By Lawrence Odoom/Phalonzy
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, and Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has strongly censured the Ghana AIDS Commission for distributing lubricants to men who have sex with men.
Contributing to deliberations on the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, on Friday, April 23, Mr. George contended that such resources ought to be reallocated to bolster maternal healthcare delivery.
The lead sponsor of the bill challenged the Commission’s rationale, arguing that its actions were antithetical to its core mandate of combating HIV.
“We have evidence of Ghana AIDS Commission officers meeting with pro-LGBTQ groups and giving them lubricants. If the Ghana AIDS Commission is supposed to fight HIV, why are you giving lubricants to men to have anal sex with men?” he said.
He rejected the Commission’s justification that the intervention was intended to curb HIV transmission among persons already infected.
“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,” he stated.
Mr. George further maintained that public health resources should be prioritized for more pressing needs, particularly in maternal care.
“If they really want to fund public health, they should go and give maternal beds for women who do not have beds for delivery. This one, we won’t open the door,” he added.