Malawi is set to remove its ban on homosexual acts, President Joyce Banda announced recently, making it the first African country to do so since 1994.

Like many homophobic countries in the continent, homosexuality is considered an offence punishable by law and deserving of jail time.

According to the BBC report, two Malawian men were sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2010 after saying they were getting married.

Last year, Nigeria announced its decision to criminalise gay marriage and proposed a law that will punish homosexuality by up to 14 years in jail. Western leaders called on African countries to recognise gay rights or face cuts to aids.

The threats were not well received by many African nations who felt it their sovereign right to make laws in their countries.

Mrs Banda became president last month when her predecessor, Bingu w Mutharika, died of a heart attack.

After a storm of international condemnation, Mr Mutharika pardoned the two Malawian men on “humanitarian grounds only” but said they had “committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws”.

President Banda is now looking to overturn the law that criminalises homosexual acts.