The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said that he will not give any backing to the anti-gay bill passed by the parliament of Ghana.
He says he is not contemplating backsliding on Ghana’s record as a respecter of human rights.
A statement from the President indicated that the bill has been challenged in the Supreme Court, and therefore the country should await the result of the court case.
Ghana’s Parliament has passed the anti-gay bill today, February 28, 2024.
The bill will be sent to the President of Ghana who is expected to sign it into Law.
In the past few months, the president has refused to sign a private members bill passed by parliament because of a supposed financial obligation that comes with it.
Under the new bill, a maximum five-year jail term for forming or funding LGBTQ+ groups will be slapped on persons found guilty.
Lawmakers did not agree to replace the prison term with community service and counseling.
Here is the first draft of the bill which underwent amendments.
The bill which was supported by both political parties in Parliament had the backing of the Christian community, the Muslim community, and the Traditional community.
It could be remembered that the Speaker was petitioned to allow for public voting to ensure that legislators who voted against it were made known.
