Lack of political will affecting passage of Affirmative Action Bill- Coalition

The Affirmative Action Bill Coalition has blamed the delay in the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law on a lack of political will by successive governments.

 The Coalition argues that the continuous delay in the passage of the bill into law was affecting efforts to address the equal representation of women at all levels in the country.

It is, thus, calling on the current government to show commitment by passing the bill into law immediately.

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Addressing participants at an intergenerational dialogue on Affirmative Action law for Ghana organized by the Coalition and supported by Friedrick Ebert Stiftung (FES) Foundation in Accra,  Mrs Sheila Minkah-Premo, Convener for Coalition stated, that the passage of the bill would help create a conducive environment for women, eliminate bias and enhance the participation of women in national development

“The outcome of the recent election shows that there are only 40 out 275 Members of Parliament [MPs] in the 8^th parliament making 14.5 percent. This demonstrates that the problem persists and we urgently need legislation to turn things around according to Mrs. Sheila Minkah-Premo.

She called on all stakeholders to reflect critically on the paucity of women’s participation in public and political space and the impediments facing women’s access to decision-making structures and push for the Bill to be passed to facilitate gender equality in governance and in private life.

The 32 clause bill to promote gender equity, especially in decision making, which has been in Cabinet since 2018 according to the organization, was gathering dust with no idea of when it would be passed for the implementation of its objectives.

Mrs. Magdalene Kannae, a member of the governing board of the National Peace Council said the country’s leaders had been signing all the international laws concerning gender equality but did little when they returned to the country in terms of implementation.

She added that lack of political will was one of the major challenges affecting the passage of the bill into law.

In spite of the numerical strength, Ghanaian women are still confronted by limited options and formidable barriers with huge gaps in the number of women able to access public leadership.

Source:Publicagendagh.com