Miss Khadijah Abdul-Samed, a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist, said the passage of the Affirmative Action and Gender Equity Bill into Law by Parliament is a demonstration of Ghana’s commitment to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals Five.
This seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.
She said the law would facilitate the active participation and representation of women’s voices at all levels and address other systemic barriers in the country.
Ms Abdul-Samed, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tamale following the passage of the law, underscored the need to foster inclusive advocacy and sensitisation, which required that men were not left out in the implementation process to ensure their full cooperation and support.
“What needs to be done by all stakeholders including gender advocates is to strive to enhance the full understanding of the law and how it seeks to benefit women and the overall development of the country,” she said.
She emphasised the need to prioritise engaging people living with disability to enable them to appreciate the law to ensure it benefits them.
She called for translation of the law into the various local languages to ensure that people who did not have formal education were properly sensitised to it.
Ms Abdul-Samed commended all stakeholders including women and youth-led organisations, civil society organisations, and the media whose continuous advocacy on the bill had culminated in its passage by Parliament.
GNA
