Girls in Ghana should have presidential role models too

Opinions on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Columnist: Seidu Agongo

2020-09-22

What does a president or vice president mean for the girl child in Ghana?
It means a lot.

Overall, it means the same thing that male presidents and vice presidents have meant and still do to our male children: a role model that they can identify with through gender and physique, a source of hope and inspiration that they can also become. top leaders when they work hard and are diligent, and a symbol of the possibility that the dream of leading Ghana or an organization is not just a series of thoughts that are repeated while they sleep, but something that can become a reality.

This is part of the reason why the appointment of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as the running mate of Democratic National Congress (NDC) standard bearer John Dramani Mahama for the December 2020 elections should mean more than another historic feat in our democracy. and human capital development trips.

Despite our unparalleled feats in the area of ​​democracy and socio-political stability, Ghana has yet to break the proverbial glass ceiling that will allow a woman to occupy the highest or second highest positions in the country: the President or the Vice President of the Republic. from Ghana.

Until the selection of Professor Opoku-Agyemang this year, the most basic requirements to become president or vice president, which is simply trying to fill that position, had not been done by the female gender.

The presidential or vice-presidential candidates before her were and are from parties that had never won political power and / or had not managed to get to the polls since 1992.

This is not good for gender equality and equity, the two words that may mean less in theory but everything in reality.

From research to practice, it is very clear that having more women leaders at the top of political decision-making increases the number of women participating in politics at the bottom and in nation building in general.

It also allows for more inclusive decisions from the top, something that is needed to help close the economic gap and other sources of gender disparities between the male and female gender, the north-south divide, and the haves and have-nots in the country.

Many feminist theorists also argue strongly and rightly that having more women in leadership reduces the chances of conflict, political witch-hunting, and human rights abuses in a society.

Given the acidic and vindictive nature of our current socio-political environment and the implications for the economy, there is no question that the country needs that stabilizer of a leading woman now than ever.

It will not only refocus our energies on the things that matter most: reducing infant mortality, ensuring safe pregnancy and childbirth, eliminating life-threatening childhood illnesses, finding shelters and decent jobs for the elderly and young in a respectful way, and generally , equalize opportunities for all. it will also help reduce unnecessarily high temperatures in our political space.

The case of a president or vice president is even more compelling when the population structure is examined.
Beyond the 57% of the population who are under the age of 25 today, more than half of Ghanaians are women. This underscores the overwhelming majority of the country’s vulnerable population.

With democracy basically referring to a government of the people, by the people and for the people, one wonders why a nation that has more women than men will allow the minority gender to continue to lead.

How democratic can we say that we are when we have not allowed the gender equation, which is as important in numbers as it is in catalyzing development, to manifest itself on the cusp of political leadership for almost three decades?
What is even more concerning is the abundance of talent and leadership qualities in the female gender, as is the case with the male gender as well.

Findings from a study published in Harvard Business Review (HBR) on June 25, 2019, showed that women possessed and exhibited better leadership qualities than their male counterparts.

The study said the women were rated as outstanding in taking initiative, acting resiliently, practicing self-development, seeking results, and showing high integrity and honesty.

“In fact, they were thought to be most effective in 84 percent of the competencies we measure most frequently,” the study revealed.
Talented women abound here in Ghana, with Professor Opoku-Agyemang and her impeccable record as a teacher, the first Vice Chancellor of a Ghanaian public university, and the Minister of Education, among others, being one of them.

Due to years of sustained positive activism, the creation of equal opportunities, and the deliberate, albeit insufficient, empowerment of women, the country has been blessed with a variety of female talents who can become great presidents and vice-presidents when given the support that their male counterparts have. been getting all this time.

What we now need is a psychological reorientation that opens our eyes to the many benefits that there are to having a female president or vice president.

We have done well by having a female president of the Supreme Court twice and a female president of Parliament once. But is that all there is for the female gender to contribute to development?

While the appointment of Professor Opoku-Agyemang as a running mate may be unprecedented, it has been a long time coming, in essence and for the broader purpose it serves, outside of the 2020 political campaign season.

The country, especially the people committed to us having presidential role models for girls, must now fight together to update it and achieve success.

At a time when the representation of women in decision-making is increasing globally, as evidenced by reports from the United Nations and the World Bank Group, Ghana has another chance to emerge as a major contributor to equality. through a vice president.

As she herself has said before, the important thing is not to be the first to walk through the door: what matters is to leave that door open for many others to pass and her career in public service speaks of it.
But we cannot allow our girls to go through a door that he tries to open. They can only go through an open door; one whose openness means more than just an opportunity for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

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How democratic can we say that we are when we have not allowed the gender equation, which is as important in numbers as it is in the catalyst of development, to manifest itself at the cusp of political leadership for almost three decades?

The author is a businessman and philanthropist, with a special interest in women, children and the disadvantaged. He is the founder of the collapsed Heritage Bank Ghana Limited.