Ghana’s 2024 Parliamentary Elections Has Low Female Representation

According to the country's electoral commission, Ghana's 2024 parliamentary elections have seen low female representation. 

Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman of the EC, addressed the issue at a recent forum with political and religious leaders. He stated that the limited representation of women shows that Ghana's political landscape is male-dominated. This gender imbalance must urgently be addressed to enhance women's participation in the country's political affairs. 

The Deputy Chairman of the EC further highlighted that out of the over 800 candidates running for parliamentary seats, only 120 are women. This suggests that gender equality in government is slowly progressing. 

Dr. Eric Bossman Asare informed the forum on the proactive measures the EC has taken to promote gender parity in politics. One of the compelling measures the institution has embarked upon is reducing filing fees by 25% for women and disabled candidates. Sadly, the deputy chairman expressed these incentives have not resulted in a significant increase in female candidates. Dr. Asare strongly argued that increased female participation in politics is needed for balanced decision-making. He further accentuated that should the gender disparity trend continue, Ghana may yield no significant strides in inclusiveness and diversity in governance. 

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2020 Polls

The gender disparity situation in 2024 slightly worsen from the 2020 general elections. In 2020, out of 914 parliamentary candidates, 126 were women, as compared to 2024's 120. This suggests a 4.76% decrease from 2020. In this same year, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also set a historic precedent by nominating Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as the first female running mate from a major party. Quite a handful of new female candidates secured seats even in male-dominated constituencies, thereby anticipating an upward trend in women's participation.

However, 2024 shows a 15% women's representation in the parliamentary polls, a decrease in women's participation rather than the anticipated upward trend as compared to 2020.

2016 Polls

The number of female parliamentary candidates in Ghana has declined by approximately 11.76% from 2016 to 2024. The 2016 parliamentary polls saw 136 women out of 1,158 parliamentary candidates. This represented a larger pool of female participants compared to 2024’s count of 120 female candidates from over 800 total contestants. This worrying trend backs Dr. Asare's urgent call to the country to address gender disparity issues in politics.

Women's Political Participation: Africa Barometer Report 2024

The Africa Barometer Report on Women’s Political Participation (WPP) 2024 confirms Dr. Asare's message on the low female participation in politics, more so in Africa at large. The majority of African nations are unlikely to fulfill the 50% objective set in SDG 5.5 on Women's Political Participation (WPP) with only six years left before 2030, according to the report. From 25 percent in 2021 to 26 percent in 2024, women's representation in African parliaments has only increased by one percentage point.

The second Women's Political Participation (WPP) Africa Barometer 2024 reports that women make up only 25% of Africa's 13,057 lawmakers, with 26% serving in the lower chambers and 21% in the upper houses.

The report further says that if current trends continue, gender parity in African parliaments won't be achieved until 2100. This presupposes linear growth, which is improbable considering that progress typically slows down when nations reach the 30% milestone.

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Ghana's 2024 Elections

Coming up soon, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensah, has announced that the final voter register for the 2024 elections would be released in early November. She also said that her outfit has arranged a special voting exercise scheduled for December 2, 2024, for professionals who may be unable to vote on election day. She further assured all stakeholders and the general public that all discrepancies have been resolved to ensure eligible voters are represented in the voters' register accurately.