West African Anglican primate opposes criminal prosecution of gay people in Ghana

Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Primate of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa, said in a BBC interview released on August 14, 2026, that his province does not support the criminal prosecution of gay people in Ghana. The South African LGBT outlet MambaOnline reported the statement on August 22.

“Our point in our province is very clear: we do not support the criminalisation of gay persons,” the archbishop said. At the same time, he reaffirmed the church’s traditional teaching that God created male and female. Asked whether gay Christians would be accepted in the church, Ben-Smith called them children of God whom God loves, adding that LGBT people have long lived in Ghana and “have never been a problem.” 76crimes also reported his main remarks.

According to the Anglican Communion’s official directory , Ben-Smith is Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa and Bishop of Asante-Mampong. He was speaking about the position of his province, which includes dioceses in several countries in the region, rather than on behalf of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The statement continues a position outlined by Ghana’s Anglican bishops in 2022. At the time, they supported the general direction of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill and reaffirmed their disapproval of same-sex relationships, but described some criminal penalties as excessively severe and called for their review. The bishops also urged that the bill not be used to attack or intimidate LGBT people.

Ghana’s current Criminal Offences Act already provides for up to three years in prison for “unnatural carnal knowledge,” a provision applied to consensual same-sex relations. Parliament approved a new bill on May 29 that would expand penalties for same-sex relations and for supporting or promoting LGBT activities. The speaker later cited procedural violations and called for reconsideration. As the Ghana News Agency reported , Parliament went into recess on July 31 without completing that process.

Supporters of the bill say it protects traditional family and cultural norms. Opponents argue that it violates rights to equality, privacy, and freedom of expression and could encourage violence and discrimination. The Associated Press summarized those positions. As of August 22, the bill had not entered into force.