In May, this year, when the people of Uganda boldly enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act, The White House issued a strongly-worded statement in which the United States government hinted about measures to be taken against Uganda.
President Joe Biden indicated in the statement that he had directed his National Security Council to evaluate the implications of Uganda’s anti-gay law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with the country, including the ability to safely deliver services under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which Ghana is a beneficiary of, and other forms of assistance and investments.
The statement further said the Biden administration will also incorporate the impacts of the law into its review of Uganda’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Ghana, again, benefits from the AGOA with a 10-year plan (2015–2025).
“And we are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restrictions of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption,” Joe Biden threatened.
The statement argued that the US shares a deep commitment and partnership with the people of Uganda, as it has worked with them for more than 60 years to help millions of Ugandans live healthier and more productive lives.
Underneath this supposed help are the unmeasurable benefits that the US also derives from Uganda, directly or indirectly, but the statement shied away from mentioning even one, unless they are only interested in wasting their taxpayers’ money for no returns.
In opening the statement, Joe Bident described the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act as a violation of universal rights—one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people. He claimed that the act jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the country and called for its immediate repeal.
It is quite interesting that the U.S. would seek to blackmail Africans with their aids to kowtow to their whims and caprices. What happened to the general principle of the sovereignty of every independent nation?
While Ghana is also in the process of passing a law to criminalise homosexuality, the statement tells us what is ahead of us. Instructively, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, is reported to have warned that the passage could affect trade and investment in the country.
The Chronicle is shocked that the western world wants to push their cultures down the throats of African countries on the basis of the assistance they offer us, albeit without compensating the continent for the trauma and losses due to the slave trade.
Her position unfortunately echoes The White House statement on Uganda, giving a signal that Ghana may suffer all the harsh sanctions that Joe Biden is planning against Uganda for passing the law.
It is for this reason, as well as the cultural values the people of Ghana cherish, that we commend religious leaders for condemning the US ambassador’s statement and saying that they will resist any imposition of homosexuality.
We agree with the Anglican Bishop of Accra, Right Reverand Dr. Daniel Sylvanus Mensah Torto, in saying that the remarks by the ambassador were “a threat to the country. It is like they are forcing their culture on us,” he told the Ghanaian Times.
According to the same Ghanaian Times report, the Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Right Reverand Prosper Samuel Dzomeku, indicated that Ghana values friendship and cooperation with western nations, but Ghana’s commitment to its faith and national identity is “unwavering. We firmly believe that these principles contribute to the stability and strength of our nation.”
For us, every African should commend the bold decision taken by Uganda, and other governments should follow suit to call the bluff of the super powers in this regard.
Who knows, should the western world cease offering support to countries that legislate against homosexuality, it may well compel those African countries to be more responsible and self-reliant.
It should not be lost on us that when COVID-19 struck, Ghana, for instance, challenged itself to produce its own face masks and hand sanitizers among others, and has set off to produce vaccines locally.
These threats should embolden governments on the continent to unite and devise means of making the bloc a safe haven for its people, for the west knows too well that their survival depends on the resources of Africa.
The Chronicle holds the position that once the US will not accept polygamy because it is against their culture, they should allow Africa to breathe with their pro homosexuality.
