President John Mahama has announced that he will sign the controversial anti-LGBTQ bill into law if it is approved by Parliament and forwarded to his office for presidential assent. Mahama made the declaration on Tuesday, November 18, during a courtesy call by the Christian Council of Ghana at the Jubilee House.
Addressing the delegation, Mahama stated that his position aligns fully with the moral and cultural values shared by the Christian Council and many Ghanaians. “I believe that we have no questions or equivocations about what we believe.
I believe that we are completely aligned with the Christian Council in terms of your belief,” he said. Mahama expressed support for Parliament’s ongoing deliberations on the bill, adding, “We agree with the Speaker to relay the bill and let Parliament debate it. And if there are any amendments or adjustments that need to be made, if the people’s representatives in Parliament endorse the bill, vote on it, and pass it, and it comes to me as president, I will sign it.”
His remarks follow a ruling by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin on October 28, clarifying that the anti-LGBTQ bill must be reintroduced in the current 9th Parliament after it lapsed with the dissolution of the 8th Parliament. The ruling came after days of debate, during which Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued that the bill had already been passed and therefore did not need to be reintroduced.
The Speaker, however, disagreed and explained that all pending business from the previous Parliament had automatically expired. “The eighth Parliament is history. So are all the businesses that were pending in the eighth Parliament. They all ended with the eighth Parliament, and so we have a new Parliament, the ninth Parliament, and therefore what was pending there came to an end and has to be reintroduced,” Bagbin said.
Following the ruling, the bill has been resubmitted to Parliament—this time not by the executive but as a private member’s bill led by Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George and several collaborators. Sam George, a prominent advocate for the bill, reaffirmed his commitment during an interview on Joy News’ PM Express.
“Four weeks and a few days ago, together with some colleagues, we reintroduced the bill as a private member’s bill,” he stated. “I have kept my commitment to the people of Ghana to reintroduce this bill.”
He noted that while President Mahama would have preferred the government to initiate the reintroduction, his responsibility to his constituents remained paramount. According to George, the reintroduction of the bill reflects the strong desire among many Ghanaians for legislation that upholds what supporters describe as Ghanaian family values.
As Parliament prepares for renewed debates, the bill is expected to generate strong national and international interest. While supporters of the legislation argue that it reflects cultural and moral principles, critics warn of the potential human rights implications and the broader impact on Ghana’s global relationships. The coming weeks will be crucial as lawmakers revisit the bill’s provisions and determine its future trajectory.
