‘No time to waste’ - Advocates demand sharp enforcement afta signing of 30-year-old gender equity law by President Akufo-Addo

Gender advocates and oda groups for Ghana don dey demand say make goment implement di affirmative action gender equity bill 2024 wey di president don sign into law on 19 September.

Dis don end long process wey start for 1998 as di bill bin enta and comot parliament until di house of legislature don pass am in July dis year.

For 2023, di speaker of parliament bin tok say even though im wan make di law pass under im watch, he wan make dey do di right tin.

At di time, Alban Bagbin tok say “di bill for di current state dey require stakeholder consultation so dat di kontri fit get law wey dey correct.”

Di kontri gender minister Dakoa Newman bin tweet for X on 19 September say “president Akufo-Addo don sign di bill into law. Wetin go happun next na implementation.”

As di president don sign dis bill, di law go ensure say critical number of women go dey key positions for governance, security, business and oda offices wey dem go fit dey part of decision-making.

Di law dey push say make a minimum of 30 to 50 percent of women dey public and private offices by 2039 in line wit di SDG goal of achieving gender equality by 2030.

Di sector minister for one press conference on 8 August respond to pipo wey tok say dis law go cause wahala wey e just go put women for position wey dey no qualify for.

“Ghana women dey qualified to dey in position of authority and influence – di first part of di law dey tok say make we make 30 percent of women dey public office from 2024 to 2026, den to 35 percent for 2027 to 2028 and then to 50 percent from 2029 to 2030,” madam Dakoa Newman explain to journalists.

Di law don tok say make di president ensure say dey achieve dis target small small – if im dey appoint ministers, council of state pipo, constitutional bodies, public service, district assemblies and oda offices wia di president gat to appoint pipo.

“Wia specific number of pipo dey need, dey for reserve specified number of seats for women.”

Di law also bin tok say make dey no discriminate against women if dem dey appoint pipo for security services.

Wetin go happun if pipo no follow dis law

For di trade unions and oda business pipo, dey also gat to ensure say dey balance di pipo dey appoint on top executive boards wey private companies wey employ women go get tax incentives.

Dem fit cancel di registration of unions wey no go by dis provision.

Pesin wey go victimize, obstruct or exert undue influence on top anoda pesin, dey go against dis law.

To attack employee wit mouth, to dey treat dem some kind of way, hate speech and to discriminate against dem on di basis of dia gender na offense for dis law.

Pesin fit to suffer fines wey you fit go to jail also for not less than six months and not more than twelve months or both, if you offend dis law.

Penalties include fines and jail terms of not less than six months and not more dan twelve months or both.

Reactions as di president sign di bill into law

Female lawmakers for Ghana parliament bin dey excited afta di president sign di bill – dey tok say dis na strong move.

One of dem na Abla Dzifa Gomashie wey be member of parliament for Ketu South constituency.

Im tok BBC Pidgin say she dey look forward say di law “go start to deal wit di cultural, political and economic discrimination against women and minority groups especially disability community.”

“We gat to kick in di advocacy as soon as possible make di kontri agencies begin to dey educate pipo on wetin dis law dey expect from dem,” Abla Gomashie add.

Ghana currently get only 40 women for parlaiment out of 275 seats fro di house of legislature - sabi pipo tink say dis number gat to increase.

Gender advocates and activists don hail di move but dey also gat fears.

Dinah Adiko wey work wit di kontri gender ministry as technical consultant in di past tok BBC Pidgin say “for di moment we don happy but we gat fears – we dey fear say for example wia political parties gat to play dia role, dey no go do am.”

Im add say “we fear say di supervision, di regulation, wetin be di powers wey to punish pipo, those na some of di tins wey we dey fear but for dis moment we don happy say dis law don finally pass.”

Di gender equality and social inclusion specialist bin explain to BBC Pidgin say “we sabi say we need legislative instrument wey go support di implementation of di law – we don dey look forward to dis instrument wey we hope say wanna fears no go happun sake of we sabi how some of di laws for di kontri dey go.”

Wit Ghana elections only months away, pipo already dey expect say di spirit of dis law go begin to dey work for di presidential and parliamentary candidates wey dey wan enta public office.

Already, three women don pick nomination forms to become president, di same number as di last elections wey gat a former first lady.

Wit dis law, di kontri electoral commission dey mandated to ensure say political parties comply wit di part wey ask dem to give some quota of dia party reps to women.

Di commission also dey expected to “put in place measures wey go increase participation of women for di electoral process as candidates and voters.”

Di lawmaker Abla Dzifa Gomashie also dey expect “political parties to engage to make sure say dey create space for women to participate in electoral processes so say dey fit to contest for free and fair environment.”

Ghana now bin join Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Mozambique and oda kontris for Africa wey gat affirmative action laws wey dey work.

Dis kontris dey give 30 percent minimum quota for women for decision-making bodies, for parliament and for oda state agencies.



Gender minister Dakoa Newman tok say dis law go give women dia right place for governance and oda public offices