ECOWAS Business News

There have been contemporary debates in the media which focuses on attaining equality and equity for all citizens especially women. Governmental policies, civil society advocacies and academic literature today have been on issues related to women’s rights because of the low participation of women in politics. The United Nations (UN) proposes a 30 percent benchmark for women’s participation in national governance but it is yet to see implementation in Ghana.  According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghanaian women constitute about 51.2 % of the national population but unfortunately the number of women represented in Parliament is very poor. Currently out of the 275 seats in parliament, only 36 seats are occupied by women. These numbers are woefully inadequate and does not reflect inclusiveness which is a core tenet of democracy. Equity in participation in the Ghanaian national political field is asymmetrical ...

by E.K.Bensah Jr, Ecowas Business News In the conversation on continental peace and security forums, Ghana is positioning itself to respond. After the flagship Tana Forum, and the eponymous Dakar Forum, Ghana has spawned a novel peace and security Forum established to honour the late UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who dedicated the better part of his life to the cause of global peace and security. Known as the Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum (KAPS), it is a flagship initiative of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). In collaboration with GIZ, it is an annual international platform that will bring together political leaders, diplomats and experts to dialogue and share ideas on the most critical evolving peace and security trends on the African continent. The title of the maiden edition is “Peace Operations in the Context of Violent Extremism in Africa”, and is inspired by the unique challenges that have bedevilled the Afric...