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Download our research reports, policy briefs, toolkits, and annual reports on gender equality and women's empowerment.

All Annual Report Research Report Policy Brief Toolkit African Union

policy brief

policy brief • 8 pages

Policy Brief On The Price To Participate In Ghana Politics

This policy brief examines how the high cost of political participation in Ghana limits the inclusion of women and youth, exploring the role of money in shaping political engagement. It highlights how rising campaign costs and informal financing practices contribute to their exclusion, and provides evidence-based insights and practical recommendations to support more inclusive political financing reforms.

2026 • 8 pages

Report On The Price To Participate In Ghana Politics

research report

research report • 61 pages

Report On The Price To Participate In Ghana Politics

This report examines how the increasing cost of politics in Ghana undermines the political participation of women and youth. It explores how formal expenses and informal financing practices shape political competition, often reinforcing exclusion, and provides evidence-based insights and recommendations to promote more inclusive and equitable political participation and finance reforms.

2026 • 61 pages

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN GHANA'S 2024 ELECTION

research report

research report • 28 pages

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN GHANA'S 2024 ELECTION

Ghana conducted its ninth consecutive presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2024, alongside a prior special voting exercise for essential workers. The Gender Center for Empowering Development (GenCED), supported by several partner organizations, deployed a nationwide Election Observation Mission to assess the electoral process from voter registration through Election Day. The mission found that while the electoral process was largely completed, it was marred by incidents of violence, intimidation, and significant gender-based harassment, which disproportionately affected women's participation. Weak reporting systems, limited accountability for electoral offenses, and widespread disinformation further undermined inclusivity. GenCED recommends strengthening gender-sensitive electoral management, enforcing anti-violence measures within political parties, improving security responses, and enhancing public education and legal frameworks to protect women and ensure a more transparent, inclusive electoral process.

2025 • 28 pages

GenCED'S Gender FACTSHEET ON 2024 ELECTIONS

research report

research report • 14 pages

GenCED'S Gender FACTSHEET ON 2024 ELECTIONS

The December 7, 2024 elections, concerns about women's representation in leadership remain significant. Despite women making up a large portion of the population, they continue to face barriers that limit their participation in politics and decision-making. This GenCED fact sheet highlights key insights on voter demographics and political participation, revealing a slight male majority among registered voters and outlining the range of political parties and candidates contesting the elections. It underscores the need for more inclusive systems to ensure fair representation of women in Ghana's democratic process.

2024 • 14 pages

THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN WEST AFRICA

research report

research report • 66 pages

THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN WEST AFRICA

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) play a vital role in advancing democracy and protecting rights in West Africa, but their impact is constrained by systemic exclusion, shrinking civic space, and limited organizational capacity. A 2023 study by GenCED-West Africa and partners across ten countries highlights key challenges, including male-dominated participation with marginalization of women HRDs, unsafe working conditions, and widespread human rights violations such as harassment, threats, and arbitrary arrests often perpetrated by political actors. Weak legal frameworks, limited access to justice, and increasing digital surveillance further undermine their work. Additionally, chronic underfunding and reliance on unpaid volunteers affect sustainability and effectiveness. These issues are compounded by rising authoritarian tendencies and highly centralized political systems, which collectively restrict HRDs' ability to operate and influence democratic processes.

2024 • 66 pages

research report

research report • 45 pages

GenCED GENDER ELECTION WATCH 2024

December 2024 general elections, the pre-election environment is marked by intense political activity and strategic planning by key stakeholders. Gender Center for Empowering Development is actively monitoring the political landscape to assess the inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in the electoral process. Through partnerships with the European Union, USAID, and International Republican Institute, GenCED is documenting issues of representation, accessibility, and incidents of violence, producing periodic reports before, during, and after the elections.

2024 • 45 pages

GENDER AND PWD RESPONSIVENESS OF THE 2024 ELECTION

research report

research report • 39 pages

GENDER AND PWD RESPONSIVENESS OF THE 2024 ELECTION

Ghana held its ninth consecutive presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2024, following a special voting exercise for essential service personnel. The Gender Center for Empowering Development (GenCED), in collaboration with partner organizations, deployed a nationwide Election Observation Mission to monitor the electoral process across voter registration, campaigning, and Election Day activities. The mission observed that while the elections were generally peaceful and well-administered, significant inclusion and accessibility gaps persisted. These included limited assistive tools for persons with disabilities, inadequate representation of women and PWDs among electoral officials, accessibility barriers at polling stations, and challenges in biometric verification affecting some voters. The process was also marked by incidents of discrimination, gender-based violence, and disinformation targeting women, alongside broader concerns about youth representation and electoral inclusivity. Overall, GenCED recommended improvements in electoral organization and voter turnout but highlighted the need for stronger disability inclusion, enhanced gender equity, improved safeguards against violence and misinformation, and reforms by the Electoral Commission, political parties, security agencies, and civil society to ensure more inclusive and credible future elections.

2024 • 39 pages

POLITICAL PARTY PRIMARIES GENDER ANALYSIS

research report

research report • 50 pages

POLITICAL PARTY PRIMARIES GENDER ANALYSIS

Political parties in Ghana, regulated under the Political Parties Act, 2000, play a key role in shaping political participation, governance, and electoral processes, including the selection of candidates and dissemination of policy ideas. However, women and marginalized groups remain significantly underrepresented in party structures, limiting gender mainstreaming policies and decision-making. The two major parties the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) use internal primaries to select parliamentary candidates, a process that is central to democratic participation and party strategy. These primaries also reveal institutional gaps and provide opportunities to assess voter preferences and party support. Despite their importance, party primaries continue to reflect low inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities. To address these gaps, there is a need for more inclusive party structures, stronger gender equality measures, and the creation of platforms such as youth leagues and mentorship systems to support emerging political actors, particularly young women. A gender analysis by GenCED highlights these disparities and calls for reforms to improve gender parity in political party participation and candidate selection.

2023 • 50 pages

SETTING THE AGENDA: WOMEN'S PRIORITIES FOR THE 2024 ELECTION

research report

research report • 45 pages

SETTING THE AGENDA: WOMEN'S PRIORITIES FOR THE 2024 ELECTION

Despite constituting over half of Ghana's population, women remain significantly underrepresented in political leadership and decision-making, leading to the marginalization of their needs in policy, budgeting, and governance. A national consultation process identified key barriers including gender-based violence, restrictive cultural norms, poverty, and the failure to pass affirmative action legislation, all of which limit women's political and socio-economic participation. Women are disproportionately concentrated in low-income informal sectors, with limited access to finance, employment opportunities, and government support. Additional challenges include inadequate healthcare, poor sanitation, environmental degradation, and lack of basic services particularly in deprived communities. The findings highlight the urgent need for political parties to integrate women's priorities into policy frameworks and commit resources toward inclusive governance, economic empowerment, and improved social protection systems.

2023 • 45 pages