President John Dramani Mahama has called for a new law that would make it a criminal offence for employers to demand romantic or sexual favours in exchange for job opportunities, describing the practice as exploitative and unacceptable.
He made the proposal on Saturday, May 2, during a town hall meeting at Adweso in Koforidua, as part of his “Resetting Ghana” tour of the Eastern Region.
The President said some individuals in positions of authority abuse their power by demanding intimate relationships from job seekers—particularly women—before offering employment.
He stressed that such conduct must not be tolerated in any modern society and should attract strict legal sanctions.
“One of the worst things… is that sometimes if the employer is a male, they demand a romantic relationship before they give jobs. It is unacceptable. It must stop,” he said.
President Mahama argued that stronger legislation is needed to protect vulnerable job seekers from workplace exploitation and abuse of power.
He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to gender equality, stating that efforts are ongoing to fully implement the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act.
According to him, the goal is to achieve 50-50 gender representation in public sector appointments by 2028.
He acknowledged that the target is ambitious but insisted that government remains committed to ensuring greater inclusion of women in leadership and decision-making roles.
