The Running Mate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang says the NDC will pass the Affirmative Action Bill into law if elected into power on December 7.
According to her, this will increase the participation of women in key decision-making roles.
The NDC running mate further said the time has come for the nation to remove barriers that hinder the progress of women in the country.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang made the pledge in a statement to commemorate the 2020 International Day of the Girl Child.
She added that an NDC government will also institute a Bill to address sexual harassment in schools and elsewhere.
“We will pass into law the Affirmative Action Bill. We will execute our plan to provide free sanitary pads to girls in basic schools, and invest in infrastructure and teacher training to improve quality and access at that level of education.”
“We will propose a bill to address sexual harassment in schools and elsewhere; we will operationalize support and protection programs for victims of domestic violence; and we will eliminate medical exam fees for survivors of sexual assault.”
About the Affirmative Bill
Ghana’s Affirmative Action Bill, when passed into law, will require the government to ensure equitable gender representation at all levels of governance and decision-making in Ghana, as well as address other social and economic imbalances.
When passed, it is expected to affect women’s representation in the public service, ministerial positions, independent constitutional bodies, boards of state institutions, the security services, and political parties.
The final draft of the Bill received cabinet approval in 2016, but was not tabled in Parliament and, therefore, did not reach the consideration stage before the end of the 6th Parliament of the 4th Republic.
Below is the statement from Opoku-Agyemang
