Amanda odoi Dilys Amoabeng Esther Pokoo-Aikins A FRESH POLICY CHALLENGE:BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE COALITION FOR IMPROVING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN GHANA Amanda odoi Dilys Amoabeng Esther Pokoo-Aikins

Outline Championing women’s participation What Ghana stands to gain Possible structure of the coalition Rationale for the policy paper Expected challenges Activities of the coalition Objectives of the policy paper Conclusion Why we are recommending coalition building Our presentation focussing on the importance of building coalitions to promote sustained women’s participation in decision making begins with providing some background to the current situation, followed by exploring the potential to set up a coalition in Ghana and concluding with expected challenges and recommendations.

If you want to develop Africa you must develop the leadership of African women (Soukeyna Ba cited in Manuh, 1998, p. 1) This quote captures the critical significance of engaging women in decision-making across all levels

Championing Women’s Participation Quota – 40% representation of women in all sectors of the country (1998) Ongoing support for women in local governance through allocated funds (2002). Ministry for Women’s and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) program to support women’s political campaigns (2010 to date) Recognising the role women play in a country’s development Ghana put in place several initiatives to enhance their participation, beginning with the reservation of 10 seats in the national parliament in 1957 as a reward for women’s efforts in facilitating the election of first prime minster.

Rationale For The Policy Paper Women’s participation in the national parliament stands at 8.7% Male bias in conceptualisation of leadership Diversity among women poses challenges to participation Lack of recognition of benefits of women’s effective participation in decision making Challenges in engaging men The fundamental reason behind developing this policy paper is the recognition that despite 55 years of championing women’s participation, inequality persists in Ghana’s political system as evidenced by the low representation of women in the national parliament. Second, the world over ideas about what leadership looks like is male- dominated. Ghana is no different. Cultural attitudes lie behind this male-centric conceptualisation. For example in Ghana there is a assumption that a women’s place is in the home. Men do not listen to women even when they take the courageous step of speaking out in public. Women are seen as objects of rule and not rulers. Third, women are not a homogenous group – so we face challenges in appreciating diversity but at the same time speaking with one voice Fourth, gendered stereotyping prevents men and some women from accepting and recognising the invaluable contributions that women make to sustainable development. Finally, achieving gender equality is not a women’s only issue, we need to work in partnership with men. The question is how we do this?

Objectives of the Policy Paper Establish a sustainable coalition to improve women’s political participation. More specifically: Recommend possible structure of the coalition Recommend some activities of the coalition The main aim of this paper is to push for the formation of a sustainable coalition which will seek to improve women’s political participation More specifically, the paper makes concrete recommendations on the possible structure of the coalition, its activities and draft recommendation that the coalition should consider.

Why Are We Recommending Coalition-building? South Africa - National Women’s Coalition (NWC) develops Women’s Charter Nigeria and Rwanda – women’s dialogue forums Zambia and Zimbabwe – women-only political parties Evidence suggests that coalitions are an effective means to bring diverse groups together to advocate of a common cause. In South Africa the National Women’s Coalition was able to develop a Women’s Charter to serve as a common platform to advocate for gender equality. Nigeria and Rwanda used dialogue forums as a means to bring women together to lobby for increased representation in the political arena. In Zambia and Zimbabwe women only political parties to give voice to women’s political social and economic concerns.;

What Ghana Stands To Gain Greater reach and credibility Coordinated approach to advocacy Exercise citizenship Achieve more widespread reach within a community than any single organization- greater credibility Offer effective means of achieving a coordinated approach to fighting for the cause of women’s political leadership. Provide women with a full exercising of citizenship by promoting, forging and strengthening of alliances and networking of women at the national and regional level

Structure of the Coalition

Activities Of The Coalition Civic education – e.g voter education Leadership training & mentoring of women political leaders Ensuring accountability to government commitments through media engagement & media capacity development Engaging men in supporting the coalition

Expected Challenges For The Coalition Men’s resistance “I don’t know how many men will be willing to vacate their seats for a woman to contest because me I won’t” (a male parliamentarian in Ghana) Lobbying political parties on giving up winnable seats for women Convincing women to take up public office Persuading electorates on the need for women’s involvement in political decision-making Institutions, social and political structures that reinforce gender stereotyping

Conclusion Key benefits of the coalition Lobbying for a review of relevant laws to enhance women’s opportunity for political participation Holding government accountable for its commitment Holding the media accountable for its portrayal of women Mechanism for networking amongst women’s organisations to support implementation for programs at the grassroots levels