In the advancement of our multi-party democratic dispensation, Ghana for over three decades has made significant strides in participatory democracy.

Not only the transfer of power from one party to another, but rather prioritizing women’s inclusion in key governmental positions. The Speaker of Parliament was once headed by a woman and currently, a woman heads the Judiciary becoming the third person in terms of gender dynamics to the high office of Chief Justice.

Ghana’s global recognition in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections has not only been the historic re-election of a former president but also the election of the first female vice president. This further ignites the leading roles and pedigree women have been striving in many fields, including from academia to media; clergy to commerce; traditional leadership to sport; and among others.

The testimonies are there for all to appreciate that gender significance in terms of capacity and competence has sharply diminished in view of Ghana’s context.
Although there have been positive signs in terms of the appointment of women in the high governmental setup; however, the constitutional limitations of more appointees as Ministers of State to come from the Parliament house will be a hindrance to women representation given the limited representation of women in parliament.

In this regard, the government must live up to its political promise to enhance women’s participation in governance. One remarkable opportunity that exist for the government of the day to demonstrate trustworthiness is to appoint more women into the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.

In the case of the Upper West Region, eight (8) women out of One Hundred and Sixty-Eight (168) have filled for nominations as Metropolitan, Municipal and District (MMDs) Chief Executive Officers. Given the already limited number of women who are vying for the positions, what is certain is that, there will be a low representation of women in our governance structure. The Upper West Region may still feature so high in the woefully limited representation of women in out MMDAs leadership structure.

Reading through the profiles of some of the women who desired to lead the various MMDAs in the Upper West Region, one such aspirant who is a seasoned educationist, mentor, entrepreneur and politician is Mrs Zuuri Millicent. She has over 20 years of experience in teaching and has been mentoring and empowering young people. She has demonstrated competence and integrality in political activism, education and entrepreneurship.

Mrs Millicent Zuuri is an alumina of the University for Development Studies with an MPhil in Environment and Resource Management and BA in Integrated Development Studies. She holds a Teacher Cert A from NJA Training College, Wa. She is the current Assemblywoman for the Samatigu Electoral Area in the Nadowli/ Kaleo District.
Mrs Zuuri Millicent has been an active assembly member with the Nadowli / Kaleo District of the Upper West Region. This platform has already given her in-depth knowledge and experience in local governance administration. Great academic exploits and contributions to community service and development have already positioned Mrs Millicent Zuuri as the next District Chief Executive of the Nadowli/ Kaleo District.

She is an admired woman with children and a happy home. Without a doubt, Mrs Millicent Zuuri is well-positioned to lead the Nadowli/ Kaleo District. We wish her good luck!!!

Filed by
Tahiru Lukman
Author, Dev’t Consultant & Research Fellow
Tel: 0209154057
Email: lukmantahiru@rocketmail.com