EMIA hosted a panel of experts to discuss the economic impacts of discrimination. Ghana has proposed new legislation that would not just criminalize being a LGBT+ person, but for voicing support or advocating for them as well.
Our panel to discuss the economic and societal consequences of such discriminatory bills included:
- Jeffrey O’Malley, Senior Advisor of LGBTI Inclusion in Africa from the UNDP
- Dr. M.V. Lee Badgett, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director of Ghana’s Center for Democratic Development
- Yvette Babb, Emerging Market Portfolio Manager at William Blair
- Ken Colangelo, Emerging Markets Investors Alliance (moderator)
Topics covered included:
- Social issues within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- The benefits of inclusivity and the overarching part it plays in sustainable development
- Economic transmission channels of discrimination
- Recent emerging market successes and setbacks for LGBT rights
- The balance between investor advocacy for human rights and the right to self-determination