The Association of Women in the Media (ASWIM) has entreated the government and parliament to see to the passing of the Affirmative Action Law.

The group in a statement signed by the president, Mavis Kitcher indicated that the Affirmative Action Law, which has been pending for a decade, when passed, will “help make women’s contributions count even better for the building of a dynamic and balanced society in the interest of all.”

The Affirmative Action Law seeks to remove the historically low representation of women in all decision-making spaces while promoting democracy and development through the effective participation of all citizens.

In addition, it seeks to promote women's representation to a minimum of 40% in all policy-making spaces.

ASWIM made this call on March 8 as the world marks International Women’s Day (IWD).

The theme for this year’s celebration is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

As part of the celebration, ASWIM further urged the government to employ strategies based on equity to increase the participation of Ghanaian girls and women in the space to thrive.

This, they explained, is because advancement for every nation today is propelled by Science, Innovation and Digital Technology.

Equity interventions, ASWIM believes, should be pursued over those of equal opportunities, to create fairness for girls and women in STEM school enrolment, capacity-building programmes, incubation and start-ups of businesses and access to financing in this space. 

Additionally, ASWIM supports the call of the UN Secretary-General for action on online education, removal of systemic barriers and a proactive approach to increase women’s participation and leadership in science and technology to address the imbalance.

The group used the opportunity to celebrate Ghanaian women for their immense contribution towards achieving an inclusive society in our nation’s quest to attain sustainable national development.

“On this momentous occasion, ASWIM affirms that it embraces Equity for the advancement of women and girls’; and wishes all Ghanaian women “Ayekoo” for their diverse contributions to sustaining our Motherland,” a part of the statement reads.