Lawmakers have approved prison terms for same-sex relations and the advocacy of homosexuality
Ghana’s parliament has approved legislation introducing prison terms of up to five years for individuals who promote, sponsor, or advocate LGBTQ activities, while also banning the funding of related groups and initiatives.
The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also known as the Anti-Gay Bill, would also impose prison terms of up to three years for people engaging in same-sex relations, as well as sentences ranging from three to five years for those found to be promoting, sponsoring, or deliberately supporting LGBTQ activities. The legislation, which was approved on Friday, is expected to be signed into law by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Parliament first passed the bill in February 2024 and forwarded it to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for assent, but the legislation ultimately did not become law.
At the time, Ghana’s Finance Ministry warned that the country could lose up to $3.8 billion in World Bank funding if the bill, which had already been approved by parliament, was signed into law.
The legislation has also drawn condemnation from abroad. In 2024, the US said it was “deeply troubled” by the decision, which “would threaten all Ghanaians’ constitutionally protected freedoms of speech, press, and assembly.”
Ghana’s move follows similar developments elsewhere in Africa. In April, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a law tightening penalties for same-sex relations and criminalizing the promotion and financing of homosexuality. The legislation has been criticized by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk as “harmful.” It increases prison terms for what authorities describe as “unnatural acts” from one-to-five years to five-to-ten years, and raises maximum fines to 10 million CFA francs (around $17,680).
In 2023, a similar law was passed in Uganda, making it illegal to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. In response, Washington imposed travel restrictions on officials from the East African country and expelled it from a duty-free program.
Several African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Sierra Leone, impose prison terms ranging from ten years to life for same-sex relations. In Uganda, Mauritania, and parts of Somalia, the offense can carry the death penalty.
