Queen-mothers pay courtesy call on Vice President Amissah-Arthur

Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Friday reiterated the commitment of the Government to appoint more women to nation’s political echelons to enhance their participation in governance.

He said the appointments made by President John Dramani Mahama so far exceeded more than the promised 30 per cent of women and appealed to women to make themselves available for more appointments.

Speaking to the executives of the Queen Mothers’ Foundation of Ghana who called on him at the Flagstaff House in Accra, the Vice President said the 40 per cent quota of women promised to be appointed at the time of the late President Mills could not be achieved because of no positive response from the women.

“Many of the women were offered the positions, but they asked to go and seek permission from their husbands, and they never returned,” the Vice President said.

He said the Government still recognized the invaluable role of women in the governance process and expressed joy at the visit of the queen-mothers, recalling that some of their members had paid him a visit prior to the elections and assured the government of their support.

“On behalf of the President, I thank you for coming here to encourage us, “Vice President Amissah-Arthur said.

Led by Nana Oteiba II, Gomoa Ankamu Ankobiahemaa in the Central Region, the queen-mothers with representations from all the 10 regions, congratulated the Vice President for his inauguration to the second political position in Ghana.

They appealed to the government to appoint more qualified women to state boards, explaining that many of the queen-mothers had varied educational backgrounds and expertise that could be utilized at the District and Municipal Assembly and other political grass-root bodies.

Nana Oteiba appealed to the government to maintain the peace of the nation, adding that women and children were the most affected when peace was absent.