Ghana Parliament Passes LGBTQ+ Bill With 3-10 Year Jail Terms as Mahama Signature Looms
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 1
Ghana Parliament Passes LGBTQ+ Bill With 3-10 Year Jail Terms as Mahama Signature Looms
4 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 1
Friday’s vote approved a bill that would jail people for up to three years for identifying as LGBTQ+ and up to 10 years for advocacy, support, funding or promotion of LGBTQ-related activities.
Rights groups said the measure has already triggered panic, with people deleting social media posts and fearing eviction, job loss, harassment and reduced access to healthcare despite exemptions for lawyers and health workers.
The bill broadens Ghana’s rarely enforced colonial-era ban on same-sex relations by also targeting allies and requiring reporting of suspected LGBTQ+ people; activists logged 80 cases this year of exposure, abuse or eviction.
John Dramani Mahama is expected to sign the legislation, unlike his predecessor who left a similar 2024 bill unsigned, while Rightify Ghana plans a court challenge over quorum and the speed of passage.
Accra hosts an African family-values conference on June 3-6, and activists say the vote reflects a wider regional push after Uganda’s 2023 law and Senegal’s March move to raise same-sex offense penalties to 10 years.
Will Ghana sacrifice billions in foreign aid to enact its sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ law?
How will a 'duty to report' law turn Ghanaian neighbors against each other?
Ghana’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill 2025: Parliamentary Approval, Legal Challenges, and Societal Impact
Overview
On May 29, 2026, Ghana’s parliament approved the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, after a previous version failed to become law when former president Nana Akufo-Addo did not sign it. The new bill criminalizes same-sex acts and their promotion, and includes amendments for professional exemptions. Its future now depends on President John Mahama, who is expected to sign it, as he has publicly stated his belief in only two genders and traditional marriage. This marks a significant step in Ghana’s legislative approach to LGBTQ+ issues, reflecting strong political and cultural positions.