Parliament is set to resume consideration of Ghana’s controversial anti-LGBTQ bill, reviving a legislative process that has stretched over nearly five years and sparked intense debate both locally and internationally.
The proposed law, officially known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, was reintroduced for second reading in Parliament on Thursday, marking another significant step in its long and highly divisive journey through the House.
The bill was first introduced in June 2021 by a bipartisan group of MPs led by Ningo-Prampram legislator Sam George. It seeks to criminalise same-sex sexual relations, LGBTQ advocacy, funding and related activities.
Following its first reading in August 2021, the bill was referred to Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for further scrutiny.
Between 2021 and 2022, the committee held extensive public hearings involving religious leaders, traditional authorities, legal experts, civil society groups and human rights organisations. The consultations generated widespread national debate, with supporters insisting the legislation was necessary to preserve Ghanaian cultural and family values, while critics argued it was discriminatory and unconstitutional.
Parliament approved the bill at the second reading stage in July 2023 before moving into a clause-by-clause review of its provisions.
On February 28, 2024, the bill was passed after its third reading, drawing strong reactions from advocacy groups, foreign governments and international organisations. Some provisions that attracted criticism from rights groups were amended or removed before the final approval.
Despite its passage, the bill did not receive presidential assent before the end of the Eighth Parliament. Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo withheld assent while constitutional challenges filed at the Supreme Court remained unresolved.
The legislation eventually lapsed following the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the 2024 general election.
In the current Ninth Parliament, sponsors of the bill reintroduced it as a private member’s bill. Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin later ruled that the proposal met the constitutional and procedural requirements for reconsideration.
The bill was formally laid before Parliament again earlier this year and referred back to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee before returning to the House for renewed consideration at the second reading stage.
Its return is expected to reignite nationwide debate, with religious and conservative groups pushing strongly for its passage, while human rights advocates and sections of civil society continue to oppose it on constitutional and human rights grounds.