ACCRA, Ghana — In a major legislative development, Ghana’s parliament on Friday officially approved a sweeping new bill that criminalizes the promotion, funding, and sponsorship of LGBTQ activities. The decision marks an intensification of a broader regional crackdown on sexual minorities across West Africa.
The revised legislation, titled the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, was passed via a voice vote following a unanimous recommendation by the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, according to First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor.
Key Penalties Enforced Under the New Bill
The updated legislation introduces severe penalties for both individual identity and advocacy:
- Same-Sex Sexual Acts: Maintains the current criminal penalty of up to three years in prison.
- Promotion and Funding: Advocacy, funding, or sponsorship of LGBTQ activities carries a prison sentence ranging from three to five years.
- Duty to Report: Introduces a legal mandate requiring citizens to report prohibited LGBTQ acts to the police or local authorities. Failing to report can lead to up to three years behind bars.
- Extradition: Amends Ghana’s Extradition Act of 1960, making offences under this new bill extraditable.
A Renewed Political Push
An earlier iteration of this bill was passed by parliament in February 2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo. However, that version faced immediate legal hurdles in the Supreme Court and was never signed into law before the dissolution of parliament ahead of the national elections.
The current version was introduced shortly after President John Dramani Mahama took office. With religious leaders and conservative advocacy groups strongly backing the measure, Mahama faces intense domestic pressure to sign the bill into law.
Part of a Growing West African Trend
Ghana is not alone in its legislative tightening. A ripple effect of anti-LGBTQ crackdowns has been sweeping through West Africa recently:
- Senegal: President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a bill that doubled the maximum prison sentence for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years and criminalized any advocacy or promotional efforts.
- Burkina Faso: Lawmakers voted to criminalize same-sex sexual acts for the first time in the country’s history, targeting any behavior deemed to promote homosexual practices.
Human rights organizations and international observers have raised deep concerns over the safety and basic rights of LGBTQ individuals in the region, warning that such laws cultivate an environment of fear, discrimination, and state-sanctioned violence.
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