Advocates call for stronger media focus on gender equity law implementation

Journalists have been urged to intensify coverage of gender-related issues and give sustained attention to the implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), to help advance women’s participation in leadership and governance.

The call was made by the Convener of the Affirmative Action (AA) Law Coalition, Sheila Minka-Premo, at the close of a media training and capacity-building workshop held in Accra on Thursday February 5, 2026.

The workshop was organised by ABANTU for Development in partnership with ActionAid Ghana.

Minka-Premo emphasised that the media plays a pivotal role in shaping public understanding of the Affirmative Action law, noting that consistent, informed, and responsible reporting would enhance public support and promote effective enforcement of the Act.

She expressed concern about what she described as the tendency of some media outlets to downplay or trivialise issues affecting women, particularly in their coverage of women who seek political office.

Held under the theme “Strengthening Advocacy for the Implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Equity) Law, 2024 – The Case of the Media,” the workshop brought together journalists from selected media organisations to deepen their understanding of the law and its implications.

While commending both Parliament and the Executive for the passage and presidential assent of the law, Minka-Premo called on government to address key implementation challenges.

These include gaps in policy frameworks to support affirmative action, weak institutional compliance and concerns around the constitutional threshold of 30 per cent representation for women in political leadership.

She observed that although earlier efforts at passing an affirmative action bill did not receive sufficient attention to achieve their intended outcomes, the current Equity Law offers a renewed opportunity to advance gender equality.

Minka-Premo encouraged the media to actively promote women’s leadership and contribute to a smooth and effective implementation of the Act.

In her welcome remarks, the Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, said the workshop was aimed at enhancing journalists’ understanding of the Affirmative Action Law and its relevance in addressing gender disparities, inequalities and imbalances in national representation and public discourse.

She explained that the training also sought to strengthen the advocacy capacity of media practitioners to enable them to educate the public on the law’s provisions and significance.

Dr Mensah-Kutin commended ActionAid Ghana for supporting the initiative and expressed confidence that the engagement would yield positive outcomes, urging the media to prioritise coverage of the law to ensure its sustainability.

The Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was passed by Parliament in July 2024 and assented to by the President in September 2024, following years of advocacy by women’s rights organisations, gender activists, and other stakeholders.

Participants at the workshop pledged their commitment to support advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Act.

AM

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