The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, has warned that Ghana risks missing out on significant leadership potential by failing to adequately include women in its political landscape.
In an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times, Ms. Giger highlighted the country’s rich pool of talented women across various sectors including academia, civil society, business, and the arts but noted their underrepresentation in politics, which remains “a tough terrain.”
“Ghana has many remarkable women, but politics still lags behind in tapping into that talent,” she said, stressing the need for gender-balanced leadership to shape a more inclusive future.
While commending Ghana for outperforming even Switzerland in areas like women’s presence in boardrooms and leadership roles in public agencies, the Ambassador expressed concern over the political sphere. Women currently hold only 14% of the 276 seats in Ghana’s parliament and less than 2% of local government positions.
In contrast, she pointed to countries like Benin and Senegal, which have adopted gender quotas and constitutional mandates for parity, resulting in 27% and 47% female representation in their parliaments, respectively.
“To build an inclusive society, Ghana must take deliberate action to support and encourage women’s political participation,” she urged. “Women offer distinct perspectives on politics and society. Not tapping into that potential is a huge loss.”
Ms. Giger praised the nomination of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as Ghana’s first female Vice Presidential candidate under the Fourth Republic, calling it a key milestone.
She also welcomed recent initiatives like the planned Women’s Development Bank, distribution of sanitary pads to schoolgirls, and the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill but emphasized that effective implementation is crucial.
“It takes consistent, deliberate effort to create structural change that supports women in leadership,” she said.
Reaffirming Switzerland’s support, Ms. Giger noted that promoting gender inclusion is a core component of the country’s bilateral programmes in Ghana. The Swiss Embassy also backs grassroots efforts focused on girls’ education and women’s skills development, such as the GirledUP programme, which promotes girls in STEM fields.
“Ensuring women are active participants in shaping Ghana’s future is essential to unlocking the country’s full potential,” she concluded.
