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Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, expressed his displeasure with President John Dramani Mahama’s cabinet’s lack of gender balance, saying that any selections that fall short of the 30% threshold for women are inexcusable.
During a Parliamentary ceremony celebrating International Women’s Day, Bagbin emphasized that only two of the 19 Cabinet Ministers are female, which is far less than the 30% threshold established by the Affirmative Action Gender Equality Act.
“We have tarried long enough in passing the bill. Let us not apply the same wishy-washy attitude towards its implementation. I am not impressed with what I have seen so far regarding the leadership position of women in Parliament, committees of Parliament, and appointments into senior positions. Even the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is not a cabinet ministry,” he lamented.
Bagbin called for a reassessment of leadership roles in the House and asked Parliament to set an example in advancing gender equality.
“So, I call on leadership, and I will lead it. They have to consider the reconstitution of leadership in the House. We passed the law, so we have to lead by example. Out of the 43 committees in Parliament, only four are chaired by women. And out of 19 ministers of state in the cabinet, only two are women. So, why did we spend all the resources and time to pass the law? We have to sit up,” Bagbin stated.
He urged authorities to keep their pledges to gender inclusion in governance and emphasized the necessity of taking decisive action to guarantee the full implementation of the Affirmative Action Gender Equality Act.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
