Takoradi March. 9, GNA - Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister Designate, on Tuesday proposed that 40 percent of appointments of District Chief Executives (DCEs) be reserved for women. She made the proposal in a keynote address read for her by Mrs Olivia Opoku-Adomah, Regional Economic Planning Officer, at the Regional celebration of International Women's Day in Takoradi. The celebration was under the theme: "The Role of Women in Local Governance".

Madam Horner-Sam said women would be able to express their views better if 40 percent of positions of DCEs were reserved for them. She said few women were in the district assemblies and this made it difficult for them to make their voices heard on issues concerning their welfare.

Madam Horner-Sam said: "This is so because either the women themselves refuse to talk or they are not allowed to do so". Miss Jane Edna Nyame, Regional Director of the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD) said women faced a number of constraints that inhibited the maximisation of their development efforts. She said these constraints should be removed to enable them to make appropriate contributions to their societies.

Dr Linda Van-Otoo, Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Director of the Ghana Health Service, asked parents to assist to stem the increase of teenage pregnancy in the Region.

She said the GHS wanted to increase supervised delivery in order to reduce maternal deaths and morbidity.

Dr Van-Otoo advised pregnant women to attend clinics and deliver at hospitals to enable the GHS to achieve this target.