Passing Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill would cost Ghana 6% budget revenue – CDD

Passing Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill would increase economic and diplomatic pressure on Ghana, Anaba

Ghana vulnerable to rebuke by Western governments, Executive Director ISODEC

Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill laid before parliament in July 2021

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has disclosed that a survey it conducted shows Ghana is likely to lose 6 percent of its budget revenue should parliament pass the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.

Presenting the survey results, the Executive Director of Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Bernard Anaba, said Ghana is expected to face a lot of economic and diplomatic pressure if the Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill is passed, myjoyonline.com reported.

“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 percent 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 per cent of your budget is huge,” Bernard Anaba is reported to have said.

“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,” he added.

The Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill was laid in parliament in July 2021. Among other things, the Bill in its current state, when passed, will criminalise the activities of homosexuals and ban any form of advocacy on it.

The Bill is currently with Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, which is expected to continue the public hearing on the Bill it started in 2021. After the hearing, the committee is expected to submit a report to parliament.