Ghana: President Mahama Says He Will Sign Dreaded Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

In troubling remarks, Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has announced that he will sign a widely feared anti-LGBTQ+ bill if Parliament passes it.

Mahama sought to clarify his position on the bill and his broader stance on LGBTIQ+ rights in a speech to the Christian Council of Ghana on Tuesday in Accra.

“If you want the position of my government, marriage is between man and woman,” he told the audience, who responded with applause.

He continued: “A person’s gender is determined at birth, and then also that the family is the foundation of our nation. That is our position, and so there are no questions or equivocations about what we believe.”

“If Parliament Passes It, I Will Sign It”

Mahama went on to state: “And so we agree with the Speaker [of Parliament] to re-lay the bill and let Parliament, you know, debate it… If the parliaments of the people of Ghana endorse the bill and vote on it and pass it, and it comes to me as President, I will sign it.”

The anti-LGBTQ+ bill – formally named the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill and originally introduced in 2021 –  was passed by Parliament in February 2024 despite widespread international condemnation and urgent appeals from human rights organisations.

The bill, however, stalled when then-President Nana Akufo-Addo declined to sign it. After Parliament dissolved following the December 2024 elections, incoming President Mahama declared that the bill had effectively expired but could be revived.

A Draconian Proposal Revived

Same-sex intimacy is already criminalised in Ghana under colonial-era laws, but the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill sought to dramatically escalate the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.

The proposed law included prison sentences of up to five years for same-sex intimacy and up to ten years for advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

It also aimed to criminalise identifying as LGBTQ+ or as an ally, and to outlaw gender-affirming healthcare for both providers and recipients. Landlords who rent property to LGBTQ+ individuals could also face prison terms of up to six years.

Bill Expected to Return to Parliament

As early as May, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, confirmed that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill would be reintroduced. It remains unclear whether the new version will mirror the original 2021 text.

A coalition of human rights organisations in Ghana has warned that the bill violates core rights enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, including the rights to dignity, freedom of speech, freedom of association, the freedom to partake in processions, academic freedom, equality, and non-discrimination.