General News of Friday, 10 July 2020

Source: peacefmonline.com

Naana Opoku-Agyemang won't cure 'indecisive, incompetent' Mahama - Ursula Owusu

Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful play videoMember of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

Communication Minister and Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful says the choice of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Running Mate of NDC flagbearer and former President, John Dramani Mahama will make no difference in the December 7 elections.

According to her, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has shot themselves in the foot by selecting Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang because she doesn't equally have a good track record just as the former President.

She also lambasted Mr. Mahama's Running Mate saying she has played no significant role in women empowerment.

Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has over the years served as a Managing Consultant with N. U. Consult Legal, Governance and Gender Consultants and also Chairperson for the Social Development Sector Committee – a committee responsible for the development of policy interventions for women, children, persons with disability, the aged and all social intervention policies and programs for the NPP manifesto 2016.

This was established in a publication on Freedom Online website on Thursday, February 6, 2020.

She has also been an executive member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) since 1990 and was a former President of FIDA Ghana and Africa Regional Vice President of FIDA International.

She was recently given an award by FIDA in recognition of her brilliant work in protecting the rights of women and children.

Presenting the award of excellence to Mrs. Owusu Ekuful, FIDA eulogized her saying ''we are aware of the tremendous work that you have done for almost 30 years, first as a lawyer, women's rights advocate, member of Parliament for Ablekuma West and minister for communications in advancing the cause of women and show our gratitude for your work in fighting for Women and Children in Ghana''.



She is also a member of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), Ghana.

The aforementioned qualifications and offices held by Ursula Owusu-Ekuful therefore makes her an expert when she says Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has no track record in gender activism.

"I've worked in this field since 1990 . . . Since we started understudying our leaders since 1990 and keep going on advocating for the liberty and empowerment of women, her (Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang) name hasn't appeared anywhere. She was teaching in her University. Nothing wrong with that. Everybody should be in her lane. Everybody and where her strength lies; so you can't compare somebody's work to your own. Maybe she has chosen that in academia, that's where her strength lies; nothing wrong with that. But for you to say today that because she is a woman, she is going to fight for women empowerment; she is not a part of the women rights activists. She wouldn't even know where to start from," she told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Thursday.

Hon. Owusu-Ekuful further stressed that despite the credentials of the Professor, she and former President John Mahama are no new personalities so far as the governance of Ghana is concerned, emphasizing that ''no matter how intelligent the Running Mate, it can't cure an indecisive incompetent flagbearer''.

"Judge her on her track record. What work did she do while in government? What value is she bringing on the ticket of her nomination? Exactly, what is she going to do to add to her ticket?'' she questioned.

"The value is the same. First one, she doesn't have any women's rights credentials at all that I know," she asserted.