Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Monday called for safeguarding achievements made in gender equality and support for vulnerable groups globally over the past 30 years, amid emerging global uncertainties.
Mahama said during the 2025 Global Leaders Meeting on Women taking place in Beijing the Chinese capital that it is time for the world to assess its performance, post the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in Sept. 1995, which adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, charting a development blueprint for promoting gender equality and women’s development.
“Thirty years on, the promise of Beijing still endures, but it calls for renewed urgency and purpose. The Beijing Declaration was never just a statement of intent; it was a moral covenant,” he declared.
The Ghanaian President emphasized that no nation can truly progress if half of its population is left behind, bemoaning the persistent gaps and structural barriers which continue to slow the world’s collective March towards equality
“Gender equality is more than a matter of justice; it is a catalyst for sustainable development. When women succeed, families thrive, communities become stronger, and nations progress” he added.
According to him, the rapidly changing global order occasioned by unilateral actions by some global players threatens to reverse progress made on gender equality under the Millennium Development Goals and the ongoing Sustainable Development Goals.
Amid these global developmental uncertainties, Mahama lamented the plight of the African woman, who has become particularly vulnerable, urging his colleague African leaders to focus more on the welfare and empowerment of “our women.”
” In this unpredictable environment, we need to focus on safeguarding the gains made by our women and other vulnerable groups since the Beijing conference thirty years ago” he urged.
On the domestic front, Mahama said under his leadership as the African Union Champion for Gender and women’s empowerment, the government of Ghana has taken decisive steps to mainstream gender across its national development policies.
“We have achieved historic milestones, including the election of Ghana’s first female vice president and the unprecedented appointment of women to leadership positions in government, the judiciary, the security services, and key national institutions,” he stated.
These achievements, he said, were not symbolic gestures; but deliberate affirmation that women deserve a seat at the highest levels of decision-making, “And I am confident that, in the very near future, our women will break the glass ceiling and that a woman will be president of the Republic of Ghana. “
Moreover, he said Ghana has also achieved gender parity in school enrollment with more girls going and staying in school, in addition to the introduction of robust institutional reforms and legal frameworks to protect the rights of women and girls.
He said Ghana has also strengthened critical agencies, including the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Domestic Violence Secretariat, and the Specialised Domestic Violence Courts.
Also, he added, “Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), was recently passed, mandating a minimum of 30 percent female representation in public appointments by the end of 2026, 35 percent by 2028, and 50 percent by 2030.”
“To further empower women economically, Ghana is establishing a Women’s Development Bank to provide low-interest loans, financial literacy, training, and business development support to our women entrepreneurs, Mahama announced.
This initiative, according to him, aims to promote financial inclusion and create more opportunities for women across all sectors of our economy.