We should pass a law to make sex in exchange for jobs punishable - President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has called for a new law to criminalise demands for romantic or sexual relationships in exchange for jobs.

He made the call on Saturday (May 2, 2026), during a town hall engagement at Adweso in Koforidua, at the end of a two-day tour of the Eastern Region.

He was responding to a question from a female student who had said women with equal qualifications are often sidelined in the job market.

"One of the worst things, and I think we should pass a bill to make it punishable, is that sometimes if the employer or the person responsible for employing is a male, they demand some romantic relationship before they give them jobs," President Mahama said.

"It is unacceptable. It must stop. And I think that we must take a firm line on that. I mean, if anybody does that, there should be a law that deals with them very strongly."

The issue was raised by a student of the Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua, who said men are often given more opportunities than women in many workplaces.

She cited the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey as an example of what women can achieve when given the chance.

President Mahama agreed that women are equally capable and called for a change in mindset. He said during visits to road construction sites under the Big Push programme, he had seen female engineers working as site engineers.

"I find it very admirable when I see the girls doing those kinds of jobs," he said, adding that he often take photographs with them as a form of encouragement.

President Mahama also said his government aims to achieve equal representation of men and women in public appointments by 2028.

"We already have the Affirmative Action law, which we are trying to apply," he said. "We are going to work to make sure that we achieve the targets. It says that in public appointments by the end of 2028, we should achieve 50-50 parity. It is a tough call, but we will work at it."