Capacity of Female MPs Strengthened

A day's workshop to strengthen the capacity of the Women's Caucus of Parliament has been held in Accra.

It was collaboration between the Embassy of Israel's International Agency for International Development and Cooperation (MASHAV) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

It is part of the embassy's initiatives to contribute to Ghana's efforts and processes to socially and economically empower women.

Through the initiative, the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection hopes to increase the number of women parliamentarians from 37 to 100.

In attendance were female members of Parliament (MPs), from both the Majority and Minority caucus and other staff of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The programme was organised to put women at the forefront of issues that will let society have a better appreciation of what women in parliament are doing.

Addressing the participants the Israeli Ambassador for the State of Israel to Ghana, Ami Mehl bemoaned the number of women parliamentarians in Ghana adding that it is the same in all the other appointments of governance.

He appealed on the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to implement a policy that would allow at least 40 per cent of their parliamentary candidates to be women.

Juxtaposing the situation in Ghana to that of Israel, Ambassador Mehl indicated that although Israel is not in any better position, the two parties could implement policies that would increase the level of female political participation.

"We want to see all of you getting something that will help you not only to win your next primaries and elections but to take others with you so they will also win and make a change," Ambassador Mehl stressed.

In her welcome address, Otiko Afisa Djaba also lamented over the low representation of women parliamentarians and women in governance positions, hence the need to put together a programme that would strengthen and increase the number of women MPs in the next parliament.

"It is not enough for you to win your seat, but how do you translate it into action in the leadership atmosphere in the country so that both men and women will believe that it is alright to have women in leadership positions." -myjoyonline.com

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