The Affirmative Action Law Coalition has called on the incoming government to ensure it complies with the requirements of the Affirmative Action Act to ensure fair representation of women in all sectors. 

Mrs Sheila Minkah-Premo, the Coalition Convenor, said this was crucial to enable the country to have 30 per cent women representation in all sectors of the economy. 

She made the call during a day’s training workshop for journalists and influencers on the Affirmative Action Act (AAA) organised by Oxfam Ghana in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in Accra. 

Affirmative action remains a critical policy and legal framework mechanism aimed at promoting inclusivity, equity, and representation in various sectors of society. 

The recent passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) is an important step towards addressing gender inequalities in Ghana and ensuring that women who are currently marginalised in decision-making are equally represented at all levels. 

Mrs Minkah-Premo explained that the Act mandates proactive measures in both public and private sectors to increase the participation of women in leadership, education, employment, and governance; thus, it was important for the incoming government to ensure this became a reality. 

“We are interested in seeing an increase in gender equity in our parliament. Currently, in the eighth parliament, we have 14.5 per cent of them as women, which is way below what the law requires, way below what the United Nations requires, which is 30 per cent minimum of gender equality,” the Convenor added. 

She said to increase the number of women in parliament, some special seats should be created, saying, “I believe that if we can create some special seats on the lower level, it could be a way in which we can immediately increase the numbers of women in parliament before the next election.” 

Mrs Minkah-Premo said the law, in its first schedule, provides timeliness and targets by which gender parity should be progressively achieved by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals 5. 

She said it was thus essential for journalists and influencers to understand the provisions, implications and opportunities as the law gained momentum for accountability. 

Mrs Minkah-Premo encouraged the public and the media to refrain from calling out gender-specific attacks, victimisation and harassment of women in public life and leadership. 

The aim of the training was to increase awareness and understanding of the AA Act, enhance reporting and advocacy skills, promote public engagement and encourage collaborative advocacy efforts. 

Mrs Mary Tobbin Osei, the Managing Director Kanko, trained journalists on the role of the media and influencers in implementation as well as ethical reporting on the AA Act. 

She advised the media to embrace their responsibility and collaborate with other stakeholders to enable them to contribute to a brighter future towards gender equality in Ghana. 

“Without our collective efforts, implementation of this Act will not see the light of day,” she added. 

Mrs Thelma Akyere Hayford, Gender Advisor Oxfam in Ghana, called for the support of local and international organisations, civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations to hold governments accountable in the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act.