‘Pass Affirmative Action Bill to empower women’
The acting Executive Director, Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG), Mrs Mawulawoe Anato-Dumelo has called on the government to pass the Affirmative Action (AA) bill into a law to aid the right of women in their working areas.
Advertisement
She is of the view that up-scaling women’s economic empowerment is highly relevant to the government’s political commitment to increase labour participation, meet the needs of the changing labour market and fight poverty and social exclusion.
Mrs Anato-Dumelo made the call at the second graduation ceremony of the NEWIG Young Women in Professional Driving and Entrepreneurship held on Wednesday in Accra.
“Data from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) shows that the proportion of the unemployed youth among the youth is higher for females than the males over the past 40 years.
“We are asking government to pass the Affirmative Action Bill that gives women equality in working areas into a law because that will enhance the right of women in their working areas,” she said.
Beneficiaries
Twenty young women within the ages of 18 to 25 were awarded certificates and driver’s licence.
They underwent a four month intensive training including a one month internship with public and private institutions in professional driving, technical and non-technical training, fire prevention, self-defence, first aid administration and some entrepreneurial skills.
Challenges
Mrs Anato-Dumelo called on the government to open up its institutions to enable these professionally trained women to access jobs.
“It is our hope that our trained ladies would be engaged as chauffeurs of ministers, chief Executive Officers (CEO’s), organisation drivers and hopefully, that one day, we would have one of our very own drive the President.
“We are appealing to the government to open up institutions to employ these women to enhance themselves, so that they can fit better into the job market anywhere they go,” she added.
Way forward
She announced that NEWIG was going to run its driving academy to absorb the trainees after initial training as well as operate taxi services managed by women and train more women in professional driving.
She then called on investors and automobile companies to partner with them to make their innovation a reality.
A Special Advisor to President Akuffo Addo, Dr Amoako Tuffour encouraged the newly trained drivers to be bold in their field of work.
He also advised them to be disciplined and honest in all their dealings with everybody and should be humble and respectful in their line of work.
“You are not going to drive alone, you are going to run lives and therefore you should be humble. Show respect and you will get a lot of blessings. Without humility you cannot go far in life,” he said.