GhanaWeb Feature by Joycelyn Kyei Baffour

The participation of women in politics is experiencing a remarkable surge globally, with a growing number assuming leadership roles across various sectors.

In Ghana, this trend is even more pronounced as more women are making their mark in politics, showcasing their capabilities and challenging the status quo.

A milestone was achieved during the 2020 elections, as three women made history by appearing on the presidential ballot for the first time since Ghana's independence.

GhanaWeb throws the spotlight on the three women who have contested for the presidency in the country.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, a politician, businesswoman, president of the 31st December Women’s Movement, and founder of the National Democratic Party (NDP), was the presidential candidate for the National Democratic Party in the 2016 election.

She was the first woman to contest for the presidency in the country with her newly formed party and won 0.16% of the votes cast during the elections.

Despite not winning the elections, she paved the way for future female candidates, demonstrating that women can compete at the highest level of politics in the country.

In 2020, Nana Konadu contested for the presidency again with Peter Tennyson Asamoah as her running mate, securing 0.05 percent of the total votes cast.

Akua Donkor

Akua Donkor started her political career as an Assemblywoman for Herman, later launching her presidential bid in 2011.

Her first attempt to claim a spot on the presidential ballot as an independent candidate in 2012 was truncated when she was disqualified from contesting the election by the Electoral Commission due to irregularities on the registration documents she presented.

Not deterred, Akua Donkor submitted her documents again in 2016. But she suffered another setback that year as she was disqualified a second time along with 12 other aspirants from contesting the polls.

She admitted that her nomination form was fraught with errors as pointed out by the EC, urging members and executives of the party not to lose hope as the party would contest the 2020 presidential elections.

Subsequently, she contested the 2020 presidential elections at the age of 68. This time her documents were devoid of any irregularities and her image finally appeared on the presidential ballot paper.

With Ernest Adababre Frimpong Manso as her running mate, the Ghana Freedom Party secured 0.04 percent of the total votes cast.

Brigitte Dzogbenuku

Brigitte Dzogbenuku, a former Miss Ghana and an entrepreneur and founder and executive director of Mentoring Women Ghana (MWG), a nonprofit organization, emerged as a presidential candidate in the 2020 elections on the ticket of the Progressive People’s Party with Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, a former operations executive of defunct GN Bank and the first National Secretary of the PPP, as her running mate and secured 0.05 percent of the votes cast.

These women, despite their unsuccessful bids, inspired a new generation of female leaders, demonstrating that women can compete at the highest level of politics in the country.

JKB/OGB

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Hassan Ayariga is our guest on the latest edition of Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV with host, Etsey Atisu. Catch the full interview below: