The Women's Manifesto is 10 years

Abantu for Development, a women’s right advocacy group on Thursday launched the 10th anniversary celebration of the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana”, a document which articulates specific concerns that militate against the total development of women in the country.

The document which was launched in 2003 by the advocacy group seeks to provide information for how to acquire the needed knowledge required to achieving gender equality.

The Manifesto has 10 sections with each section focusing on a narrative and a number of demands which represents basic concerns of women and also the vulnerable in the society.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Mrs Rose Mensah Kutin, Director, Abantu for Development, lauded the critical role the Manifesto had played in serving as a guide for women and even men interested in taking up leadership roles.

She expressed her appreciation to the women’s Manifesto Coalition for their assistance in coming out with the manifesto which had become one of the sources of reference for policy makers.

She mentioned the formation of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition, political acceptance of issues raised in the manifesto by politicians, the use of the manifesto in higher institutions of learning, as some of the achievements chalked by the Manifesto since its launch 10 years ago.

“The Manifesto now also serves as a platform for young women’s mentorship programme where they are educated on issues raised in the document which helps to develop a strong sense of leadership among them, it also serves as a basis for training women in politics, and has also been replicated in other countries including Liberia and Sierra Leone”, she added.

She said the book since its launch, had been reproduced in six local languages and had produced about 11,000 copies with members of Parliament, government officials, civil society groups, women’s groups and tertiary institutions having copies.

She pledged the readiness of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition to work to accelerate action in the creation of a society in which all citizens would have equal access to opportunities provided in society.

“As a coalition, we will continue to work collaboratively not only to ensure better responses to our efforts and demands, but work for the provision of enabling environments, tools and frameworks that would allow for a truly transformational social change”, she added.

Madam Adwoa Bame, Deputy Convener, cited Women’s Economic Empowerment, Women and Land Ownership, Women and the Development of Social Policies, Women in Politics and Decision Making as some of the sections in the manifesto.

The rest are Women and Human Rights, Women and Discriminatory Cultural Practices, Women and the Media, Women, Conflict and Peace, Women with Special Needs and Institutions with Mandate to Promote Women’s Rights.

Mrs Hamida Harrison, Convener, Abantu for Development, expressed the readiness of the NGO to work assiduously to promote the development of women’s issues in the country.

She said as part of the 10th anniversary celebration, each region would hold special programmes pertaining to issues raised in the Manifesto.

The anniversary was launched by Dr Mrs Esther Offei, Aboagye, Executive Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies and a member of the Coalition, who lauded Abantu for its commitment towards the well-being of women and the vulnerable in society.