6 months ago
51 ARTICLE AD
Women Voter Mobilisations Initiative to encourage eligible women and minority marginalised groups to vote in the December general election was on Wednesday launched in Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region.
Trained volunteers were deployed to conduct community outreaches in various communities, market outreach campaigns, door-to-door campaign to dissemination information, education and communication (IEC) materials to whip up interest in the limited voters registration and the general election.
The initiative is being implemented by the Centre for Social Mobilisation and Sustainable Development (CENSODEV), a non-governmental organisation based in the Navrongo, targeting women in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Savanah, North East, Bono and part of Western Regions.
The campaign is being led by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and with funding from the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) and Political Accountability Activity (POLA) project.
The Executive Director, CENSODEV, Braimah Sanjage, said the objective of the project was to mobilise women across five regions of Ghana to increase participation in the 2024 general elections.
Municipal Director of National Commission on Civic Education, Mrs Felicia Ajongba, observed that the population of women was higher than men in the country, but their turn out during every election was lower than men.
She passionately appealed to women to exercise their civic duties by participating actively in the electoral process to help shape policies and influence change in their communities.
Launching the project, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Adongo, praised CENSEDOV and its partners for initiating the move to increase political participation among women, and minority groups in the country for sustainable development.
He said his commitment to women’s participation in decision-making led to increase in the number of appointed Assembly members from two to four women, adding that women were key in the development agenda of the municipality.
The Municipal Director of Electoral Commission, Mr Tetteh Ankama Okyere, expressed gratitude for the intervention towards increasing women participation in the 2024 general election, entreating women to actively participate in the electoral process.
Mr Okyere also emphasised on the critical roles women play in mobilising their fellow women to actively participate in the electoral process as well as creating participants awareness on the commission’s calendar for the 2024 General Election.
The Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, Pe Dennis Asagepare Balinia Adda, pledged his support in ensuring the successful implementation of the project.
The Paramount Queen Mother of Bongo Traditional Area, Pognaba Christiana Ngeh, entreated women to be vocal and speak up for their rights.
The representative of the National Peace Council, Madam Fauzia Issifu, said National Peace Council was mandated by law to develop mechanisms for building sustainable peace in the country and was pleased to associate with CENSODEV initiative.
Also present at the launch were Navrongo Central Constituency women organisers of the New Patriotic Party, National Democratic Congress and Convention People’s Party, religious and traditional leaders, market queens, Garment Makers Association, Weavers Association.
BY TIMES REPORTER
