Parliament passes Affirmative Action, Gender Equity Bill 2024

Ghana’s Parliament has given assent to the Affirmative Action, Gender Equity Bill 2024, paving the way for its implementation as a tool to address gender imbalances in the country.

The legislation, now known as the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act, seeks to promote gender equity in both the public and private sectors, tackling historical discrimination against women and entrenched patriarchal socio-cultural systems.

The House after spending time to make various amendments regarding the bill passed it through voice vote on the last day of the third sitting.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announced the passage of the bill on Tuesday, saying, “Honourable members, the ‘ayes’ have it. The Affirmative Action Gender Equality Bill 2024, now the Affirmative Action Gender Equity Act, has been duly read the third time and passed.”

The bill will now be expected to be transmitted to the Office of the President for presidential assent. The passage of the bill marks a significant milestone in the quest for gender equality in Ghana.

The bill, which seeks to promote women’s participation and representation in decision-making spaces, has been on the shelves for over a decade without seeing the light of day.

The Affirmative Action, Gender Equity Bill also seeks to encourage efforts towards addressing socio-cultural, political, economic, and educational gender imbalances in private and public sectors, per Clause 4 of Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution.

Its objective is to promote the progressive increase and active participation of women in public and active life from a minimum of 30% by 2030, under the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).