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Minister participates in national dialogue on affirmative action and female leadership
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The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection,Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, participated in the National Dialogue on Affirmative Action and Breakfast Forum held on March 28,2025, an Initiative by Glitz Africa Magazine.
The event, themed “Strengthening Female Leadership and Policy Influence,” brought together high-level female leaders and policy influencers from Ghana and beyond to discuss practical ways of enhancing women’s participation in leadership and governance.
Speaking at the forum, the Minister described the conversation as both timely and necessary, especially in the wake of Ghana’s recent passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121).
She noted that the law, passed after nearly two decades of advocacy, is not just a document but a national commitment to ensuring that women are no longer underrepresented or unheard in decision-making spaces.
She shared key highlights from her recent participation in the ECOWAS High-Level Interactive Session during the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York, where it was revealed that at the current global pace, it could take over 100 years to bridge the gender gap.
Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey expressed optimism that platforms like the National Dialogue, which bring together seasoned leaders and emerging changemakers, have the potential to accelerate progress and reduce that timeline significantly.
In outlining Ghana’s steps toward implementing the Affirmative Action Act, she disclosed that H.E. John Dramani Mahama’s Government, through the Ministry of Gender, is finalizing the Legislative Instrument to support enforcement of the law, establishing a Gender Equity Committee to oversee compliance, and working towards meeting the 30% minimum quota for women in all political appointments.
The Minister further called for a collective national effort to strengthen female leadership through institutional commitment, intergenerational mentorship, and strong accountability mechanisms to ensure that the law does not remain on paper.
She emphasized that leadership should not be defined by gender, but by competence, vision, and inclusivity.
The Minister concluded her remarks with a call to action, urging all stakeholders to push for more women in leadership, challenge societal biases, and work toward achieving full gender parity in policy-making.
The Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako Marfo, has questioned who will bear the cost of conducting presidential and parliamentary primaries following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s delegate system.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Nimako Marfo said he would not immediately comment on the ruling, adding that he wanted to wait for the full details before sharing his views.
“I don’t want to comment on it now. Let’s wait,” he said.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s decision that all members in good standing should vote in party elections, he shifted attention to the financial implications of implementing the ruling.
According to him, allowing all members in good standing to vote would increase the cost of organising internal party elections.
He questioned who would pay for the expanded electoral process.
“Who is going to pay for the cost of the elections?” he asked.
When a journalist suggested that political parties would bear the cost, Mr. Nimako Marfo replied, “Let’s wait and see.”
The comments come after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties should allow all members in good standing to vote in their internal elections, a decision that is expected to expand participation but also increase the financial and logistical demands of organising presidential and parliamentary primaries.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Supreme Court of Ghana has declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional.
In a 5-2 majority decision delivered, the Court ruled that the long-standing system violates democratic principles and ordered all political parties to ensure every registered, card-bearing member participates in presidential and parliamentary primaries.
The ruling brings to an end decades of internal party elections conducted by a limited number of delegates.
The suit was filed by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng; veteran politician Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe; and former Minister for Lands and Forestry, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
The plaintiffs argued that the delegate system created inequality among party members by granting voting rights to a privileged minority while excluding ordinary members in good standing.
They told the Court that restricting voting rights to delegates was inconsistent with the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
The Attorney-General’s Department supported the suit and urged the Court to adopt a “one member, one vote” approach.
In its submission, the State argued that political parties perform an important public function in Ghana’s democratic framework and that their internal electoral processes must reflect constitutional values of equality, participation and universal suffrage.
The Attorney-General further submitted that expanding voting rights to all registered members would strengthen accountability and deepen internal democracy within political parties.
The judgment means that going forward, presidential and parliamentary candidates will be selected by all registered members of a political party, instead of by delegates alone.
Political parties are expected to review their constitutions and structures to comply with the Court’s directive ahead of the 2028 general elections.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
