NCCE’S TAKE ON BOOSTING THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

In a workshop organized by the Alliance of Women in Media, held at Miklin Hotel in Kumasi, NCCE Commission Member, Mrs. Hajara Mohammed Rufai proposed strategies that can help boost the participation of women and enhance their visibility in local governance.

The interventions mentioned were organizing training workshops and civic education programmes to empower women on local governance structures, processes, and their roles as well as their rights and obligations. According to Mrs. Rufai, this is important because women with low literacy levels may not even be aware that at the local level, formal education is not a barrier to participation.

Mrs. Rufai suggested awareness-creating campaigns in the form of media campaigns and success stories, which also promote mass publicity among citizens and inspire confidence in women aspirants to get involved in the future. Other strategies raised were through communication platforms and inclusive communication strategies, leadership development, policy advocacy, collaborations, and partnerships.

Explaining the strategies the NCCE deploys in Civic Education, she stated organising town hall meetings, candidate forums, visibility materials, and engagement with women’s groups among others. The NCCE Commission Member proposed initiatives such as endorsement of events, personal narratives, and biographical videos.

Emphasizing NCCE's presence in all the Districts throughout the country, she suggested collaborative efforts between the NCCE and other key stakeholders to further enhance the visibility of women aspirants in the Local Assembly Elections. She noted that these interventions aim to leverage effective communication channels to enhance the visibility of women participating in local governance, fostering an environment that encourages more women to engage in the political process.