Ghana's Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Under Legal Review
Last update: June 2, 2026
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Ghana’s controversial bill to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities isn’t law just yet, President John Mahama says it needs legal vetting first.
Ghana’s proposed bill to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities is heading for a closer look before it can become law, President John Mahama has confirmed, cbinews.tv.
Speaking while in the UK, Mahama explained that because the bill started as a private members’ motion not a government-led one his legal council and attorney general will “sit on it” to check everything stacks up.
Parliament passed the bill on Friday. If it becomes law, identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer could land someone up to three years in prison. It also includes a “duty to report” prohibited acts to police.
“We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order,” Mahama told cbinews.tv. He added that if issues crop up, it’ll be sent to the Council of State his group of advisors for review.
Since taking office last year, Mahama has faced pressure from religious leaders to toughen laws on same-sex relationships. Ghana already bans them under laws left over from British colonial rule.
Chatting during a Q&A session in London on Monday, Mahama noted there were “some procedural lapses” when the bill went through parliament. The Speaker is now sorting those out.
This isn’t the first time MPs have backed this kind of legislation. A similar bill was introduced back in August 2021 after an LGBTQ+ resource centre in Accra was shut down.
Mahama’s predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, never signed that 2024 version into law before leaving office. It got held up by multiple lawsuits at the Supreme Court, which Akufo-Addo pointed to as his reason for not approving it.
The bill was reintroduced this year by a cross-party group of MPs. But members of Ghana’s minority party aren’t happy with the changes. They say the current draft is weaker than the 2024 version.
The bill “has lost the force and the bite and the thrust, the deterrence, the efficacy that it contained and carried in 2024,” said minority spokesperson John Ntim Forjour.
The updated version now exempts legal, healthcare and media professionals who treat gay people or report on LGBTQ+ news. But it still means anyone who calls themselves an “ally” basically a supporter of LGBTQ+ people could face jail time.
Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have slammed both versions of the bill. They told parliament’s constitutional and legal affairs committee in Accra that it infringes on the rights of sexual minorities and should be scrapped.
Supporters argue it’s about protecting Ghanaian family values.
Ghana isn’t alone here. Senegal’s parliament approved similar laws in March, with up to 10 years in prison for same-sex acts and criminalising the “promotion” of homosexuality. Uganda went even further in 2023, introducing the death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
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