Bolgatanga, April 12, GNA - A Policy and Advocacy Officer of the Foundation for Grass Roots Initiatives in Africa (GrassRootsAfrica), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has urged the political parties to nominate women as running mates for the 2012 General Election. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at the weekend in Bolgatanga, Ms Viola Naawiete Desoberi explained that if the political parties create room for women to become running mates, it would help bridge the gender disparity in governance and decision making and facilitate balance development.

She said no nation could develop properly without giving equal opportunities to women in the various sectors of the economy. Ms Desoberi said political parties that could appoint or elect women to positions of influence stood the chance of attracting more votes.

She said statistics revealed that since the advent of the First Republic and the fourth Parliament, women representation had always been fewer than 10 per cent of the total number of parliamentarians. Ms Desoberi said currently women in Parliament constituted a mere 8.6 per cent.

She indicated that the situation was not different in the District, Municipal and Metropolitan assemblies. She said out of the nine districts in the region, only one woman was appointed as District Chief Executive. Ms Desoberi said three out of the 23-member Council of State are women and only four are Cabinet members out of the 19 ministers. She advised women contesting for positions, especially the forthcoming assembly elections to be bold and resolute and start their campaign programme on time.

GrassRootsAfrica is a local NGO working in the area of poverty reduction and the strengthening of the political, economic and social rights of the poor and the marginalised. 12 April 10