Dean of the School of Information and Communications at the University of Ghana, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo says President Akufo-Addo's statement that 30 percent of women form part his cabinet is a lie.
Professor Audrey Gadzekpo said there is only 26 percent women in cabinet and if the whole political appointments are taken into account the statistics will be at 17 percent.
At the Women’s Deliver Conference held this week in Canada, President Akufo-Addo said as part of efforts to achieve gender equality 30 percent of his cabinet are women.
President Akufo-Addo asked women to push for greater inclusion in Ghana’s political administration because they make a greater percentage of the country’s population – 52%.
He told the gathering of women advocates “we are not seeing enough dynamism and activism on the part of those who are seeking. I am talking about dynamism where it matters…electing people to Parliament, controlling political parties because they are the instruments by which our societies make decisions.
“We are talking about decisions, not wishes and hopes, we are talking about decisions that are going to make the difference,†President Akufo-Addo added.
But reacting to the President Akufo-Addo's activism and dynamism comment on Joy FM, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo said the President got it wrong because there has been enough evidence of activism and dynamism from women in this country.
“Nobody in this country will dispute the dynamism of our women. From the market to other spaces, women dynamism is all around us.
“Women and gender NGOs have been very dynamic. If it wasn’t for their dynamism we won’t have the Domestic Violent act for example. It was a coalition of women NGOs and male gender champions who made that happen,†the Communications professor said.
She cited the work of many other women and gender organisations, like Abantu for Development – a women-led gender agency – which put together a coalition that produced the Women’s Manifesto ( a document which clarified for women political office seekers what ought to be done to improve on the gender indicators of the country.)
“That is activism, that’s dynamism,†she said, stressing the efforts made by women NGOs to ensure that district assemblies have more women representation than there currently is.
“So by the time he says ‘people are not dynamic’, we are asking ‘what is he looking at, what is he expecting’,†Prof Gadzekpo queried.