Affirmative Action Law: A game-changer for women’s empowerment in Ghana

The Convener for the Affirmative Action Bill Coali­tion, Mrs Sheila Menkah-Premo, has stated that, Women Group organizations should champion public ed­ucation on the new Affirmative Action law passed by Parliament recently.

The Affirmative Action law seeks to address systemic in­equalities in the country.

Mrs Sheila Menkah-Premo made this known at the commemoration of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC) for Ghana in Accra noting that it would help them to be abreast with the law and ensure effective implemen­tation across all levels.

Dubbed ‘Cele­brating the gains through the third review processes’ which brought together representa­tives from the women group organizations, Assembly women and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

The Convener urged women groups to ensure the implementation of the law in order to guarantee equality of women at all levels and commended women group organizations, media and CSOs for championing the cause for passage of the bill into law.

She emphasized the need to hold leaders accountable to ensure implementation and make avail­able resources.

Mrs Hamida Harrison, the Convener of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC), said Ghana continued to grapple with gender inequality practices in women’s lack of access to secured livelihoods in the era of market economies, and huge gaps in women’s access public leadership.

She further called for robust political will from au­thorities to ensure change and transformation in addressing women issues in the country.

The Chairperson of the Con­flict Resolution Committee of the National Peace Council, Mrs Joana Opare, also mentioned that the Women Manifesto had become a worthy document for refer­ence over the years, urging women to push their fellow women to leader­ship position in order to con­tribute in decision-making.

The Programme Manager, Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, Ms Deborah Tayo Akakpo, on her part stated that there were still chal­lenges facing women, including access to lands, harmful cultural practices and challenges of implementation of policies to promote women right issues.

She called for effective collab­oration between women group organizations to ensure that the rights of women and children were protected in the country.