Wherever I go in Africa, I will advocate for respect for LGBTQ community - French Minister

The French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie, and International Partnerships, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, has renewed her call for the protection of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, April 3,  she pledged to continue advocating for the rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, and Queer people, regardless of where she is located.

During the conference, Zacharopoulou emphasized the importance of ensuring that members of the LGBTQ+ community are not discriminated against and that their rights are protected. 

She expressed her unwavering commitment to promoting equality and respect for diversity and stated that she would persist in her efforts to advance the cause of LGBTQ+ rights wherever she goes.

Zacharopoulou who is on an official visit to Ghana told journalists that protecting the rights of such people is a core value of France and the European Union t large.

"In my country and in the European Union, we promote human rights and of course in my Ministry, we have an ambassador to promote LGBT rights, so what I can say is that this is our values.

"... and wherever I go in Africa, I will continue to say that we have to respect all of us, the LGBT community, this is a question of human rights and I always say that," she said in a report by local media.

She is the latest visiting politician to make pronouncements on same-sex relations at a time Ghana is nearing the passage of an anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.

Last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris made similar comments about LGBTQ+ rights being human rights. She made the comments at a joint press conference with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as part of her three-day official trip that brought her to Ghana and onwards to Tanzania and Zambia.

Currently, over 30 African countries have bans against same-sex relations, with presidents of Kenya and Uganda and other top politicians in both countries stating open opposition to the orientation.

Ghana's bill if passed into law, the bill would outlaw all forms of support for the LGBTQI+ community and propose jail terms for individuals who engage in same-sex relations.