 48 women who
took part in the last District Assembly Elections.
The laws of Ghana allow for
decentralization of government. Therefore powers and functions of the Central
government are lawfully redistributed or delegated to other government units
with the aim of allowing for grassroots participation in the governing process
of the nation especially in the communities.
Each
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly is required by law to have
persons representing the electoral areas that make up such a district,
municipal or metropolitan.
Section 2 of the District
Assembly Elections Act 1994, Act 473 affirms that district assembly elections
shall be organized by the electoral commission.
Other members are also elected
to form the Unit Committee which serves as an advisory and supporting team for
the Assembly Member.
With the Assembly Member and
Unit Committee members, the electoral area is considered to be fully
represented to govern or administer some functions on behalf of the District
Assembly.
In relation to women empowerment, all the
international women conferences held worldwide spanning from decades stressed
the importance of women assuming positions of power and influence not only
because of their views and talents but also as a matter of their human right.
In 1994, the World Bank
indicated that women contribution to the social and economic development of any
society was immense. In spite of these contributions, the Bank stressed that a
wide range of laws and regulatory practices still limit women to a greater
extent than men.
In the Upper West Region of Ghana
for instance, women participation in the forth coming District Assembly Elections
decreased from 48 to 19 with a difference of 29 representing 60.42 percent.
Further observations pointed
out that the 48 figure of women participation in District Assembly Elections in
the last four years however was an appreciation over 17 in the last eight years
representing 64.58 percent.
The Upper West Regional Electoral
Commission figures privy to the Times
Crusader revealed that the districts that recorded the least women
participation in the forth coming DAEs were the Sissala West contestants and
the Wa East Districts with each recording zilch (0).
However, Lawra and Jirapa Municipalities
had the highest women participation with four women each rolling up their
sleeves in readiness to slag it out with their male counterparts.
Followed by Sissala East
Municipality, Lambusie, Nadowli/Kaleo and Wa West District having 2,2,2 and 2
women participants respectively. The rest were Wa Municipal Assembly, Daffiama/Bussie/Issa
and Sissala West all recording one each.
According to the figures
intercepted by the Times Crusader, the
Wa East District which recorded the highest number of 204 contestants
ironically recorded no women participation.
Meanwhile, out of the 293
electoral areas in the Upper West Region, 26 entered into the 17th December polls
unopposed.
In the same trend however, a
total of 1,994 people have filed their nominations to contest the Unit Committee
Elections out of which 75 were women representing 3.76
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