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African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), Ghana Chapter, at the weekend held a Town Hall Meeting in Tamale, in the Northern Region to discuss the challenges and opportunities of women in politics.
The meeting also discussed how women in leadership can collectively promote young women in leadership to identify strategies to support those running for office in the 2024 general elections.
It was on the theme “Promoting women’s political leadership through dialogue”.
The meeting was organised in partnership with the Canadian High Commission and SWIDA Ghana with funding support from Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.
It brought together women across the five regions of the north, women politicians, representatives of political parties, youth groups, chiefs and queen mothers.
The chairperson of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), Dr Charity Binka, addressing the participants said AWLN was a ground-breaking movement of African women leaders that was established in 2017, as a joint initiative of the African Union and the United Nations.
She stated that AWLN had a goal of creating a continent-wide women’s movement led by women and for women.
“AWLN’s primary aim is to enhance women’s leadership across diverse backgrounds for the transformation of Africa into a peaceful and inclusive continent, ” she added.
Dr Binka said the network anchored its action on six pillars, including governance and political participation, peace and security, financial inclusion, young women leadership, empowering rural women, and social mobilisation.
She said that over 300 individuals, young women, and organisations across the country had registered with the network and membership was opened to all women leaders across the country.
The chairperson stated that women participation in political leadership was crucial for gender equality, inclusive governance and sustainable development but said women faced significant barriers in political participation, particularly with cultural and social norms, limited access to resources, and violence.
“AWLN Ghana is concerned about the low number of women who will be contesting the 2024 elections. Only 67 women will be contesting in the parliamentary elections. Our desire is that the few women contesting are elected,” she stated.
She added that their objectives was to identify and address the challenges facing women in political leadership as well as empower women with leadership skills, knowledge and network to mobilise women to participate in the 2024 elections.
“We believe that through meaningful dialogue, we have the opportunity to shape Ghana where women are not just participants but leaders, change-makers, and trailblazers in governance,” she added.
The coordinator of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Dr Zachary Pearlore, called for collective participation of women in all aspects of the country to empower them in leadership positions.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE
