A gender advocacy group calling itself Women in Politics Training Alumni (WiPT) says President Akufo-Addo’s comments at the 2019 Women deliver summit is a sign that he is out of touch with majority of the Ghanaian population.
Despite admitting that women make up 52% of the Ghanaian population and hence should have a greater say in the affairs of state, President Akufo-Addo expressed the opinion that Ghanaian women had not made enough progress to be given a greater role in decision making.
WiPT in a release issued by Theresa Awuni said the President’s comments exposes his “weak” knowledge of the challenges the average Ghanaian woman has to overcome in her bid to succeed.
The group is of the opinion that President Akufo-Addo’s comment is an indictment on his leadership.
“Above narration exposes the poor appreciation & weak comprehension of President Nana Addo on what means to be a woman in a crook patriarchal society, what’s it means to create an opportunity vis-à-vis the unusual systemic hurdles, thorns, mountains, bushes, hell etc a woman in a patriarchal society has to navigate before seizing such an opportunity.”
“And after defying all odds to seize the opportunity, you to continue navigating through extremely unusual judgmental tendencies,” the group stated.
WiPT was particularly appalled at President Akufo-Addo’s comments because according to them, he has turned a deaf ears to various calls by gender activists, organizations etc for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into Law.
“The Affirmative Action Bill is a piece of legislation that speaks actively to the issues of women and power, structures and the stumbling blocks that prevents women from accessing the corridors of power yet he’s failed to pass it into law,” the group clarified.
WiPT has therefore called on President Akuf-Addo to disclose “what he’s doing in his capacity as a African Union “Gender Champion” to push the bill (Affirmative Action) into law or he can tell us how a domestic violence victim can be in the right frame of mind to contest for a political position.”
“The Domestic Violence Act like many others has been shelved, collecting dust.”
“Gender activist have had the government sued to fund the regulation of the law in other to make it visible for the 42% of women in Ghana who are domestic violence victims and yet nothing has happened despite dynamic, active actions by gender advocates,” the group added.
The group is convinced President Akufo-Addo’s comments betrays a disinterest in pushing for the passage of the affirmative action bill into law describing it as “mirage” which as “reality seems far distant than ever thought”.
Story: Sena Nombo/Radiogoldlive.com
