Media asked to support female parliamentary candidates

A Programmes Manager for Governance at Women In Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), Mr. Francis Bodza, has urged the media to give women parliamentary candidates ample time to disseminate their campaign messages.

He said this would enable the candidates to engage the electorate and to canvass for their votes.

Mr. Bodza was speaking at a workshop held in Koforidua, to train journalists on how to be gender responsive and give equal coverage to men and women in the upcoming elections.

It was facilitated by Women Situation Room (WSR) Ghana with support from the United Nations Development Programme and the Canadian government.

Mr. Bodza, appealed to the media to help improve women participation in the nation’s decision making process towards sustainable development.

“The 10.9 per cent of women representation in parliament is not enough and it must be improved in the upcoming elections,” he said.

Mr. Bodza urged the media to focus and highlight the potentials of women parliamentary aspirants rather than their short falls.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, a deputy News Editor at the Ghana News Agency (GNA), urged journalists to be circumspect in discharging their duties, especially during the electioneering period.

“Let us not be caught in the web of traders talk, as media practitioners, you must commit to delivering through verified and unbiased information from diverse sources to your listeners or readers,” he said.

The WSR concept was initiated by the Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) and implemented in Liberia during its 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Presently, it has been adopted by the African Union’s Gender Is my Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) as a Best Practice with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia as its Champion.

By: Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey.