Ghana - February 2024

On 28 February, the Parliament passed a law that would impose new penalties not only on same-sex sexual acts (up to five years in prison), but also on people who are open about a non-heterosexual orientation (up to three years in prison). The law, entitled the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, had its first reading in Parliament in 2021, but received a great deal of opposition within Ghana and abroad. Ghana’s Finance Minister warned the government that approval of the law could endanger funding from the World Bank on which Ghana’s economic health depends. On 5 March, President Nana Akufo-Addo stated that he will not assent to the law and give it legal force until after a review of its constitutionality by the Supreme Court.

Update: On 18 December, Ghana’s Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge seeking to block the anti-LGBTQIA+ bill from proceeding in Parliament but did not rule on its constitutionality, leaving the decision to the President. Outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo deferred the bill to his successor, John Dramani Mahama, who was sworn in on 7 January. During his first week in office, Mahama declared the bill void as it was not signed before Parliament’s term ended, suggesting it be reintroduced as a government-backed bill, rather than a Private Members’ Bill, with broader national consensus.

Sources: Ghanaian Times, Pulse, Business Ghana, Ghana Web, The Africa Report, Modern Ghana