Ghana’s Vice President Condemns “Sex for Jobs” as Abuse of Power, Calls for Enforcement Beyond Policy

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has issued a sharp condemnation of sexual exploitation in Ghana’s workplaces and educational institutions, declaring that no professional or academic advancement is worth a person’s dignity. Speaking at a national conference convened to confront the practice known as “sex for jobs,” the Vice President framed the issue as a systemic abuse of authority that corrodes institutional trust and squanders national talent.

“No job or academic qualification should come at the price or the cost of anyone’s dignity, and no person entrusted with authority has the right to demand that dignity,” Opoku-Agyemang told stakeholders gathered at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Thursday . The conference, organized by the Ark Foundation Ghana under the theme “Promoting Accountability, Safe Workplaces and a Culture of Integrity,” brought together policymakers, employer associations, and civil society advocates to develop practical safeguards against workplace and academic sexual harassment .

A President’s Push and a Silent Epidemic

The Vice President’s remarks come amid heightened national attention to the issue. In May 2026, President John Dramani Mahama publicly described “sex for jobs” as “unacceptable and exploitative” and proposed legislation to criminalize the practice, a move that has drawn support from legal advocates including Sheila Minkah-Premo of the Affirmative Action Law Coalition . Despite the political momentum, Ghana lacks an official national database on the prevalence of the practice, a gap that advocates say is compounded by severe underreporting driven by stigma and fear of retaliation .

Data cited at the conference underscores the scale of the problem. Dr. Angela Dwamena Aboagye, Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, referenced Ministry of Employment figures indicating that more than 38 percent of young women entering the job market experience sexual harassment or coercion during recruitment, while over 70 percent of victims never report the abuse . Separately, Ark Foundation Programme Manager Awurabena Jones told the Ghana News Agency that approximately eight out of every ten women in Ghana have encountered some form of workplace sexual harassment, though she acknowledged the absence of reliable national statistics .

From Policy to Implementation

While acknowledging the government’s responsibility to establish legal frameworks, Opoku-Agyemang emphasized that legislation alone is insufficient. “Policies can only go so far without implementation,” she cautioned, noting that officials cannot be present in every workplace, classroom, or interview room to monitor conduct . Institutions, she argued, must take ownership of confronting misconduct even when doing so is inconvenient.

The Vice President outlined several existing government interventions, including the revised National Gender Policy launched by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in March 2026. That ten-year framework (2025–2034) includes provisions for stronger institutional responses to gender-based violence and expanded access to justice . She also highlighted collaborations with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre to train judicial, health, and social sector stakeholders, as well as government commitments to establish shelters for survivors .

In the education sector, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have established procedures for reporting, investigating, and sanctioning sexual harassment in schools, with national guidelines providing a framework for tertiary institutions to develop their own policies . The issue gained international attention in 2019 following a BBC Africa Eye documentary that exposed sexual harassment at the University of Ghana and the University of Lagos, leading to suspensions and renewed scrutiny of institutional accountability .

A Call for Protected Reporting Channels

The Vice President’s most pointed recommendations centered on the mechanics of accountability. She called for independent and confidential reporting channels, particularly in contexts where accused individuals wield significant influence over complainants’ employment or academic prospects. Such mechanisms, she said, must shield complainants from intimidation, threats, retaliation, and the possible loss of opportunities .

Complaints must be investigated promptly, fairly, and thoroughly, with appropriate sanctions imposed on those found culpable, she added. Institutions, she said, must demonstrate leadership by properly resourcing safeguards and ensuring survivors have access to necessary support .

“Behind every account of sexual harassment or exploitation, there is a human being whose ambitions, confidence and sense of security may have been profoundly shaken,” Opoku-Agyemang said . She urged stakeholders to reject “sex for jobs” and “sex for grades” not as unfortunate realities but as serious abuses of power requiring confrontation.

The conference also served as an accountability platform. Dr. Dwamena Aboagye recounted cases illustrating institutional failures, including a young woman who contemplated suicide after reporting exploitation through official channels and received little support, and a man with a disability whose complaint against his boss was dismissed with laughter . She emphasized that sexual harassment is not limited to women and that ending the practice requires a deliberate national commitment to “choose dignity over exploitation, justice over silence, and accountability over impunity” .

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Background: A Vice President’s Trajectory

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang assumed office as Ghana’s first female Vice President in January 2025, following the electoral victory of President John Mahama . A career academic, she served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast from 2008 to 2012—the first woman to hold that position—and as Minister of Education from 2013 to 2017 . She holds a PhD in Literature from York University in Toronto and has been recognized internationally for her contributions to education and gender equity, including as Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa in Harare from 2018 to 2024 . Her advocacy on sexual harassment aligns with a broader portfolio focused on gender equality as a development imperative rather than a symbolic gesture .