How far wit di equality law for Ghana, e apply for di 2024 election?

Three months afta Ghana president sign di 30-year-old gender equality law, women wey dey contest di 7 December elections say di kontri gatz to do more to benefit from di law.

Di Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act 2024 go ensure say a certain number of women dey key positions for goment, security, business and oda places wia dem fit to take decisions.

Di law tok say by 2030, Ghana gatz get up to 50% of women for public and private sector to meet di sustainable development goal about gender equality.

But for di kontri major election afta dis law don pass, only one woman dey contest for president wia 118 odas dey contest to enta parliament.

Nana Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankumah dey hope to become di first female president to break di two-party system wia Ghana don dey run since 1993.

Bifor November, na dem be two females, but one of dem, di Ghana freedom party candidate don die wit weeks to di poll.

“I wan use Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah im Convention People’s Party (CPP) to take Ghana back,” di 68-year-old tok BBC Pidgin.

Im add say “we gatz di welfare and development of di pipo as our agenda, if I become di first female president, Ghana go become di best.”

Ghana electoral commission give 25% discount on top di filing fee for presidential candidates wey be women for dis year’s election.

For pesin wey wan contest for president, im gatz to pay GHC 100,000 ($6,500) and GHC 10,000 ($665) for parliamentary seats.

Oga for di electoral commission Jean Mensa tok say dem give di discount “wey be di first time dem do dat kain tin to allow more women to enta politics and contest for public office for various levels.”

But di CPP presidential candidate Nana Frimpomaa say di way politics don dey cost for Ghana dey push women out.

“Beyond moni for filing fees, di structure of di election process itserf dey make we dey spend more moni to pay agents wey don dey monitor our polls for di ova 40,000 polling stations for di kontri. If you get two agents – one for presidential and di oda for parliamentary, dat alone na 80,000 plus pipo wia to pay dis pipo na plenty moni,” Nana Frimpomaa explain.

“We gat to reach di place wia pesin no go dey di polling station but dem fit trust say dia votes go count wey di system go dey fair to everibodi. Dat way, we no go spend plenty moni to hire agents across di kontri.”

Sabi pipo and gender advocates don dey tok say political parties gat to create structures inside dia party for women and reserve some positions for dem.

Nana Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankumah gree say dat be di way to go.

“We tank God for dis affirmative action law, I believe say if dem reserve places for women for politics and oda positions, odas go fit join.”

Im dey hope say “with dis women for dis positions, e go attract odas like magnet.”

Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey bin gree wit her.

Agnes Naa Momo na one of di 40 female MPs for Ghana parliament out of 275 seats.

Dr Agnes Lartey dey hope to get di mandate of di pipo of di Krowor constituency to continue anoda four-year term.

She tok BBC Pidgin say “to dey mobilize women for parliament and politics, e neva dey easy di last four years but we don tank baba God say di speaker of parliament always bin give women di chance to tok for parliament; if e no be im, like women go suffer for parliament.”

Di opposition lawmaker na one of 118 women wey dey contest for parliament for di 7 December election wia im go face di goment party candidate Emmanuel Odai Laryea.

Across di board, di women candidates don dey tok say di cost of running elections for di kontri don dey make women run away from dis kind positions

“Na difficult tin for women to find moni to enta di system sake of every step pesin go tak, na moni; dis be why many women don dey hide when dem suppose enta politics. We need more commitment to deal wit dis tin, no be always tok tok tok,” Dr Agnes Lartey explain.

She add say “di political parties gat to show commitment beyond say dem go pay for half di price of di filing fee for women; dem gatz reserve seats for women inside some of di party strongholds.”

Ghana join Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Mozambique and odas for Africa wey get affirmative action laws wey dey work.

But afta di kontri pass di law, dem gat to ensure say di tins wey go make di law effective go dey in place.

One sabi pesin wey don lead di advocacy for goment to pass di affirmative action law Sheila Minkah-Premo say “certain structures dey need at dis time - like to set up di gender equity committee to be dey responsible for di implementation, to measure progress across sectors. Dis committee go dey do assessment every year to see if di kontri don dey make progress.”

Di CPP candidate Nana Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankumah dey hope say young pipo go buy into her party policies to promote ethics, equity and innovation.

In 2020, na three women contest to be president of di west African kontri.

Dem be former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of di National democratic party, Bridget Dzogbenuku of di Progressive Peoples’ Party and Akua Donkor of di Ghana freedom party wey die for October dis year.