Madam Elizabeth Awo Senah, the Assemblywoman for Kojo Beedu North-Low Cost Electoral Area in the Effutu Constituency, has reiterated the suggestion to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to create a special fund for electoral areas that elected women as assembly members.
This, according to her, would encourage more electoral areas to elect women into the District Assemblies to support government’s decision for more women to take part in grassroot democracy.
Madam Sena who made the suggestion in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Winneba on Wednesday said this would also encourage more women to take part in the District Assembly concept.
Records from the Electoral Commission (EC) indicate that only a handful of women are participating in the District Assembly elections nationwide.
According to the records in the Central Region, only 85 women out the 1,693 candidates have filed their nominations to contest the District Assembly elections after the close of nominations.
In the Effutu Constituency, two women are contesting the election in the 18 Electoral Areas.
Only six women out of the 74 candidates, representing 8.1 percent are contesting the District Assembly elections in the Agona West Municipality.
Madam Sena said the fund that could be a small portion of the District Assembly Common Fund, or any amount from the Ministry, should be used to support development projects of the choice of a particular Electoral Area, under the supervision of the Assembly.
The fund, she said, could operate like that of the MPs.
She said the current situation where women had to compete with their male counterparts, did not favour and encourage more women to the District Assemblies.
Madam Sena who is seeking re-election, appealed to the electorate to vote for people who could lead to develop their areas, irrespective of their political or ethnic affiliations.
She appealed to the electorate to consider her good performance in the past Assembly, her contributions towards the fight of armed robbery in the area, and retain her during the election next week.
The District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections will take place on Tuesday, September 1.
