SWIDA-Ghana urges CSOs to intensify awareness on Affirmative Action Bill

Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, Executive Director, Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA)-Ghana has urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to intensify public education on the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Bill, recently passed by Parliament, while it awaits presidential assent.She said after 13 years of advocacy, it was crucial for CSOs to ensure that citizens fully understood what the Bill entailed to enable them to accept and appreciate its enforcement.In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tamale, she emphasised the need for CSOs to dedicate significant time to breakdown each component of the Bill, clarifying its meaning, the role of individuals and the benefits it could offer.Hajia Sagito-Saeed said the key focus for CSOs should be translating the Bill's provisions into tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.She expressed hope that public support and acceptance of the law would increase with increased sensitisation, thereby improving its implementation.She indicated that a notable positive of the Bill was its potential to improve the inclusion of perspectives of vulnerable groups in decision-making processes at all levels.She called on the media to increase awareness on the Bill and condemn negativities that might be associated with it.Hajia Sagito-Saeed urged the media to highlight the positive outcomes of the Bill to reveal and complement its importance.Parliament, on July 30, passed the Bill into law, and it is awaiting assent of the President.The Bill seeks to address gender imbalances and promote equity in the public and private sectors.Source : Ghana News Agency