Ghana’s 2027 Elections: Rising Violence Against Women in Politics Exposed
Source: Funds for NGOs
As Ghana prepares for its 2027 local elections, new research presented in Accra highlights that violence against women in politics remains a significant barrier to democratic participation at the local level. A roundtable jointly hosted by UNDP Ghana and the Nordic Africa Institute brought together researchers, policymakers, development partners, and diplomats to examine structural obstacles to women’s political involvement and discuss strategies for safer, more inclusive local governance.
Senior Researcher Diana Højlund Madsen presented findings from NAI’s newly published book Making Politics Safer – Mitigating violence against women in politics in Africa: insights from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, which draws on 134 interviews with politically active women. The research demonstrates that women in local politics face systematic physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and semiotic violence designed to deter participation and preserve male-dominated political systems. In Ghana, women make up only 4.1 per cent of district assembly members, underscoring the importance of addressing the conditions under which women engage politically, not just increasing their numerical representation.
As Ghana prepares for its 2027 local elections, new research presented in Accra highlights that violence against women in politics remains a significant barrier to democratic participation at the local level. A roundtable jointly hosted by UNDP Ghana and the Nordic Africa Institute brought together researchers, policymakers, development partners, and diplomats to examine structural obstacles to women’s political involvement and discuss strategies for safer, more inclusive local governance.
Senior Researcher Diana Højlund Madsen presented findings from NAI’s newly published book Making Politics Safer – Mitigating violence against women in politics in Africa: insights from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, which draws on 134 interviews with politically active women. The research demonstrates that women in local politics face systematic physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and semiotic violence designed to deter participation and preserve male-dominated political systems. In Ghana, women make up only 4.1 per cent of district assembly members, underscoring the importance of addressing the conditions under which women engage politically, not just increasing their numerical representation.