Promoting Citizenship Among Women In Ghana: The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations

In view of the call and effort of international organizations and development practitioners to promote citizenship among women, the non-governmental organization (NGO) community in Ghana has taken up the challenge to promote this cause. It is against this background that this paper sought to assess the efforts of some of these NGOs to find out how they are working to enhance women's citizenship in the country. Using desk study approach, a documentary analysis of various reports, articles and textbooks was conducted for assessing the question of women's citizenship in Ghana. The varying sources reveal that the NGOs have made a lot of progress in promoting citizenship among women in Ghana. In spite of emergent challenges, their efforts have brought to fore the issues of women's citizenship and how it could be addressed; the public platform for promoting women's citizenship has been widely set up; women's participation in all levels of governance has been improved; institutions have been set up and equipped to serve as watch dogs for women's citizenship issues at the national and grassroots level; and women's education are being promoted based on the recognition that among others education is the tool for women's empowerment. There is no doubt that if these efforts are intensified, more could be achieved for the enhancement of women's citizenship in Ghana. Keywords: Citizenship, Non-Governmental Organizations, Women's Empowerment, Gender Equality Studies in Gender and Development in Africa Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 91-10