Ghana will be measured by welfare of women - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the success or otherwise of the nation, will be measured by how well women are doing in the country since they constitute the majority of the population.

He has, therefore, reiterated his commitment towards the promotion of the advancement of women, saying, the Affirmative Action Bill would definitely be sent to Parliament to be passed into law during the current session.

Addressing Parliament in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo said in spite of the fact of his promise last year that the that bill would be passed, it did not happen, yet he was still committed to the advancement of women.

He said: “I have thrown my full weight behind the He for She campaign, and the Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA), an initiative stemming from my position as the African Union’s Gender Champion.

“I urge all Ghanaian males to join together in giving Ghanaian females the dignity they deserve”.

The He for She campaign is a global movement fighting for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

By supporting that campaign, the President indicated his commitment to supporting policies that empowered women and girls, and to working with all actors to ensure gender equality became a reality in Ghana and across the continent.

President Nana Akufo-Addo also noted that it was important to recognise that gender equality and, for that matter, women’s equality with men was a pre-requisite for development, adding that doing away with women in national development was a great disservice.

He entreated both male and female, to support the implementation of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which had been incorporated into government’s Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies, that was laid before Parliament in November 2017, and the execution of which would ensure that no Ghanaian was left behind.