Senior Presidential Advisor and Senior Aide to President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, says women are increasingly becoming an integral part of Ghana’s political architecture, occupying influential roles beyond traditional positions as candidates, communicators and supporters.
Reflecting on her political journey in a Facebook post, Madam Bawah Mogtari said her appointment by then-President John Dramani Mahama to succeed Hannah Tetteh came at a time when some questioned whether she was sufficiently experienced.
She said the NDC’s subsequent defeat in the election presented her with the opportunity to grow, eventually becoming one of the regular voices speaking for the former President and the party.
She also highlighted what she described as President Mahama’s deliberate effort to create space for women in political leadership, pointing to his choice of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate in two successive electoral cycles.
She said the NDC’s return to power in 2024 has since seen women occupy positions as ministers, deputy ministers, chief executives, deputy chief executives and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
“I see women becoming part of the political architecture not merely as candidates, communicators or supporters, but as trusted advisers, strategists, aides and decision-makers operating at the highest levels of political leadership,” she said.
Madam Bawah Mogtari acknowledged that women continue to face challenges relating to parity, visibility and recognition, but said the growing number of women in political leadership signals progress, adding that “the most powerful form of political communication is not simply talking about women’s representation. It is making women’s representation normal.”
