Parliament in Accra has passed a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ bill that criminalises same-sex relationships, cross-dressing and the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights. The legislation, which now awaits the President’s signature, threatens to rupture the delicate diplomatic and economic relationship with the United Kingdom. For the ordinary Ghanaian, the immediate worry is not the law itself but the price of bread and the stability of the pound against the cedi.
The bill imposes prison sentences of up to five years for those convicted of engaging in same-sex acts and up to ten years for advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. Activists have called it one of the harshest such laws in Africa. The British government, which had previously warned that such a move would jeopardise aid and trade, now faces a difficult choice. The UK is Ghana’s second-largest export market after Switzerland, buying gold, cocoa and timber. Aid programmes worth tens of millions of pounds support health and education.
At a market in Kumasi, traders shook their heads when asked about the law. “We do not care about these things. We care about school fees and the price of milk,” said Abena, a mother of three selling yams. Her sentiment reflects a wider frustration that international debates over rights are distracting from the cost of living crisis that grips the nation. Inflation in Ghana hit 35% last quarter, and the cedi has lost nearly a quarter of its value against the pound since January.
The UK’s Foreign Office has not yet issued a formal response, but leaked diplomatic cables suggest officials are preparing to suspend direct budget support. That could hit Ghana’s public services hard. The health service relies on British aid for antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients. Education programmes that pay for textbooks in rural schools may also face cuts.
Ghana’s government is caught between its own religious and cultural conservatism and the economic realities of a country that depends on foreign investment and aid. The President has not indicated whether he will sign the bill. If he does, the UK will likely follow other Western nations in reducing trade preferences and imposing travel bans on officials. That would be a blow to a nation already struggling with rising debt and unemployment.
Union leaders in the UK have been quiet on the issue, with most focusing on domestic rail strikes and the minimum wage. But church groups in London and Manchester have urged the government to take a tough stance. The Archbishop of Canterbury said the law was incompatible with the Commonwealth’s values. Meanwhile, Ghanaian diaspora groups are split. Some call for sanctions, others argue that cutting aid punishes the poor for the actions of legislators.
The real economy of Ghana is fragile. Remittances from Ghanaians abroad, many in the UK, total over $3 billion a year. A diplomatic crisis could disrupt that flow. For now, the markets have not reacted sharply, but investors are watching closely. The Ghana Stock Exchange dropped marginally after the vote.
The irony is that this law is being passed just as Ghana’s economy needs all the friends it can get. The IMF approved a $3 billion bailout in May, contingent on reforms that the bill’s passage could undermine. Ghana risks becoming a pariah state in the eyes of Western investors.
At the heart of this story is the question of what matters most: rights or the price of goods. For a mother in the market, the answer is clear. But for politicians in London and Accra, the choice is more fraught. The next few weeks will determine whether trade and aid survive this schism.
