John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised that his next government will honor the Affirmative Act by ensuring 30% of his appointees are females.
Addressing NDC women at the launch of NDC women’s manifesto at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on today 30th September, 2024, he emphasized on the importance of women to the NDC.
In accordance with the Act he said, “At least 30% of my next government shall be female. NDC’s appreciation of women and their empowerment not mere rhetoric but a commitment as manifested in the choice of a woman as Vice Presidential candidate.”
Mahama commended Parliament for the first passage of the Affirmative Action bill and espoused that women must not always be leading in the poverty zone.
“Why should poverty have a female face in Ghana? The majority of unemployed people in Ghana are women. We want a Ghana where economic empowerment is a right” he remarked.
The Affirmative Act aims at promoting gender equality and women empowerment by addressing the systemic barriers that have hindered women success in the Ghanaian society.
After it’s passage on July 30, 2024, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Honourable Dakoa Newman clarified that “The head of legislation is still tidying up a few things on the Act and once he is done tidying it up, then it can be sent to the President for his ascent. So, the final bill you will see is a bit different from the one that is seen on social media, but a lot of the parts and clauses remain the same.”