Mrs Gifty Nyarko Karikari, the Head of the Physical Planning Department of the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly says the inclusion of the views of women into spatial planning processes will foster a sustainable urban environment. 'The inclusion is not merely a matter of diversity, but a strategy to streamline policy implementation processes', she told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Odomase the municipal capital. Incorporating women viewpoints and outlooks in spatial planning will lead to a more sustainable urban environment, she said. Mrs Nyarko alleged that most women found it difficult to acquire lands for building, entrepreneurship and other economic activities, apparently due to the prevailing 'customary inheritance laws that favours male inheritance'. She said the country ought to do more to remove certain legal and socio-cultural barriers inimical to the growth and development of women. Since women constitute the chunk of the national population, overlooking their needs and contribut ions can impede holistic national development. Mrs Nyarko said robust support mechanisms were also needed and remained necessary to integrate gender perspectives into spatial planning and called on state and non-state actors to be committed to providing resources and expertise needed to implement gender mainstream programmes. This might entail capacity building among planners, and decision-makers to understand the importance of gender-equity in urban development, she said. She said tailored strategies such as gender-responsive infrastructure design and inclusive community engagement processes were also required too, and expressed the hope that the District and Municipal Assemblies would do more to tackle the obstacles women face in accessing and utilizing urban spaces. 'They must also ensure that women have equal access to land, resources, and opportunities to build themselves and to contribute to national development,' she said. Mrs Nyarko called for intensified public education to sensitize community l eaders to engage women in decision making processes, as well as women's rights to land and economic participation. Source: Ghana News Agency