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The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is set to engage the Mahama government over the passage of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill which was passed by the 8th Parliament.

The Anti-Witchcraft Bill, officially known as the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to modify the Criminal Offences Act, of 1960 (Acts 29) to make it criminal for anyone to engage in witch doctoring or witch finding.

The law also prohibits persons from accusing, declaring, labelling or naming another individual as a witch.

The document was presented through Private Member’s Bill by the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, and other colleague MPs who are all in the NDC.

Ghana’s Parliament ratified the bill on July 28, 2023 aimed at tackling the numerous issues associated with witchcraft accusations. But Akufo-Addo did not sign it.

The former president had expressed concerns about potential financial impacts on the country’s consolidated fund, leading to his decision not to sign the bill.

Meanwhile, Lambert Luguniah, National Representative of CHRAJ, expressed optimism about the new government’s favourable disposition towards the bill.

He disclosed that earlier engagements with key members of the Mahama government towards the bill was favourable and expressed hope that it can be passed under this administration.

“Our expectation is to engage the new government…My boss, the Commissioner, did intimate a few weeks ago that he had had a preliminary engagement with some of the key officers in the government and their disposition is very favourable to the passage of the bill,” he said on Accra-based Channel One TV.

To avoid any of the previous attempts faced over the passage of the bill, he added that CHRAJ intends to formally engage the government once it is fully constituted to ensure the bill is repackaged and presented in the name of the President, rather than as a private member’s bill.

“So we will formally engage them when the government is fully constituted to make sure that the bill is repackaged even in the name of the president instead of its becoming a private member’s bill such that it can be passed without any incumbrances like the first one,” Luguniah added.

Full Text: CHRAJ advises Akufo-Addo to sign anti-witchcraft bill