Amend confirmation procedure to encourage women DCEs • Says Ofosu-Ampofo

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has called for deliberate and discriminatory measures to assist women to be easily approved as district chief executives.
“We need to put in discriminatory measures to aid women to be smoothly confirmed as DCEs as well as attain other political positions. This will enable them to realise their ambition of entering into mainstream politics and also whip up the interest of other women to enter public life”, he added.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo who was speaking to the Daily Graphic about the recent rejection of some women who were nominated for the position of DCEs, said “I am saddened by the action of the men-dominated assemblies to refuse to approve brilliant, articulate, hard working and time tested women.
He added that of all the 22 DCE nominees in his region it was only the woman who was rejected.
Recently some females nominated by the President for the position of district chief executive were rejected by their various district assemblies. These include Ms Emelia Arthur for Shama and Madam Ophelia Koomson for Birim Central Municipality.
According to Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, the two-third majority that was currently required for the confirmation of DCEs could be amended to one third in the case of women, this he said would make the process less cumbersome for them.
He said the change in the process would also encourage more women to get interested in politics at the grassroot.
He called on women,gender activists and people interested in affirmative action to support the call to ensure that more women got to higher positions, adding “these women who were rejected were capable women with qualification and experience and not just because they were women.”
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the decision by the various assemblies to reject the female nominees were an affront to the decision by the Mills Administration to ensure that at least 40 per cent of all appointees were women.
He said in fulfilment of this promise, President Mills after taking office urged the party leadership to ensure that more women were nominated as district chief executives, and with this in mind he,Ofosu-Ampofo, together with other party executive made a wholesale approach to a lot of women.
Citing the Eastern Region as example, he said an opportunity was given to many women, especially in the Fanteakwa District where more of them were prevailed upon to take up the positions, but most of them declined.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was of the view that the President’s 40 per cent was not being realised because of some of the cumbersome procedures for confirmation in the male-dominated assemblies as well as the lack of interest by some of the women.
He said that notwithstanding, the NDC Administration would continue to whip up the interest of women and also create the opportunity for younger ones to be educated and equipped with the skills and knowledge to play active and effective roles in the decision-making process.