Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, the former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, has urged President Akufo-Addo to swiftly sign into law the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Parliament, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, unanimously passed the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, after three years of appearing before the House.
But President Akufo-Addo has yet to assent to the bill for it to become law.
Dr. Opuni-Frimpong, in an interview on Citi TV, underscored the need for the President to quickly sign the bill and conveyed his appreciation for Parliament’s efforts.
“Wednesday, February 28, in our history, the parliament of Ghana gave us something to celebrate. All that we are asking the President is to make the cycle full, he must not break it. He must assent to it as quickly as possible so that we will not only have the celebrations from parliament. But from the office of the President also. We want the President to quickly assent to the bill.
“The issue is a national concern, you hear from traditional, church, Muslim leaders, and civil society groups saying things that some cultural settings are upholding may not help us. That is what Ghanaians are saying.
“It’s a national concern that must attract a national response from the President as early as possible. We are not denying the fact that all manner of sexual practices prevail in our country, but if you add it to our cultural norm, that is what we are talking about.”
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He further emphasised that any further delay by the President would render the bill a political tool. He also encouraged aggrieved persons to challenge the legality or otherwise of the bill in court willfully.
“We’re in an election year, if the president spends much more time before coming out, it will turn the atmosphere into another partisan politics. That will not be helpful. We are pleading with those who have the ears of the presidency to ensure the president moves fast and sign it so that those who want to go to court can still go.
“Those who want to go to court or want to send bills to parliament are free to do that, that is democracy. But this should not stop us from working towards what will help us today and the generation unborn.”
The bill, if signed into law, prescribes imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 3 years for individuals found guilty of same-sex, while those promoting and sponsoring the act could face a prison term of 3 to 5 years.