Ghana's new anti-LGBT bill embarrasses President
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Nipah Dennis AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The text, presented in early August by a handful of opposition parliamentarians, plans to limit the rights of sexual minorities in this very religious country.
Problem: the head of state Nana Akufo-Addo would rather give an exemplary image of an open Ghana.
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Should we favor the image of an open and tolerant Ghana or that of a homophobic country?
This is in essence the dilemma that President Nana Akufo-Addo faces.
The challenge is thrown at him by this man: Sam Nartey George, a deputy of the Democratic National Congress, of the opposition.
On August 2, George and seven other elected officials proposed a text which, if passed, would inflict up to ten years in prison on LGBT people, but also on their allies.
Human rights defenders fear that the text will lead to an upsurge in persecution of LGBT people.
Nana Akufo-Addo has not yet reacted, and for good reason, the subject is delicate.
Ghana is a conservative country.
According to a 2018 poll, three quarters of the population support homophobic speech.
"
Free society
"
But Akufo-Addo is trying to attract African Americans and the diaspora to settle in the country.
Ghana has already succeeded in bringing in companies like Twitter, not least because of its respect for rights.
Parliamentarians in favor of the text say homosexuality is foreign to Ghanaian culture.
The Ghana Center for Democratic Development for its part affirms that if Ghana is "
so applauded
" abroad, it is precisely because it is a "
free society
".
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