Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is asking for the renaming of the National House of Chiefs to recognize the contribution of women to societal development.
Mrs Rawlings believes the house should be called the “National House of Chiefs and Queen Mothers” as part of efforts to rectify the gender imbalance that has for many years stifled the development of women and the country at large.
Speaking at a symposium on women empowerment organized by the Danquah Institute to examine the role of women in nation building, she stressed that there is the need to place affirmative action at the centre of policy formulation to address the challenge.
She defined affirmative action in the Ghanaian context as positive steps taken to increase the representation of women, who are a disadvantaged group in spite of forming the larger portion on the population.
The former first lady debunked the argument that affirmative action is discriminatory and undermines the intelligence of women, asserting "it is needed to achieve full gender equity in every aspect of society because despite the laws passed by Ghana to protect the rights of women, prejudice in the workplace, discrimination in the workplace among others still persist."
She stated that although Queen Mothers play a pivotal role in the traditional setting; in some instances nominating Chiefs to the stool, they are not included in the traditional body recognized by the state (The National House of Chiefs).
Mrs Rawlings therefore called for a change of name and the inclusion of Queen Mothers to reflect the aspiration of Ghana to achieve gender parity.
Speaking on the topic, “Women Empowerment: How critical is it in National Development”, Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Dr Kingsley Nyarko noted that historically, women have been placed either deliberately or inadvertently on the back-burner when it comes to decision making or involvement in governance. This intercedence he added reared its ugly head into the 21st Century, stalling progress of women and societal at large.
He cautioned that the Ghanaian society will have to eliminate all barriers and impediments in the progress of the girl child and women to ensure effective progress, prosperity and consolidation.
Dr Nyarko also called for women to be given the opportunity and support to actively participate in nation building because without them, a nation struggles and posterity is disadvantaged.
