By Melanie Nathan, March 05, 2024
This baffles the mind: In the very many months that the Ghanaian Parliament took to debate and enact the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, not once did the President or Minister of Finance weigh in on the extreme economic harm such legislation could cause to the country. This is one instance where the scapegoating of a minority could cause a political nightmare and loss at elections for President
Akufo-Addo and the NPP.
The news outlet SEMAFOR notes:
"The legal challenge has given President Akufo-Addo a way to delay making a decision that would be damaging in some way. The economic implications of assenting to the law are potentially dire, as the finance ministry outlined in its briefing document — and that report focused on the World Bank funding without engaging with the possibility of action on AGOA.
It’s worth remembering that the IMF’s bailout was a vital lifeline when the country grappled with its worst economic crisis in a generation. Ghana isn’t out of the woods yet. As the finance ministry warned, there could be “dire consequences on the debt restructuring exercise and Ghana’s long term debt sustainability.”
Despite the economic concerns, it could be problematic for the NPP if its president was deemed to be thwarting the will of the people in a socially conservative country over a bill that had overwhelming support from the main parties and was sponsored by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and traditional leaders. As the saying goes, “all politics is local.” With that in mind, Akufo-Addo may find himself under growing pressure from within his party to avoid turning this into an issue that scuppers his deputy’s chances of succeeding him. That means the Supreme Court’s handling will play a crucial role in what happens next.
Perhaps above all, Akufo-Addo will need to reckon with his legacy. He risks being remembered by some at home as a leader who presided over a huge economic crisis and, as a parting shot, heeded the wishes of Western institutions over his country’s parliamentarians. But, as a man well respected for his oratorical skills, the president is probably hoping to begin a new chapter as a roving statesman who brokers peace deals, leads election observer missions and delivers after dinner speeches to policymakers. That seems less likely if he approves the bill."
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THE ECONOMIC BRIEFING:
Ghana's Ministry of Finance has urged President Akufo-Addo @NAkufoAddo not to assent to the anti-LGBTQ Bill. Highlights negative impact of the passage and the implementation of the 'Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024', aka anti-LGBTQI Bill, on the economy.
THE BRIEFING;
HERE IS SOME EARLIER ARTICLES FOR CONTEXT
The Ghana Challenge to the Anti LGBT Bill Saves the President but Still Injures LGBTQI+ People
By Melanie Nathan, March 05, 2024
The President of Ghana has found himself in a quandary. On his desk sits a a most odious Anti-Homosexuality Bill known as The Proper Human Sexuality and Family Values Bill, passed a week ago by Ghana's parliament. Navigating an election year, while trying to appease global aid funders, ward of sanctions and boycotts, where support for the Anti Homosexuality legislation is very high among Parliamentarians and the Ghanaian populace they represent, presents a huge problem for President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo. READ HERE
African Human Rights Coalition Condemns Ghanas Dangerous Anti LGBTQ LAW
By Melanie Nathan, Feb 28, 2024. Ghana has become the new skunk of the world! The Parliament of Ghana has passed a new anti-LGBTQ law today, sending Ghana's LGBTQI+ community into hiding, panic and flight. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexuality and Family Values Bill is Ghana's equivalent to Uganda's Kill the Gays Bill, and may actually be worse for some of its terms than Uganda's recently passed law, even though it does not include life in prison or the death penalty. Worse in the sense of the identity clause. READ HERE