The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) have indicated that the warning of the United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana on the Anti-LGBTQI+ bill was intended to intimidate lawmakers and the business community from supporting the passage of the bill.
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer in Accra last week warned that the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ+ law could affect trade and investment in the country.
Ambassador Palmer said that while many American companies are prepared to invest in Ghana, any law discriminating against LGBTQ+ people could hurt the country’s reputation and make it less attractive to investors.
But the three groups in a statement issued in Accra on Thursday said: “Though the Christian leadership and the wider Ghanaian community are not utterly surprised by the statement, we find such statement to be unfortunate and intended to subtly intimidate our lawmakers and business community into kowtowing to the cultural desires and the value preferences of a small but financially influential minority group in the US in particular and the western countries in general.”
They emphasised that the country also had its cultural and religious values that guided, informed and guaranteed sustenance, harmony, and cohesiveness of its communities and did not intend to compromise those values for LGBTQI+ investors.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, has urged Ghana’s Parliament to remain steadfast and not heed the warnings issued by Virginia Palmer, the US Ambassador to Ghana over her warning regarding the passage of the anti-LGBTQ Bill.
