West Africa
Ghana’s Supreme Court Upholds Controversial Anti-LGBTQ Bill
Ghana’s Supreme Court has upheld the controversial Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, rejecting two bids to overturn it. The bill, which severely curtails LGBTQ rights, was approved by Ghana’s Parliament in February and has since sparked international condemnation, particularly from human rights groups and western countries.
The legislation mandates jail terms of six months to three years for individuals found engaging in LGBTQ sex, a move that has garnered significant public support within the conservative country. However, the bill has faced criticism from the global community, including the United States, and raised concerns within Ghana’s finance ministry over the potential risk of losing billions of dollars in World Bank funding.
The court’s ruling, delivered by judge Avril Lovelace-Johnson, emphasized that the bill cannot be acted upon until it receives ratification from the outgoing president, Nana Akufo-Addo, who is set to step down on January 7 after serving two terms in office. Akufo-Addo has stated that he would wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling before making a decision on whether to sign the bill into law.
Judge Lovelace-Johnson clarified, “Until there is presidential assent to the bill, there is no act of which the Supreme Court will use its supervisory jurisdiction to overturn.” The decision follows legal challenges from Ghanaian broadcaster Richard Dela-Sky and university researcher Amanda Odoi, who questioned the constitutionality of the bill.
Former Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama has made a stunning political comeback, securing victory in the nation’s fiercely contested 2024 presidential election.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate edged out his main rival, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In a heartfelt concession speech delivered on Sunday, Mr. Bawumia acknowledged the NDC’s victory, citing internal data that indicated Mr. Mahama had won both the presidential and parliamentary polls.
“The people of Ghana have spoken, and I congratulate Mr. Mahama on his victory,” Bawumia stated.
Saturday’s election saw high voter turnout across the country as Ghanaians cast their ballots in what many described as one of the most competitive elections in recent history.
Although the Electoral Commission of Ghana has yet to officially declare the final results, Mr. Mahama’s win has been widely celebrated by his supporters, signaling the NDC’s return to power after losing the presidency in 2016.
John Mahama previously served as president from 2012 to 2017 and is expected to focus on addressing Ghana’s economic challenges and fostering unity in his new term.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun on Thursday hosted a virtual high-level committee meeting at the Finance Headquarters, Abuja to discuss the practical arrangements for the introduction of the ECOWAS single currency, known as the ECO.
This is coming with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to fostering economic growth and development within the West African Sub-Region
A statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed Manga indicated that the meeting brought together key stakeholders, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance of Cape Verde, Mr. Olavo Correia, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs of Cote d’Ivoire, Mr. Adama Coulibaly, and the Ghanaian Minister of Finance, Mr. Mohammed Amin Adam, as well as other distinguished representatives
According to the statement, the ECO aims to promote economic integration, facilitate trade, and enhance monetary stability among the fifteen member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“The session marked a significant step towards the realization of this goal, as participants discussed preparations for the introduction of the single currency.
Edun emphasized the importance of the ECO in fostering economic growth and development in the region and reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the successful implementation of the single currency.
The meeting concluded with a renewed sense of purpose for the introduction of the ECO, which is expected to have a positive impact on the region’s economic prospects.
The Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) has removed economic sanctions placed on Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
This came following the resolution taken on Saturday, in Abuja, during the extraordinary summit on the political, security, and peace conditions in the ECOWAS sub-region.
However, the regional bloc, noted that the political and targeted sanctions remain.
It would be recalled that the West African bloc had in a swift response to the military coup in Niger, enforced a no-flight zone over the country.
The Nigerian government also cut off power supply to the military-ruled country to persuade the juntas to restore democracy in the country.
President Bola Tinubu happened to be the current chairman of ECOWAS.
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