Margibi County representative Ellen Attoh-Wreh has been officially inducted into office as chair of the Women Legislative Caucus.
Madam Wreh said, her induction marks more than a change in the caucus’ leadership.
She described the ceremony as a moment to reaffirm the role of the Women’s Legislative Caucus, and then set a clear direction for the term of reference.
In her induction address, Madam Wreh said, her mandate remains focused to work across political lines to advance gender equality and women’s political participation, as well as brings women’s voices into legislation to make the governance system inclusive and responsive.
She observed that the country still has a long way to go in its development drive, “when women are just making up less than 11 percent of the legislature, while at county level, women representation is even lower.”
On the contrary, she said, the women caucus has noticed improvements in cabinet and deputy appointments after the 2023 elections, which is “commendable.”
“But on the overall, the number of female appointees reflect structural barriers that remain unresolved; rooted in long-standing norms, unequal access to education and resources. A system that do not fully support women’s leadership,” she noted.
Madam Wreh said the country has signed onto global and regional commitments from CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol, adding: “These are not symbolic, but rather they come with clear obligations to remove the legal and structural barriers holding women back.”
“One of the clearest steps we can take is passing a gender quota law,” she added.
In 2022, she said the Caucus worked to amend the elections law to include a 30 percent mandatory quota for candidate lists.
As part of her new plan, Madam Wreh will work to advocate for a comprehensive framework on temporary special measures, including a binding gender quota for both legislative and executive appointments.