Ghana Parliament Approves Bill Criminalizing LGBT Support

On Friday, May 29, 2026, lawmakers in Ghana passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill of 2025. The document criminalizes support for the LGBT community and introduces criminal liability for allies. The bill is now awaiting the signature of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama. This was reported by Reuters .

Before the vote, the bill was supported by the parliamentary Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.

Challenges and Context

Ghana attempted to introduce similar norms in 2024. At that time, parliament approved a similar bill, but it faced legal challenges. Due to lawsuits in the Supreme Court, former President Nana Akufo-Addo declined to sign it. In 2025, following the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, lawmakers reintroduced the initiative and brought it to a new vote.

The local human rights organization Rightify Ghana , which represents LGBT interests, drew attention to the timing of the document’s passage. In a series of social media posts, activists noted that members of parliament voted for the bill just days before the start of the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty. The event is set to be held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and will bring together conservative politicians from the region.