General News of Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-07-18
President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo has acknowledged his inability to meet a campaign promise of allocating at least 30% of public office positions to women.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run up to the 2016 elections promised “appointment of women to at least 30% of available public office positions,” in demonstration of the party’s commitment to gender equality and children’s rights.
The pledge captured on page 125 of the NPP 2016 manifesto forms part of the party’s social development policy.
But six months into office, the President confessed that despite being the first to hand two key appointments to women; Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare and Secretary to Cabinet, Mercy Yvonne Debrah-Karikari, he still feels “that is an area that I could still do better than I’ve done so far.”
A section of the journalists
Answering questions from selected senior journalists and news editors, President Akufo-Addo said: “I’ve not been able to meet the 30% benchmark that we [NPP] stated in our manifesto across the spectrum of public appointments.
“Much as significant efforts have been made…nevertheless, I think that much more needs to be done by me,” Nana Akufo-Addo told the journalists at the Flagstaff House Tuesday.
He was, however, optimistic that a recent Award presented to him by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as the “AU Gender Champion” for 2017, will spur him on to do more in the area of gender parity.
“The award is also meant to inspire me…to work better and much stronger in this area,” he said.
