Passage of anti-gay bill won’t have economic implications – Sam George

The lead proponent of the bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Samuel Nartey George, has dismissed concerns that the bill’s passage would negatively impact the country’s development.

Parliament on Wednesday, February 28, approved the bill in which persons caught in the act would be subjected to a 6-month to 3-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors of the act bearing a 3 to 5-year jail term.

In an interview with Citi News, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram downplayed any potential ramifications on Ghana’s economy.

“Uganda, whose economy is very small compared to Ghana, is projected to be the sixth fastest growing economy this year despite all the sanctions placed on them. Do you think that American businesses are operating in Ghana because of LGBTQ rights or they are operating because of profits? If they are doing business in Ghana and making good profits, they will not close up their shops and leave Ghana because of a few misguided elements in the West calling for LGBTQ rights.”

However, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has expressed disappointment at the bill’s approval.

She remarked that she was not surprised at the outcome, highlighting that a collective of eighteen individuals had previously raised concerns with the bill and sent a memo to the parliamentary committee that worked on the bill, stressing that the implications of the bill extend beyond people sexual preferences to affect the entire populace.

“I must say that I wasn’t surprised even though I was disappointed. Eighteen individuals came together and sent a memo to the parliamentary committee at the time point out that the implication of the bill affects us all and not just people with a sexual orientation that we do not like.”