The Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED) has called on political parties and key stakeholders to adopt deliberate reforms that will increase women’s participation and leadership in politics.
The call was made during a Post-Election Review Dialogue engagement that brought together political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to reflect on women’s role in Ghana’s democratic process.
The dialogue was themed “The Affirmative Action Law — What Does It Mean to Political Parties?”
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Expert at GenCED, Sandra Sagbohan, noted that while women have made strides in national politics, their representation remains far below expectation due to structural, cultural, and institutional barriers.
She stressed that the underrepresentation of women undermines inclusive governance and called for urgent action to level the political playing field.
As part of the dialogue, GenCED outlined a number of recommendations to political parties.
These include the adoption and implementation of gender-sensitive party statutes and policies, as well as the establishment of clear, democratic, and transparent candidate selection processes to ensure fairness.
Parties were also urged to allocate dedicated resources for women’s empowerment and other marginalized groups, while actively promoting women’s leadership through the establishment of gender quotas at all levels of party structures.
Sandra further emphasized the need for strong accountability mechanisms to address violence against women in politics (VAWP), which continues to discourage female participation.
She called for gender-sensitive media coverage that portrays women leaders positively, alongside public awareness campaigns to rally support for women in politics.
In addition, she proposed leadership training and mentorship programmes within political parties to build the capacity of aspiring women leaders and to encourage their active participation.
“The future of Ghana’s democracy depends on how inclusive and representative it is. Women must not remain on the sidelines of leadership. Political parties have the responsibility to dismantle barriers and create an enabling environment where women can participate fully and meaningfully,” the expert stated.
The dialogue concluded with a collective call on political parties, government, civil society, and the media to work together in advancing gender equality in politics and governance.
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr. Kwesi Jonah, commended the dialogue as timely, especially following the passage of the Affirmative Action Law in September 2024.
He stressed the need for effective implementation of the law, pointing to electoral systems as a critical factor in women’s representation.
Dr. Jonah explained the differences between Ghana’s current “first-past-the-post” electoral system and proportional representation, noting that the latter is fairer and has historically produced more women in leadership positions across the world.
Citing examples from South Africa and Rwanda, he argued that proportional representation allows for party lists that can alternate between male and female candidates, ensuring gender balance.
He further proposed the adoption of a “mixed member proportional representation” system for Ghana, which would maintain the current system but introduce additional seats exclusively reserved for women candidates.
“If we adopt this system and allocate even 30% of seats solely for women, Ghana can significantly raise female representation in decision-making within just a few years,” Dr. Jonah stated.
He argued that the political will—what he termed the “polycarbon”—remains the missing piece. “If we truly wanted to achieve gender parity, it is possible to do so within five years. The mechanisms are already available through the Affirmative Action Law; what is left is the commitment to act,” he added, describing Ghana’s current 4% female representation at the local government level as “shameful and unacceptable.”
