A Professor of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School, Godfred Bokpin, says the country's decision to declare its stance on the controversial LGBTQ+ issue is justified.
According to him, globally, issues regarding sexual orientation are becoming contentious. Therefore, it was right for the country to declare its stance.
Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on March 2, Professor Bokpin said “If you look at it across Africa and the world it was not lost on me that at a point in
time, Ghana had to take a position as a country and we could no longer be neutral along those discussions given those dynamics that were emerging. Especially other countries have responded quite strictly and all of that. So, for me I think that it is just the right thing that the country has done."
Professor Bokpin, while acknowledging that he did not have expertise in legal matters, said that even in economics, whenever policies are established, they often reflect the cultural values of the people.
Therefore, enacting a law based on the principles of their cultural values is justified.
“I am not a lawyer but it is consistent with common sense. I am not a lawyer so I don’t know how law is formulated. I will put it on my hat as an economist. In macro-economic policy formulation, if you talk about the fiscal policy of a country it mirrors the country's culture as well.
"So context is important. So I can look at it from the perspective of policy formulation. Macroeconomic policy, fiscal policy, monetary policy you can not disaggregate or hold constant culture, values, and all of that even in formulation of tax policy and the rest of them. So I do not lean toward the idea that cultural values, and moral values can not be a basis.
"In fact it is a distinguishing feature of one society from the other, one country to the other and for purposes of contextualizing even theory, the issues of cultural values and all of that all play a role,” he added.
His comments follow the debate surrounding the recent passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Already some CSOs and stakeholders including the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Joseph Akanjolenur Whittal, have argued that enacting laws based on culture is somewhat retrogressive.
However, Prof Bokpin disputes these claims; emphasising that the bill has united the populace.
Credit: Connielove Mawutornyo Dzodzegbe