Africa

Ghana’s parliament passes anti-LGBTQ bill

Published

1 year ago

February 29, 2024

Ghana’s parliament passes anti-LGBTQ bill

Ghana’s parliament has voted to pass a controversial bill to severely restrict LGBTQ rights, in a move that has been condemned by rights activists.

A coalition of religious and traditional leaders sponsored the legislation that is favoured by most lawmakers and that passed in parliament on Wednesday.

The bill would punish those who take part in LGBTQ sexual acts, as well as those who promote the rights of gay, lesbian or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities with time in prison.

The bill, one of the harshest of its kind in Africa, still has to be validated by the president before entering into law, which observers believe is unlikely before a general election in December.

Activist groups have called the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values” bill a setback for human rights and urged President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government to reject it.

But the legislation is widely supported in Ghana, where Akufo-Addo has said gay marriage will never be allowed while he is in power.

Commonly referred to as the anti-gay bill, it received sponsorship from a coalition comprising Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders, finding substantial backing among members of Parliament.

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Gay sex is already illegal in the religious West African nation, but while discrimination against LGBTQ people is common no one has ever been prosecuted under the colonial-era law.

Under the provisions of the bill, those who take part in LGBTQ sexual acts could face imprisonment ranging from six months to three years.

The bill also imposes a prison sentence of three to five years for the “wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities”.

A human rights coalition known as the Big 18, an umbrella group of lawyers and activists in Ghana, has condemned the bill.

“You cannot criminalise a person’s identity and that’s what the bill is doing and it’s absolutely wrong,” said Takyiwaa Manuh, a member of the coalition.

“We want to impress on the president not to assent to the bill, it totally violates the human rights of the LGBT community,” Manuh told the AFP news agency.

Opposition lawmaker Sam George, the main sponsor of the bill, called on Akufo-Addo to assent to it.

“There is nothing that deals with LGBTQ better than this bill that has been passed by parliament. We expect the president to walk his talk and be a man of his words,” George said.

Members of Ghana’s LGBTQ community are worried about the implications of the bill.

Founder and director of the organisation LGBT+ Rights Ghana Alex Donkor said, “The passing of this bill will further marginalise and endanger LGBTQ individuals in Ghana.”

“It not only legalises discrimination but also fosters an environment of fear and persecution,” he said.

“With harsh penalties for both LGBTQ individuals and activists, this bill threatens the safety and wellbeing of an already vulnerable community.”

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

Africa

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Jeff and Geoffrey Oumaa

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

A Bodaboda operator identified as Geoffrey Ouma, was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife in their home in Ongata Rongai town, Kenya after he returned with less money than usual.

Witnesses reported that the man fondly called Jeff, had just come back from work, having earned significantly less due to heavy rainfall affecting business.

His wife confronted him about the household items that they lacked and demanded that he provided the money to get them. When he was unable to do so, an argument ensued between them.

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In a fit of rage, she rushed to the kitchen to grab a knife.

Sensing the imminent danger, the Bodaboda operator attempted to flee but slipped and fell on the floor.

The wife then stabbed him in the chest, ending his life instantly.

By the time neighbors arrived, it was too late; he was already dead.

The two have been married for around 5 years and have a child.

It was gathered that the Ongata Rongai Police have arrested the woman.

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

Africa

West African juntas impose levy on imported goods ECOWAS nations

Published

5 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

West African juntas impose levy on imported goods ECOWAS nations

West African neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced a new 0.5% levy on imported goods as they seek to fund a new three-state union after leaving the larger regional economic bloc, they said in a statement.

The Alliance of Sahel States began in 2023 as a security pact between the military rulers of the three countries, who all took power in coups in recent years. It has since grown into an aspiring economic union with plans for biometric passports and closer economic and military ties.

The levy was agreed on Friday and will take effect immediately. It will affect all goods imported from outside the three countries, but will not include humanitarian aid, the statement said. It will “finance the activities” of the bloc, it said, without giving details.

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The move ends free trade across West Africa, whose states have for decades fallen under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and highlights the rift between the three states that border the Sahara Desert and influential democracies like Nigeria and Ghana to the south.

The juntas of the three countries announced plans to leave ECOWAS last year, accusing the bloc of failing to assist in their fight against Islamist insurgents and ending insecurity.

ECOWAS had imposed economic, political and financial sanctions on the three in a bid to force them to return to constitutional order, to little effect.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are some of the poorest countries in the world and have been overrun by an armed Islamist insurgency over the past decade.

The violence, committed by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, has killed thousands, forced millions to flee, and eroded faith in the democratically-elected governments who initially struggled to contain it.

West African juntas impose levy on imported goods ECOWAS nations

Africa

Niger coup leader sworn in as president for five years

Published

4 days ago

March 27, 2025

Trends Admin

Niger’s military ruler Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani

Niger coup leader sworn in as president for five years

Niger’s military ruler Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani has been sworn in as the country’s president for a transitional period of five years.

Tchiani has led the country since 2023, after he deposed Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

On Wednesday, Tchiani took the presidential office under a new charter that replaces the West African country’s constitution.

He was also promoted to the highest military rank of army general in the country and signed a decree ordering that all political parties be dissolved.

During the ceremony in Niamey, Tchiani said of his new military rank, “I receive this distinction with great humility… I will strive to live up to the trust placed in me.”

The transition to democratic government is consistent with the recommendations of a commission formed following national deliberations.

The new charter states that this five-year timeframe is “flexible” based on the country’s security position.

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Niger has been plagued by Islamist attacks for years, which was one of the reasons junta officials staged their coup.

The military takeover came after a number of others in the region; adjacent Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso are also ruled by dictatorships.

All four countries have split ties with erstwhile colonial power France, forming new alliances with Russia.

And all save Guinea have pulled out of ECOWAS, the West African regional group.

Niger’s relations with ECOWAS broke down when the junta demanded a three-year transition period to democratic governance directly after the coup.

Ecowas labelled this plot a “provocation” and vowed to interfere with force before eventually backing down.

Gen Tchiani’s regime is prosecuting former President Bazoum on charges of high treason and damaging national security.

Bazoum and his wife remain in the presidential palace, despite the fact that his son was granted provisional freedom in January.

According to state-run news agency ANP, Gen Tchiani stated that Niger’s new charter adheres to traditional constitutions while also implementing “unprecedented measures to protect our natural resources so that Nigeriens truly benefit from the exploitation of their wealth.”