Only five women are among the 98 candidates contesting for 27 electoral areas in the Ayensuano District in the upcoming District Assembly Elections.

They are Mrs Sylvia Agyei Twum a caterer and the incumbent assembly member for Yakoko Electoral Area, Mrs Millicent Agyare Ntow, a seamstress, contesting in the Krabokesi Electoral Area, Mrs Christiana Tetteh, also a caterer, contesting in the Coaltar Amanfoso Electoral Area, Mrs Esther Teiko, candidate for Bepoasi and Mrs Rebecca Adjei, another caterer, and a candidate at Teacher Mante.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) , Mr Dwamena Yeboah, Returning Officer of Ayensuano District said, the number of females contesting the March 3 Elections, was, however, an improvement upon the two females, who took part in the last district assembly election.

Mr Yeboah, therefore, urged women to see themselves as part of the decision making process and involve themselves in all elections across the country.

Mr Asirifi Young, Ayensuono District Electoral Officer, attributed the low number of women’s participation in elections to lack of self-confidence on the part of most women, and called for programmes to boost the confidence of women and to motivate them to take part in elections.

He called for more financial support for women who offered themselves to take part in national elections.

Mrs Agyare Ntow the candidate for Krabokesi Electoral Area, explained that, the public’s perception that women who participated in active politics were immoral discouraged many women from taking part in politics.

She expressed the confidence that with the current publicity to encourage women to offer themselves for elections, many women would soon begin to assume their rightful place in the decision making process in the country.

The Ayensuoano District has 93 polling stations.