President John Dramani Mahama has called for the introduction of legislation to criminalise the practice of demanding romantic or sexual relationships in exchange for employment opportunities.

The President made the remarks during an engagement at Adweso in Koforidua on Saturday, May 3, at the close of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Eastern Region.

Mr Mahama condemned what he described as exploitative behaviour by some employers who allegedly make intimate relationships a condition for offering jobs, particularly to women seeking employment.

“One of the worst things, and I think we should pass a bill to make it punishable, is that sometimes if the employer or the person responsible for employing is a male, they demand some romantic relationship before they give them jobs. It is unacceptable. It must stop,” he stated.

He stressed that such conduct must attract strict legal consequences, insisting that the country cannot tolerate abuse and exploitation within the workplace.

The President also referenced the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act, noting that the government remains committed to improving gender balance in public appointments.

“We already have the Affirmative Action law, which we are trying to apply,” he said.

“We are going to work to make sure that we achieve the targets. It says that by the end of 2028, we should achieve 50-50 parity. It is a tough call, but we will work at it,” he added.