I will work to ensure passage of Affirmative Action until I die – Otiko Djaba

Otiko Afisa Djaba, Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, has entreated President Akufo-Addo to pay attention to the Affirmative Action Bill and ensure it passed into law by first quarter of this year, ABC News can report.

According to the former Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, though she was unable to see to the passage of the Bill during her time in office, she has resolved to do everything in her power to achieve equal representation for women and Persons With Disability (PWD) in decision making.

“I worked on it… previous ministers had also worked on it and it had already been sent to Cabinet…there was a technical committee involved and there was the need to take it back and tweak it and bring it back. And so it was at that point that I was asked to leave the Ministry.

“So as a gender activist, it is not something that you can leave, until the day I die, I will continue to work in that area [I’m a feminist actually], to ensure that the affirmative action comes to life in this time that I am alive cause I want to enjoy it, not only my children to enjoy it,” she said.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, the gender activist said her Foundation has, in collaboration with some traditional leaders, “raised awareness about the need for equal representation of women and persons with disability”.

The Foundation has petitioned President Akufo-Addo with demands that the Bill should be passed within the first quarter of 2020.

When asked if the deadline given is realistic, the former Minister noted; “somebody might say it is not realistic but it must happen now, we have to demand it. For too long, we have had figures that are abysmal in this country when you look at our participation.”

“It’s not unrealistic, this should have happened a long time ago. If ten years ago, we were ensuring that the 30% of every President is solely allocated to women and persons with disability, by now, we would be at parity but we will always find ways of saying as for women they are not there.”

“The talk is not enough. We need action,” she stated.

The passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law will help promote the participation of women and the marginalized groups in the society in leadership, especially, in the political process and enhance the effectiveness of gender equality as stimuli for national development.

It would also accelerate Ghana’s efforts at meeting Sustainable Development Goal 5 target of Gender Parity in decision making by 2030 and the African Union Gender Agenda of 50-50 representation of both men and women in decision-making.

The Henry Djaba Foundation was launched by the Former Minister in 2018, in honour of her late father, Henry Djaba, and aims at empowering the vulnerable, People living With Disabilities (PWDs) in the society, head potters (kayayie), women, children and assist them access good health care, education, through social live empowerment.