Ghana's parliament has approved one of the most restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws on the African continent, reviving legislation that had previously stalled before becoming law. The Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, passed on Friday, imposes prison sentences of up to three years for individuals who engage in same-sex relations, and between three and five years for anyone found to be promoting, sponsoring or intentionally supporting LGBTQ activities. The legislation also introduces a "duty to report" provision, requiring citizens to inform police of prohibited acts — a clause that Human Rights Watch warned would effectively encourage mass surveillance and denunciation. Identifying openly as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, or even as an "ally" — a general term for a supporter of LGBTQ people — could result in imprisonment. Exemptions were written into the bill for legal professionals, healthcare workers and journalists reporting on related issues.

The bill now awaits ratification by President John Dramani Mahama, who has signalled his support for the legislation. Shortly after taking office, Mahama stated: "I believe in the principles and values that only two genders exist — man and woman. And that marriage is between a man and a woman." Religious leaders in Ghana, a deeply conservative, majority-Christian West African nation, have long pressured successive governments to strengthen existing anti-gay statutes. Same-sex relationships have technically been illegal in Ghana under laws inherited from British colonial rule, though prosecutions under those statutes have historically been rare.

This is not the first time such legislation has reached this stage. Parliament passed an almost identical bill unanimously in 2024, but former president Nana Akufo-Addo declined to sign it amid legal challenges. Under Ghana's constitution, any draft legislation unsigned by the president before the end of a parliamentary term automatically lapses and must be reintroduced. The newly approved version retains the core provisions of the original bill while adding the professional exemptions.

Human rights organisations have sharply condemned the legislation, arguing that it threatens fundamental freedoms and could deepen discrimination, restrict access to healthcare, and endanger the lives of LGBTQ people in Ghana. The approval of the bill places Ghana alongside a growing number of African nations that have moved to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ rights in recent years. Senegal signed a law in early 2025 doubling the maximum prison term for same-sex acts to ten years, while Uganda introduced the death penalty for certain same-sex offences in 2023. Supporters of Ghana's bill maintain that it reflects and protects the country's cultural and religious values — a position that ensures the debate over individual freedoms and human rights will continue both domestically and internationally.