Africa
Ghanaian lawmakers reintroduce controversial anti-LGBT bill
Ghanaian lawmakers reintroduce controversial anti-LGBT bill
A group of 10 MPs in Ghana have resubmitted a controversial bill that would impose some of the toughest restrictions on LGBT rights in Africa.
The bill prescribes a three-year jail term for people who identify as gay, and five to 10 years for promoters and advocates.
The legislation was passed by parliament last year, but the former president, Akufo Addo, declined to sign it into law before leaving office in January, citing legal challenges.
It has been widely condemned by both local and international human rights groups, with some describing it as draconian.
The original bill expired at the end of the previous parliament. It’s unclear whether the speaker of the new parliament will admit the bill for consideration.
Gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in prison in the conservative West African country.
President John Dramani Mahama has said he would prefer the bill to be state-sponsored, ensuring broader support and consultation.
“I do think that we should have a conversation on it again so that all of us, if we decide to move that bill forward, move it forward with a consensus”, he said.
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Supporters claim the legislation would help preserve what they consider to be Ghanaian culture and family values.
However rights groups have decried the legislation as draconian.
“The anti-LGBT rights bill is inconsistent with Ghana’s long-standing tradition of peace, tolerance, and hospitality and flies in the face of the country’s international human rights obligations,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué last year.
“Such a law would not only further erode the rule of law in Ghana, but could also lead to further gratuitous violence against LGBT people and their allies.”
Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, a Ghanaian trans woman and LGBT activist, told the Reuters news agency the bill’s reintroduction was “disheartening and hard to process” but insisted LGBT activism would continue.
The bill’s potential impact on Ghana’s economy is a significant concern.
The country’s former finance minister warned that passing the bill could result in Ghana losing up to $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in development funding from the World Bank and affecting its $3 billion (£2.3bn) IMF support programme.
Opposition lawmaker John Ntim Fordjour told Reuters the country no longer needed to fear economic sanctions, citing the election of US President Donald Trump.
“The global political climate is favourable for conservative values as demonstrated in the bold conservative pronouncements of President Donald Trump,” he said.
The bill was first introduced to parliament in 2021 but has faced many delays.
Ghanaian lawmakers reintroduce controversial anti-LGBT bill
BBC
Africa
Niger Republic adopts Hausa as national language
Niger Republic adopts Hausa as national language
In a significant cultural shift, Niger’s military-led government has officially designated Hausa as the country’s national language, marking a break from the nation’s colonial legacy where French held prominence.
The announcement was made in a new national charter released on March 31, as published in a special edition of the government’s official journal.
According to the document, “The national language is Hausa,” and “the working languages are English and French.”
Hausa is already widely spoken across Niger, especially in the regions of Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua. With an estimated population of 26 million, the majority of Nigeriens speak Hausa, while only about 13 percent—roughly three million people—are fluent in French.
Alongside Hausa, the charter also officially recognizes nine other indigenous languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as “the spoken languages of Niger.”
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This language policy change follows a national consultative meeting held in February, during which the junta gained increased support. The assembly also approved a five-year extension for junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani to remain in power.
Since the coup that ousted civilian president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, the military government has taken steps to sever ties with France. These include expelling French troops, cutting diplomatic relations, and renaming roads and public buildings previously named in French.
Niger’s move mirrors similar actions taken by fellow former French colonies Mali and Burkina Faso—both under military rule—as they too distance themselves from France and its institutions.
All three countries have also withdrawn from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, a body that promotes the French language and cultural ties among member nations.
Niger Republic adopts Hausa as national language
Africa
Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money
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
W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from ECOWAS nations
W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from 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.
W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from ECOWAS nations
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