Bagbin backs urgent passage of Spousal Property Bill

A recent court ruling involving businessman Richard Nii Armah Quaye and his former wife, Joana Quaye, has pushed Ghana’s long-delayed Spousal Property Bill back into national focus.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, says the case has exposed a major legal gap in how property acquired during marriage is shared when relationships end.

On Friday, May 8, 2026, FIDA took its concerns to Parliament House in Accra, where its leadership met Speaker Alban Bagbin and presented a four-page petition.

The petition, signed by FIDA President Gloria Ofori Boadu, warned that the absence of a clear law on spousal property continues to leave many women uncertain about their rights after divorce or the death of a spouse.

FIDA said many women still do not know what qualifies as jointly acquired property, how a spouse’s indirect contribution should be valued, or how courts should deal with family assets held through companies.

The group said the situation has created anxiety among women, especially after the High Court decision in the RNAQ and Joana Quaye property dispute became public.

Since then, FIDA says it has received several enquiries from women and members of the public seeking guidance on what legal protection exists for spouses.

The organisation warned that without firm statutory safeguards, women who help build, maintain or preserve family wealth may still struggle to benefit from those assets when a marriage breaks down.

It said the matter goes beyond individual divorce disputes and touches on women’s economic security, dignity, independence and constitutional rights.

FIDA therefore urged Parliament to act under Article 22 of the Constitution and pass legislation regulating the property rights of spouses.

Responding to the petition, Mr Bagbin said Parliament was aware of the concerns and shared the urgency expressed by the women lawyers.

“We ourselves are very concerned about it. I am not surprised that you are here today because of the recent ruling of the courts,” he said.

He said women must be recognised as equal partners in marriage and should not be denied property rights simply because of gaps in the law.

Mr Bagbin also praised the role of women in family and national life, saying: “Who can survive without you? That is why God created you. If they could have survived without you, God would not have created you.”

The Speaker then gave his strongest indication yet that Parliament may move quickly on the matter.

“Parliament is more than ready and willing to pass the Bill under a certificate of urgency,” he said.

FIDA’s leadership welcomed the assurance and thanked him for supporting the call for stronger legal protection for spouses, particularly women.