This article proffers an ethical investigation on the current issue of
cohabitation of people who are not formally married in Akan culture of
Ghana. Whilst the issue of cohabitation has become common among other
African cultures in recent times, in this article I am arguing that this practice
poses a challenge to our African cultural outlook towards marriage. The
article argues that the essence of the institution of marriage within these
communities has slowly being adulterated. This has compromised the rich
and cherished values around the indigenous rites and ritual leading to
marriages. Through the lens of ethical theory of consequentialism, the article
exposes the ethical implications of cohabitation within the Akan indigenous
knowledge systems arguing that it underplays the unity and the rituals that
binds and protects the individuals in the relationship. It also downplays the
essence of the institution of marriage within the indigenous Akan context.
Therefore the article calls for a critical engagement in preserving some of
these values in our current social system.