The report that Ghana’s Parliament has approved a bill aimed at promoting human sexual rights and family values, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBT bill is one of the trending stories in Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that Ghana’s Parliament has approved a bill aimed at promoting human sexual rights and family values, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBT bill. The legislation prohibits lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding in the country.
Under the new law, individuals engaged in such activities could face imprisonment ranging from six months to three years, while promoters and sponsors of such acts could be sentenced to three to five years in jail.
Before the bill’s passage, sponsors of the legislation initiated a motion for further consideration by the House. Samuel Nartey George, the lead sponsor, proposed amendments to clauses 10 and 11 of the bill, which address the editorial policies of media organizations, to ensure compliance with Article 12 of the 1992 constitution, guaranteeing freedom of the media. These amendments were accepted by Parliament as part of the bill.
However, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader, filed a motion regarding clause 12, which concerns the funding of LGBT activities, to be subjected to constitutional scrutiny. This motion was rejected by the House.
The passage of the Bill by Parliament comes a day after the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Audrey Gadzekpo urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to assent to the Bill.
“Human rights are not dependent on majority approval or disapproval, therefore the assertion by the proponents of the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill that because the majority of Ghanaians are allegedly in favour of the bill, justifies its passage into laws is untenable. Ghana is a secular and multi-religious country,” she said.
The bill will come into effect if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo signs it into law.
Gay sex is already against the law in Ghana – it carries a three-year prison sentence.
The newspaper says that despite a challenging economic environment in Ghana marked by high inflation and currency depreciation, Scancom PLC, known as MTN Ghana, reported a successful year in 2023.
The company announced a profit of GH¢3.98 billion cedis and declared a dividend of GH¢0.175 per share in its audited 2023 Financial Report released yesterday. The company’s share price on the Ghana Stock Exchange dipped by 0.01 pesewas yesterday to close trading at GH¢1.39.
While the year presented its share of difficulties, MTN Ghana remained focused on delivering value to its stakeholders.
The company’s service revenue grew by 34.6% year-on-year, driven by strong growth in voice, data, and Mobile Money. This growth translated to a 39.4% year-on-year increase in profit after tax, reaching GH¢4.0 billion. Additionally, MTN Ghana maintained a healthy balance sheet with GHS 225 million in outstanding principal debt. It paid paid GH¢5.9 billion in direct and indirect taxes.
Investing in its network and infrastructure was a key priority for MTN Ghana in 2023. The company invested GH¢3.3 billion in core capital expenditure, expanding its network and improving service quality. This investment resulted in the deployment of 350 new 2G, 353 new 3G, and 350 new 4G sites, achieving an impressive 99.3% 4G population coverage.
Beyond its financial performance, MTN Ghana said it remained committed to its social responsibility efforts. The MTN Ghana Foundation invested GHS 30.3 million in initiatives supporting healthcare, education, and economic growth. The company is also dedicated to environmental sustainability, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, and fostering diversity and inclusion within its workforce, with a goal of reaching 50% female representation by 2030.
As MTN Ghana prepares for the future, there will be a change in leadership. Selorm Adadevoh, the current CEO, will be transitioning to the role of MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer. Taking the reins as the new MTN Ghana CEO, effective April 1, 2024, will be Stephen Blewett, an experienced leader with a long history within the MTN Group.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) started this year with improved performance with favour¬able returns in both the GSE composite and Financial Stock indices.
A statement issued by the GSE on the January, 2024 market activities copied to the Ghanaian Times said the improved perfor¬mance in January demonstrated the increasing level of inves¬tor confidence in the Ghanaian market.
The GSE said both the GSE Composite and Financial Stock Index registered gains of 1.35 per cent and 0.45 per cent respective¬ly.
“In the equities market, in¬creased confidence in the market resulted in an increase in the number of transactions to 2.22, a 77.82 per cent compared to the same period last year,” the GSE stated.
The statement said, “The month ended with a trading volume of 31.06 shares, amount¬ing to GH¢34.93 million in value. These figures signify an impres¬sive 1,903.98 per cent surge in trading volume and a substantial 423.61 per cent increase in the value traded compared to the corresponding period last year,” the statement said.
It said top gainers for the month included GGBL which saw an increase of 30.59 per cent in it shares, UNIL saw a gain of 9.47 per cent, GLD recorded 9.70 per cent, Access, 8.82 per cent, and Total, 5.56 per cent.
The newspaper says that the Office of the Attor¬ney-General and Minis¬try of Justice saved the nation about GH¢15 trillion in defending court cases brought against the government, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, has said.
He said the cases were in the nature of alleged breach of contracts and default payments to companies that provided services to the government.
President Akufo-Addo announced in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday that government, through the Attorney-General, saved the country more than GH¢15 trillion.
The Minority in Parliament raised eye brows at the total fig¬ure captured in the President’s speech.
But Mr Dame at a press brief¬ing in his office provided clarity, saying that the President was right that the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice saved the government more than GH¢15 trillion.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice said the GH¢15 trillion the President mentioned was related to a case in which African Auto¬mobile Limited brought an action against the government for non-payment of vehicles and equipment supplied to the Ministry of Employment and Manpower between 1997 and 1999.
Mr Dame said the to¬tal amount for vehicles and equipment supplied to the government in 1999 was about GH¢979,000.
He said in most of the cases, the parties sought compound interest that accrued over time, which his office diligently represented the government of Ghana and obtained favourable judgements.
Mr Dame said that in one of the cases, the Attorney-General led evidence to demonstrate the judgement was obtained by fraud and same was eventually set aside by the high court.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice told jour¬nalists that he discharged his constitutional duties with tact and professionalism.
GIK/APA