By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, April 24, GNA – Mr Samuel Nartey George, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, has criticised the Ghana AIDS Commission over allegations that it distributed lubricants to men who have sex with men, saying public funds should rather be invested in maternal healthcare.
Mr George raised the concern on Thursday April 23, in Accra during deliberations on the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, currently before Parliament.
The Minister, who is also the Principal Sponsor of the Bill, questioned the rationale behind the Commission’s alleged actions, describing them as inconsistent with its mandate to prevent the spread of HIV.
“We have evidence of Ghana AIDS Commission officers meeting with pro-LGBTQ groups and distributing lubricants. If the Ghana AIDS Commission is mandated to fight HIV, why should it be providing lubricants for anal sex between men?” he queried.
Mr George, who is also the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, said the explanation that the materials were intended to prevent the spread of HIV among infected persons was unacceptable.
He said, “And the excuse given is that these are people who already have HIV, and so they don’t want them to spread it. So they are giving them lubricants. That in itself is an activity that continues to perpetuate anal sex between men.”
According to him, such interventions rather encouraged practices that the Commission was expected to discourage.
Mr George stressed that limited public health resources should be prioritised for pressing needs, particularly maternal healthcare.
“If public health funding is available, it should be used to provide maternal beds for women who lack basic facilities for childbirth,” he said, adding that Parliament would not support actions that are counterproductive to national values.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQI Bill, seeks to criminalise same-sex relations and related advocacy in the country.
Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has begun a two-day clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill following its referral by the Speaker.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah