••
The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) and the Affirmative Action Law Coalition (AALC) have called for urgent constitutional reforms to guarantee a minimum of 30% female representation in Parliament and District Assemblies. During a press conference in Accra, the groups presented a position paper outlining seven key recommendations aimed at eliminating gender inequalities in Ghana’s governance. The coalition emphasized that substantial constitutional amendments are necessary to enhance women's participation in national decision-making processes.
A central pillar of their proposal is the retention of the current 276 parliamentary seats, with the groups arguing against a planned expansion to 300 seats. Instead, they advocate for the introduction of a proportional representation system to ensure diversity. The coalition stated that if the additional 24 seats are nonetheless created, they must be reserved exclusively for women, with specific allocations for young women and women with disabilities. This strategy is intended to ensure that marginalized groups within the female population have a direct voice in the legislature.
Beyond the national level, the organizations are pushing for a constitutional requirement for at least one-third representation of women in local governance and District Assemblies. They argued that while various human rights laws are in development, they must be anchored by strong constitutional protections to be truly effective. Such backing would provide a clear legal framework that political parties and state institutions would be mandated to follow, moving beyond voluntary measures that have historically failed to achieve parity.
The groups concluded by urging the government and political parties to treat their recommendations with seriousness to foster a more inclusive political environment. They maintained that securing these guarantees within the constitution is the most reliable way to protect women’s rights and ensure that their contributions to national development are recognized and institutionalized. The move follows long-standing efforts by gender advocates to bridge the representation gap in a political landscape currently dominated by men.