Ag. NYA CEO advocates for change in name of 'Women’s Commissioner' portfolio

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Nelson Owusu Ansah is advocating for a change in name of the “Women’s Commissioner” portfolio.

According to him, women who have occupied the positions in their various institutions in the past have failed to make any impact.

Speaking at a Leadership training session organized by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Nelson Owusu Ansah said the current name for the portfolio rather limits the potential of women and makes it “Chauvinistic”.

He added that women should be encouraged to aspire to occupy other key positions.

“I don’t like the term women’s commissioner [whatever], it’s Chauvinistic and I think that we need to begin to have that dialogue to see how we can change that language of Women’s Commissioner. The women are good enough to occupy any position anyway. Why do we create that monster called women’s commissioner and once we give it to them we box them to one corner and most of them are not effective,” he observed

Mr. Nelson Owusu Ansah further called for more support for women in their quest to assume leadership positions.

“Women’s commissioner budget…no budget and so they have the title I was part of the SRC executives as Women Commissioner and that’s all the glory she can have…That is all. But if we begin to now mean it…that we want our ladies to be part of us then we need to begin to build their brand by pushing them, encouraging them so that they occupy relevant positions that they can affect their colleagues,” he appealed.

The position of Women’s Commissioner is a special preserve for women in various institutions and student associations which is used mainly to champion the interest of women.

In some institutions, the Student Representative Council Constitution clearly spells out provisions making it possible for only women to contest for the position.