Female appointees back President’s call for gender dynamism
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has received backing from female appointees under his administration over his gender dynamism comments to women.
President Akufo-Addo contributing to a penal discussion at a “Women Deliver Global Conference” in Vancuover, Canada, suggested that not enough dynamism had been made by women to take up decision making positions in governance.
He said although 30 per cent of his cabinet is women, he was not seeing enough dynamism and activism from women.
The President’s comment had since received criticism from some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress and some women activists who felt the President presented a negative view about women in Ghana and brought embarrassment to them.
At a news briefing in Accra on Friday, to react to the criticisms, some female appointees of the Akufo-Addo administration defended the President’s call and thanked him for speaking out the truth and challenging women to take up bigger responsibilities in positions of authority.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the President did no wrong for calling on women to use their agency to amplify their voices in decision making positions.
She said the President had championed and exhibited much commitment in empowering women and worked towards ensuring that women were involved in major decision platform.
She said it is an opportune time for women to mobilize resources and use their large numbers to push for gender parity, instead of just talking and undertaking advocacy programmes, saying “it’s about time we translate our advocacy into action”.
The Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, on her part, said some former appointees under the NDC government who were criticizing the President were being hypocritical on the matter and just wanted to score cheap political point.
”The President has challenged us and we should take up that challenge. We thank him for waking us up to do more as women,” the Ablekuma West Member of Parliament said.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful asked those female activists criticizing the President to be consistent in their pursuit of female empowerment, instead of looking through political lenses.
For her part, Mrs Shirley Ayorko Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said those criticizing the President were being hypocritical, citing their inaction and quietness when Madam Lydia Alhassan, Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, was being referred to as “bloody widow” by the Minority members of Parliament.
She lauded President Akufo-Addo for having appointed more female appointees under his administration than any other President in Ghana and helping to fulfill his agenda of creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all.
Ms Gifty Ohene Konadu, the National Coordinator for One District, One Factory, said gender advocacy is not about insults and loud mouth but taking up the challenge to contest positions of authority, in order to influence decision making and better the lots of women.
Source: GNA