Accra, April 24, GNA - Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, on Monday launched an 18-paged newsletter that would present the challenges of women parliamentarians and promote their achievements.

The Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), a non-governmental organisation, is the brain behind the quarterly publication, dubbed, "The Female Parliamentarian."

At the launch which also coincided with the opening of a two-day workshop on women's participation in local government for selected journalists from five regions, Hajia Mahama stressed the need for the continual encouragement of women to take up leadership positions. Stating the importance of women in local governance, particularly in the areas of food production, sanitation and water, Hajia Mahama said when given all the support, women would function better in such fields to aid the governance process.

The Minister urged all to support Affirmative Action, which she explained was an agenda to identify competent women and place them in leadership and other higher positions.

"Affirmative Action is still crucial and the Government will continue to pursue it until an appreciable number of women representation is achieved both at the local level, in Parliament and other public office. When that is achieved, we can then decide to drop the action and still promote women", she indicated.

Mrs Charity Binka, Executive Director of WOMEC, said the newsletter would document women parliamentarians' contribution in the legislature and strengthen the bond between the public and female parliamentarians for visibility.

On the workshop, she said it would also sensitise media practitioners on the importance of women's participation in leadership and politics and equip them with the needed skills to promote women's active participation in processes and structures of decision-making. It would also provide a forum for media practitioners to strategise for the effective coverage of women in the coming District Assembly elections so as to assist them to win elections to increase their numbers in the assemblies.

Mrs Binka said getting more women into the district assemblies was a collective responsibility because democracy could only be truly felt when women shared an equal voice in all spheres of life with men. Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader, said the UN's 30 per cent representation of women in parliament was achievable in Ghana and, therefore, more efforts must be made towards its attainment.

According to him, women had capabilities and with the right support and recognition they could function better, adding, women should be encouraged to attain higher education to equip them to take up such higher offices.

Mrs Grace Coleman, Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore; Ms Akua Sena Dansua, MP for North Dayi and Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Ellembelle, who attended the function lauded the publication and called on journalists to feature the issues of women to project them. 24 April, 06