By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah/Dorcas Stephens  

Accra, Feb1, GNA – Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have encouraged the National Democratic Congress (NDC)-led government to submit to them and the entire citizenry timelines for the implementation of their manifesto provisions. 

They also admonished government to communicate clearly to them how government intended to fund all its proposed projects for them to hold it accountable when the need be. 

They made the appeal at a Stakeholders’ Forum in Accra organised by the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) Ghana, Star Ghana Foundation and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office under the UK High Commission on “Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis of Political Party Manifestos in Ghana”. 

The CSOs include the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Feminist Africa, Ghana Federation for Persons with Disability, Centre for Gender Studies (University of Ghana), Ghana Integrity Initiative, Institute for Democratic Governance, Action Aid Ghana, Amnesty International, Imani Ghana, and the Affirmative Action Law Coalition. 

Also present were political parties including the Movement for Change and Ghana Union Movement. 

The CSOs also lauded government for making a commitment to implement the Affirmative Action Law and set up a Gender Equity Committee to that effect. 

They also applauded government for its provision to engage a minimum of five per cent of persons with disability at public offices. 

Ms Rachel Gyabaah, a Development Practitioner and Consultant for the forum, said gender equality and social inclusion served as a vital framework in international development, addressing systemic discrimination and inequalities faces by marginalised groups. 

To promote equitable access to opportunities across education, health, economic participation and political representation, she said it had become important for the forum and all CSOs to dismantle power imbalances rooted in intersecting identities of the manifestos such as gender, ethnicity and disability. 

“Most of the time, manifestos are short term and tend to satisfy the interests of party faithful sometimes and so it’s importsnt to ensure monitoring, evaluation and accountability,” she said. 

Ms Gyabaah presenting findings on a study of party manifestos said it was crucial to inform NETRIGHT’s advocacy on tracking, demanding, and holding the government accountable to gender transformative interventions, towards creating an inclusive and accountable governance. 

The methodologies used in the intersectionality-based policy analysis, she said were the social relations approach, social inclusion audits and content analysis to put them under relevant themes such as gender equality, economic inclusion, political representation, and social protection among others. 

Mr Raymond Danso, Portfolio Manager, Rights to Services, Star Ghana Foundation, said the forum was timely as his organisation’s focus since 2024 had been to create rooms for vulnerable groups to be included in the electoral process. 

He said they believed the insight acrued from the forum would trigger a commitment to bridge the gender gap. 

“Despite all efforts made, gender inequality still persists. And it’s so unfortunate women are still underrepresented in both decision making and leadership positions. 

“So we hope that the insight from this forum would enable all to leverage knowledge to amplify their voices to bridge the gap. Star Ghana believes the forum has the ability to catalyse a meaningful change,” she said. 

Mr Danso said Ghana had gone far in terms of its democratic dispensation, but it’s women were highly underrepresented when it came to representation, leadership, and decision-making. 

CSOs, he said, had a responsibility to support government in shaping policies, adding: “Policies will come, but they need to trickle down to actions and programmes, and that is where CSOs can also break the divide through research, a case for good practices and model adoption,”. 

Mrs Bernice Sam, a Gender advocate advised the participants: “Make the 2024 NDC Manifesto your second constitution and ensure that you hold the government accountable especially on issues about gender, women and vulnerable groups like persons with disability.” 

GNA 

The vetting of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, nominee for Foreign Affairs Minister, before Parliament’s Appointments Committee took a contentious turn on Friday, as a disagreement over the committee’s composition led to a premature end to the proceedings. The clash, which unfolded during a marathon session that extended into the evening, stemmed from a directive issued by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, reconstituting the committee following a chaotic late-night sitting on Thursday.

The Speaker’s decision to dismiss four members of the Appointments Committee, including sitting Members of Parliament, sparked a heated debate during the vetting. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Ranking Member on the committee, argued that the Speaker’s directive warranted an immediate suspension of the proceedings. He contended that the changes to the committee’s composition could potentially affect its quorum, raising concerns about the legitimacy of the vetting process.

However, Mahama Ayariga, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the committee, dismissed Afenyo-Markin’s concerns, asserting that the Speaker’s directive had no bearing on the committee’s ability to meet quorum requirements. Committee Chairman Bernard Ahiafor sided with the NDC members, stating that the vetting could proceed as planned. He added that any Minority MPs who felt uncomfortable with the Speaker’s decision were free to excuse themselves from the session.

Ahiafor’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Afenyo-Markin, the Effutu MP, who took offense and demanded that the chairman retract his statement. He warned that failure to do so would compel the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus to withdraw from the committee’s proceedings altogether. Ahiafor, however, refused to back down, interpreting Afenyo-Markin’s reaction as a de facto recusal from the session.

The standoff culminated in Chairman Ahiafor discharging Ablakwa from the vetting, effectively bringing the session to an abrupt close. Following the decision, the Minority Leader and his team walked out of the proceedings, leaving the NDC members to continue with the remaining sessions.

The incident underscores the deepening tensions within Parliament’s Appointments Committee, as political divisions continue to complicate the vetting process for key government nominees. The fallout from Friday’s session raises questions about the committee’s ability to function effectively amid ongoing disputes over procedural matters and committee composition. Watch the video below

As the dust settles, stakeholders are left to ponder the implications of this latest clash between leaders of the house for Ghana’s legislative purposes and the political landscape as a whole. Especially taking into account the standoff the 8th Parliament suffered during its last days.