Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has condemned what he describes as the government’s betrayal of its own promises on Ghana’s LGBTQ policy.
Reacting to Ghana’s decision to abstain from a critical vote on LGBTQ issues at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, accused the government of engaging in “double standards” and failing to uphold Ghanaian family values on the international stage.
Samuel Jinapor said the Minority Caucus had taken note of both the abstention and the “misleading” statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempting to justify the move.
“The Caucus notes with regret the Government’s double standards on the issue of LGBTQ and the Ministry’s attempt to rationalise such double standards,” he said.
According to him, the abstention was not about protection from violence or discrimination, as the Ministry claimed.
“The statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that ‘the question before the Council was whether persons who identify as LGBTQI should be protected against violence and discrimination or not’ is totally false,” Samuel Jinapor insisted.
“The question before the Council was whether to extend the mandate of the IE SOGI, which had ended, for him to continue performing the functions above, which invariably includes the promotion of LGBTQ.”
Samuel Jinapor rejected any suggestion that abstaining from the vote was in line with Ghana’s constitutional protections.
“It cannot, also, be correct that Ghana abstained from the vote because of Chapter Five of the Constitution. Nothing in article 17 of the Constitution cited by the Ministry supports individual choice of sexual orientation or gender identity,” he said.
“Indeed, article 12 of the Constitution is clear that the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution are ‘subject to … the public interest.’”
The Damongo MP argued that the Independent Expert’s work directly contradicts what the current government promised in opposition.
“What the international community calls discrimination against LGBTQ includes laws that criminalise LGBTQ activities, such as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which the Government, now, then in opposition, championed and promised to sign into law when elected into office,” he stated.
Samuel Jinapor pointed to the Independent Expert’s recent report from April 2025, which urged countries to “end the practices of de jure and de facto criminalisation” of LGBTQ.
He said this was in direct conflict with Ghana’s cultural and legal position.
“Ghana’s decision to abstain from this vote is, thus, a sign of Government’s indifference to proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, which they promised to uphold.”
He accused the government of not only failing to act domestically but also showing weakness internationally.
“The Government’s failure to lay the Anti-Gay Bill in Parliament for it to be passed into law, and its consistent abstinence from votes relating to LGBTQ is a clear manifestation of its double standards on LGBTQ issues and the promotion of Ghanaian family values.”
Samuel Jinapor emphasised that Ghana’s criminal laws already prohibit certain LGBTQ-related practices and reflect the nation’s cultural values.
“It is, therefore, disappointing that on two separate occasions, this very Government has failed to join other like-minded countries to project these Ghanaian values and norms at the international level.”
He ended by clarifying the position of the Minority: “While we do not support any form of violence against any person, including persons who identify as LGBTQ, we remain committed to upholding the integrity of our nation and defending her norms, values and practices, both home and abroad, and urge the general public to join us on this noble cause for people and country.”
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