President Akufo-Addo has been challenged to use his position as the African Union Gender Champion and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Goals, to double his efforts towards achieving the set targets in seeing to passage the Affirmative Action Bill.

The bill when passed, according to Cluster on Decentralisation and Citizens’ Participation -the civil society organisation- would accelerate Ghana’s efforts at meeting Sustainable Development Goal 5 target of Gender Parity in decision making by 2030 and the African Union Gender Agenda of 50-50 representation of both men and women in decision-making.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Convener of the group, Efua Edith Chidi, expressed their displeasure about the inactions of government to facilitate the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill which has been in Parliament for the past 13 years.

She bemoaned how the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection which is supposed to lead the campaign, has only paid lip service.

Ms. Chidi cited how many African countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi and Guinea Bissau have made impressive progress after the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill, to buttress her point.

“In June this year, Guinea Bissau passed their Gender Equality Law and subsequently appointed 50 percent women and 50 percent men to cabinet positions. Other African countries have demonstrated how their governments have been committed to ensuring gender equality within their political space,” she added.

As an immediate measure, the Convener said the group would embark on a walk on August 30 in Accra and September 7 in Tamale, to press further their demands and draw attention of the public and the government, to accelerate the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.

Mr Frank Wilson Bodza, the Programme Manager for Governance at Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF Ghana), said public interest laws have become a mantra for political parties in Ghana and called on all to join the campaign to facilitate the passage of the Bill.