Accra: Participants at a recent conference on Media and Women’s Empowerment have called on the media to actively promote the implementation of Ghana’s newly passed Affirmative Action law. They emphasized that the media should lead by example through reforms and reporting as the first step toward achieving gender equality.

According to Ghana News Agency, conference attendees expressed that the media plays a vital role in the successful implementation of the Affirmative Action law. They urged media outlets to demonstrate leadership by reforming practices that perpetuate gender stereotypes against female journalists, which have long been entrenched in the media landscape.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) organized the conference as part of the ‘Equal Voices’ project. The event, themed ‘From Policy to Action: Advancing Gender Equality in the Ghanaian Media through the Affirmative Action Law,’ aimed to address gender inequalities and promote women’s empowerment in media.

Jointly implemented by MFWA a
nd the French media development agency Canal France International (CFI), the ‘Equal Voices’ project seeks to combat gender-based inequalities and stereotypes. It promotes women’s representation in leadership roles within Ivorian and Ghanaian societies through gender-sensitive media practices.

Mr. Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of MFWA, highlighted that the current media environment disempowers women, despite being a powerful tool for information dissemination and agenda setting. He noted, “Sadly, the media in Africa, including Ghana, are among the culprits of women’s disempowerment.”

Women constitute less than a quarter of the voices heard in media and news spaces and account for only about 22 percent of news sources in Africa. In the digital realm, less than 10 percent of women have internet access.

Professor Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, Head of the Department of Communications Studies at Legon and keynote speaker, presented data showing that women accounted for 24 percent of bylines in the 2000s, wh
ile men accounted for 76 percent. By 2020, women’s bylines increased to 30 percent. However, the gender distribution among media presenters has nearly balanced, with 49 percent now being male.

Research indicates that women journalists are often assigned to ‘soft’ beats rather than ‘hard’ beats, and few occupy managerial positions in media organizations compared to men. Prof. Yeboah-Banin emphasized the need for the media to address these gender inequalities to effectively implement the Affirmative Action law.

Madame Marine Hayem, Cooperation Attaché at the French Embassy, stressed that women’s rights are human rights. She highlighted the importance of women’s representation in decision-making forums, bringing insights and concerns that reflect society’s needs.

Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Director of Women and Change (WOMEC), shared that they are developing a roadmap document to counter gender inequality in media, set for release by February 2025. This document will result from dialogues held with strategi
c groups, including academia, gender-focused CSOs, policymakers, media associations, journalists, and media practitioners, between June and September 2024.