Advocacy group, Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities (VOWACGhana) is appealing to President John Mahama to seriously consider appointing a woman with disability for Deputy Minister of Gender and Social Protection.
In a release by the group, it noted that while it had been encouraged by the president’s appointment of women to his administration, it bemoaned the lack of representation in relation to naming females with disabilities to serve in top positions.
“We appreciate the government for appointing women into ministerial and key leadership positions as an effort to achieving the 30% women representation in the gender equality law.
VOWACghana wishes to draw the attention of the president to the fact that, women with disabilities are missing in his appointment
and for several decades have continuously been excluded from leadership and participation in this country,” the statement signed by the group’s Acting Executive Director, Juliana Afia Mahmood read in part.
VOWACGhana observed that the “principle of Leave No One Behind under the Sustainable Development Goals” will be hampered if females with disabilities continued to be left out of the governance in the country.
To this end, the group made clear that the appointment of such persons to top positions will help address the representation deficits.
“Government should consider the appointment of a female with disability as a deputy for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection,” it appealed.
It continued: “They should be given the opportunities to serve as board members, district assemblies appointees, ministerial and other positions of powerjust as their fellow women without disabilities being considered.”
VOWACGhana encouraged government to appoint “at least 5% of females with disabilities of the 30% appointees at the district assembly level to “ensure diversity in women representation”.
The female ministers designate selected so far include Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister-designate for Gender and Social Protection; Minister-designate for Tourism, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister designate for Trade, Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare and Minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur.
Three of the named regional ministers are women, representing 18.75% of the total.
