The Member of Parliament for Savelugu and Deputy Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender, Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz has called on political parties in the country to create opportunities for women to rise through their structures.
She noted women who are willing to serve should be given mentorship as well as taken through transparent and fair financial and institutional processes to support their growth.
”We need more women at the constituency, regional and national levels of political organisations.
”But the responsibility cannot be placed entirely on women. Political parties must create genuine pathways for women to rise through their structures” she stated.
Addressing the Annual Women in Governance Conference organized by Songtaba in Tamale on the theme: “Understanding the Affirmative Action Act: What it Means for Women Seeking Office and Political Leadership Roles”, the New Patriotic Party lawmaker said women who dare to express political opinions always face serious political violence and abuse, including insults, intimidation and attacks.
She however highlighted that the Affirmative Action Act, 2024 (Act 1121) represents an important step towards creating a more inclusive society.
She added the law recognises that where historical, social and structural barriers have prevented women from participating equally in decision-making, deliberate measures may be required to correct the imbalance.
Nevertheless, the Deputy Ranking Member posited that the law should not be understood as charity, stating it is not about giving women positions because they are women but creating a fairer system in which qualified and capable women have a genuine opportunity to compete, participate and contribute to national development.
She therefore commended Songtaba and its partners for creating the platform, asserting that such conversations are necessary because the question is no longer whether women are capable of leadership.
”We have demonstrated repeatedly that we are. The real question is: what must we do to remove the barriers that prevent more women from reaching positions of influence and decision-making” she maintained.
Hajia Fatahiya in her remarks said the laws alone will not change the society but rather commitment and political will in the implementation process and most importantly women who are prepared to step forward and occupy the spaces created for them.
”We must acquire the education, skills, confidence, networks and experience necessary to occupy leadership positions effectively” she admonished.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Songtaba, Hajia Lamnatu Adam in her welcome address disclosed that, the program under the HEARD project was designed to do three things: to sharpen the leadership capacity and confidence of the women; to deepen their collective understanding of what the Affirmative Action Act actually means and demands of them; and to build the networks, the mentorship, the solidarity, the peer learning that will carry the work forward.
