‘Help bridge gender gaps based on SDG5’

Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a non-government organisation, has called on all to help in bridging the gender gap based on the Sustainable Development Goal five (SDG5) which says “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

The organisation made the call through durbars and a radio discussion of its project communities in the Greater Accra, Western, Brong Ahafo, and Volta regions.

The activities were focused on celebrating the achievements of women in the areas of social, economic, cultural and political on the theme, “Pledge for Parity”.

At one of the durbars organised in Accra, the President of the Nima Mothers’ Club of the Ghana Red Cross Society, Hajiah Mariama, said the immeasurable contribution of women in areas such as family, agriculture, education, business and politics could not be overemphasised.

Low representation of women

She lamented the fact that parliament had only 10.9 per cent women in the 2012 election and hoped that the numbers would increase in the 2016 election.

She, however, commended civil society organisations for bringing issues of women to the fore.

She said under those CSO’s, many women were educated and empowered daily in the areas of health, sanitation, hygiene, and sexual and reproductive health.

Giving the keynote address, Mr Emmanuel Nuworza, Programmes Manager of HFFG, called on all to advocate the inclusion of more women in decision making.

He said even though Ghana had a population made up of 51 per cent women, only few were in critical decision-making positions which made it difficult for issues concerning them to be given the necessary national attention it deserved.

Call for action

He said the call for action to accelerate gender parity did not mean the exclusion of men but the joint effort of both men and women to take concrete steps towards achieving gender parity quickly.

 At Sunyani, a stand was mounted to exhibit and provide education on teenage pregnancy, counselling on HIV and AIDS and distribution of condoms for the prevention of new HIV infections.