Event
Sustaining democracy and women’s political representation in Ghana: The ‘in-betweenness’ of elections
Photo: Avel Chuklanov/Unsplash
Date: May 20, 2025
On 20 May 2025 from 14.00-15.30, the The Nordic Africa Institute will be hosting a webinar titled ‘’ Sustaining democracy and women’s political representation in Ghana: The ‘in-betweenness’ of elections’’
About the webinar:
Ghana has been on a democratic path since the early 1990s, with high citizen participation at the national level. While the country has made progress—such as regular elections and some accountability—its democracy remains largely procedural. Elections are its most notable democratic achievement, but issues persist, including weak separation of powers, incomplete decentralization, and low citizen engagement in local elections. Recent milestones like electing a female vice-president and increased attention to affirmative action are important but have yet to significantly impact gender equality. Women remain underrepresented in politics and are often confined to limited roles within parties.
Against this backdrop, the webinar will explore the following questions:
- Has the ‘liberal package’ of democratisation and gender equality delivered? And to which extent can we speak of ‘electoral fallacy’ in the case of Ghana?
- What are the drivers of women’s marginalisation in politics?
- Which institutions and actors work as change agents towards democratisation and women’s political representation in the in-betweenness of elections? How do they promote democratisation and women’s political representation?
- In which way can policy makers support processes of democratisation and gender equality?
Participants:
Welcome remarks and moderator
- Eleanor Fisher, Head of Research, Nordic Africa Institute.
Speakers
- George M. Bob-Milliar, Associate Professor, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
- Dr Diana Højlund Madsen, Senior Researcher. Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala.
- Kwesi Aning, Professor, Security and Policy Analyst, Kofi Annan International Peace and Training Centre, Accra.
- Dr Janet Serwah Boateng, Research Fellow, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.