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International

05 March, 2024

388

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not assent to an anti-gay bill until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.

Earlier, the finance ministry warned that billions of dollars in World Bank funding could be lost if it became law.

Passed by MPs last week, it imposes a jail term of up to three years for identifying as LGBTQ+ and five years for promoting their activities. Human rights groups went to court even before it was passed by parliament.

Gay sex is already against the law in Ghana - it carries a three-year prison sentence. The proposed tough new legislation - The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill - was backed by both of Ghana's main political parties but cannot become law without the president's approval. The bill has been widely condemned by the UK and the US - and rights groups have described it as regressive.