Ghana’s Education Ministry has reportedly vowed to punish severely any student caught engaging in “homosexual or lesbianism activities.”

Speaking on Ghanaian radio, Paul Krampah, a public relations officer for the ministry, said: “It is a big problem and it is an issue that nobody is happy about. Those who engage in homosexuality and lesbianism, I mean these are practices that we don’t condone in our parts of the world.

“We as officials of the Ghana Education Service shun such practices and we would not condone them in our educational institutions.”

Mr Krampah was commenting on claims that a student had been forced to leave her former school because she had faced pressure from her friends “to practice lesbianism.”

“So when the culprits are found out we will punish them according to the rules and regulations that guide the schools”, Mr Krampah added, in reference to the allegations.

Same-sex sexual activity between men is illegal in Ghana with those found guilty facing up to 3 years in prison. A newspaper in the country made a claim last year that over 82% of the population abhorred homosexuality.

It is unclear in Ghanaian law whether same-sex sexual activity among females is illegal.