A proposed African charter aimed at promoting family values, national sovereignty and cultural identity is drawing support from lawmakers and religious leaders across the continent while sparking opposition from human rights groups and some governments who say it could undermine existing protections for women and minority groups.
The debate intensified between June 3-6 in Ghana, where lawmakers, faith leaders and policy advocates from more than 20 African countries gathered in Accra for the Fourth African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty.
Delegates at the conference endorsed a proposed African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty, a document supporters say is intended to protect African societies from external pressure to adopt social policies that conflict with local cultures and religious beliefs.
Conference organizers described the charter as a framework for strengthening families and safeguarding national independence. Christian Council International said the charter would safeguard African family values from what it described as external pressures related to LGBTQ rights and abortion. “It [the family charter] acknowledges Africa’s long-standing commitment to universal human rights but warns that many modern treaties and aid agreements come with hidden conditions that undermine African values.,” CCI said in an earlier summary of the charter.
“These often promote policies on abortion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and comprehensive sexuality education, policies that African leaders argue clash with African traditions and weaken parental authority. The Charter calls for African unity in resisting these pressures, protecting natural resources, and building societies rooted in Africa’s own values,” it added.
Supporters say the charter reflects concerns shared by many Africans about the growing influence of international organizations, foreign governments and advocacy groups on domestic social policies.
The proposal, however, has quickly become a divisive social policy debates on the continent.
Critics argue that the draft charter goes far beyond protecting families and could weaken existing human rights commitments adopted by African states over the past two decades.
According to reports on the draft document, the charter defines gender strictly as male and female, promotes traditional family structures, opposes comprehensive sexuality education and calls on governments to review international agreements that conflict with its principles.
Human rights organizations say some provisions could conflict with the African Union's Maputo Protocol, a landmark treaty adopted in 2003 to advance women's rights across the continent.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation criticized the discussions in Ghana in a statement, calling them "retrogressive."
“Across the continent, we are witnessing increasingly coordinated efforts to roll back sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls in all their diversities, undercut civil and political rights for all, restrict civic spaces, weaken human rights protections, and to portray LGBTQI+ people as threats to society rather than as members of our communities, our families and our nation,” IPPF said in a statement.
Charter supporters argue that the initiative is not an attack on human rights but an effort to preserve cultural values.
Aligning national laws with African and religious values
The debate comes at a time when several African countries are considering or implementing legislation related to family values, sexuality and religious freedom.
In Ghana, lawmakers recently approved the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, legislation that has drawn both praise from religious organizations and criticism from rights groups.
The timing of the parliamentary action and the Accra conference has led many observers to view the charter as part of a broader movement seeking to influence social policy across Africa.
The initiative also reflects the growing role of faith-based organizations in shaping public debates on the continent.
Supporters of the charter say it would help African countries preserve cultural values and exercise greater control over social policy. Conference materials and advocates associated with the initiative argue that governments should be able to develop family and education policies without what they describe as undue external influence from foreign governments, donors and international organizations.
"Africa must be allowed to define its own values," supporters said during discussions surrounding the conference.
Yet not all African governments appear ready to embrace the proposal.
One of the most significant developments in Accra was the decision by South Africa and Mozambique to abstain from adopting the charter.
South Africa's position attracted particular attention because the country has some of the continent's strongest constitutional protections for individual rights and equality.
The abstentions highlighted emerging divisions among African states over how social policy should be shaped and what role international human rights agreements should play.
The discussion has also raised broader questions about the relationship between culture, religion and public policy in a rapidly changing Africa.
The continent is home to some of the world's fastest-growing Christian populations, particularly among evangelical and Pentecostal churches. At the same time, African governments are facing increasing pressure to balance traditional values with international commitments on human rights and development.
As discussions continue, the proposed African Family Values Charter is emerging as one of the most significant social and political debates currently unfolding across the continent.
Whether it ultimately gains wider support or encounters stronger resistance, the initiative has already succeeded in placing the question of who defines African values at the center of public discussion.
