Anti-LGBTQ+ bill not close to becoming law yet – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has signalled that Ghana’s freshly passed anti-LGBT bill is far from becoming law, revealing that the legislation faces procedural hurdles that must be resolved before it reaches his desk for assent.

Speaking at Chatham House on Monday, June 1, 2026, during a session themed “Navigating a Changing Global Order: Ghana’s Strategic Priorities,” President Mahama disclosed that questions had already been raised about whether Parliament had the required quorum when it passed the bill, and that additional procedural lapses in its passage were also under scrutiny.

“There have been a few issues raised. One, that there wasn’t quorum when it was passed. That’s an issue that has come up. And then two, there were some procedural lapses in terms of its passage. I just got some communication that the Speaker was reading a statement to address the issue of the lapses in the passage of the bill,” President Mahama told the audience.

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Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, on Friday, May 29, 2026, for the second time.

The bill was originally reintroduced after earlier legislative processes stalled.

But President Mahama made clear that the process is far from over.

He noted that because it was a private member’s motion and not a government bill, the presidency was not part of the parliamentary deliberations.

“Once the President gets it, you go through it because you are not part of the discussion in Parliament. The legal counsel at the Presidency and the Attorney General would sit on it,” he said.

He also noted that the bill would be referred to the Council of State, adding that if substantial issues are identified, it could be sent back to Parliament with specific concerns.

“There’s still quite a while to go before that bill becomes law,” President Mahama said.

The reintroduced bill significantly expands criminal sanctions related to same-sex conduct and imposes up to three years in prison for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+.

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