A Political Communications Researcher, Dr. Louise Carol Donkor, has asked Ghana to invest in political mentoring so that women with political ambitions can tap into the experience of other women.
She is also advocating the enhanced training for women to sharpen their skills in leadership.
Speaking at the GJA-STAR Ghana programme dubbed ‘We the People’, which discussed increasing women and youth participation in local governance, Dr. Donkor, said: “it is not the lack of political competence of women that is why Ghana continues to record low women representation in governance, but male dominance in the distribution of resources.’’
She underscored the need to continuously support and empower women who are doing well on the political scene to aspire to higher governance roles.
Dr. Donkor also said the under-representation of women in the local governance structure must be a worry to all, “especially because it undermines the democratic rights of women as well as continues to deny them of employment opportunities.”
Dr. Donkor said for any functional democracy to thrive, there is the need to push for good representation of women, youth, and for other marginalised groups such as disabled persons.
She indicated that leadership is about “soft skills such as compassion, empathy, ability to negotiate and solve problems which women naturally possess’’.
Dr. Donkor asked society to re-orient their minds and concentrate on competence of women, and people who can deliver development to communities and the country at large.
Story filed by Rachel Kakraba.
