Under the direction of its convener, Sheila Minkah-Premo, the Steering Committee of the Affirmative Action Bill Coalition paid a courtesy call to Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, to review the proposed implementation plan for Ghana’s Affirmative Action Act.
The Coalition thanked Parliament for passing the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act on July 30, 2024, and for letting it become law on September 19, 2024, during the meeting.
The importance of the Act in advancing gender equality and expanding the representation of women in positions of decision-making was underlined.
According to the Act, women must be represented in important governance organizations at least 30% of the time, with a progressive goal of 50% by 2030.
In order to alleviate current gaps, gender-responsive policies must be adopted by the public and commercial sectors.
To guarantee the successful execution of the Act, the delegation provided a thorough implementation plan that outlined short-, medium-, and long-term actions.
The creation of an implementation committee to supervise the Act’s implementation, a review and alignment of current policies, an audit of current laws and policies to make sure they adhere to the principles of gender equity and affirmative action, public education, and media campaigns are some of the main topics covered.
In response, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey underlined the Ministry’s dedication to successfully implementing the Act and praised the coalition for its advocacy efforts.
She assured the delegation that efforts are underway to support the establishment of the Gender Equity Committee to supervise the Act’s implementation and the passage of the Legislative Instrument to help operationalize it, underscoring the Ministry’s continued commitment to gender equity.
The Minister emphasized the Ministry’s wider responsibilities, characterizing it as the “conscience of the state” with regard to gender issues.
She emphasized that in order to guarantee that the Affirmative Action Act is applied in a way that produces long-lasting and significant change, careful, inclusive strategic planning is required.
She also underlined how crucial it is to continuously monitor, assess, and report on the implementation process.
She urged all parties involved to stick with the plan and continue to participate in the process as she ended.
“We must continue working together to ensure that what we present is strong, inclusive, and lasting,” she affirmed.
The discussion reaffirmed the coalition’s and the Ministry’s joint commitment to making sure the Affirmative Action Act is adequately implemented in order to have the desired effect.
Both sides committed to cooperating to promote inclusivity in development and governance, increase women’s leadership engagement, and advance gender equality.
Source: newsthemegh.com