President John Dramani Mahama, the African Union (AU) Champion for Gender Development Issues and Financial Institutions, is leading efforts to advance gender equality in Africa, with a strong commitment to empowering women and girls.

Speaking at the High-Level Breakfast Meeting on Financing and Reaffirming Africa’s Gender Commitments on the sidelines of the ongoing 39th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Mahama urged countries to sign onto the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls.

This is a landmark, legally binding treaty adopted in February 2025 by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Governments to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls across the continent.

He said in February 2025, the Assembly adopted the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; yet progress had been slow.

“Ghana has signed the convention, and this session of our Parliament is going to ratify it,” President Mahama said.

“I urge all member states to sign and ratify this convention before the end of 2026.”

He said violence against women and girls was not only a moral outrage but an economic catastrophe, costing Africa billions annually in health care, lost productivity, and justice expenditures while devastating families and communities.

President Mahama said ratification of this Convention would be a clear declaration that violence against women had no place in their society.

He said these instruments were not merely gender frameworks, noting that they were the cornerstone of Africa’s human rights and development architecture. He added that frameworks matter, but political will matters more.

“As the African Union champion for Gender development issues and financial institutions, I am working to place gender equality at the centre of governance, economic management and social policy,” he said.

President Mahama said Ghana had achieved historic milestones, including the election of a female Vice President and unprecedented representation of women across government institutions and the judiciary.

“I am confident that sooner than later, a woman will occupy the highest office of president in Ghana,” he said.

“We must think about gender parity in school enrollment and improve the completion rate for girls.”

He said Ghana’s 2026 budget allocated GH¢401 million to capitalise the Women’s Development Bank, aimed at expanding affordable credit, financial literacy, and enterprise support for women, particularly those in the informal and vulnerable employment sectors.

He noted that the Government had strengthened institutions that protect women and girls, including specialised domestic violence units, courts, survival support services, and social protection programmes like the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the School Feeding Programme, Free Sanitary Pads for school girls, and free tertiary education for persons with disabilities.

He said Parliament had also enacted the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act, setting binding targets for women's representation – 30 per cent by 2026, 35 per cent by 2028 and 50 per cent by 2030.