IEA Working Group makes recommendations for Affirmative Action Bill

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Working Group has made key recommendations for consideration by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, as input into the Affirmative Action Bill being drafted by the Ministry.

The IEA said a list of all the laws which the Affirmative Action Law would apply to should be incorporated into the bill.

A communiqué issued by the IEA’s Affirmative Action Group at the end of a workshop on the theme: “Fighting under-Representation of Women in the political decision-making process,” made available to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, said in order to ensure gender equity, provisions should be made for reserved seats to be set aside for women parliamentary candidates.

Members of the working group include representatives of the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, People’s National Convention, Convention People’s Party, and the Progressive People’s Party, as well as representatives from the Electoral Commission, Trade Union Congress, Women’s Groups, Muslim Federation Council, Federation for the Disabled and other civil society groups.

The communiqué said the affirmative law should have provisions which encourage women to engage in non-traditional roles such as opportunities for women to move into leadership positions in areas such as defence, oil, science, finance and business.

It said government appointees and other non-elective leadership positions should include at least 5 per cent of persons with disability, aside from the recommended 40 per cent quota, and at the Council of State level, the quota should be 50 per cent in order to promote gender and regional balance.

It proposes that Queen Mothers have full membership in the National House of Chiefs.

The communiqué said in order to ensure effective implementation of the Affirmative Action Law within institutions and policy frameworks, the country’s educational curriculum should include courses which train females for leadership positions, and pushes females to enrol in elective subjects which would move them into non-traditional spheres of industry.

Source: GNA