Ghana’s controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill has cleared parliament and now sits on the desk of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who has signalled he will wait for a Supreme Court challenge before signing it into law. The bill, which imposes prison sentences of up to three years for identifying as LGBTQ+ and up to 10 years for promoting LGBTQ+ activities, has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups and Western governments, including the United Kingdom. The UK government this week warned that the legislation could strain Commonwealth relations, reminding Ghana of its commitments under the Commonwealth Charter, which upholds equality and non-discrimination.
For many Ghanaians, however, the bill is not a matter of international diplomacy but one of deep cultural and religious conviction. At the same time, ordinary people in Accra are grappling with a cost of living crisis. Inflation has pushed up the price of bread, cooking oil, and transport.
The stark divide between the priorities of political elites and the everyday struggles of workers could not be plainer. Unions, which have been vocal in their opposition to the bill on human rights grounds, are now focusing on wage demands as prices soar. The Trades Union Congress Ghana has called for a review of the minimum wage, currently set at 14.
65 cedis per day. With inflation running at over 40 percent, that wage buys less each week. Women in the markets, the drivers in the tro tros, and the workers in the formal sector all ask the same question: How do we feed our families?
The president’s decision on the bill is expected within weeks, but for many, the real judgement will be on whether their living standards improve.
