Gender representation remains low in Ghana and Nigeria elections

Civil society organizations in Ghana and Nigeria are raising alarms over the persistent lack of female representation in political leadership.

In Ghana, data from the 2023 District Assembly elections shows that women held only 4.1 percent of seats, with just 259 women elected out of 6,243 total positions. Becky Ahadzi of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition warned that ongoing constitutional reforms may fail to address this exclusion unless specific legal mechanisms are integrated to ensure more representative local governance.

In Nigeria, a coalition led by Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI) reported that women constitute only 10.1 percent of candidates vying for National Assembly seats for the 2027 elections. According to GSAI Executive Director Adaora Sydney-Jack, while there has been a slight increase in female candidates compared to 2023, progress remains uneven across various states. The coalition identified the rising cost of political campaigning, including nomination fees and logistics, as a primary barrier to women's competitiveness.