The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Okudzeto Ablakwa has expressed disappointment over what he called poor gender representation in the 19-member list of cabinet ministers presented to Parliament on June 10, 2021.
With the list, only three women were named with the remaining sixteen men. The three listed women are Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, and Ms. Hawa Koomson, Minister of Health.
In an interview with Noel Nutsugah, host of the Statecraft on Zylofon 102.1 Fm, Mr Ablakwa stated that “countries that take gender affairs very seriously are beginning to show that by the number of women they appoint to cabinet positions, and Ghana should emulate that”
The Legislator cited countries such as Rwanda and Ethiopia as examples of African countries that have achieved gender parity in governance and cooperate affairs, respectively.
He did, however, expressed misgivings and disappointment with non-inclusion of some key ministries, such as the ministries of Information, Communication and Digitization, Youth and sports, Roads and Highways, Gender and Social Protection, and National Security, from the list of cabinet appointees.
He however advised that future administrations should separate the Youth and Sports ministry so that priority will be given to each, if the country wants to advance the youth agenda with African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a driving force. “We need an innovative policies to assist raise the typical Ghanaian youngster and identify talents”
The MP intimated that the exclusion of the road ministry from President Akuffo Addo’s cabinet choice speaks a lot about the much-touted “year of roads“ which he believes was only a rhetoric to acquire political clout ahead of the 2020 general elections. In support of his claim, he said funds allocated in the 2021 budget was substantially different from that of 2020, which further supports his contention that the existing administration is unconcerned about the country’s road infrastructure.
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