Dr Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), emphasized the importance of supporting women's capacity building to enable them to assume responsibility and leadership roles in the country.
The TUC aims to achieve gender equality and a transformative agenda that promotes the advancement of women.
Speaking at the launch of the TUC/LO Norway Gender Transformative Training Manual for Trade Unions in Accra, Dr Baah highlighted the manual's role as educational material and a guide for facilitators within trade union organizations.
While Ghana has made progress in ensuring equality between men and women in leadership positions, Dr Baah acknowledged that the current representation of women at 30% is still too low.
The TUC's transformative agenda seeks to increase women's representation to 50%.
Dr Baah recognized the changes and advancements made since 1993 but stressed that more needs to be done. He stated, “Where we are is not good enough. Things have changed in the last 30 years, and we need to do more. That is why the transformational agenda has become necessary.”
Dr Baah expressed satisfaction with the strides made but acknowledged the challenges faced by women fighting for gender equality and responsiveness.
To ensure equal representation of men and women, the TUC has embarked on a transformational agenda to achieve a 50:50 ratio. Dr Baah encouraged everyone to participate in this transformative journey to help the TUC achieve its goals.
He highlighted the need to address the underrepresentation of women, such as the current 20% representation of women in the TUC Executive Committee, and the 32% representation in the general council, which, although improved, is still insufficient.
Madam Patricia Blankson Akakpo, a Gender and Development Consultant, emphasized that the manual would help build the capacity of TUC members to integrate gender issues into their work.
She stated, “The TUC belongs to both men and women and when we talk about development, both men and women are partners. So, for an organization that is gender-responsive in terms of leadership, the work they do must be covered in social inclusiveness.”
The launch of the TUC/LO Norway Gender Transformative Training Manual marks a significant step towards empowering women and promoting gender equality within trade unions.
By providing educational resources and guidance, the TUC aims to enhance the capacity of its members to address gender issues effectively and ensure a more inclusive and representative workforce.