The Minister-Designate for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, has openly declared his opposition to same-sex marriage in Ghana.

Issues of same-sex marriage have been a subject of controversy over the years with a bill currently before Parliament seeking to criminalise activities of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders (LGBTQI+).

When asked by a member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Gizella Tetteh of his stance on the matter, the nominee said he disapproves strongly of same-sex marriage.

“Same-sex legalising in Ghana, I am opposed to it,” Mr Asamoah Boateng said.

The Draft legislation on same-sex marriage before Parliament would make identifying as gay or even an ally to the LGBTQ community a second-degree felony punishable by five years in prison — with advocating for LGBTQ rights punishable by up to 10 years.

Same-sex conduct is already punishable in Ghana with violators facing a three-year sentence, but the new Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill seeks to criminalise identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, nonbinary, queer, an ally “or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female.”