Parliament of Ghana scheduled to bring back Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
The bill seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ events in Ghana as well as support, advocacy, or financing of these endeavors.
Immanuel Amuah 
Commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill will be introduced for its first reading during the Second Meeting of the Ninth Parliament, according to Parliament's Speaker, Mr. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin. The bill seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ events in Ghana as well as support, advocacy, or financing of these endeavors.
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Following an Easter break recess on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Mr. Bagbin remarked on welcoming Members of Parliament back to parliamentary business.
Speaker Bagbin said, "Three private members bills—the Property Rights of Spouses Bill 2025, the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana Amendment Bill 2025, and the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025—have completed the procedures as required by the standing orders of Parliament and are expected to be presented for a first reading during the course of this meeting."
The bill's comeback is expected to start fresh debates on Ghana's cultural values, constitutional liberties, and human rights. Should the bill be passed, it would mandate jail time for supporting LGBTQ+ events and raise the maximum prison sentence for same-sex sexual acts from three to five years.
Concurrently, citing constitutional issues, the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has vehemently objected to the bill.
"To act in a way that is morally considered a sin is not, and should not be, a crime," said Senior Programs Officer Dr. Michael Akagbor of CDD-Ghana. Declaring that the bill's reenactment broke Ghana's constitutional spirit, he urged Parliament not to go forward with it.
President John Dramani Mahama has also responded on the bill, supporting the idea behind the legislation but preferring it to be presented as a government-sponsored bill rather than a private member's initiative.
Others also contend that passing the bill could have major economic effects on Ghana. Important for the nation's economic recovery, the Ministry of Finance has cautioned passing the measure could compromise $3.8 billion in World Bank financing and possibly cause a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program to be derailed.
