The United States issued a business advisory on Uganda, which warns the US companies conducting business in the East African country or planning to do so of risks due to the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill there, according to a press release of the US State Department.
"Uganda’s enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) on May 29, 2023, further increases restrictions on human rights, to include restrictions on freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, and exacerbates issues regarding the respect for leases and employment contracts," the statement read.
On May 29, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, which aims to "protect family values" and criminalizes same-sex relations. The enactment of the legislation provoked condemnation by the US, which threatened to cut its aid and investment in Uganda, as well as imposed travel restrictions on the officials of the African state. In addition, US leader Joe Biden called the passage of the bill a "tragic violation of universal human rights."
Moreover, in August, the World Bank halted its loans to Uganda due to the law. This move was denounced by Museveni, who said that these actions aim to "coerce Uganda into abandoning its faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money."
Apart from this, the Ugandan leader accused "homosexuals in the United States" of hindering the country's textile exports after several US firms ceased to buy the African state's raw materials because of the anti-gay legislation.
Among other countries of the continent that faced pressure from Western countries for passing anti-LGBTQ legislation, there are Nigeria, Tanzania and Ghana. Kenya may also be subject to a backlash from the West after the possible enactment of the so-called Family Protection Bill.