Human Rights and Freedom in Ghana

Ghana Republic of Ghana [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	111st best
Capital	Accra
Land Area	227 540km21
Location	Africa
Population	29.8m2
Life Expectancy	63.80yrs (2017)3
GNI	$5 745 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	GH, GHA, 2885
Internet Domain	.gh6
Currency	Cedi (GHC)7
Telephone	+2338

Ghana is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Ghana comes in the best 20 for its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₉ (one of the best in Africa). It does better than average when it comes to supporting press freedom₁₀ (one of the lowest in Africa), its average Freedom in the World rating, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₁₁ (amongst the lowest in Africa) and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₂. Civil society organizations are mostly doing well. Ghana does not succeed in everything, however. Ghana does worse than average in eliminating modern slavery₁₃ (still low for Africa), freethought₁₄, opposing gender inequality₁₅ and in LGBT equality₁₆ - LGBT+ defenders "are frequently harassed and intimidated"₁₇. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 when it comes to the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₁₈. Homosexuality is illegal, and even in 2021, new and harsher legal measures were going through government, including imprisonment of ten years for promoting LGBT tolerance₁₇, coming after a push by a coalition of conservative Christian and Islamic organisations.

1. Ghana's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Press Freedom
   2. Slavery
   3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   4. Freedom in the World
   5. Nominal Commitment to HR
   6. HR Treaties Lag
3. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. Anti-Semite Opinions
   2. LGBT Equality
   3. Freedom of Thought
5. Links

---

1. Ghana's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #ghana #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to Africa (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	S. Africa	55.8
2	Seychelles	64.8
3	Cape Verde	66.8
4	Namibia	70.1
5	Mauritius	70.5
6	Senegal	74.1
7	Burkina Faso	83.8
8	Ghana	84.9
9	Mali	86.8
10	Botswana	90.9
11	Lesotho	92.9
12	Kenya	93.8
13	Tunisia	94.8
	Africa Avg	110.0
q=54.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
83	San Marino	83.7
84	Burkina Faso	83.8
85	Venezuela	84.0
86	Ghana	84.9
87	Kyrgyzstan	86.3
88	Monaco	86.7
89	Turkey	86.7
90	Mali	86.8
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₂₀. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, The Vatican City and Sudan₂₀.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₀, whereas the worst are Melanesia, The Middle East and Micronesia₂₀.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Ghana stated:

“There were several violations of the right to freedom of expression and police use of excessive force. Forced evictions continued. Two bills to abolish the death penalty were introduced to parliament. A bill further criminalizing LGBTI people remained pending. Women continued to experience discrimination. Child labour was reported.”

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₂₁

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Lower is better10
Pos.		201310
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
27	Uruguay	1592
28	Portugal	1675
29	UK	1689
30	Ghana	1727
31	Suriname	1819
32	USA	1822
33	Lithuania	1824
34	Slovenia	2049
	Africa Avg	3511
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Regarding supporting press freedom, Ghana comes 30th in the world (amongst the lowest in Africa).

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₂₂

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.2. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #ghana #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery Lower is better13
Pos.		2018 % Victims13
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
92	Burkina Faso	0.45
93=	Tajikistan	0.45
94	Indonesia	0.47
95=	Ghana	0.48
95=	Iraq	0.48
95=	Gabon	0.48
98	Sierra Leone	0.50
99	Uzbekistan	0.52
	Africa Avg	0.96
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Ghana is positioned 95th in the world in terms of eliminating modern slavery.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₃. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₄. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₅. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₆.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₇. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₈. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₉. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₃₀, Eritrea₃₀, Indonesia₃₁) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₂.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

Ghana has an issue with child labour in its cocoa industry, with children working too many hours in difficult conditions. This extends as far as having many children being counted as being in forced-labour conditions that equate to modern slavery₃₃.

2.3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better11
Pos.		2014 Rank11
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
56=	Macedonia	55
56=	Suriname	55
58	El Salvador	58
59	Ghana	59
60	Jamaica	60
61=	Haiti	61
61=	Fiji	61
63	Dominican Rep.	63
	Africa Avg	114.2
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Amongst the lowest in Africa Ghana ranks 59th in the world when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₃₄

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.4. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
72	Trinidad & Tobago	2.0
73=	Monaco	2.0
73=	Poland	2.0
73=	Ghana	2.0
76	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.5
77=	Senegal	2.5
77=	Israel	2.5
77=	Solomon Islands	2.5
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

When it comes to its average Freedom in the World rating, Ghana is 51st in the world.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2.5. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better12
Pos.		2009 Treaties12
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
86	Belarus	16
87=	Seychelles	16
87=	Tajikistan	16
87=	Ghana	16
87=	Belize	16
87=	Monaco	16
87=	Latvia	16
87=	Yemen	16
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

In terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights, Ghana is 84th in the world.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.6. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better35
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty35
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
99	Kuwait	10.36
100	Laos	10.53
101	Cambodia	10.56
102	Ghana	10.64
103	Croatia	10.65
104	Zambia	10.81
105	Iran	10.81
106	Albania	10.94
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Ghana comes 102nd in the world with regard to speed of uptake of HR treaties.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Ghana and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Ghana is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better15
Pos.		201515
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
128	Qatar	0.54
129	Tanzania	0.54
130	Pakistan	0.55
131	Ghana	0.55
132	Lesotho	0.55
133	Syria	0.55
134	Togo	0.56
135	Kenya	0.56
	Africa Avg	0.54
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Ghana comes 131st in the world in terms of opposing gender inequality.

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases Lower is better18
Pos.		2022 %18
1	Sweden	31.836
2	New Zealand	34.437
3	Australia	37.037
	...
71	Ethiopia	98.937
72	Iraq	98.937
73	Haiti	98.936
74	Ghana	99.036
75	India	99.136
76	Rwanda	99.136
77	Myanmar (Burma)	99.437
78	Bangladesh	99.437
	Africa Avg	98.10
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Ghana ranks 15th-worst in the world regarding the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators).

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
98=	Syria	1953
99	Colombia	1954
100=	Belize	1954
100=	Ghana	1954
102	Nicaragua	1955
103=	Ethiopia	1955
103=	Peru	1955
103=	Eritrea	1955
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Ghana comes 99th in the world with regard to the year from which women could participate in democracy.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better9
Pos.		2014 %9
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
13=	New Zealand	14
13=	Australia	14
15	Norway	15
16=	Ghana	15
16=	Finland	15
18	Brazil	16
19=	Singapore	16
19=	Nigeria	16
	Africa Avg	45.9
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

One of the lowest in Africa Ghana comes 16th-best in the world in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice.

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_38,39,40,41. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₄₂, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_43,44. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₄₅. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₄₆.

For more, see:

• "Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #ghana #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

Homosexuality is illegal under Section 104 of the Criminal Code legislation of 1960 and societal prejudice and harassment is far too common. In 2021 new and harsher legal measures were going through government as the "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill", which includes imprisonment of ten years for promoting LGBT equality. Religious leaders are particularly aggressive towards LGBT folk.₁₇

LGBT Equality Higher is better16
Pos.		2017 Score16
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
168=	Zimbabwe	-24
169	St Kitts & Nevis	-25
170=	Botswana	-25
170=	Ghana	-25
172	Pakistan	-26
173	Egypt	-27
174=	Iraq	-29
174=	Togo	-29
	Africa Avg	-10.4
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

With regard to LGBT equality, Ghana ranks 169th in the world.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₄₇. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₄₈. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₄₇. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

Ghana's horrendous proposed 2021 law against homosexuality is described by the UN as being state-sponsored discrimination and a clear breach of human rights law; it was produced and supported by a coalition of Christian and Muslim organisations.₁₇ after continued campaigns by religious bodies against LGBT tolerance across Africa. Some examples from Ghana:

“In 2020, opposition MP Dr. Hanna Luisa Bissiw, stated that "homosexuality is a disease" and suggested LGBTI+ people should be euthanized; and an Imam described homosexuality as an "evil that must not be countenanced in any way because it is despised by God". In 2018, Head Pastor of Osu Church of Christ, Kofi Tawiah stated "homosexuality is considered as a capital offence which is abominable and is accompanied by capital punishment."

Ghana´s first LGBTI+ community support center and safe house opened in January 2021, but was forced to close 3 months later after being illegally raided by the police and facing pressure from religious lobby groups, the Catholic Church of Ghana, and members of the government. ”

"The Freedom of Thought Report" by Humanists International (2021)₁₇

“Things took a dark turn in 2019, after the World Congress of Families, a U.S.-based Christian group, organized a conference in Ghana. The group's goal was to push harsh criminal punishments for LGBTQ behavior, as it succeeded in doing in Uganda and Nigeria several years ago. "They confidently said they were going to do the same thing in Ghana" said Alex Donkor, the executive director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana, an advocacy group, who was at the conference.”

"Ghana´s tragic turn toward anti-LGBT extremism" by Karen Attiah (2022)₄₉

4.3. Freedom of Thought

#christianity #europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #Ghana #human_rights #islam #netherlands #religion #religion_in_Ghana #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better14
Pos.		202114
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
	...
127	Brazil	3.3
128=	Liberia	3.3
128=	Germany	3.3
128=	Ghana	3.3
128=	St Lucia	3.3
132	Solomon Islands	3.5
133=	Togo	3.5
133=	Turkey	3.5
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

Regarding freethought, Ghana ranks 109th in the world.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₅₀. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₅₁. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₅₂ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₅₃. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₅₄. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_14,55 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_14,56.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₅₇. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₅₁, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₅₈ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₅₉ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

Ghana's Constitution protects "freedom of thought, conscience and belief", protects religious freedom, and prohibits discrimination based on religion.₁₇. However, the State itself causes some indirect discrimination by directly funding and supporting specific Christian and Muslim institutions, and religious leaders are seen to have undue influence on the Government₁₇.

“In 2019, a constitutional challenge against the construction of the National Cathedral [on 14 acres of state land next to Parliament] and the setting up of the Hajj board [which pays for Muslims to go on the Hajj pilgrimage] was brought by a local politician, James Bomfeh, who argued that both measures are a violation of the [...] duty of the State to respect equality and uphold religious neutrality.

Bomfeh's case was dismissed by the Supreme Court, who found that the Constitution did not specifically prohibit the Government from "supporting, assisting or cooperating with religious groups."”

"The Freedom of Thought Report" by Humanists International (2021)₁₇.