After years of anticipation, Ghana's Parliament has finally passed the Affirmative Action Bill, which has been under deliberation since 2011.   The bill, now awaiting presidential assent, has generated significant discussion, with calls from civil society organizations (CSOs), gender activists, and other stakeholders who have long advocated for its passage.  Why has this bill received so much attention, and what does its passage mean for the future of women in Ghanaian politics?   Globally, there have been several calls over the years to promote equal representation of women in all aspects of society, with politics being one sector where a significant gender gap persists.   According to data from UN Women as of January 1, 2024, 27 countries have 28 women serving as Heads of State and/or Government, while only 6 countries have achieved 50 percent or more women in their single or lower houses of parliament.   Despite some significant progress in increasing women's participation in politics over the years, the global ratio of women to men remains notably low, and Ghana is no exception. From local to national levels, the representation of women in political positions in Ghana remains insufficient.   Since the attainment of independence, Ghana's eighth parliament in the Fourth Republic has recorded the highest representation of women in parliament, with 40 female Members of Parliament (MP) out of 275, representing 14.5 percent according to data by Inter- Parliamentary- Union (IPU).   This implies that out of seven members of parliament, one  would be female. Despite this increase, there is a significant gender gap in politics. Ghana hasn't attained the global average of 30 percent representation of women in parliament recommended by the United Nations.  The recent district-level elections held in December 2023 revealed that 95.9 percent of the 6,243 persons elected as assembly members were male, while females constituted 4.1 percent.   Understanding the Need for the Affirmative Action Bill   Ghana, being the first African country to attain independence, one would be expecting the country to lead gender parity in terms of politics.  However, the country is lagging. The 2023 Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report ranked Ghana 147 out of 193 countries, falling behind Sub-Saharan African countries like Rwanda, Senegal, and Namibia, which placed first, fourteenth, and eighteenth respectively.   In terms of political empowerment, Ghana was ranked 119th out of 146 countries in the 2024 global gender gap report.