Political scientist Ransford Gyampo has described Ghana as a transitional democracy, arguing that some rights frameworks seen in advanced democracies, including on LGBT issues, cannot fully apply at Ghana’s stage.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, the University of Ghana professor argued that democracies develop in stages, with each stage shaping which rights become fully active. He said Ghana, with its own culture and established ways of doing things, sits at an earlier point on that path than advanced liberal democracies.
He maintained that countries at Ghana’s level are still building their political, social and cultural systems and therefore cannot be compared directly with more established democracies. On that basis, he cautioned against adopting every rights framework found elsewhere. “Ghana is a transitional democracy,” he said.
The remarks come amid intense debate over the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which Parliament passed on Friday and which now awaits presidential assent. Rights advocates and some international organisations reject this line of reasoning, arguing that fundamental rights should not depend on a country’s stage of development.
