Avoid pro-gender campaign messages, build capacity – Edem Agbana advises women in politics

The National Deputy Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Eric Edem Agbana has cautioned aspiring female politicians against riding solely on the back of pro-gender campaign messages.

He explained women who desire to venture into partisan politics must build capacity, develop skill sets needed for the field.

Speaking at the just ended West African Young Women In Politics Forum, he wants women to desist from campaigning with pro-gender messages that seek to create the impression that positions should be given to them on the basis of their gender.

“It is true and I acknowledge the various barriers and challenges that hinder women from participating actively in politics, and I believe that there’s a lot to be done to ensure that the playing grounds are levelled for both men and women in politics, however, I don’t subscribe to the phenomenon of female politicians creating their campaign messages on their gender and their representation in party politics. Instead of doing that, women should and must develop themselves, build capacity, and achieve more,” he said.

This he believes would prevent some entities and persons from thinking they are favouring women for appointing them to certain offices.

“Now when we appoint and include women in partisan politics because they are women, then what we are doing is just ensuring a mere representation of women in politics and not necessarily their participation in decision making,” he added

As part of plans to prevent sexual harassment in the NDC, Edem Agbana hinted at plans by the party to establish an Anti-sexual harassment committee to investigate and deal with issues of sexual harassment.

He added that the Committee, when established would formulate a definite gender and sexual harassment policy.

The West African Young Women In Politics Forum was organized by the Gender Center for Empowering Development in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy.