Ghana’s President does not want to sign the anti-LGBTQ+ bill

An anti-LGBTQ bill passed by Ghana’s parliament last week, has not yet reached the desk of President Nana Akufo-Addo, he said on Monday.

This is his first comments on the bill’s passage. He said Ghana will not backslide on its human rights record, and added that the bill had been challenged in the Supreme Court.

“I have learnt that, today, a challenge has been mounted at the Supreme Court. In the circumstances, it would be as well for all of us to hold our hands and await the decision of the Court before any action is taken,” Akufo-Addo said in a statement.

On Monday, the Ghanaian ministry of Finances advised the president not to sign the bill until the country’s Supreme Court rules on whether it complies with the country’s constitution.

It said signing the bill could cause the country to lose nearly $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over the next five years.