Ghana president says he will never oversee same-sex legalization

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says: “It will NOT be under his presidency that same-sex marriage will be legalized in Ghana.”

A statement from the presidency was responding to a recent resurfacing of the issue. The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) scribe had made the allegation warranting the response.

“This is nothing but a baseless and vile fabrication, by no less a person than, the General Secretary of the leading opposition party in Ghana.

“For the avoidance of doubt, President Akufo-Addo has NEVER stated anywhere that, under his presidency, men will marry men, and women will marry women,” the statement signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the presidency said.

The president faced a backlash earlier this year when most Ghanaians accused him of not being emphatic enough on the same-sex question in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Asked why homosexuality remained a criminal offence in Ghana, the president said, “I don’t believe that in Ghana so far a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact of public opinion that will say, change it; let’s then have a new paradigm in Ghana.”

He adds that like in other parts of the world, it will take the activities of groups and individuals to try bringing it up for discussion.

“At the moment, I don’t feel and I don’t see that in Ghana there is that strong current of opinion that is saying that this is something that we need to even deal with. It is not so far a matter which is on the agenda.”

A lawyer by training, the president recounted his days as a young boy in England where homosexuality was banned and illegal, a time when politicians thought it was an anathema to be homosexual saying he believed the same processes will bring about changes.

His views are slightly moderate to that of Ghana’s third most powerful man, Speaker of parliament Mike Ocquaye, who is an ardent anti-gay rights activist. In his most recent pronouncement on the issue he said Africa was getting tired of the seeming cultural imposition.

“ It will NOT be under his ( Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ) Presidency that same-sex marriage will be legalised in Ghana “ ~ Eugene Arhin , Director of Communication pic.twitter.com/GE16Rz3lXW

— HON. SAM TOYS (@SamToys_NPP) April 28, 2018