A former Deputy Minister for Communications and founder of the Progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA), Victoria Lakshmi Hamah, has said it’s about time Ghanaians engage in an inclusive discourse to find logical ways to achieve a gender-equal society.

According to her, there have not been fair gender distribution of political power since Ghana’s independence, a trend she says, “betrays the logic of any real commitment to gender equality.”

As one of the steps to fight gender inequality, Victoria Hammah has called on Ghanaians to elect women to occupy at least 30 people of the seats in parliament as that is the first step to demonstrate commitment to gender equality.

To commemorate the International Women’s Day, Victoria Hamah in a statement said “…Such a historical and globally significant day should offer a reflective opportunity for us as Ghanaians to engage in an inclusive discourse to find pragmatic ways to achieve a gender-equal society.”

“The just celebrated 6th March marked our 63rd year of political and economic independence, a milestone that was supposed to achieve social justice for every citizen of Ghana.”

She added that there is a need for affirmative action and a change in our constitution to approach gender equality as fundamental.

“Although some marginal gains have been made to bridging the gender imbalance through policies and programmes including the just-ended Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and now Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), real change will require a depoliticization of the need for Affirmative Action and approaching gender equality as fundamental to the integrity of our constitutional democracy. “

Below is her full statement


Elect 30 percent women into Parliament as a first step to demonstrate commitment to Gender Equality – Victoria Lakshmi Hamah

The progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA) joins the global community to commemorate the International Women’s Day observed annually on the 8th of March – a day to reflect on the struggles by women and progressive societies to achieve a world of gender equality and equity.

This year’s theme: “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights” is very apt as it mobilizes all groups irrespective of vertical and horizontal differences to the collective cause of attaining a gender-equal society.

Such a historical and globally significant day should offer a reflective opportunity for us as Ghanaians to engage in an inclusive discourse to find pragmatic ways to achieve a gender equal society.

The just celebrated 6th March marked our 63rd year of political and economic independence, a milestone that was supposed to achieve social justice for every citizen of Ghana.

It is obvious that the vision that inspired the activism of our founding patriots are yet to materialize in every facet of life for the Ghanaian woman. This deviation underscores the discernible consequence of the asymmetrical social, political, economic and gender power relations between Ghanaian men and women.

Trend analysis of gender distribution of political power since independence betrays the logic of any real commitment to gender equality and same can be related to the private capital ratio between men and women.

Although some marginal gains have been made to bridging the gender imbalance through policies and programmes including the just ended Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and now Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), real change will require a depoliticization of the need for Affirmative Action and approaching gender equality as fundamental to the integrity of our constitutional democracy.

Gender equality is only achievable when as a people we translate women’s right to mean human right.
Women's power is people's power!
#GenerationEquality #internationalwomensday #IWD #POWA