Hawa explains "empowerment of women"

Madam Hawa Yakubu, Minister of Tourism said at Wa on Sunday that the primary aim of Ghanaian women's struggle for empowerment was not to replace or dominate men, but to address issues and concerns affecting them.

She said since there is no historical precedent of men voluntarily, granting quality status to females or addressing their concerns, it was only logical that women should take their destiny into their own hands.

Madam Hawa said "male dominance invariably and inevitably perpetuates male advantage and privileges to the detriment of females".

She was contributing to the topic, "empowering women in Northern Ghana," at the Northern Easter School at Wa.

Miss Regina Kpanga, Acting Director, Ministry of Tourism read the address for the Minister.

The Minister advised women in positions of decision- making not to behave like men by ignoring women's issues and concerns.

She said "empowerment of women would make it possible for them to participate equally in the determination of policies, maximum use of resources and other key activities that are currently structured to favour males at the expense of females."

Mrs. Angelina Mornah Domakyaareh, Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) noted that Ghana is basically a tradition-dominated society, pointing out that "no where in Ghana is the traditional ways of life more pronounced than in the three Northern regions."

"Traditionalism, as the history of the world over the ages has shown, always worked to the detriment of women and in some cases, reduced them to the status of second rate persons or citizens."

Mrs. Domakyaareh said one of the means of empowering women in the northern parts of Ghana is the elimination of all forms of discrimination that have their roots in religion, traditional values and practices and male chauvinism.

She said Ghana has done much to deal with discrimination against women by enshrining in the 1992 constitution the equality of the sexes.

Mrs. Domakyaareh said, however, that constitutional guarantees alone cannot liberate women in the region if no concrete steps are taken to reduce or eliminate all forms of discrimination against them.

She asked: "if women from Northern Ghana are so restricted by traditional values, that they are unable to assert themselves, how on earth can they dream of meeting the challenges of globalisation?"

Mrs. Domakyaareh said women need to be liberated from the present status, and this must start from the home, which is "dominated by antiquated religious and traditional values".

She called on the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), NGOs and other women groups to educate women in Northern Ghana to accept the fact that, "we are our own reliable liberators".