Law student Francisca Oteng-Mensah is the youngest nominee for a seat in Ghana’s Parliament.This November, she will run as an opposition candidate in Ghana’s Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. The trailblazer could become the youngest MP in Ghana and one of the youngest legislators across the Commonwealth. Michael Gyekye, 23, a Correspondent from Koforidua in Ghana, interviewed the youthful politician about her story, goals, and her views on youth and women participation in politics. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and space.
Michael Gyekye: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your educational and/or professional background?
Francisca Oteng-Mensah: I am 23 years old and the eldest of four children. I am currently pursuing an LLB at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana – presently in the third year. I am an alumnus of the St. Roses Senior High School, where I read General Arts. I had my basic education at the Angel Educational Complex. Besides my studies and political activities, I regularly volunteer to offer mentorship support to trainees of a local women empowerment and vocational training outfit, NEWIG.
MG: How have you adjusted to life since you shot into the limelight as the youngest person to run for a seat in the Parliament of Ghana?
FO: It has not been easy. Certainly not in dealing with the press, who aside all, want to pry into your privacy as much as they can. Combining the enormous responsibilities of my new position with my studies and other commitments has also been no less challenging. Thanks to efficient time management however, the adjustment has gone well so far.
MG: What attracted you to politics and what would be your primary goals as a Member of Parliament?
Going into politics has always been a dream even though I never supposed my entry into national politics would occur under the circumstances it has. My passion to help people overcome challenges in the society and my desire to help sustainably mobilize adequate resources to help tackle societal challenges have been my primary motivations all along.
My principal objective as an MP would be to help improve access to quality basic education for every child in Ghana, especially the children in my constituency, the Kwabre-East Constituency of the Ashanti Region. I believe educational interventions like the Capitation Grant, School Feeding Program and the free use of public transport services by basic school pupils, introduced by my now opposition party when in government a few years ago to boost basic school enrolment, could all be kick-started to promote this agenda.
MG: Which present or past political figure or public office holder inspires you the most? How does this person inspire you?
FO: [Laughs] First, I have such a large number of such role models that singling out any is just difficult. Further, I am discouraged from mentioning particular names as our society tends to reflexively associate any perceived or actual bad traits of such figures with one. I am however impressed by qualities as discipline, courage, good lobbying skills, eloquence, ambition and even piety, among leaders. Given a combination of all such great attributes is rare to find in any single individual, I tend to learn from any person who happens to possess any.
MG: Women are traditionally marginalized in politics, which is especially true in young democracies like Ghana’s. What hopes do you believe your trailblazing feat provide for reversing this trend in Ghana and the many other places across Africa and the developing world where this problem persists?
FO: Sure, that’s a very important issue in politics across almost the entire world. In the cases of Ghana and Africa, I reckon inequalities in economic capabilities between men and women is a crucial contributory factor. I hope my story would inspire a serious attention to this particular restraining factor and the need to economically empower women to help bridge gaps in economic capabilities between the genders. This is a prerequisite for achieving greater gender balance in political representation in societies.
MG: You are an inspiration to many young people worldwide. What counsel do you have for fellow youth around the world who wish to follow your footsteps or defy odds to create change in their own societies?
FO: I encourage them to be confident, have faith in themselves, seek and heed good advice and diligently pursue their ambitions to inspire their desired goals in their communities. I also encourage them to avail themselves of opportunities through extracurricular activities etc. to prepare themselves effectively for their aspired roles. I believe it is always essential for balanced representation of all demographic groups in national and political decision-making, hence my encouragement of the youth to seek adequate representation in politics as a means to attract sufficient attention to our enormous and wide-ranging challenges.
MG: Thank you.
FO: A pleasure.
Photo credits: courtesy of Micheal Gyekye
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About me: I aspire to become a legal practitioner and scholar. I hope to lead an international law firm and lecture in a world-class law school in the future. I love to read, write, teach and travel. I am fascinated by local and international developments in politics, business, technology, sports and culture.
I am currently a final-year undergraduate student of political studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. I will finish school in May this year and graduate in June.
Reach me on Facebook at Michael Adu Gyekye
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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/
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