Ghana’s parliament on Friday approved a controversial new bill that criminalizes the so-called promotion of LGBTQ activity. The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill imposes prison terms of up to 10 years for individuals who “promote, sponsor, or advocate LGBTQ+ acts” and bans the funding of associated groups and activities.
The bill comes in the wake of a broader crackdown on sexual minorities in West Africa, with religious groups in Ghana long-since advocating for the legislation. While supporters of the bill say that it protects Ghanaian family values and cultural norms, critics—including human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International—have condemned the bill, warning the government that the bill’s enactment will bring an unavoidable fallout, dealing a catastrophic blow to the country’s already fragile human rights landscape. In particular, HRW urged Ghana’s government to “uphold the international legal protections that guarantee every Ghanaian equality, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and privacy.”
Friday’s law is the second iteration of an earlier bill, passed in 2024. While retaining the core provisions of the previous bill, it also includes exemptions for legal professionals, members of the media, and healthcare professionals. For example, lawyers can still represent LGBTQ+ clients without being penalized, and healthcare professionals will be able to provide care or psychological support without fear of reprisal. While Ghana’s parliament unanimously passed the bill in 2024, former president Nana Akufo-Addo did not sign it. Under Ghana’s constitution, if the president does not sign draft legislation before the end of a parliamentary term, the legislation automatically expires and must be passed again by the new parliament.
Friday’s bill, proponents suggest, is unlikely to be met with the same executive stalling, given current President John Dramani Mahama’s more conservative and decisive stance on social legislation than his predecessor.
More than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries have laws that criminalize same-sex sexual acts and relationships. While some of these laws carry heavy prison sentences of more than 10 years, in countries like Somalia and Mauritania, the punishment is death. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) and its continental counterpart, Pan Africa ILGA, have jointly called on Mahama to reject the bill, warning that its severe restrictions tear at the very fabric of human rights and democracy allegedly enshrined in the country’s constitution.
