This demonstration of independence was refreshing as back home in Kenya, you seldom see female motorbike (boda-boda) or scooter riders.ĭuring the focus groups, we had several thought-provoking discussions on their participation in political parties where they not only identified the barriers but also how these manifest themselves and interlink with each other. Local women political party members arrived at our focus group location on scooters as well. As I entered Tamale for the first time, I saw a large number of women going about their daily business in town on gas-powered scooters. Education also seemed to be a very big factor in Kumasi as most of the discussants expressed how getting a good education was the key to them overcoming some of these barriers.Īfter observing several FGDs in Kumasi, I made my way to Tamale, the capital of Ghana’s Northern Region. “The fact that the word ‘man’ is in that word means that the seat is not meant for us women,” exclaimed one of the women political party members. At some point, they all burst out laughing in amusement when our focus group moderator declared her secret ambition to become the ‘Chairman’ of a political party – like it was a really herculean task. Women political party members reported that while they viewed themselves as ‘full members’ of their political parties, they had not managed to ascend to executive party positions. Though 276 km apart the situation there was not any different from the one Accra. I later traveled to Kumasi, a city in the Ashanti Region. I noted that while women in Ghana do not struggle with identifying with or committing to a political party, they do face roadblocks when it comes to ascending to positions of power within those political parties. As a native of Kenya, where our political parties and coalitions evolve with every electoral cycle, it was interesting to know that most of the women participating in the FGDs had been members of their respective political parties for years-in fact, most told us they were ‘born into their respective parties.’ I kept wondering how this kind of loyalty could potentially translate into meaningful gains for the women but as the discussions continued, I realized it’s not as easy as it sounds. I kicked off my trip by observing a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) that brought together women political party members in Accra. I was, therefore, eager to see if the political enviroment had changed for women two years later. While Ghana’s democracy may be thriving, women remain underrepresented in Ghanaian politics as observed by IRI’s 2016 pre-electoral assessement team. Having just come out of a protracted electoral process in Kenya, I was excited to travel back to Ghana, a country that is viewed by many as the beacon of democracy in Africa. This was my second trip to Ghana, having first visited this thriving democracy in 2016 when I served as part of a delegation that conducted a pre-electoral gender assessment. ‘Andar baith ja’: Ranbir Kapoor jokingly invites paparazzo to sit with him in car as he gets too close.I recently traveled to Ghana as an observer to support IRI’s research project on identifying the barriers to women’s participation in political parties.2023 World Cup has shown that ODI cricket is not dead yet.Cheerleaders, welcome drinks: Traders in Chandigarh’s Sector 17 get last-minute nod to screen India-Aus World Cup final at 4 pm today.Decoding Politics: The Rajasthan ‘water scam’ in the middle of a big BJP-Congress row.Rashid Khan deconstucts his blueprint of bowling to Indian batters ahead of World Cup final.Pankaj Tripathi opens up on father’s death: ‘It feels like the roof has been removed from my head’.Digvijaya’s sit-in agitation enters 2nd day to demand BJP candidate’s arrest in murder case.A law that launched 2,500 sex abuse suits is expiring.His dedication towards the students has made him an overnight sensation on the Internet, with many lauding his efforts to not give up on imparting education. In the caption accompanying the pictures, he mentioned that he is teaching his students Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by drawing it on the blackboard because “have to do wat will make them understand”. Owura Kwadwo Hottish, a teacher in Ghana, took to Facebook to share pictures of how he is teaching MS Word to his students by drawing the interface on the blackboard. An exemplary illustration of how selfless a teacher’s love for his/her students is, this story of a man from Ghana is creating ripples on social media. (Source: Owura Kwadwo Hottish/Facebook)Ī teacher is, undoubtedly, no less than a parent when it comes to imbibing us with values and for this, they use the powerful tool of education.
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