President John Dramani Mahama has proposed that a bill be passed to criminalise sex for job demands by some employers, describing the act as “one of the worst things”, hence the need for it to be criminalised.

The President made this call on Saturday (May 2, 2026), during a town hall engagement at Adweso in Koforidua, at the end of a two-day tour of the Eastern Region in response to a question by a student of the Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua student who had said women with equal qualifications are often sidelined in the job market.

According to him, females (who are mostly victims) of such exchanges are denied roles which they qualify for when they refuse to give in to such advances. As part of efforts to deal with these criminal acts, the President suggested that a law be passed and strictly enforced to eliminate demands for romantic or sexual relationships in exchange for jobs.

“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.”

After the student cited Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey as an example of what women can achieve when given the opportunity, John Mahama backed her point, expressing his admiration for women in careers such as engineering and contracting, fields traditionally dominated by men.

He continued that 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 takes photographs with them as a form of encouragement.

President Mahama also said his government aims to achieve 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.”

Sex for jobs in Ghana

President Mahama's call for a law to be passed to criminalise the act does not mean there aren't laws in Ghana's constitution that deals with them.

Ghana’s Labour Act (2003) and Domestic Violence Act (2007) prohibit harassment and abuse, but they do not explicitly criminalise “sex‑for‑jobs” demands.

This gap is why President Mahama and others are calling for a specific law to make such practices punishable, similar to how “sex‑for‑grades” in universities has been debated and addressed.

Evidence of practice

Over the years, women in Ghana have repeatedly reported being asked for sexual favours in exchange for employment opportunities, promotions, or even internships. Academic studies by Ghanaian universities and NGOs have also documented cases of workplace sexual harassment, including demands for sex before job offers.

In addition, media investigations by local outlets have exposed instances where recruiters or managers exploit vulnerable job seekers, especially young women.

The issue has further featured in policy debates, with discussions in Parliament and among advocacy groups highlighting concerns that existing labour and harassment laws do not adequately criminalise or deter “sex-for-jobs” exploitation.