Ghana's parliament has passed sweeping legislation criminalising homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities, according to Antigua News Room, marking a significant escalation of anti-gay laws in the West African nation.
The bill proposes that anyone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer face up to three years' imprisonment. It also introduces a mandatory "duty to report" prohibited acts to police, and extends potential criminal liability to anyone identifying as an "ally" — a general term for a supporter of LGBTQ+ people.
The legislation now awaits ratification by President John Dramani Mahama, who has faced sustained pressure from religious leaders to strengthen anti-gay laws since taking office last year. Mahama has signalled his support for the bill, stating shortly after assuming the presidency that "I believe in the principles and values that only two genders exist — man and woman — and that marriage is between a man and a woman."
The bill's sponsor, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, told parliament the legislation would protect Ghanaian family and cultural values. He said the new measures would make existing laws "more robust, more encompassing and more stringent in dealing with the practices of LGBTQI."
Exemptions have been included for legal, media and healthcare professionals who report on LGBTQ+ issues or provide medical treatment and related services.
The bill has drawn sharp international condemnation. Human Rights Watch formally recommended the legislation be abandoned in a submission to the constitutional and legal affairs committee scrutinising it in the capital, Accra. The organisation warned the bill placed LGBTQ+ people's lives at risk while "encouraging citizens to surveil and denounce one another."
Same-sex relationships were already banned in Ghana under laws dating from the British colonial era. A similar bill passed parliament in 2024 but failed to become law after then-President Akufo-Addo declined to sign it amid ongoing legal challenges.
Ghana's move reflects a broader regional trend. Senegal's parliament approved comparable legislation in March, prescribing a maximum prison term of ten years for same-sex acts and criminalising the promotion of homosexuality. Uganda went further in 2023, introducing the death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
