We should pass a law to make sex-for-jobs punishable — Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has called for legislation to criminalise the demand for romantic or sexual relationships in exchange for employment opportunities.

He made the call on Saturday, May 2, 2026, during a town hall meeting at Adweso in Koforidua, marking the end of his two-day tour of the Eastern Region.

The President was responding to a concern raised by a female student who said women with equal qualifications are often overlooked in the job market.

“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.”

The issue was raised by a student of Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua, who noted that men are often given more opportunities than women in many workplaces.

She cited the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, as an example of what women can achieve when given equal opportunities.

President Mahama agreed that women are equally capable and called for a shift in societal attitudes. He noted that during visits to road construction sites under the Big Push programme, he had observed 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 takes photographs with them to encourage their efforts.

The President further stated that his administration is working towards achieving equal representation of men and women in public appointments by 2028.

“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.”