The Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF) has applauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for assenting to the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Bill 2024.
UWF is a women-centered Non-Governmental Organisation working to empower indigenous women to contribute meaningfully to the upkeep of the family and the holistic development of society.
Dr Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Tano North constituency in the Ahafo Region and the Founder of the Foundation described the president’s assent to the bill as historic and forward marched.
That would put the nation on the edge in her efforts to achieve set targets for the goal five of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the outspoken legislature indicated.
Among other targets, the United Nations (UN) global goal five enjoins countries around the world to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other
types of exploitation by 2030.
The Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act 2024, which had been in and out of the Parliament since 2011, was finally passed unanimously by Parliament on July 30, 2024.
It seeks to address the historical and systemic gender imbalances that have long permeated the nation’s political, social, economic and cultural landscapes.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, Dr Prempeh indicated that the Act had many benefits, saying it would enormously impact the parliamentary process for the 30 percent women quota of the House.
In a highlight, Dr Prempeh explained that the bill sets specific targets for gender representation, aiming for 30 per cent by 2026, 35 per cent by 2028 and 50 per cent by 2030.
These quotas, she explained, applied to appointments in public offices, governance positions, decision-making roles, and leadership positions across various sectors.
The MP therefore commended all the stakeholders, including the media and civil society organisations and a
ctors as well as her colleague MPs for championing the Act, and expressed the hope that all practices being political, social or cultural that were inimical to the holistic growth and development of women and girls would be eradicated.
Source: Ghana News Agency