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Don’t hesitate to sign the passed Affirmative Action Bill- Della Sowah tells President Akuffo Addo
Member of Parliament for the people of Kpando and former Deputy Minister for Gender Children and Social Protection, Della Sowah has urged the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to append his signature to the passed Affirmative Action Bill without hesitation.
According to her, this would be an expression of interest by the President in issues regarding women.
The Parliament of Ghana on Tuesday passed the Affirmative Action, Gender Equity Bill 2024 after many years of consideration.
The purpose of the bill is to effectively address social, cultural, economic and political gender imbalances in the country, stemming from historical discrimination against women and persistent patriarchal socio-cultural systems and norms.
The bill also seeks to ensure gender equity in both the public and private sector.
Speaking to a section of the Media Della Sowah said that she doesn’t want to see this passed Bill end up like the others the President refused to sign.
She called on all well-meaning gender activists to constantly knock on the doors of the president to ensure that he appended his signature to the passed bill.
According to her, regardless of the state of the bill, it is a step in the right direction in addressing issues of inequalities amongst different genders.
The Member of Parliament added that it would ensure that a significant number of women hold key positions in governance, public life, and decision-making, ultimately improving the lives of women across the country.
Della Sowah commended Parliament for the good work done in their quest to create a just society to liberate and elevate women to their rightful place in society.
She also thanked the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for his guidance and role, adding that without him it wouldn’t have been possible.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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EC to conduct elections in selected polling stations at Ablekuma North
As part of its commitment to resolve the impass egarding he Ablekuma North Constituency Parliamentary Election, the Electoral Commission(EC) yesterday, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, provided both parties the opportunity to brief the commission on any new
developments regarding the said constituency.
The parties informed the Commission that their positions put forward at the last mecting remained unchanged.
The NDC held the view that the election should be rerun thirty -seven
(37) Polling Stations because scanned Pink Sheets from 37 Polling Stations which were used to
collate the results, were provided the NPP.
The NPP was of the view that the results from three (3) outstanding Poling Stations be collated and a winner declared since the NDC Agents had verified and confirmed
the scanned Poling Station results they presented.
According to the EC, it is important for the public to understand that the issue in contention has to do with
the fact that 37 Pink Sheets provided by the NPP and used to colate the results were scanned copies.
“The Public may recall that Political Party supporters besieged our Collation Centre and
destroyed a number of the Pink Sheets for the Ablekuma North Parliamentary Elcction during the collation of results following the December 7 Gencral Election,” the EC added.
After extensive deliberations, the Commission informed the Political Parties that it would
proceed to rerun the election in 19
of the 37 Polling Stations.
The Commission arrived at the decision to rerun the election in the underlisted Polling Stations because, the scanned Polling Station resuits used for the collation, though approved by Agents of both political Parties, were not verified by the Presiding Officers responsible for the Polling
Stations.
According to the EC, it is instructive to note that the Commission was able to secure the Presiding Officers
verification and confirmation for 18 scanned Polling Station results-
Agents of both parties also approved same.
The election will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025
The Commission has further urged the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.
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The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Addresses Parliament.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur has disclosed that in 2021, Ghana was issued a yellow card by the European Union after being identified as a non-compliant third country in the fight against illegal fishing activities.
According to the Minister, the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has engaged the European Union(EU) through the Ghana European Union dialogue, to address the concerns raised by the European Union(EU).
The engagement included the implementation of an action plan, periodic update report and validation exercises.
“We are happy to report that Ghana has made significant progress in resolving key concerns, primarily related to lapses in the regulatory framework, fisheries enforcement, and traceability,” she stated.
Also, she emphasized that a review of pending actions indicates that the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, remains critical to enhancing fisheries governance in Ghana.
She further informed the House that the Ministry has already submitted the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2025, to the House.
The bill was later referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.
The Minister made this statement in response to a question posed by Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Seth Osei-Akoto, regarding the immediate measures the ministry is implementing to sanitize Ghana’s fishing sector in the light of the European Union’s warning that Ghana could face a potential red card.
