Women groups and other key groups like community-based organizations that show great interest in improving and deepening election-related issues in Ghana should be given front seats in the process, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has urged.

According to the immediate past Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), there is no denying the enormous roles that particularly women groups and other organizations focused on community-related issues undertake in promoting election-related issues.

He explained that by dint of this, these groups should be given more frontline positions and roles to play.

“Women and youth groups, as well as community-based groups demonstrated that they remain key actors to a peaceful electoral process. Through different initiatives, communities were mobilized to promote peaceful elections and we must endeavor to give them a central role in our electoral process going forward,” he said.

Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas made this known at the opening session of a three-day High-Level Post-Election Stakeholders Review Workshop on the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana, organized by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO).

He further explained that while at there, there is also the need for the country to focus on increasing the representation of women in high-level positions of the country.

He explained that being the kind of country it is on the continent, being a light of many good things to other countries, Ghana should be rubbing shoulders with the many countries of the world that are setting trends in this light.

“We know the youthful profile of our population, the active role of our women [the Ghanaian women], particularly when it comes to political campaigns. Of course, roles of our women which are not reflected post-election in the distribution of the goodies. And I see that in Parliament, we don’t seem to be improving on that, and the representation is still hovering around 16% - I know in the past, it had gone up to 20% so it’s not a happy story today to say that the gender representation is hovering around 16%; we can do more.

“The executive is striving and I have seen a figure of average 20% but I think Ghana, with the leadership role that we have in issues of governance on our continent, we should be among the trend-setters when it comes to this,” he urged.

Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas delivered the keynote address at the ongoing workshop which has brought together relevant election stakeholders including state institutions, civil society organizations, media practitioners, political parties, and development partners.

The workshop will, among other things, deliberate on critical issues relating to electoral integrity in Ghana and take stock of valuable lessons from the conduct of the recently-held elections, drive the agenda towards electoral reforms, and enhance future elections.