Ghana to expect a female veep

The National Committee of the Progressive Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Wednesday confirmed Madam Eva Naa Amarley Lokko, a former Director General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, as the party’s Vice Presidential Candidate for the December general elections.

   

An official statement signed by Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, National Secretary of the party in Accra, said the decision was arrived at after a long and rigorous selection process.

  

The statement said Madam Lokko’s character, background and experience were ground breaking in Ghanaian politics.

  

“Madam Lokko is an assertive and accomplished professional. She is a family woman who comes from a proud Ga home and tradition. She is fluent in Ga, Hausa, Twi, Fanti, English and Russian with working knowledge of French and has traveled to 44 countries,” it said.

   

“She has worked for the United Nations, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and operated as the CEO of a critical, youth oriented non-governmental organization.”

   

The statement said Madam Lokko is an engineer and a communications expert with a master’s degree in Intelligent Management Systems, System Analysis and Design, and has put her education to use with an entrepreneurial spirit and works to help the people of Ghana directly through any means available to her.

  

It said the PPP was fielding a Vice-Presidential Candidate who is currently dedicating her time and expertise to assisting the youth of Ghana find jobs.

 

“As the CEO of Totally Youth, Madam Lokko is a perfect match for Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, whose record of job creation has earned him the affectionate title of “Edwumawura” amongst the people of Ghana.

Madam Lokko’s experience as the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation strengthened her resolve to promote competent incorruptible leadership.

This enlighten into the conduit of women rising to take up leadership positions and be part of decision making in governance.

Whiles others believe women are good manageress thus they should be supported, the cultural purists ague it is not natural for women to have an equal footing to men hence see female advocacy as yet another form of westernization.

One may be forced to ask if it is part of African culture to keep women oppressed; who really decides what African culture is or not. The only thing that culture guarantees is that it might change and it’s dynamic. The African women now want to be at the forefront of that change.

As this change unfurl, we see a Liberian female president, women constituting greater part of Rwanda’s parliament and a lot taking up more decisive roles in their countries.

But this is not the full story; Ghana is on the verge adding her episode as a male presidential candidate has picked a woman as his running mate.

Is Ghana really ready for a female vice president?