According to a study done by the Centre for Democratic Governance (CDD-Ghana), the passing of the Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill would put the government’s economic agenda off track.
In its present form, the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill seeks to criminalize homosexual activities and prohibit any sort of advocacy on the subject.
But experts are warning and predicting a grimmer outlook for Ghana’s economy should Parliament pass the Bill.
Bernard Anaba, Executive Director of ISODEC, warned on Tuesday in Accra that the Centre study’s results will put Ghana under economic and diplomatic pressure as a result of the Bill.
“By this Bill, we have added economic conditionality on ourselves [as a country] when we go out to seek support. Ghana’s budget regularly relies on grants of about 4 to 6 per cent each year from donor partners who are mostly against this Bill as we know.”
“This could result in the delays and reduction in this budgetary support. I remember there was a year when the Finance Minister complained that the budget did not work well because these funds [from donors] were delayed. So now, there is a more reason why it even delays more; you can imagine the economic impact because four to six percent of your budget is huge.”
Mr. Anaba went on to say that “Ghana’s relatively weaker economic position makes it more vulnerable to any rebuke of the EU and other western governments that do not support this bill.”
Since its introduction, the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill has sparked public debate among numerous stakeholders in the nation.
While certain members of Parliament and religious entities have campaigned for the Bill’s approval, other civil society groups and academia have opposed it, claiming that if enacted in its present form, it would violate human rights.
The Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament is due to continue public hearings on the contentious document for further consideration.
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SOURCE: myjoyonline
