In a significant statement, Ghana’s Anglican Archbishop of West Africa, Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, has asserted that the church does not support the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people.
Ben-Smith, who is the Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa and Bishop of Asante Mampong in Ghana, clarified the church’s position in an interview with the BBC.
“Our point in our province is very clear: we do not support the criminalisation of gay persons,” said the Archbishop. While acknowledging that criminalisation was the law in Ghana, he reiterated that the church does not support it. He added, nevertheless, that “we [the Anglican Church] believe that God created male and female.”
As head of the Province of West Africa, Ben-Smith leads 19 Anglican dioceses in eight countries, including Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
When asked if gay Christians would be accepted in the church in Ghana, the Archbishop replied: “They are all children of God, and God loves them.”
While claiming that homosexuality is not accepted in traditional Ghanaian culture, he also stated that LGBTQ+ people are “not new here, they have lived in this country for a long time,” adding that “we’ve lived with them and they’ve never been a problem.”
Anglican Church in Ghana previously called for review
The Archbishop’s statement follows the Anglican Church of Ghana softening its position on criminalisation several years ago.
In 2022, the House of Bishops representing the Anglican Church in Ghana said that while it supported the country’s then-pending anti-LGBTQ+ bill, “the criminalisation of sections of the bill are severe and must be reviewed.”
The bishops did not reject the bill outright. They stressed that they did not approve of homosexuality, portraying it as being in conflict with the “traditions, values, cultural and social frameworks” of Ghana.
The stance ignores pre-colonial history that reflected more diverse sexual and gender roles, including some forms of same-sex marriage among the Nzema and the Nankani people.
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill still awaits President’s signature
Under colonial-era provisions, Ghana’s Criminal Code already criminalises consensual same-sex sexual relations with up to three years in prison.
In May, after years of efforts by anti-rights politicians and a previous version that expired, Ghana’s Parliament passed an extreme anti-LGBTQ+ bill, titled the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025.
President John Mahama has yet to sign the bill, but if he does, it will criminalise simply identifying as LGBTQ+ or as an ally, with those found guilty facing three years in prison. It will further outlaw same-sex intimacy and gender-affirming medical services, also with penalties of up to three years in prison and fines.
The dissemination or publication of materials that advocate for the equality or affirmation of LGBTQ+ people will carry prison sentences of up to five years. The bill would also disband organisations that support LGBTQ+ rights and ban adoption by LGBTQ+ individuals.
The legislation passed amid criticism that public hearings on the bill lacked transparency, fairness and meaningful democratic participation.
