STORY: Ghana’s parliament on Friday (May 29) approved a new bill that criminalizes the so-called promotion of LGBTQ activity, part of a broader crackdown on sexual minorities in West Africa.

The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, passed by a voice vote after the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee unanimously recommended its adoption, first deputy speaker Bernard Ahiafor said.

The bill was introduced last year shortly after President John Dramani Mahama took office. Lawmakers from Mahama's political party, the National Democratic Congress, had been urged by religious leaders and other supporters of the bill to vote on it, and Mahama will now face pressure to sign it.

Lawmakers passed an earlier version of the bill in 2024, under Mahama's predecessor, President Nana Akufo-Addo, but it faced legal challenges and Akufo-Addo never signed it into law.

The bill approved on Friday maintains the existing penalty of up to three years in prison for same-sex sexual acts. It also bans "funding, sponsorship or promotion" of LGBTQ acts, with prison terms ranging from three to five years. And it introduces a "duty to report" prohibited LGBTQ acts to a police officer or other authorities, with violators facing up to three years behind bars.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: ACCRA, GHANA (MAY 29, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. GHANA PARLIAMENT CHAMBER

2. VARIOUS OF DEPUTY SPEAKER SEATED IN THE CHAMBER

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English/Twi) GHANA LAWMAKER, JAMES ENU, SAYING:

"As far as the law is concerned, the law that we wanted to pass is exactly what was passed. The law bans LGBTQ activities such as lesbians, and bisexual, and homosexuals, and transgender, the law bans all those things, the law criminalizes those things."

4. VARIOUS OF LAWMAKERS DURING SESSION

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English/Twi) GHANA LAWMAKER, JAMES ENU, SAYING:

"Those who decide to form groups to advocate for LGBTQ+ the law is against it and to advocate for LGBTQ, it has been banned by the law. And the law has also set in place measures and penalties to those who will falter. A lot of the offences are such that there are terms of imprisonment.”

6. NDC LAWMAKERS SEATED DURING SESSION

7. LAWMAKER SPEAKING

8. NPP LAWMAKER, JOHN FORDJOUR, LISTENING AND READING DOCUMENTS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NPP LAWMAKER, JOHN FORDJOUR, SAYING:

“So long as he’s a non-governmental body organization and a development partner, he can promote and support LGBTQ activities. That is bizarre. That is dangerous. If you don’t want to pass this bill, nobody is forcing you, but it is most dishonest to want to rush through processes and then pass things that are even more dangerous than the status quo that we’re trying to prevent. Because the status quo were trying to prevent, no law has been passed to protect the very people who are sponsoring the LGBT activities.”

10. VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES SEATED DURING THE PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

11. LAWMAKERS STANDING / DEPUTY SPEAKER LEAVING THE CHAMBER