The Board Chair of the Eve International Foundation, Sheila Minka-Premo, has lauded the passage of the landmark Gender Equity Act 2024.

Describing it as a "great win" in the pursuit of gender equality in Ghana, Madam Minka-Premo commended the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition for its relentless advocacy that led to the historic legislative achievement.

She said this at the 2024 Eve International Foundation Women’s Conference on Thursday, themed “Gender Equality: Transforming Women’s Leadership for National Development and Beyond.”

“I want to especially celebrate the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition which the Eve International Foundation is a member for leading advocacy and the passage of the Gender Equity Act 2024 is very significant for all of us here.

“The passage of this Act is a great win and key in our effort to attain Gender Equality in Ghana,” she said.

Reflecting on the two-year journey of the Foundation, Madam Minka-Premo praised the collective efforts of stakeholders that contributed to this milestone.

She further called on all and sundry to actively advocate for and support the implementation of the Act, stressing that this is key to achieving meaningful progress in the gender equality movement

“I want to commend the Foundation for working with the Coalition to achieve this feat. I will also use this platform to urge all of us to advocate and support its implementation,” she said.

On his part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, stressed the urgent need for greater inclusion of women in national development efforts.

He warned that the country cannot achieve its ambitious goals without women's full participation.

Mr Abani pointed out that women make up the majority of Ghana's population, yet remain underrepresented in leadership and continue to face significant challenges, including violence and discrimination.

“Ghana itself has an ambition to be a WISER – Wealthy, Inclusive, Sustainable, Environmentally Aware, Resilient – country, but it cannot realise its ambition unless it includes women,” he stated.

He highlighted the critical role women play in achieving this vision, adding that the current situation, where only 14% of the country’s parliamentarians are women, is a significant barrier to progress.

The Resident Coordinator further emphasised the pervasive issue of gender-based violence, including harassment on social media and in public spaces, calling for more action to address these concerns.

“Women represent 14% of Ghana’s Parliament and there is a lot of violence perpetuated against them; on social media and various spaces. So more work needs to be done.”

The Eve International Foundation Women’s Conference, an annual event focused on empowering women and driving social change, brought together women leaders, policymakers, and advocates to discuss pathways to achieving gender equality and transforming women’s leadership for national development.