News:
May 29, 2026
Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, has cautioned against proposals to sentence persons convicted of anti-LGBTQ+ offences to community service under the proposed Community Service Bill 2026.
Speaking during the bill’s second reading, the Asante Akim Central lawmaker said: “I want to sound a caveat in drafting the bill. I overheard some persons say that if someone is found guilty, they should serve community service. We need to be careful.”
He added: “I wonder how you put someone to do community service when the person is accused of anti-LGBTQ+ activities or offences. You might as well sentence the person to death.”
Mr Anyimadu-Antwi warned that individuals convicted of such offences could face severe public hostility. “People will even beat the person to death on the street,” he said. “We should be careful in making use of that. Rather, do due diligence in assessing the kind of offences or people we convict that would be sentenced to community service.”
The lawmaker commended the minister responsible for the initiative, describing it as “long overdue”. He said the bill should be embraced and worked on “with the speed of light”, adding that the whole House is awaiting its passage.
He also noted that paragraph 7 of the report addresses the bill’s fiscal impact analysis – a requirement for every bill before Parliament. The ministry has indicated projected savings of GH₵493,407 from prison expenditures.
“I do not know if they have quantified the overcrowding of the prisons that this bill seeks to cure,” Mr Anyimadu-Antwi said. “There will be a lot of savings by the government, both physically and financially.”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso / Ghanamps.com