Parliament has finally passed the Affirmative Action bill into law.
The bill, which was passed unanimously by the House after many years is now the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act 2024.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin stated that “Affirmative Action Gender Equity Bill 2024, now Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act 2024 duly read the third time and passed.
The bill is aimed at ensuring gender equity in both the public and private sector and addressing social, cultural, economic and political gender inequality in the country.
The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says while forms of discrimination against women and girls are diminishing, other aspects of gender inequality persist holding women back, depriving them of basic rights and the decision making process.
Before the passage of the Affirmative Action bill into law, Ghana was listed among about 82 per cent of African countries found practicing gender inequality.
Ghana has failed to meet the minimum UN recommended threshold of 30 per cent women’s representation in decision-making processes.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo called on Parliament to speed up the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill 2024 during his delivery of the 2024 State of the Nation Address in Parliament.
“The Affirmative Action Bill is currently before Parliament for consideration and approval. We count on the support of Parliament for speedy passage of the Bill,” Nana Addo charged Parliament.
Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution states that “All persons shall be equal before the law.”
“A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.”
“For the purposes of this article, “discriminate” means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description which are not granted of persons of another description are not made subject or are granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
