Report by Pearl Amoako – 4/03/2024

Mohammed Mustapha Samba, a member of the NDC (National Democratic Congress) Communication Bureau, has shared his views on the passing of the LGBTQ+ bill in parliament and its potential impact on Ghana.

Mr. Mohammed Mustapha, speaking on Morning Dew on AIT TV, emphasized the importance of enacting the bill into law to protect the country’s future.

Samba expressed skepticism about foreign movies being aired on Ghanaian media platforms following the passage of the LGBTQ+ bill.

He stated, “There’s no media house in Ghana or TV station that will put up a foreign movie like that, especially after this bill has been passed.”

His remark suggests that the bill’s passage would lead to stricter control over the content shown on Ghanaian media, particularly regarding LGBTQ+ themes.

Drawing a comparison to North Korea, Samba highlighted the country’s restrictions on travel and access to foreign content.

He explained, “A country like North Korea, for instance, where you are not allowed to travel out of the country, you don’t watch anything apart from North Korean contents. Do you know why they do that? So that they will be able to imbibe their values in them.” Samba implied that limiting exposure to foreign content would help preserve Ghanaian values.

Samba also called for the involvement of the National Communication Authority (NCA) and the media commission in addressing the issue. He emphasized the need for measures to control the dissemination of LGBTQ+ content and expressed concerns about how people would be exposed to such content.

Addressing Ghana’s reliance on international financial institutions, Samba criticized the IMF and World Bank, stating, “This IMF and World Bank that anytime we need money, we run to, that is the tool these people use to suffocate us.” He advocated for reducing dependency on these institutions and emphasized the need for self-reliance.

Samba warned of the potential imposition of unfavorable policies by Western countries if Ghana does not take a stand.

He stated, “If not, beyond the gay, America and the Western world are going to put certain obnoxious and unreasonable policies onto us, just because they feel like the African countries should be a testing ground for some of these policies.” He urged the passage of the LGBTQ+ bill into law as a means to protect Ghana from external influence.

He stressed the importance of passing the bill into law to safeguard Ghana’s future and protect its values against perceived external threats.