Day: March 9, 2024

Mr Kofi Adams, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Buem Constituency, has called on the citizenry to recommit to building a country where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality.

He also called on all to work together to inspire inclusion, amplify women’s voices, and ensure that every woman had the opportunity to reach her full potential.

Mr Adams, who made the call in a statement sent to the Ghana News Agency, as Ghana joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2024 International Women’s Day, said the theme for the year, ‘Inspire Inclusion’ served as a powerful call to action to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world for all.

In observing the Day, the MP said the trailblazing women who had shattered glass ceilings, challenged stereotypes, and paved the way for future generations should be celebrated.

‘ Their courage, resilience, and determination continue to inspire us to strive for a more inclusive society where every voice is heard and every person is valued,’ he noted.

Mr Adams stated: ‘In celebrating International Women’s Day, we recognise the need to break down barriers, challenge biases, and create opportunities for all women to thrive. It is a reminder that true progress can only be achieved when we embrace diversity, foster inclusivity, and empower women from all walks of life.’

He called on all to celebrate the achievements of women, acknowledge the progress they had made, and reaffirm their commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable Ghana for all.

Mr Adams, also a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), took the opportunity to congratulate Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang for her nomination as the Running Mate to Mr John Dramani Mahama for the 2024 presidential election on the ticket of the NDC.

‘I have no doubt she will make us proud and help the NDC deliver to the admiration of all. Ayeekoo to women in Ghana. Ayeekoo to women in Oti Region. Ayeekoo to women of Buem,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Ten individuals have been freed from the hands of their captors by elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) in the Adamawa region of Cameroon.

Kidnapped from the Mbé, Nganha, and Touboro subdivisions in the Northern region, reports indicate that the hostages had been held captive for a month in the Bénoué park.

Their captors had demanded a hefty ransom for their release prior to the intervention of the BIR.

According to reports, it was thanks to timely intelligence, that a rescue operation was executed on March 7th around 11 a.m. by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kounaka’s team, the commanding officer of the 5th BIR in Adamawa, in collaboration with the Vigilance Committee.

The operation resulted in the neutralization of several kidnappers, and a cache of weapons, ammunition, talismans, torches, and other items were seized.

The hostages were received by the region’s governor, Kildadi Taguiéké Boukar, who commended the efforts of the defense forces and the Vigilance Committee. Gove
rnor Boukar while receiving the hostages also reiterated the state’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of its citizens.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the Minister for Finance, has led a delegation from the Ministry to commiserate with the wife, and family of the late Deputy Minister and former Member of Parliament for Ejisu, Dr John Ampontuah Kumah.

The delegation included Madam Abena Osei-Asare, Minister of State at the Ministry; Ms. Eva Esselba Mends, Chief Director; Mrs. Stella D. Williams, Coordinating Director, and a cross-section of staff from the Ministry.

Dr Amin Adam and the Directors signed the book of condolence.

Until his death on Thursday, March 7, at age 45, Dr Kumah had served as a Deputy Finance Minister from 2021, and was on Parliament’s Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises and Appointment Committees.

Source: Ghana News Agency

While millions of women all over the country nursed interest over the years to celebrate March 8, annually, some find no interest and simply ignore it for one reason or the other.

In Douala, such women were seen carrying out their business and other activities normally. Seeking to know why they were not on the celebration train, one said «To me celebrating women’s day is completely useless because Cameroonian women suffer a lot. Today they play the role of head of the family. Work money to feed the family. They do everything. Vendors like me find difficulties in generating income because of economic hardship. Everything is expensive and customers rarely come to buy ».

To another woman, the government’s silence on the high rate of femicide in the country does not motivate her to celebrate. « I remember the little girl kidnapped, raped, and killed in Yaoundé recently. My elder sister was raped in Yassa and her body was decapitated. The government has done nothing to render justice. Why should I go celebrating
Women’s Day? »

Discrimination or gender inequality hurts others and they blame the government for not doing anything to treat men and women equally.

« There are women who can do more of what a man does but they are given inferior positions or even sent to the kitchen. Women are marginalized whereas they are the backbone of society. » A lady points this as her reason for not having an interest in any form of women’s day celebration.

Despite the aforementioned reasons and others not evoked, the majority of Cameroonian women celebrate happily as if all is well.

Women who snubbed Women’s Day told CNA that they can join their fellow women if they stand to protest against femicides, rapes, gender-based violence, inequality, discrimination, the current economic hardship, and so on.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Mama Attrato II, Queenmother of Ho-Dome in the Volta Region, has organised a two-day skills training for women of Ho-Hliha to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

The women were trained in the production of liquid soap for sustainable livelihoods.

Mama Attrato told the Ghana News Agency that one of the best ways to help women become economically independent, productive, and earn more money was through skills training.

Skills development was crucial in enhancing women’s employment and income-earning prospects, as well as improving sustainable livelihoods.

The Queenmother said when women were provided with comprehensive vocational training that paved the way for safe and stable employment they would be able to support themselves and live in dignity.

Dzam Patience Deladem, a beneficiary of the training, expressed appreciation to the Queen Mother for her passion for the development of women.

Mama Nana II, Soh? Nyornufia of Ho-Hliha, (Queen of the Youth) and Mama Ametorwoke II, Asafo Nyornufia of Ho-H
liha, commended Mama Attrato for the initiative to equip the women with employable skills and appealed for financial support for sustainable production of the soap.

Source: Ghana News Agency

While millions of women all over the country nursed interest over the years to celebrate March 8, annually, some find no interest and simply ignore it for one reason or the other.

In Douala, such women were seen carrying out their business and other activities normally. Seeking to know why they were not on the celebration train, one said «To me celebrating women’s day is completely useless because Cameroonian women suffer a lot. Today they play the role of head of the family. Work money to feed the family. They do everything. Vendors like me find difficulties in generating income because of economic hardship. Everything is expensive and customers rarely come to buy ».

To another woman, the government’s silence on the high rate of femicide in the country does not motivate her to celebrate. « I remember the little girl kidnapped, raped, and killed in Yaoundé recently. My elder sister was raped in Yassa and her body was decapitated. The government has done nothing to render justice. Why should I go celebrating
Women’s Day? »

Discrimination or gender inequality hurts others and they blame the government for not doing anything to treat men and women equally.

« There are women who can do more of what a man does but they are given inferior positions or even sent to the kitchen. Women are marginalized whereas they are the backbone of society. » A lady points this as her reason for not having an interest in any form of women’s day celebration.

Despite the aforementioned reasons and others not evoked, the majority of Cameroonian women celebrate happily as if all is well.

Women who snubbed Women’s Day told CNA that they can join their fellow women if they stand to protest against femicides, rapes, gender-based violence, inequality, discrimination, the current economic hardship, and so on.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Ethio telecom has inaugurated today an Experience Center at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum.

The center features a retrospective of telecom technological development processes, narrates the current level of technological advancement, and predicts emerging technological development trends.

It is also organized to showcase the historical development stages of Ethio telecom, displaying telecom gadgets while highlighting the present and future levels of technological excellence.

Launching the Experience Center, CEO of Ethio Telecom, Frehiwot Tamiru said the center provides residential and enterprise customers with the opportunity to exhibit, engage with, and experience the latest technologies firsthand.

The center will also showcase existing products and services, allowing customers to test new digital technologies, and explore technological breakthroughs, she added.

The center also showcases state-of-the-art technology, presenting verticals such as the health care sector, agriculture, and education, a valu
able opportunity to modernize their facilities using cutting-edge solutions, it was indicated.

This initiative is also designed to establish a streamlined systems capable of reducing costs, minimizing resource wastage, and enhancing overall productivity ultimately paving the way for the digital transformation of our country.

It is instrumental to the ongoing efforts aimed at enhancing our country’s digital economy, elevating the standard of living for citizens, and driving societal transformation through technological advancements.

The center was planned to function as a testing ground for comprehensive solutions with the potential to drive significant advancements and innovation within the industry, among others, smart Home Automation, tele birr financial transactions, immersive visitor experiences, Fintech integration as well as smart agriculture techniques, smart Tourism services and remote patient monitoring.

Ethio telecom has been providing telecom services in Ethiopia for 130 years.

Source: Ethiop
ian News Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Bill 2023 will include dimensions that capture the interest of the youth.

The move is to enrich the Bill, make it more relevant and ensure smooth implementation, when passed.

Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, said this at a public consultation organised by Alliance for Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) in Accra.

The event sought to assist in the content revision and to propose specific amendments that will address needs of youth, and vulnerable groups, including People living with Disabilities around climate adaptation and use of climate change funds that will be established as a provision of the Bill when enacted.

It also served as a platform to create awareness, engagement, and climate literacy among young people.

Dr Jasaw said the timing of the amendment to the Bill was right because, ‘it is currently at the second consideration stage and open for input to make it solid.
‘

He noted that the Bill was seeking to elevate the Environmental Protection Agency as an Authority to be empowered to regulate, protect, and exercise general oversight and co-ordination over all matters relating to the environment and climate change.

He said the Bill, when passed, would consolidate the various dispersed Environmental Acts; the Environmental Protection Act, 1994 (490), the Pesticides Control and Management Act, 1996 (Act 528) and the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Act (917) under one Act.

The Bill under review was enacted twenty-nine years ago to regulate matters that affect the environment and to coordinate the activities of bodies that deal with the practical and technical aspects of the environment.

Mr Assan Ng’ombe, the Head of Resilience at AGRA, said Ghana had a large youthful population of which 73.7 per cent of them were below the age of 35 years.

‘However, youth participation in public and private processes remains low. For example, less than two per cent
of the 275 Members Parliament fall in the 21-35 age range,’ he noted.

The situation, Mr Ng’ombe said had, created gaps in national laws and programmes in effectively responding to the needs of the youth.

He said Ghana just like other global south countries was vulnerable to rising sea levels, droughts, increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall which adversely impacted infrastructure, hydropower production, food security and coastal and agricultural livelihoods.

Mr Ng’ombe noted that the youth had a role to play in helping the implementation of the country’s climate adaptation and mitigation measures hence the need for their inclusion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Sefwi-Bonzian Divisional Stool in the Juaboso District of the Western North Region has expressed worry over some acts of lawlessness of some residents of Aboboyaa, a farming community near Bonsu-Nkwanta, which could jeopardize the security of the district.

Addressing a press conference at the Sefwi-Bonzian Chief’s Palace, Nana Bebu Assaw II, Chief of Abono, blamed the community members for blocking the main Bonsu-Nkwanta-Aboboyaa road, preventing Nana Ofori Ahenkan II, the Chief of Bonzian, from visiting his community.

Nana Assaw, who doubles as the Kontihene for Sefwi-Bonzian, Aboboyaa, said the community was part of over 100 communities that fell within the Bonzian Stool Land.

‘So, preventing the chief from visiting his community is an act of insubordination, which can create chaos and disturb the peace of the area,’ he said.

More than 40 chiefs attended the press conference and gave a two-week ultimatum to Nana Gideon Seidu, Sub-chief of Aboboyaa, Nana Esi Amissah, Queen Mother and Mr Daniel Amakay
ah, Assembly Member for Aboboyaa Electoral Area, to be present at the Bonzian Palace to explain their actions.

‘We the chiefs will not sit down unconcerned for someone we gave our land to for free to intimidate us on our own land,’ Nana Assaw said.

He advised farmers to respect the customs and traditions of the land for peaceful coexistence and encouraged the youth to allow the traditional authorities to solve the issue amicably to ensure peace.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms Eliklim Klu, the President of Volta Regional Chapter, Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, says the girl-child should be considered an asset as valuable as the male-child, and be inspired to excel.

She said parents with all-female children need not be discouraged, but rather provide the needed support to bring them up to high standards in society.

Sharing personal experiences at an inclusion summit organised by non-profit Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA), in Ho, Madam Klu said with equal opportunities females could deliver roles reserved for males.

‘I am not worried that I have no boys. It doesn’t bother me. I dislike it when people say ‘you need a boy’. I don’t need boys. The care my girls provide for me is incredible.’

‘If you want a mechanic in your family, you can train your girls to become mechanics.’

She commended GLOWA’s work to enhance women participation, and asked women to remain assertive.

Mrs Thywill Kpe, the Director, Department of Gender, Volta Region, noted the cons
tant low level of women participation in leadership and decision making, and said quality laws and policies and their strict enforcement would be required to balance out the gender scale.

She said women should find encouragement from among the myriad of female achievers that abound, adding that the Volta Region boasted of several of Ghana’s top women contributors.

The event was held to mark this year’s International Women’s Day and is part of the Action for Voice and Inclusive Development (AVID) project being funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation through STAR Ghana.

The theme for the year; ‘Inspire Inclusion’ served as a powerful call to action to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world for all.

Participants included women groups and PWDs, who were trained and empowered by GLOWA.

They received livelihood enhancement skills and industrial support for farming and other activities, and showcased some farm products at the venue.

Some individuals were empowered to contest assembly m
embership and other positions in their communities.

Madam Rosemond Ewoenam Atutonu, the Executive Director of GLOWA, said the celebration would help recognise the role of women in development and increase awareness to help them take up leadership positions in the community.

She said GLOWA hoped to expand the project and was looking at setting up a skills training centre to benefit the women.

Source: Ghana News Agency

ActionAid Ghana (AAG) has reiterated the need to address historical and systematic barriers that have disproportionately hindered women’s access to resources and opportunities to enable them to participate actively in the national economy.

‘Despite the progress made so far, women face significant obstacles to achieving equal participation in the economy and we call on all to ensure equal opportunity for women and girls to build their capabilities and strengthen their capacity to learn, earn, and lead,’ Madam Abiba Nibaradun, the Upper West Regional Manager of AAG, said on Friday.

She said this at Lawra during the Upper West Regional celebration of the International Women’s Day (IWD), with this year’s theme being: ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.’

Representatives of PronetNorth, the Upper West Regional Gender Support Network, and traditional leaders among others, attended the event organised by ActionAid Ghana, in collaboration with MEDA and the Upper West Regional Department of Gender.

T
he event, which also brought together women from selected districts and municipalities in the region, also saw a cooking competition among men who prepared indigenous dishes.

There was also a role play by members of the Young Urban Women’s Movement depicting how young women were sexually harassed in their quest to seek decent jobs in both the formal and info

Madam Nibaradun called on stakeholders to support and promote women’s inclusion in leadership and key decisions that affected their lives and for Parliament to speed up the process towards the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law.

She said the theme for the celebration ‘highlights the critical importance of women’s economic empowerment as central to realising women’s rights and gender equality.’

It also aligned with AAG’s Country Strategic Paper (CSP) VII, which, among other things, sought to promote women’s rights and decent work to create a just world with an equitable distribution of resources.

Madam Charity Batuure, the Upper West Regi
onal Director, Department of Gender, observed that the IWD offered the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection the opportunity to assess what had been done regarding issues of women, the challenges and the specific steps that could be taken to achieve the desired goal.

She said the desired goal was women’s total inclusion in the national economy and giving men and women equal opportunities to participate in decision-making, especially on issues that affected women.

‘We cannot expect progress if we can’t have the majority that matters in the development process, which is the women,’ Madam Batuure, also the convener of the Gender Support Network, indicated.

She added that there should be fair representation of women at all levels and called on stakeholders and development partners to be intentional about issues of women, by involving them in the planning, implementation and conclusion stages to achieve the expected outcome.

Pognaa Agnes Tangzie, the Queen Mother of Gbengbe in the Lawra Traditiona
l Area, encouraged women to be confident and venture into some of the male dominated roles.

She stressed the need for increased advocacy and education to empower more women to have confidence and to participate actively in national discourse.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The West African Coastal Management Programme (WACA) has been rolled put in Ghana with a community stakeholder engagement held in the Anloga District of the Volta Region to raise awareness on the project.

The WACA project is World Bank sponsored aimed at coastal resilience in ways that would benefit the socio-economic interest of communities and populations under the threat of all forms of coastal disasters like tidal surge, floodings, storm surge and waterspouts.

Mr Noble Wadza, the Project Coordinator for Coastal Civil Society Forum, urged participants to support the project, being the only possible solution to the current coastal erosion hitting the Volta Region coast.

‘This is just a project preparatory stage where we are supposed to engage the people in the affected areas, educate them towards awareness creation for the preliminary activities to commence.’

‘This project preparatory stage mandates the civil society organisations to work with community to understand the project and demand accountabilit
y from the project, because we are aiming at development democracy.’

Mr Wadza urged the people to support the implementation towards a successful outcome.

Mr Kinney Ken, the Executive Director, Development Institute, assured the people that restoration of socio-economic activity of the area was one major aim of the project implementers.

He mentioned that the Keta Lagoon basin area would be rejuvenated to provide ecotourism for the natives.

‘The project will include land reclamation from the sea as was done in Benin and Togo, how to restructure the area to withstand flood disaster by possibly dredging of the Keta Lagoon and mangrove restorations, which will not only benefit the environment but also provide economic benefits.’

The WACA Resilience Investment Project is being implemented in six countries in West and Central Africa.

In Togo, about 1,600 meters of land between Gbodjome and Agbedrafor had been reclaimed protecting about 940 households from coastal disasters.

Two coastal regions of Greater Acc
ra and Volta are supposed to benefit with all three coastal districts in Volta Region (Anloga District, Keta Municipal, and Ketu South Municipal) as major beneficiaries.

Areas along the east coast of Ghana, particularly the Volta coast, have been experiencing severe coastal disasters in recent years rendering many homeless and destroying some businesses.

After the meeting, a four-member team was formed to serve as community intermediaries for further engagements.

Mr Joseph Kpattah, Presiding Member, Anloga District Assembly, Togbi Hatsu II of Dzita, Togbi Dukli Attipoe, Mr Joel Degue, Development expert, as well as administrative staff and assembly members were present at the meeting.

Keta Municipal and Ketu South are expected to have their engagements in subsequent days.

Source: Ghana News Agency

In the latter part of April 2023, a scientific research team in China successfully completed the country’s first full-size superconducting test run for an ultra-high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) train.

Combining maglev technology with low vacuum technology, the train, which will become the fastest means of on-ground transport once completed, will be capable of running up to 1,000 kilometers per hour.

Home to by far the world’s largest high-speed railroads network – with 155,000 km of railways in operation, including 42,000 km of high-speed lines as of the end of 2022, the addition of ultra-high speed magnetic trains to China’s rail network, will truncate travel time for people and cargo – improve economic efficiency and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions – promoting the harmonious coexistence of people and nature, the bedrock of Chinese modernisation.

In the country’s pursuit of modernisation, thus, Chinese modernisation, a unique development pathway for more than 1.4 billion people – prio
ritising common prosperity for all and promoting peaceful coexistence of mankind and the natural environment.

China has increasingly leveraged cutting-edge technologies, including high-speed railroads and the internet of things to drive development – these tools were central to concerted efforts dedicated to achieve the first centenary goal – they ensured that the country’s development improved the lives of its people.

By the end of 2020 exactly 10 years since China became the world’s second-largest economy, the Asian giant succeeded in using its rapid economic growth to eradicate extreme poverty, the first time in its history.

China’s economic rise has lifted nearly 800 million people from poverty and improved the living standards of its people.

Surprisingly, this outstanding achievement, which is also the first in human history, was realised 10 years ahead of the poverty eradication target set out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a remarkable achievement, driven partly by cutting-edge te
chnological solutions.

From widespread adoption of internet of things, high-speed railroad network, machine learning, drones, electric batteries, photovoltaics to many other technologies, now dominated by China, these cutting-edge technologies, have increasingly accelerated the country’s social, economic and environmental progress.

These are fostering efficiency and improving productivity in various sectors including transportation, agriculture, healthcare, ICT and energy; and mitigating inequality, promoting inclusive growth and protecting biodiversity.

All of these contributed significantly in building a moderately prosperous society by 2021 – successfully achieving the first centenary goal.

To build on this development, China, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has embarked on a new journey, the second centenary goal – once again, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance its rejuvenation on al
l fronts by 2049.

One of the key areas presently driving China’s development to this goal is the mobile industry.

As the world’s largest 5G market, it accounted for more than 60 percent of global 5G connections at the end of 2022 (exceeding 2.3 million 5G base stations). China’s mobile industry has yielded colossal social, economic and environmental gains – increasingly integrating communities across the length and breadth of the country – linking production and consumption across rural and urban areas.

There has been a profound transformative change, that fosters rural revitalisation and concurrently spurs development in urban settlements, thus further driving Chinese modernisation, with greater impact expected in the coming years.

By the end of 2022, almost 1.3 billion people in China subscribed to a mobile service. In that year, mobile technologies and services contributed $1.1 trillion of economic value to the Chinese economy, accounting for 5.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

China is proj
ected by the latest GSMA report (2023) to be the first market to reach one billion 5G connections by 2025, accounting for almost a third of the global total connections by 2030.

This will see rapid mobile connectivity, which ultimately will underpin future mobile innovation and services – building on the current deployment and adoption will most likely, boost the country’s social, environmental and economic development.

At present, China’s increased mobile connectivity has a tremendous impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recent analysis shows that in spite of daunting challenges posed by COVID-19, SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) scored the highest in 2021, mainly attributed to rapid mobile internet adoption and rising-use of mobile-enabled services.

In the case of SDG 6, widespread adoption of mobile technologies such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence have enhanced capacities of communication and payment channels that prov
ide water and sanitation services. With just a smartphone, people in urban and rural areas in China are able to directly access utilities and other public services, including education and healthcare – in fact, the mobile industry increasingly facilitates logistics for SDGs.

For SDG 9 in China, one of the two SDGs with the highest scores in recent years, the mobile industry has been a pillar in the building of resilient infrastructure, promoting innovation, inclusive and sustainable industrialisation.

For example, China Mobile, which has established 1.28 million 5G base stations, provides digital services to more than 20 million small and medium-sized enterprises and information technology products.

In 2022 China Mobile assisted five million SMEs to transition to digital operation in China – enabling these enterprises to access new and larger markets, bolster innovation and productivity and foster inclusive growth.

So far, China’s increased mobile connectivity has had a tremendous positive impact on SDGs
but there is still room for improvement.

To accelerate China’s development to meet the second centenary goal by 2049, it is incumbent on policymakers to implement germane policies to advance innovative and new technologies in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, healthcare and transportation to complement efforts from the mobile industry.

For example, the plans to adjust about 20 percent of university majors in China by 2025 – introducing majors focusing on cutting-edge technologies and new industries and dropping majors unfit for socio-economic development is a step in the right direction.

Such actions will make available adequate human capital needed to create innovative and cutting-edge technologies to further drive Chinese modernisation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Godfred Bokpin, an Economist, has rejected the Ministry of Finance’s analysis on the financial implications of the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament.

He said the Ministry’s advice to the President on the financial implications of the recently passed anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament lacked global evidence and only sought to ‘put fear in the President’.

The Finance Ministry, in a statement to the President following the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament, warned that the country stood to lose some $3.8billion in World Bank support should he (President Akufo-Addo) assent to the bill.

Speaking on Accra-based television station, TV3’s Saturday’s programme, ‘The Key Points’ monitored by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Prof Bokpin rejected the Ministry’s assertion, describing it as ‘narrow’.

He noted that, just like with the enactment of every law, the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill would have monetary implications on the country.

However, he explained that the Ministry’s explan
ation that the country would lose $3.8billion budgetary support from the World Bank was not supported by any global evidence.

‘If you examine the statement from the Ministry of Finance, you could see that it wasn’t professional, and it was too narrow-minded,’ he said, adding that ‘I believe that if they had done their research and analysis very well, they would have advised the President based on available evidence at the global and then continental level in terms of the dynamics, rather than perhaps, taking this narrow view.’

Prof Bokpin also indicated that the statement exposed the Ministry of not doing extensive research and analysis on the matter before issuing the advice to the President, saying such act was ‘not professional’.

Globally, he noted that there were no evidence to show that the more than 60 countries, which were members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, and had criminalised homosexuality had lost support from the institutions.

‘I mean, the issue of homosexuality
has been there long ago and even where they have lifted the ramifications, the evidence on the ground does not support the position of the Ministry of Finance, and that is why one would be wondering why the Ministry of Finance would seek to put that fear in the President and Ghanaians,’ he said.

Prof Bokpin added that: ‘There are over 60 countries of the IMF and the World Bank that have criminalised homosexuality. For decades, the evidence on the ground is that the IMF and the World Bank have not stopped doing business with them.’

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, on the same programme, questioned the rationale behind the Finance Ministry’s linkage of the Bill to financial gains at the detriment of ‘Ghanaian values’.

He also indicated that some comments by the international community particularly diplomats, on the recently passed Bill amounted to interference in the affairs of their host country, and breach of international diplomatic laws.

He, therefore, asked them to resp
ect the laws and values of Ghana and refrain from such commentaries to ensure peaceful coexistence between them and their host country.

Parliament on February 28, 2024, passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (anti-LGBTQ bill) after the third reading.

The Bill, among other things, sought to prohibit lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities in the country.

It also places a jail term of up to five years on convicts.

Source: Ghana News Agency