John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana. [Photo by Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images]
Ghana’s President John Mahama has said the country’s newly passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation will face legal and procedural review before he decides whether to sign it into law, even as pressure mounts from religious conservatives for his swift assent.
Parliament approved the bill on Friday — described by observers as one of the most repressive anti-LGBTQ laws on the continent — imposing penalties of up to three years in prison for same-sex relations, and between three and five years for the promotion, sponsorship or deliberate support of LGBTQ+ activities. The bill also introduces a “duty to report” prohibited acts to the police, and could see anyone identified as an “ally” of LGBTQ+ people face imprisonment.
Speaking during a visit to the United Kingdom, Mahama tempered expectations of an immediate signature. His legal council and attorney general would “sit on it because it was a private members’ motion… [and] not a government bill,” he said. “We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order,” he added, noting that the bill would be referred to the Council of State — his advisory body — should any issues arise.
The bill, formally titled the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, was originally introduced in June 2021 by a bipartisan group of MPs led by Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George. It was approved by parliament in February 2024 but lapsed with the dissolution of Ghana’s parliament ahead of the 2024 general election, after then-President Akufo-Addo used multiple Supreme Court challenges as justification for withholding his assent. The new version was reintroduced in the Ninth Parliament and passed with unanimous committee backing.
Mahama also flagged procedural irregularities in how the bill was passed, saying the Speaker of parliament was addressing the lapses. The most contentious amendments centred on Clause 9, under which Parliament approved exemptions protecting lawyers, journalists, media organisations, doctors, psychologists, counsellors and other healthcare professionals from criminal liability when carrying out their professional duties. Ghana’s minority party lawmakers objected to those carve-outs, arguing the amendments had weakened the bill compared to its 2024 version. “The bill appears, and not only appears, substantially has lost the force and the bite and the thrust, the deterrence, the efficacy that it contained and carried in 2024,” minority spokesperson John Ntim Forjour said.
The president’s cautious tone contrasts with assurances he gave last year. In November 2025, Mahama told the Christian Council of Ghana he would “not hesitate” to sign the bill into law if parliament passed it, stating: “Marriage is between man and woman. A person’s gender is determined at birth. Family is the foundation of our nation and creation.” He now faces competing pressure from religious conservatives demanding immediate assent and rights groups urging rejection of the bill.
Human Rights Watch has formally recommended that the bill be abandoned, while advocates counter that it is necessary to preserve Ghanaian family values. International investors and development partners have closely monitored Ghana’s handling of the legislation, particularly after Uganda faced financial consequences following the enactment of similar laws in 2023. Ghana’s laws already criminalise same-sex relationships under statutes inherited from the British colonial era.
The bill’s passage drew attention days before the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty was scheduled to convene in Accra. It is part of a broader continental trend: Senegal’s parliament in March approved legislation prescribing up to ten years in prison for same-sex acts, while Uganda introduced the death penalty for certain same-sex conduct in 2023.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah