Ghana’s parliament has passed a bill that would criminalise the promotion, sponsorship and funding of LGBTQ-related activities, further tightening the country’s laws on same-sex relations.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, was approved by lawmakers on Friday through a voice vote after receiving unanimous support from parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.
The legislation now awaits the approval of President John Dramani Mahama before it can become law.
Under the bill, same-sex sexual acts would remain punishable by up to three years in prison, while individuals found guilty of promoting, funding or supporting LGBTQ-related activities could face jail terms of between three and five years.
The proposed law also contains a mandatory reporting clause requiring members of the public to report offences covered by the legislation or risk facing up to three years’ imprisonment themselves.
In addition, the bill seeks to amend Ghana’s Extradition Act of 1960, allowing offences under the legislation to qualify as extraditable crimes.
The measure follows a similar bill passed by parliament in 2024 under former president Nana Akufo-Addo. However, that legislation never came into force after legal challenges delayed its implementation and it eventually expired before receiving presidential assent.
The bill was subsequently reintroduced under the current administration.
President Mahama has previously voiced support for measures aimed at protecting what he described as family values, although he has also indicated a preference for legislation initiated by the government. It remains unclear whether he will sign the bill in its current form.
While same-sex relations are already prohibited under Ghanaian law, supporters argue the new legislation strengthens protections for the country’s social and family values.
Opponents, including international human rights groups, have criticised the bill, warning it could encourage discrimination and restrict civil liberties.
Criminalisation of homosexuality across Africa
The move reflects a wider trend across parts of Africa where governments have introduced stricter legislation relating to homosexuality.
In March, Senegal passed a law increasing the maximum prison sentence for same-sex sexual acts from five to ten years while also criminalising the promotion of homosexuality.
In September 2025, Burkina Faso criminalised same-sex sexual acts for the first time and introduced penalties for behaviour considered to encourage homosexual practices.
Uganda has also adopted some of the continent’s most stringent anti-homosexuality laws.
The country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, enacted in 2023, includes penalties ranging from life imprisonment for same-sex intercourse to the death penalty for offences categorised as “aggravated homosexuality”.
In April 2024, Uganda’s Constitutional Court upheld the majority of the law, striking down only a small number of provisions while leaving its main framework intact.
Historically, mainstream Christian teaching has generally held that sexual relations are reserved for marriage between a man and a woman and that same-sex relations are prohibited.
This position was maintained for centuries across the major branches of Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and most Protestant denominations.
