The Minister for Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is calling for the passage of the Affirmative Action law to among other things ensure an increase woman participation in governance.
She said there is the need for deliberate government interventions to enable women to compete favorably on the country’s political and governance scene.
Speaking on a BBC World Questions panel in Accra, she said: “What we can do is to start by identifying, mentoring, training and supporting women to get into all kinds of positions across the board.”
Mrs Ekuful added that the law would level playing field for women seeking to participate in public life.
” and by that, I do mean that we need to think seriously about the passage of affirmative action or equal opportunities legislation which will give room for positive discrimination in favour of the more disadvantaged sections of our society; women, persons with disability and the youth.”
The affirmative action policy seeks to create more room for women to actively participate in politics.
It will also require all sectors to reserve a percentage of their employment for women.
But attempts by various government to make it a reality have failed.
Article 36 (6) of the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution clearly provides the foundation for the role of women in governance and nation-building.
It states, ‘The state shall afford equality of economic opportunity to all citizens; and, in particular, the State shall take all necessary steps so as to ensure the full integration of women into the mainstream of the economic development of Ghana’ but that has not been complied with.
There has been various campaigns to impress upon the government to pass the affirmative bill but these efforts have not translated into the desired results.
Women participation in politics and governance, in general, remains low.
President Akufo-Addo while campaigning to be president promised to ensure at least 30% of his cabinet will be made up of women but has since failed to deliver on that promise.
Many organizations including the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) still insist that the government must show commitment to ensuring increased women participation in public service.
–
By: Jonas Nyabor/citnewsroom.com/Ghana
