President John Dramani Mahama has been urged to adhere to provisions in the Affirmative Action Act 2024 (Act 1121) in his appointments for ministerial and other positions to ensure gender balance in his government.
He should appoint 39 women into managerial and decision-making offices to meet the 30 per cent quota by 2026 as clearly defined in the Act.
These were contained in a statement issued by Defence for Children International Ghana (DCI-Ghana) on the appointments made so far by the President as he puts together his government.
The statement signed by Ms. Faustina Prempeh, Programmes Manager of DCI, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, appealed to the President to appoint at least 79 women including young women to lead the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the 261 districts.
The government must also consciously integrate gender equity into the educational curriculum from the basic to tertiary level as defined under schedule three of the Act to eliminate gender inequalities, discrimination and stereotypes against girls and young women.
It said the passage of the Affirmative Action Act is a feather in the cap of Ghana, but its implementation was the most critical aspect that must be prioritised to achieve the objective of enacting the law.
Women representation in governance, according to the statement, had been very low over the past decades perpetrated by gender inequality, which manifests in discrimination in governance, education, socio-cultural settings and families.
Representation of women in parliament under the Fourth Republic has never gone beyond 15 per cent despite women constituting the larger portion of the national population, the statement highlighted.
It is against this background that DCI-Ghana wants the President to rectify the anomaly especially with the passage of the Affirmative Action Act by appointing more women into decision-making positions.
The statement congratulated Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang for being the first female to become the Vice President of Ghana and urged her to use her office to champion the cause of girls and young women who look up to her in the pursuit of their dreams.
DCI-Ghana is the implementer of the “She Leads” Project which sought to increase sustained influence of girls and young women in decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in formal and informal institutions.
