Accra — The new president of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has praised the women of Ghana and promised to create a new ministry of womens affairs, which will also be a cabinet position.
Addressing the nation, after he was sworn in as the fourth president of the Republic of Ghana on Sunday, Kufuor hailed Ghanaian women, calling their contribution to the campaign for democratic change in Ghana "remarkable".
Kufuor said women were at the sharp edge of the economic realities of Ghana. You go to the market, you have to make sure there is food on the table, and the children are fed and dressed well," he said, explaining that this was why women were at the forefront of what he described as "this democratic revolution".
He saluted Ghanaian women for looking after the nation without complaining. The president said that whatever reputation his fellow citizens could lay claim to was because of the love and attention given them by their mothers, sisters and wives, stressing that the women of Ghana must be safe on the countrys streets.
This was a reference to the thirty-one reported cases of women being killed, in similar circumstances, in the capital Accra in the past three years. Kufuor condemned the unsolved 'gruesome murders, calling them a plague, and promised to do his best to ensure that the police give the highest priority to finding the killers.
The Ghana police administration, and the outgoing government, have been criticised for not doing enough to solve the murders. Kufuor, a practising Roman Catholic, who often brings God into his speeches, said that with Gods help and guidance Ghana would soon see the end to "this most unpleasant chapter in our history".
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In his inaugural address, Kufuor said he was committed to the advance of women in Ghana. He said they deserved to be treated with respect and that the burden carried by Ghanaian women must be lightened.
The new president said the hard work and dedication of women would be rewarded and revealed that his government would establish a Ministry of Womens Affairs, with cabinet rank, to ensure that all official policy gave due consideration to womens interests.
The announcement has had a mixed response. Some women have welcomed the prospect of a special ministry for women issues, while others say the concerns and priorties of Ghanaian women must not become a ghetto, sidelined in a ministry that has no clout.
One woman commentator told Joy FM local radio in Accra she was disappointed with Kufuors speech, because she had expected Ghanas new leader to talk more about the contribution of Ghanaian women to policy-making in government and not just their roles as mothers and carers.
