Women have been advised to work hard and rise above their current positions, and marshal all competencies and confidence, to contest and win assembly membership and other high ranking elective decision-making positions in the country.

Mr Masud Aziz Rauf, the Executive Director of Rural and Urban Women’s Association (RUWA), a women empowerment Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), who gave the advice, said it was important for women to demonstrate capabilities of efficiently representing their people at high decision-making levels, hence the need for them to take up such positions.

He was speaking at a community dialogue and consensus-building workshop, which was organised by RUWA, in Tamale, to discuss strategies to enhance women’s participation in high decision-making level offices in the country.

It was part of the RUWA’s “Enhancing Women’s Participation in Decision-making” project, being implemented in the Tamale Metropolis, Yendi, Savelugu and Sagnarigu Municipalities, with funding support from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

Mr Rauf disclosed that the project empowered women to contest in the 2019 District Level Elections at its operational districts, and out of the 19 women who contested, three won their quest to represent their electoral areas.

He appealed to the government to put in place initiatives to encourage women to participate in elective positions to ensure equity in leadership, adding that, it would accelerate national development.

Mr Matthew Mac Chancellor, the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Savannah Reclamation and Development (SARDEV), expressed worry about how women’s representation at various decision-making positions were low in the country and encouraged them to be confident and participate at such high ranking levels.

Madam Yakubu Bibiana Wumpuni, Assembly Member for Malshegu Electoral Area, who is one of the women who were supported by the RUWA during the electioneering campaigns, sharing her experience said: “I was intimidated by the fact that we find ourselves in a patriarchal society where only men are always regarded as the head, but after RUWA’s intervention, the narrative has changed”.

She, therefore, encouraged other women to rise and take-up decision-making positions, so that they could contribute to the development of their communities.