We will look at it and make sure everything is in order
In Accra and London this week, Ghana's democratic machinery slowed the passage of a law that would imprison people for their identity. President John Mahama, facing pressure from religious constituencies while navigating international scrutiny, has placed the bill before his legal counsel rather than signing it outright — a pause that reveals how deeply contested the boundary between cultural tradition and human rights remains across the African continent. The moment is neither resolution nor rupture, but a threshold where law, conscience, and power are quietly negotiating the terms of belonging.
- Ghana's parliament has passed a bill that would send people to prison simply for who they are or for standing beside those who are.
- The legislation has fractured even its own supporters, with minority party MPs lamenting that amendments stripped the bill of its original punitive force while adding a new threat against LGBTQ+ 'allies.'
- President Mahama, speaking from London's Chatham House, has inserted a legal review process into the bill's path, citing procedural irregularities in how parliament passed it.
- Human rights organizations are pressing hard for the bill's abandonment, warning it violates the fundamental rights of sexual minorities.
- The bill now sits in a legal holding pattern — its fate tied to a review process that could send it to the Council of State or quietly reshape it before any final signature.
Ghana's parliament has passed a bill criminalizing LGBTQ+ identity and activity, threatening prison sentences for people based on who they are. But the road to law is not yet clear. During a visit to London this week, President John Mahama announced that his legal team and attorney general will review the measure before it receives final approval, pointing to procedural irregularities in the bill's parliamentary passage. If problems surface, he indicated the bill would be referred to the Council of State for further deliberation.
This is the second attempt at such legislation. A similar bill was introduced in 2021 following the closure of an LGBTQ+ center in Accra, but never became law — Mahama's predecessor declined to sign it, citing pending Supreme Court challenges. The current version was reintroduced this year by a cross-party group of MPs and contains notable changes that have divided its own backers. Minority party representatives argue the amendments have gutted the bill's deterrent power, while a new provision criminalizes anyone deemed an 'ally' of LGBTQ+ people, even as healthcare workers, lawyers, and journalists are exempted.
Mahama has faced sustained pressure from religious leaders to tighten Ghana's existing anti-gay laws, which themselves descend from colonial-era British statutes. Human Rights Watch has formally urged the constitutional committee to abandon the bill entirely, arguing it violates the rights of sexual minorities. The bill's uncertain trajectory mirrors a wider regional pattern — Uganda introduced capital punishment for certain same-sex acts in 2023 — leaving Ghana's legislative moment suspended between tradition, rights, and the quiet weight of a presidential review.
Ghana's parliament has passed a bill that would criminalize LGBTQ+ identity and activity, imposing prison sentences on people for who they are. But the legislation will not become law automatically. President John Mahama announced during a visit to London this week that his legal team and attorney general will review the measure before it receives final approval, citing procedural irregularities in how parliament handled it.
Mahama explained that because the bill originated as a private members' motion rather than a government proposal, his administration intends to examine it carefully. "We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order," he said at the Chatham House think tank. If problems emerge during that review, he indicated the bill would go to the Council of State, his formal advisory body, for further consideration. The president also noted that Ghana's Speaker of parliament is already addressing what he characterized as procedural lapses in the bill's passage.
This is the second time Ghana's lawmakers have attempted to pass such legislation. A similar bill was first introduced in August 2021, following the closure of an LGBTQ+ resources center in Accra. That earlier version never became law. Mahama's predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, declined to sign it before leaving office, citing pending legal challenges at Ghana's Supreme Court as his reason. The current bill was reintroduced this year by a cross-party group of MPs.
The new version contains significant changes from its 2024 predecessor, and those changes have created an unusual split among the bill's supporters. Members of Ghana's minority party have expressed disappointment with the amendments, arguing that the legislation has lost its original force. "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," said John Ntim Forjour, the minority's spokesperson. The current version exempts legal professionals, healthcare workers, and journalists from punishment when they provide services to gay people or report on LGBTQ+ issues. However, it introduces a new provision: anyone identified as an "ally"—a supporter of LGBTQ+ people—could face imprisonment.
The bill reflects pressure Mahama has faced from religious leaders since taking office last year to strengthen Ghana's existing anti-gay measures, which trace back to colonial-era British law that banned same-sex relationships. Yet it has drawn fierce opposition from human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch submitted a formal recommendation to the constitutional and legal affairs committee reviewing the legislation, urging Ghana to abandon the bill entirely on the grounds that it violates the rights of sexual minorities.
Proponents of the measure argue it will protect Ghanaian family values. The bill's trajectory reflects a broader regional pattern: several African nations have moved to restrict LGBTQ+ rights in recent years. Uganda introduced capital punishment for certain same-sex acts in 2023. Ghana's own legislative moment now rests with Mahama's legal review, a process that will determine whether the bill becomes law or faces further obstacles before reaching his desk for final approval.
Citações Notáveis
We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order— President John Mahama
The bill appears substantially to have lost the force and the bite and the thrust, the deterrence, the efficacy that it contained in 2024— John Ntim Forjour, minority party spokesperson
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why is the president inserting himself into this now, after parliament already voted?
Because it's technically not a government bill—it came from individual MPs, not the executive. That gives Mahama legal cover to slow it down and examine it without looking like he's blocking the will of parliament.
And he's genuinely concerned about procedural problems, or is this a delay tactic?
Probably both. He mentioned real procedural lapses that the Speaker is addressing. But the review also buys time, and time can change things—court challenges, international pressure, shifts in public opinion.
Why would the minority party want a *stronger* version of a bill that criminalizes gay people?
Because they see it as a moral issue, not a political one. To them, the exemptions for professionals and journalists weaken the law's deterrent effect. They want the law to actually bite.
But the "ally" provision—that's new and seems designed to catch more people. How is that a weakening?
It's a strange contradiction. The bill lost some teeth in one direction but gained teeth in another. It's less about punishing gay people directly and more about isolating them by punishing anyone who helps them.
What happens if Mahama's review finds problems?
It goes to the Council of State. That's another layer of deliberation, another chance for the process to stall or for the bill to be modified again.
And if he approves it anyway?
Then it becomes law, and Ghana joins a growing list of African countries making LGBTQ+ identity itself a crime.