President John Dramani Mahama is proposing a new law to criminalise demands for casual or romantic relationships in exchange for jobs.
The President says the issue is becoming too common in the corporate world, the reason something must be done to address it.
At a Town Hall Meeting engagement at Adweso in Koforidua on Saturday, May 2, 2026, after a two-day tour of the Eastern region, President Mahama, responding to a question from a female student who had said women with equal qualifications are often sidelined in the job market said persons found doing that must be dealt by the law.
“One of the worst things, and I think we should pass a bill to make it punishable, is that sometimes if the employer or the person responsible for employing is a male, they demand some romantic relationship before they give them jobs,” President Mahama said.
“It is unacceptable. It must stop. And I think that we must take a firm line on that. I mean, if anybody does that, there should be a law that deals with them very strongly.”
According to the Ghana Senior High School student in Koforidua who raised the issue, she said men are usually given more opportunities than women in many workplaces.
The young woman cited the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, as an example of what women can achieve when given the opportunity.
In response, President Mahama affirmed that women are equally capable and advocated for renewed mindset. He said during visits to road construction sites under the Big Push programme, he had seen female engineers working as site engineers.
“I find it very admirable when I see the girls doing those kinds of jobs,” he said, adding that he often take photographs with them as a form of encouragement.
The President further assured, that by 2028, his government aims to achieve an equal representation of men and women in public appointments.
“We already have the Affirmative Action law, which we are trying to apply,” he said. “We are going to work to make sure that we achieve the targets. It says that in public appointments by the end of 2028, we should achieve 50-50 parity. It is a tough call, but we will work at it.”
Eastern Regional Minister Rita Awatey presents state of region to Mahama during year under review
