Art Exhibition supports the extension of Affirmative Action Bill to private sector
Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, Nneka Okereke, has advocated for the extension of the Affirmative Action bill to the private sector.
This call to action was announced during the opening of the International Women’s Day Art Exhibition on March 8, 2024, under the theme “Invest in Women; Accelerate Progress.”
In her address to the media, Nneka Okereke emphasized that this extension would facilitate equitable representation for women across various spheres, enabling them to fully develop their potential and make meaningful contributions to national development.
“We partnered with the Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Finance to help elevate that bill to the parliament. And that would give like 30% of equal access and 30% of inclusion in a government agency.”
“We want to see that going into the private sector basically and it is not just having women at 30% level but also at the leadership.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Women’s Art Institute Africa (WAi Africa), Akwele Suma Glory, highlighted the prevalence of gender bias favouring male artists in the art industry.
“Most of the time, the man is favoured, the man is given better opportunities. You go to places and you need support to do your work or space to display and when it is a woman or women the reception is kind of someway and so that is a challenge.”
Background
Ghana’s Affirmative Action Act, legislated shortly after independence, allowed 10 women to represent the regions in the legislature. However, it was overshadowed by political upheavals.
Ghana has signed various global declarations advocating for increased women’s participation in public life.
Despite efforts to pass the Affirmative Action bill into law since 2011, Ghana has not met the UN-recommended threshold of 30% women representation in decision-making processes.
The bill aims to address gender imbalances in private and public sectors, aligning with Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution. The bill has already been to parliament three times.
Civil society groups, gender advocates, and female parliamentarians have continually called for the bill’s passage.
Citi Newsroom
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