Missper Appo/AP
Last month, Ghana’s parliament unanimously passed a controversial anti-gay bill that has drawn international condemnation.
CNN
—
Sam George, the architect of Ghana’s strict anti-LGBTQ laws, calls himself a protector of gay Ghanaians.
“I have enacted a law that protects the rights of homosexuals from verbal and physical assault,” he told CNN in an interview from Accra.
But despite his claims, the bill signed into law by Ghana’s parliament late last month imposes stiff penalties for even identifying as LGBTQ, including fines or up to three years in prison. According to the bill, anyone found guilty of “promoting” gay rights could face up to five years in prison.
“They deserve a fair trial in a court of competent jurisdiction. It’s not my power to put someone in jail. That’s for the judge,” George told CNN.
In a relatively short period of time, the opposition lawmaker, who represents the Accra metropolitan constituency and is the bill’s main sponsor, has become a well-known face in Ghana and frequently featured on television.
The passage of the Human Rights and Family Values Act without opposition in parliament in late February was a major victory for George and Ghana’s coalition of religious and secular conservatives. It is also part of an alarming trend of homophobic legislation sweeping the continent.
Many progressive groups believe that right-wing groups in the United States are pushing this bill. The allegations were recently investigated by CNN.
By his own admission, George traveled to the United States to meet with like-minded conservatives who promoted “family values.” He says he covers his own expenses.
Whatever its origins, the passage of this bill is terrible news for LGBTQ Ghanaians.
“The feelings and emotions that we are expressing right now are sadness,” said Alex Kofi Donkor, founder of Ghana’s LGBT+ rights advocacy group. “Passage of this bill only lends legitimacy to the inequalities we face in this country.”
He said the bill, if passed, would further impact access to legal and health services in Ghana.
But even when it was first introduced in 2021, Extensive coverage by CNN There was an alarming increase in beatings, evictions, and harassment of LGBTQ Ghanaians.
It is now up to President Nana Akufo-Addo to sign or not.
The question is, what will he do? In the context of local politics, Akufo-Addo faces difficult choices and competing pressure points.
After all, this is an election year in Ghana, with voting scheduled for early December.
On the one hand, there are politicians like George and a broad swath of the conservative public who openly urge the president to act. Meanwhile, the international community is poised to punish Ghana if Akufo-Addo signs it.
Ghana cannot afford to take punitive measures. Five years ago, he became the darling of multilateral financial institutions, with rampant inflation and massive debt crippling Ghana’s economy, although there are temporary signs of improvement.
The government was quick to jump on the bill’s fiscal implications.
Immediately after the bill was passed, the Ghanaian Ministry of Finance released an internal memo that read as follows: “Ghana is likely to lose a total of US$3.8 billion in World Bank loans over the next five to six years.” Because of the bill.
However, George disputes the ministry’s figures. He points out that Continuation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Credit Facility for Ugandadespite the country’s recently passed homophobic laws.
However, the World Bank Suspend future lending to Uganda And the U.S. State Department sanctioned Ugandans for “undermining democracy and oppressing marginalized groups.”
“Ghana’s problem is not loans from multilateral institutions. Ghana’s problem is endemic corruption and government overspending,” George said.
CNN was unable to reach a Ghanaian government spokesperson for comment.
While the Treasury Department appears to offer the president an elegant solution, it is the courts that can help the president make a choice.
In a recent address to Ghanaian diplomats, Akufo-Addo said a decision on the bill would not be taken until the country’s highest court hears a challenge by Ghanaian lawyers.
The President also made it clear that Ghana would not “turn its back on its enviable long record of respecting human rights and adhering to the rule of law.”
“I want to assure you that no such setback was ever planned or caused,” he said in audio obtained by CNN.
Appeasing diplomats in Western capitals is another thing. It’s one thing for politicians and religious leaders to stir up homophobic sentiment in Ghana, but it’s another thing entirely to be seen as supporting LGBTQ rights.
Despite the bill’s alleged links to U.S. entities, its supporters also frame it as an issue of sovereignty, which could be a powerful political argument in Ghana. There is sex.
“Ghana is not the 51st state of the United States or any other Western country. In the Ghanaian context, no person should be given the right to practice sexual preferences other than those that are natural and acceptable to society,” George said. said.
For Ghana’s president, navigating this complex political landscape is likely to be a daunting and unenviable task.