Govt approves National Gender Policy

The Government in fulfillment of its gender mandate to promulgate a national policy for addressing gender related injustices has approved a National Gender Policy.

The National Gender Policy aims at mainstreaming gender equality concerns into the national development processes by improving the social, legal, civic, political, economic and socio-cultural conditions of the people of Ghana.

It also seeks to empower the vulnerable groups particularly women, children, and people with special needs such as persons with disabilities and the marginalized.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday, Nana Oye Lithur, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, explained that the policy articulates development priorities from gender perspective based on current challenges and Ghana context analysis discussed in various sections.

It also articulates issues from gender perspectives, ensuring that women and men, girls and boys as well as the vulnerable, the marginalized and persons living with disabilities participate and have a voice and decision-making power in governance processes.

The Gender Minister said with Cabinet’s approval stakeholders in the sector would be expected to take strategic policy actions including legislation, and administrative reforms.

She said resource mobilization, capacity building, awareness creation, research, monitoring and evaluation, as directed by the National Gender Policy to address barriers and critical issues existing alongside the successes.

Nana Oye Lithur explained that NDC in its Election 2012 manifesto pledged to enact legislation to cover women’s rights, including more comprehensive reproductive rights and ensure that all public institutions adopted gender policies including recruitment policies aimed at achieving a balanced human resourcing of their institutions in terms of gender.

She said in fulfillment, the NDC government has improved on its record of women’s representation on all public Boards.

The Gender Minister said the broad policy objectives of the national gender policy focuses on Women Empowerment and Livelihoods; Women Rights and Access to Justice; Women Leadership and Accountable Governance; Economic Opportunities for women and Gender Roles and Relations.

Nana Oye Lithur said the National Gender Policy further provides broad policy guidelines, strategies and operations in furtherance of government’s commitments for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment targets.

She said the policy affirmed President John Dramani Mahama’s personal commitment for “a stable, united, inclusive and prosperous country with opportunities for all”.

She said government through the Ministry of Gender and other stakeholders is marshalling strategies to achieve these objectives.

The strategies include building strategic partnerships and support for the Women’s Machinery and engendering employment policies in Ghana for greater inclusion, visibility and equal voice for both women and men.

The policy also employs access to basic services and infrastructure including transportation, housing and ICT to achieve the policy objectives.

The Gender Ministry is currently developing an Action Plan for the implementation of the Policy.

Nana Oye Lithur said government would continue to introduce major gender policy and legislation to mainstream gender issues in all aspects of national development.