A spokesperson for former President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Mogtari has downplayed President Nana Akufo-Addo’s comments at the 2019 Women Deliver Conference.
The President had demanded more dynamism from women in the search for gender parity in governance at the conference.
He said despite the majority being women in Ghana, not much political and social action had been witnessed in their push for greater inclusion in Ghana’s political administration.
Mrs Mogtari on Citi TV/FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, however, disagreed with the President’s assertion, explaining that women had over the years shown enough dynamism.
She therefore, called on the President, the 2017 AU Gender Champion to be more nuanced in his assessment of gender in Ghana.
“I think he made a very general statement which failed to address the dynamism Ghanaian women had shown. The dynamism that has brought us to a level where we have women in almost all key spheres of Ghana’s endeavours.
“Have we not shown enough dynamism? Have we not shown enough movement? Have we not benefited through our own hard work to sit at the table of the decision making process? It may not have been politically wrong but I believe it was not wholly truthful. I also think it could have been more edifying. It could have been situated to reflect what is lacking and needed.”
Hajia Alima calls for tolerance
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama on the same show said women activists need to be more tolerant of opposing viewpoints.
On The Big Issue, the Minister also said the Ghanaian feminists and gender advocates needed to be more inclusive.
“The women’s movement has to be very tolerant of other people’s views and encourage other people to be part of the conversion and generate ideas to enable us to move on.”