The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, has told the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana that LGBTQI+ sexuality constitutes an “abomination” in the West African nation.

“Our laws abhor any forms of discrimination”’, Mr Bagbin told the High Commissioner when he called on him, but added: “This [LGBTQI] is something that we see as an abomination; it is something that we abhor and, therefore, we will continue to go according to their culture.”

He said: “We also have the decision of the European Court on Human Rights to guide us in whatever we do” and, so, on the issue of LGBTQI+, definitely we already have a legal framework within which to work”.

“We will not legislate to infringe the human rights of people but we will legislate to ensure that culture and traditions are not violated”, he stressed.

The High Commissioner, Mr Gregory Andrews, had earlier urged Ghana’s Parliament not to pass legislation that discriminates against the rights of the LGBTQI+ community.

“We believe that to protect human rights, sometimes, our culture needs to adapt and that doesn’t mean being a different culture, it means accepting people for who they are, especially, when they are not causing harm to anyone else.”

“That is why on the LGBTQ+ issues, Australia will really encourage Ghana’s Parliament not to pass legislation that would discriminate the LGBTQ+ community or remove their rights or to make it illegal for people to advocate their human rights.”