The Progressive Organisation for Women’s Advancement (POWA) has called for an end to personal attacks, insults, and gendered mockery directed at Ghanaian women leaders, including First Lady Lordina Mahama and former Second Lady Samira Bawumia. In a press statement issued on September 29, 2026, POWA founder Dr. Victoria Lakshmi Hamah said such attacks undermine the dignity and political agency of women.
Dr. Hamah stated that while Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia belong to different political traditions and hold different views, their differences should not prevent them from identifying common issues affecting women, girls, and vulnerable groups. She emphasized that women could disagree politically without becoming enemies and that "when women divide, unequal power systems benefit."
According to Dr. Hamah, POWA's position is not intended to shield either woman from legitimate public scrutiny, but rather to highlight the difference between accountability and humiliation. She stressed that women in political and public office must remain accountable for their words, actions, and policies, but should not be subjected to personal attacks, misogyny, and humiliation.
Dr. Hamah noted that both Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia have platforms that can be used to promote issues affecting women, girls, and vulnerable communities. She argued that these platforms should not become instruments of pitting women against one another and called for women to compete politically while still finding areas where they can cooperate.
Dr. Hamah identified several challenges facing Ghanaian women, including inadequate political representation, economic inequality, violence against women and girls, unequal access to opportunities, unpaid care responsibilities, and barriers to decision-making. She urged women's rights organizations, civil society groups, and the wider public to reject the normalization of gendered insults and personal attacks against women in public life.
Dr. Hamah also called on women to resist divisions that have weakened their collective bargaining power over the years. She stressed that solidarity does not require women to abandon their political affiliations or differences, but rather to recognize that advancing women's collective development is bigger than any political party.
Dr. Hamah appealed to First Lady Lordina Mahama and former Second Lady Samira Bawumia to consider leading a broader conversation on women's political solidarity beyond partisan lines. She emphasized that Ghana needs more women in decision-making positions and more women who can disagree politically without resorting to personal attacks.
Key points
- Dr. Victoria Lakshmi Hamah calls for an end to personal attacks on Lordina Mahama and Samira Bawumia.
- POWA urges women to compete politically while cooperating on issues affecting their lives.
- Dr. Hamah emphasizes that solidarity among women does not require political uniformity.
