National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate John Dramani Mahama has pledged to allocate at least 30 percent of government appointments to women if elected.
Speaking at the launch of the NDC’s Women’s Manifesto in Kumasi, Mahama emphasised that through the implementation of the Affirmative Action Law, his administration would ensure that at least 30% of political appointees are women.
“The majority of unemployed individuals in Ghana are women. We envision a country where economic empowerment is a right, and by 2025, women will hold at least 30 percent of government appointments,” Mahama stated.
Further, he also highlighted the persistent issue of gender inequality, particularly in the informal sector, where 92% of the workforce is female, often without adequate protections.
Despite contributing 30–40% of Ghana’s GDP, many women in this sector continue to live in poverty. Mahama pointed to the 2020 Census, which revealed that of Ghana’s 7.3 million poor, 3.76 million are women.
“Nearly 54% of unemployed Ghanaians are women. Why should poverty disproportionately affect women, with 1.44 million classified as extremely poor, living on less than $1.90 a day? These figures should not only alarm us but pushed us to take action,” Mahama remarked.
He concluded by emphasising the human impact behind these statistics, noting that each figure represents a woman—a mother, sister, or daughter—who works tirelessly but still struggles to survive.
