Ghana Hails Historic Move Towards Women’s Empowerment with New Legislation
The Parliament of Ghana passed the Affirmative Action Gender Bill 2024 on Tuesday 30 July 2024, aimed at increasing women’s participation in governance and decision-making to a minimum of 30% by 2030. This landmark legislation, which received unanimous support from lawmakers, marks the culmination of efforts that began in 1998 to address socio-cultural, political, economic, and educational imbalances in both private and public sectors.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin emphasized the necessity of implementing the new law to realize the vision of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the state to ensure gender equality and equity. “We need to do more to be able to create this free and just society we are looking for to liberate more of our women,” Bagbin stated. President Nana Akufo-Addo, who backed the measure, is expected to sign the bill into law. Gender and political activist Shamima Muslim lauded the bill as a significant step towards correcting historical and systemic barriers to women’s participation, calling for sustained efforts to build a just and equitable society.
2020 to 2030 is the African Union Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion. Over the 10 years, Africa has committed to scale up actions for progressive gender inclusion towards sustainable development at the national, regional and continental levels.
