Select 40 per cent women as govt appointees • To assemblies

The Ministry of Local government and Rural Development has directed all district, metropolitan and municipal assemblies to ensure that at least 40 per cent of all government appointees to the assemblies are females.
The directive is in line with the government’s plan to ensure that more women are given the opportunity to serve in public positions.
In a interview with Daily Graphic, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the instruction was also aimed at affording other women the chance to use the district assemblies as a training ground to build their political career.
The government promised to offer 40 per cent of appointment to women but this lofty idea could not be attained due to a myriad of problems, including the fact that only 18 women were elected to the 230-member Parliament.
Some women rejected their appointment as district chief executives for various reasons, while those who accepted the challenge faced huge resistance when it came to their confirmation. This and other reasons made it impossible to fulfil the promise.
According Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, such appointments should be made from professional women associations. He also noted that experience had shown that when women were given such an opportunity, they were able to build their capacity, get insight into public administration and as the ultimate beneficiaries of all development projects, bring the aspirations of the people to bear on the execution of such projects.
He added that it was the belief of the government that every opportunity, including the selection of government appointees to district assemblies must be used as a unique opportunity to create a fertile ground for women to participate in governance and build their capacity for higher appointment and elections.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, the immediate past Eastern Regional Minister, personally supported all women in the region, who contested the district level elections, by funding their posters to give them an urge over their male counterparts.
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated on several platforms that the constitutional requirement for the President to appoint 50 per cent of his Cabinet from Parliament made it difficult for the government to deliver on its campaign promise of ensuring 40 per cent representation of women in government.
Responding to criticism by gender activists that the party had failed to live up to its manifesto pledge, the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said "If you have less than 10 per cent of your MPs being females, then it is going to be a miracle to be able to get 40 per cent females as your appointees. ”
Mr Asiedu-Nketia also said when the party opened nominations for parliamentary primaries, it would give 50 per cent rebate to female aspirants to encourage more women to contest.
He believes if the party is able to get many women in Parliament, it would be in better stead to fulfil its manifesto promise of appointing 40 per cent of women into government positions.