‘Ghana has moved from advocacy to enforcement’ – Gender Minister on equity law

In a significant shift, Ghana has transitioned from merely advocating for gender equity to enforcing the law, according to the country's Gender Minister, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey. The government has put structures in place to monitor compliance by public institutions, as outlined by the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, known as Legislative Instrument L.I. 2522.

The implementation framework, established in June 2026, now operates, thanks to the creation of the Gender Equity Committee and Secretariat. Dr Lartey explained that Ghana has moved "from advocacy to enforcement," with institutions legally obliged to adhere to gender equity standards and report their progress through the new monitoring tools.

So far, 2,321 stakeholders have been educated about the new framework, while 47 institutions have submitted compliance reports. Additionally, 37 outreach programs have reached approximately 11,000 individuals, providing information on critical issues such as sexual and gender-based violence, child marriage, and harmful cultural practices.

Dr Lartey emphasized that this enforcement framework will transform gender equality from mere policy commitments to concrete, measurable actions within institutions, offering the government a more reliable method for tracking compliance across the public sector.