Aya Institute Pushes for Greater Gender Representation in Ghana’s Politics and Media

The Aya Institute for Women, Politics and Media has called for urgent action to improve gender diversity in political representation and media panels in Ghana.

In a statement marking International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 on March 8, the Institute acknowledged progress in gender equality but stressed the need for concrete commitments to accelerate change.

Progress in Gender Equality, but More Work Needed

The statement highlighted key achievements, including:

• The election of Ghana’s first female vice president.
• The passage of the Affirmative Action law in late 2024.

Despite these milestones, the Institute stressed that more needs to be done to achieve gender balance in governance and leadership roles.

“While we are still working towards parity, we must celebrate significant leaps that have been recorded within the gender space in Ghana,” the Institute stated.

Women’s Representation Linked to Economic Growth

The Institute referenced the World Bank’s ‘Representation Matters Report’ (2025), which shows that women’s political participation contributes to economic growth and legal equality.

However, it also highlighted a concerning finding from the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum:

“At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158—roughly five generations from now—to reach full gender parity.”

Concerns Over Lack of Gender Diversity in Media

The statement also raised concerns about low female representation in media panels and speaker events.

Citing the 2024 Ghana Women Experts Report, the Institute revealed that:

• Only 14% of experts featured in Ghanaian media are women.
• Some media houses have as low as 3% female expert representation.

“Panels constituted are especially non-gender sensitive on media platforms,” the statement noted, emphasizing that the dominance of male voices in media and conferences often overshadows women’s expertise and contributions.

A Call to Action for Gender Equality

As Ghana celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 under the theme ‘Accelerate Action’, the Aya Institute is calling for a national commitment to gender equality.

“In celebration of International Women’s Day, let us keep working to achieve gender diversity in our society to ensure that our collective efforts yield the best outcomes towards an equal and fairer society where women’s voices, talents, and achievements are recognized.”