You’ve proven your firm support for Affirmative Action – Victoria Hamah to John Mahama

Executive Director of the Progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA), Victoria Hamah, has congratulated John Mahama on selecting Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as his vice-presidential Candidate for the 2024 General Elections.

Commemorating International Women’s Day, a statement from Ms Hamah, via POWA, said the consideration of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang reflects a decisive political will to include women's representation in the highest echelon of Ghanaian politics.

“The commitment of Prof Jane to avail herself to political leadership is commendable considering the turbulent nature of politics and the social, cultural and economic dynamics that undermine women’s effective participation in politics,” she said.

“POWA asserts that the nomination of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang will not translate to the general well-being of Ghanaian women if it is not linked to broader considerations of Affirmative Action.

“This is in cognizance with the philosophy of POWA that women’s liberation struggles can only be achieved if it is related to broader questions of citizenship rights.”

POWA also appealed to Mahama, who is the presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to exercise a decisive political will to appoint a minimum of 30% of women into ministerial and other high-level decision structures of government if he’s elected as president in December 2024.

Ms Hamah served as a deputy Minister for Communications in the erstwhile Mahama administration.