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Anti-LGBT bill not necessarily seeking to imprison people – Dafeamekpor
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One of the eight Members of Parliament sponsoring the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, Rockson-Nelson Defeamekpor, has clarified that it does not seek to purposely to imprison culprits.
He explained that it is to serve as a deterrent, adding that, the main purpose is to ensure reforms.
Speaking in on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, December 12, he said “Nobody is intending to imprison anybody with this bill. It is a conduct that we think that we should check as a sovereign people.”
Meanwhile, Parliament could not agree on the appropriate punishment for LGBTQ+ persons engaging in unnatural carnal knowledge with each other.
The bill criminalises sex between persons of the same sex, between a man or woman and an animal or object, proposing imprisonment of between 3 and 5 years.
However, the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee recommended a jail term of up to 3 years without suggesting a minimum sentence.
Mr Dafeamekpor said: “I support the lower limit. The legislation we are considering, which would lead to an enactment, involves certain aspects of conduct that we need to proscribe, and not all of them should necessarily lead to custodial sentences. Regarding the minimum, which became a point of contention on the floor, it means the court wouldn’t have the discretion to even caution someone and discharge them after they have been convicted. However, the intention of this legislation is not necessarily to imprison people,” he explained.
He added that the bill is designed in a way that the court can grant culprits a second chance to amend their ways if found guilty.
“There would be circumstances where, after a successful prosecution and conviction, the court may be inclined, depending on the peculiarity of the case and the applicable law, to merely caution the person to go and be of good conduct.”
He, therefore, called for support from international stakeholders against the bill to appreciate its focus.
Speaking on the same show, the Chairman of Advocates of Christ Ghana, Edem Senanu agreed with the concept that the court can caution individuals found guilty of same-sex activities.
He described it as a fair approach, adding that there should be instances where cases of persons cautioned more than once are followed up with sanctions being escalated.
“The concept is not bad. It is to ensure that certain things are not promoted. I don’t think that anyone should have a problem if the judge thinks that the merits of a case are such that they want to caution an individual,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced that the government has accepted the recommendation to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment as part of the constitutional review process.
He said the proposed amendment would affect Articles 3, 13, 19 and 72 of the 1992 Constitution, with offences that previously attracted the death penalty instead carrying life imprisonment.
Dr. Ayine made the announcement on July 30, 2026, at the Jubilee House in Accra during the Government Accountability Series while outlining the government’s position on the final recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee.
According to him, the government believes the death penalty is inconsistent with the constitutional right to life and Ghana’s international human rights obligations.
He explained that the recommendation forms part of broader proposals aimed at strengthening the protection of fundamental human rights under the Constitution.
Dr. Ayine said the government had also accepted the spirit of several recommendations to expand rights relating to women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and the youth.
He added that a comprehensive Human Rights Act would be introduced to protect these rights and provide detailed enforcement mechanisms instead of amending the entrenched provisions of the Constitution through a national referendum.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on both local and international investors to tap into opportunities in Ghana’s tourism, hospitality and creative industries.
Speaking in an interview yesterday with World Media USA Today, the Minister said government is committed to creating a conducive investment environment to support growth in the sector.
She highlighted key investment areas including hotels, fashion, music, film production, and tourism infrastructure.
Dzifa Gomashie also encouraged Ghanaians to invest in domestic tourism to help boost the local economy.
According to her, strategic investment in tourism and the creative economy will drive economic transformation, create jobs, and position Ghana as Africa’s gateway for heritage, culture, business and investment.
“Ghana has vast opportunities across tourism, hospitality and the creative industries. We are ready and open for business,” she stated.
The Minister’s remarks come as government intensifies efforts to leverage culture and tourism as drivers of economic growth and job creation.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
