President very interested in Affirmative Action Bill - Gender Minister

The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Darkoa Newman, has assured the general public and interested parties of the steady progress of the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Bill 2024 since it was passed by Parliament last month.

"I've been liaising with him (the President) on it since I took office, and he's been very interested in it," she said.

Mrs. Newman noted, however, that the bill, which was passed unanimously by the House on July 30, 2024, has yet to be laid before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his assent to finalize the bill into law.

"I've heard a lot of people saying, 'Has the President signed it?' And I would like to inform everybody here that it hasn't gotten to the President yet. I met with the Head of Legislation," she said.

"He's still tidying up a few things on the bill, on the Act, actually. And once he's done tidying it up, then it can be sent to the President for his assent. And so, at this point in time, it is not to say the President hasn't signed it—it is not with him yet. It will be soon," she added.

Mrs. Newman, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi South, was speaking at the Minister’s Press Briefing organized by the Ministry of Information to provide updates on the Ghana School Feeding Programme and the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.

The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection reiterated that when the bill is assented into law, it will promote a progressive increase and active participation of women in public and civic life, from a minimum of 30% to 50% by 2030, in accordance with the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She further stated that some individuals had raised concerns that the bill would create a system of tokenism, where the number of women in decision-making roles would increase as a symbolic effort to merely give the appearance of gender equality within the workforce.

Mrs. Newman also highlighted recent data revealing a significant increase in women entering male-dominated fields and courses at higher education levels, making them more than qualified to hold positions in higher decision-making roles across the board.

"So I can assure you that once these women finish their courses, in fact, we are asking for parity, but maybe there might be even more than that," she said.

"We are all aware of the input women make into Ghanaian society. And I would like to assure them, this is not just a matter of taking people who are unqualified and putting them in positions," Mrs. Newman stated.