STAR-Ghana Foundation invites applications for the Carol Bellamy Leadership Award 2025 (CBLA 2025) from women-led small organizations or individuals working at the intersection of women’s empowerment and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). This award offers $2,000 in funding for capacity strengthening, leadership support, and the implementation of PVE initiatives. If you are influencing change in your community and advancing efforts to prevent violent extremism, apply now for this opportunity to amplify your impact! Here is a document detailing eligibility among other requirements
document Terms of Reference for Carol Bellamy Leadership Award (83 KB)
How to apply
The Expression of Interest (EOI) should be submitted via e-mail with the subject line: CBLA Torchbearer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in copy by close of business on 16th March 2025. Questions or requests for clarifications should be directed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Stakeholders push for more investments to improve girl’s education
Speakers at a STAR-Ghana Foundation forum have called for increased investments in education to improve access to education for all.
The call is coming on the back of concerns that poverty and cost-related (hidden) challenges remain foremost on the list of barriers that confront girls’ continuous access to education.
Therefore, the unique needs of girls should be factored into education financing to enable girls to enroll, remain and complete their education.
The forum was held under the theme ‘Increasing Inclusive Access to Continuous Quality Education for Girls.”
In a scoping review of the challenges to girls’ education, Projects Manager at STAR-Ghana Foundation, Dr Ernestina Tetteh, cited as an example, the public outcry over prospectus for senior high school (SHS) education indicates that the Free SHS policy is not as inclusive as purposed to be.
“If accompanying FSHS is an estimated cost of GH₵3000 to GH₵4000 to buy prospectus then some people will still be left out. So, those costs that we see behind ‘free’ does not make it inclusive and ensure that girls also have access to, remain and complete education,” she said.
According to Dr Tetteh, there is low budgetary allocation for specific interventions that benefit girls’ education.
For instance, until the year 2020, complementary basic education, an important strategy in reducing the growing number of ‘out of school children’ especially girls, was solely donor funded. In the 2023 budget, an allocation of GH₵2.1 million has been made for complimentary education, while the Ministry of Education’s Strategic Plan 2018-2030 commits only 1 percent (%) of its Basic Education Budget to supporting Complementary Basic Education programme.
Budget execution
The Executive Director, Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, noted the financing architecture of Ghana’s education system does not prioritise basic education but secondary education.
This, he said gives girls at the secondary level more support to remain in school and complete than at the basic level.
“If you look at the envelope of the Ministry of Education, there is compensation (salaries), and discretionary budget that is unrestricted and could be touched. An analysis of the education budget shows that only about five per cent (5%) of the discretionary budget comes to basic education, it was previously 19 percent, and it has been coming down yearly.”
He added that the way public resources are deployed to finance education determines the extent to which the delivery of education will be possible and will include the needs of the vulnerable.
“Until we can pursue government to prioritise gender-responsive budgeting, we will talk and talk and will not see any improvement,” he said.
The Head of Programmes at STAR-Ghana Foundation, Eunice Racheal Agbenyadzi, beyond advocating for increased budget allocation, civil society should also be interested in actual disbursement, which has shown to be poor (more than 10% variance between allocated and disbursed).
“We need collective influencing on education budget to see increases in the areas of capital expenditure, and goods and services, but also to follow disbursements. We need stronger coalition as civil society to demand this,” she said.
The forum
The forum was organised by STAR-Ghana Foundation and partners under the Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme (G-REP) with funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK government.
The FCDO on G-REP seeks to contribute to increasing girls’ education, promoting women’s voices, political participation and addressing issues of violence and abuse against women and girls.
Fact sheet
Situation of girls’ education in Ghana
- Ghana has reached gender parity in enrolment, but regional disparities exist, particularly as junior and secondary high levels.
- Girls are still underrepresented in some subjects particularly Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
- Water, sanitation and hygiene related challenges are still persistent
- Girls in school pregnancy causing drop-out among girls is still high
- High number of out of schoolgirls (289,456) ActionAid (2020); 244,731 girls aged 6-14 (GSS 2022)
- Lack of gender disaggregated education data poses a challenge for adequate planning towards the promotion of girls’ education.
Affirmative Action and the Future of Gender Equality: Making Women Visible in Government
Introduction
In 2024, Ghana enacted its Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality) to promote gender equality across its political, social and economic spheres. This groundbreaking legislation addresses historical imbalances that have disadvantaged women in public life and decision-making.
The December 7, 2024, general elections marked a historic transition in Ghana’s leadership, including the election of the country’s first female Vice President. This milestone signifies a significant step toward gender equality in political leadership, inspiring future generations and driving cultural shift. At the global level, Ghana joins a growing list of countries appointing women to high political office.
For the incoming government, this creates high expectations for advancing policies that benefit women and girls. Gender equality advocates emphasize that appointing a few women to high positions, such as the Vice Presidency, is insufficient. Instead, the gender agenda must permeate all other levels of governance and social policies to create meaningful change for women and girls.
This article proposes strategies for activating the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality), to enhance women’s visibility in their decision-making bodies and national policies.
Overview of women’s political participation
Ghana has one of the lowest rates of women’s political participation, among its peers in Africa. Female representation in parliament has consistently been low. For instance, in the 8th Parliament, only 40, out of the 275 Members of Parliament were women. Following the 2024 elections this number increased slightly to 45 female MPs-elect, with two additional constituencies involving female candidates under contestation as of 12th December. This progress is slow and falls short of meeting the minimum of 30% female representation advocacy by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The Executive branch presents a similarly discouraging picture. The outgoing administration had only one woman out of 16 regional ministers, and out of the 37 presidential appointments in 2017, there were only nine women (Factcheck Ghana, 2024). In the incoming government’s 10-member transition team, only one woman was nominated.
A journey towards Affirmative Action in Ghana
Ghana enacted the Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality) in 2024, following many years of advocacy and influencing. This law recognizes that in order to increase women’s participation and influence, the historical disadvantages they face must be holistically addressed. Evidence shows that affirmative action, such as quotas (practiced in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda), and reservation systems in India and the United States are effective in increasing women’s representation in decision-making. Affirmative action levels the playing field for women and other social groups, who may have the same experience and qualification, but are disproportionately affected in accessing power. Critics argue that Affirmative Action promotes unfair preferences and could lead to reverse discrimination. This means that government needs to be prepared to deal with any forms of resistance, internally and externally, and advocate for the importance of the law and its societal benefits.
The object of Ghana’s Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality) is ‘to ensure the achievement of gender equality in the political, social, economic, educational and cultural spheres of society. It requires the government to ‘promote policies and programmes that will address gender imbalances in public and private sectors. The Act sets clear for progressive targets set for the periods 2024 and 2030.
Targets for Affirmative action in Ghana
|
Progressive Achievements in percentage |
||
|
From |
To |
Target |
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2024 |
2026 |
30 |
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2027 |
2028 |
40 |
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2028 |
2030 |
50 |
Political Party Manifesto on Gender Equality
The incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, considers itself as a pro-gender equality party, having chosen a female Vice-Presidential Candidate. In addition to that, its 2024 Manifesto contains commitments to gender equality agendas. Some of these gender equality agendas include:
• Attaining a minimum of 30% of women in all appointments
• Introducing the ‘Women in Agriculture’ Programme
• Relaunch the ‘Market Enhancement Programme’
• Establishing a Women’s Development Bank.
The incoming government will be tested on its commitment to gender equality. It has already faced criticism for the under-representation of women in its 10-member transitional team. There is only one woman in that team!
How Can the New Government Ensure Women's Visibility in Leadership and Policymaking?
To boost public confidence and send a signal that it means business, in its first 100 days in office, the government should:
- Comply with quotas for women: The Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality) has progressive targets that must be met. The target for 2024-2026 is to have 30% of women representation in public and public sectors. The NDC’s 2024 manifesto, committing to at least 30% quota for women in its appointments aligns with this target.
- Fund the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Law: Sufficient budget for the implementation of this law is critical. The Gender Equality Committee (located within the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection) is tasked with the responsibility to enforce compliance, analyze reports, receive complaints of non-compliance and to advise the Minister. Where the committee is well resourced, it will be able to perform these functions.
- Support women’s leadership in parliamentary committees: whilst there are few female MP elects, their influence in parliament, where supported by the party with majority in power can be significant. Parliamentary practices have not demonstrated enough commitment to promoting gender equality. Leadership of committees has been heavily male biased, to the extent that the Gender Select Committee, in the 8th Parliament is headed by a male chairperson. Parliament’s Standing Orders (2024) defines the consideration of appointments as chairpersons of committees. Generally, the appointments are made against the numerical strength of the parties in parliament, although there are some exceptions, where chairpersons of some committees are reserved for only MPs belonging to the ruling government. Going by the regular rule, some of the thirty-three female MPs-elect from the NDC must stand a chance of being appointed as Chairpersons of Committees.
Beyond the 100 days in the office, the government should:
- Operationalize the Women’s Development Bank to advance women’s economic development through increased access to credits and other business support.
- Enforce provisions on gender budgeting in national budgets: The Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Law mandates the government to promote gender responsive budgeting to ensure that resources are allocated equitably to promote gender equality in government’s ministries, departments and agencies.
- Encourage gender mainstreaming, in the policymaking cycle, so that public policy making becomes more gender responsive.
- Build accountability through data and transparency by collecting and publishing gender-disaggregated data to inform progress on affirmative action initiatives.
Conclusion
After over 14 years of awaiting the enactment of the Affirmative Action Act (Gender Equality), Ghana stands at a pivotal moment to turn legislative promises into tangible progress for women. The next government has a historic opportunity to lead boldly in advancing gender equality by not only implementing the law but embedding women’s rights into the core of governance and policymaking. This requires intentional action and unwavering commitment.
Fact Sheet
In 2024, Ghana passed the Affirmative Action Act to address historical gender imbalances and promote equality in political, social and economic spheres. It sets clear targets for women’s representation: 30% by 2026, 40% by 2028, and 50% by 2030.
The December 7, 2024, elections marked a significant milestone in gender equality with the election of the country’s first female Vice President, inspiring cultural shifts and future generations.
Despite progress, female political participation remains low. In the 8th Parliament, women made up only 14.5% (40 out of 275 MPs), increasing slightly to 16% (45 MPs) after the 2024 elections.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto includes pledges such as a minimum of 30% women in appointments, a women’s agriculture programme and the establishment of a Women’s Development Bank.
By Eunice Racheal Agbenyadzi
EOI- Conducting of baseline study for the phase II of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE) project
STAR-Ghana Foundation seeks a consultant to undertake a baseline study for the phase II of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE) project. This study will provide a benchmark of all project indicators at the outset against which targets will be set and subsequent progress and changes will be measured. Here is a document detailing scope of work, deliverables, and qualification among other requirements.
Terms of Reference BRAVE II Baseline study (27 01 25)
How to apply
The Expression of Interest (EOI) should be submitted via e-mail with the subject line: BRAVE Endline survey to info@star-ghana.org with fnuuri-teg@star-ghana.org and famoateng@star-ghana.org in copy by close of business on 3rd February 2025. Questions or requests for clarifications should be directed to: famoateng@star-ghana.org
