The Convenor of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition (AALC), Madam Sheila Minka-Premo, Esq., has called on journalists to deepen their knowledge of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, and intensify public education on its implementation.
She said this on Thursday at a Training and Capacity Building Workshop for the media in Accra.
Madam Minka-Premo stated that awareness and accountability remain central to the law’s success, adding that everyone has a role to play.
She said much work still lies ahead and called for broader public awareness of the law, identification of existing gaps, and sustained education to inform citizens.
“The media is trying. We’ve had calls from radio stations to talk about the law. We’ve had programmes and coverage to spread information. But the media still has more role to play,” she said.
Madam Mika-Premo added that equipping journalists with a technical understanding of the Act would improve reportage and public discourse.
“If we equip them with knowledge about the law, when they are writing, they will write better about it and help us spread information, hold duty bearers accountable, and make sure the law works,” she said.
The Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Dr Rose Mensah Kutin (PhD), urged media practitioners to take an active role in promoting the implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
She said the media remains central to the country’s progress on women’s rights and gender equality, noting that past advocacy campaigns gained traction largely through sustained media engagement.
Madam Kutin reflected on the long collaboration between civil society and the press and said media coverage played a decisive role in pushing landmark gender reforms, including the Domestic Violence Act.
“If you take the progress we have made on women’s rights, you will have to single out the media as having been extremely supportive; the domestic violence law advocacy had a very strong media,” she said.
The workshop, organised by ABANTU with support from ActionAid Ghana under the theme “Strengthening Advocacy for the Implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 — The Case of the Media,” brought together journalists, editors, and gender advocates to enhance the capacities and knowledge of media personnel on the content and provisions of the Act, promoting increased advocacy.
Judith Twumwaa, ISD
