Redeem Pledge To Allocate 40% Positions To Women � NORWACGG

The Northern Region Assembly Women�s Caucus on Good Governance (NORWACGG) has reminded government of its 2008 campaign promise to allocate 40% of executive positions to women. The Caucus thus expects government to appoint women as district chief executives for the six newly created districts in the Northern region. The president of the northern regional chapter of NORWACGG, Hajia Azara Telly, made the call at a news conference held in Tamale under the auspices of the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), a non-governmental organization that is promoting gender equality in the Northern region. The conference sought to draw government�s attention to the widened gender disparities recorded in the public sector in terms of appointments. She also impressed upon the leadership of all the political parties to openly acknowledge the contribution of women by giving them the chance to explore. Hajia Telly further bemoaned the decrease in female representation at all levels of the decision making process and called for a paradigm shift. The Executive Director of NORSAAC, Alhassan Mohammed Awal, lamented over the low representation of women in the nation�s decision making processes. He gave the assurance that his outfit in collaboration with Action-Aid Ghana will soon publish a research finding on the dwindling fortunes of women contesting elections in the Northern region. Alhassan Awal suggested the need for women who are capable of administering the affairs of their localities to be empowered to contribute their quota towards the nation�s development. The NORWACGG has 170 membership. It encompasses both present and past women leaders who have served in various capacities at the local government level in the Northern region. The Northern region has 20 district assemblies and all of these have been occupied by men. Regrettably, the region which has 26 constituencies can only boast of only one female Member of Parliament, Hajia Mary Boforo, representing the Savelugu constituency.