The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo and Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin to work together in ensuring the implementation of the people’s will regarding the contentious Human Sexual Rights and Ghana Family Values Bill, commonly known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.Currently, a deadlock exists over the transmission of the Bill from Parliament to the Presidency.

The President halted the transmission of the anti-gay bill, while the Speaker of Parliament suspended the approval of new ministerial nominees citing a court case.This impasse has left many Ghanaians disheartened, questioning why two branches of the government cannot collaborate to protect the country's values and cultural systems.

In a recent media interview, Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, stressed the importance of both the Executive and Legislature collaborating in the public interest. He noted that the Bill enjoys majority support among Ghanaians and urged President Akufo-Addo to respect the decision of the people as expressed by their representatives in Parliament.

“We’re surprised that at this time the President has not signed it yet. People can go and make their cases anywhere, anytime, but as to whether the President should listen to Supreme Court orders or individual presentations before he assents or not, we don’t know if the law provides for that,” Reverend Gyamfi stated.

“When this law has come from the people and it has been passed by Parliament, I do not find any basis for the President to stand against it and say he will not assent to the Bill,” he added.

“We call on them to follow what the law and Constitution provide because they are causing concern for all of us. This situation is unprecedented, which is why we are unsure if there’s a provision for it. If there’s no provision, why should the President delay?” Reverend Gyamfi questioned further.