Empowering change: Political commitments to Ghana’s Affirmative Action

It is once again an election year, and all political parties are actively campaigning.

To the credit of this hung 8th Parliament, the Affirmative Action Bill has been successfully passed into law.

While this is a great achievement and worthy of celebration as indicated by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, on the day of the passage, it comes with a huge responsibility of ensuring that the provisions of the law are effectively implemented.

In the past month, the two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have launched their manifestos. Both manifestos demonstrate a deep commitment to addressing the needs of women, children, and other marginalised groups, including the disabled and the elderly.

It is gratifying that the parties commit to implementing the Affirmative Action Law passed recently.

Additionally, each party has outlined specific strategies to address the needs of women and girls, focusing on critical areas such as protection from violence, education, economic empowerment, and the enforcement of maternity and childcare rights.

The volume of promises made raises legitimate concerns about the feasibility of fulfilling them all within a four-year term.

The call, however, is on the political parties to avoid paying lip service to their promises. They must enact deliberate policies and engagements that will ensure that the promises they make are fulfilled to cause the needed change.

Specifically, the NDC promises to mandate a minimum 30 percent quota for women in all political appointments.

However, one may ask: Why not more? Why not a 50 percent quota instead?

Other notable promises of the NDC include reviewing existing laws to extend mandatory paid maternity leave for mothers from three months to four months and introducing paternity leave, establishing a ‘Survivors Care Kit’ for victims of gender-based violence – a care kit that would include free legal and medical services to victims.

The party also promises to establish a Women’s Development Bank for the economic empowerment of women and also upgrade existing markets and build new ones.

There is also the promise of providing free sanitary pads to girls in basic and secondary schools.

On the other hand, the key among NPP’s promises are to improve maternal care and access to daycare services, while ensuring a safe workplace through the enforcement of existing laws on sexual harassment.

The party also promises to establish the Women’s Trade Empowerment Fund (WoTEF) which will provide support to women-owned businesses.

The party also promises to ensure gender parity in the award of government scholarships and enforce existing laws on maternity leave in both private and public places of work.

The commitments made by the NDC and NPP reflect a growing recognition of the importance of gender equity and the empowerment of marginalised groups.

However, for whichever party wins this year’s elections, the challenge will be in translating these promises into effective action.

It is important for those entrusted with state resources to commit to an equitable distribution of these resources according to the needs of the people they serve.

As elections draw closer, voters must remember to hold political parties accountable for the promises they make to them during campaigns.

Elected and appointed members of the next government must know that voters, particularly the groups and individual citizens who have pushed relentlessly for the passage of the Affirmative Action Law will keenly monitor how they implement the provisions of the law and ensure equity.

The passage of the Affirmative Action Law is an important achievement.

However, actionable steps through sustained advocacy and active participation are needed to attain the equitable and just society that is envisioned in the law.