President John Mahama has called on international partners to respect Ghana’s position on LGBTQ issues.
Mahama stressed that public policy is shaped by the country’s legal traditions, cultural values, and societal consensus.
According to John Mahama, Ghana’s democratic processes are actively at work to ensure that any outcome of the anti-LGBTQ bill reflects the views of the people.
President Mahama made these known when he received the ‘International Statesperson Award’ from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.
He stated, “The issue of LGBTQ rights is emotive, and they are not completely settled in terms of their nuances and arguments, not only in Ghana but all over the world.
Even in the United States, you still have discourse on LGBTQ rights. There are still 26 states in America that have legislation that restricts LGBTQ rights.
For a country like Ghana, our democracy is playing in respect to what those rights are. The bill in parliament is not a government bill, it is a private members’ bill and so parliament hold that bill for now.
What the eventual nature of the bill would be, nobody can second-guess Parliament, and I, as President, cannot anticipate Parliament in respect of that bill. But I believe that our democracy will work out. Memoranda are being accepted from people from all walks of life.
“Civil Society Organisations are presenting their papers to Parliament, and I believe that the representatives of the people will make the will of Ghanaians reflect in whatever eventually comes out,” he said.
I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and so the representatives of the people will discuss the bill once they pass it, and then it comes to the presidency.
I believe that our international partners should understand that public policy is grounded in our legal traditions, in our cultural context, and in our social consensus, and all those issues are playing out as we speak.”
Some Ghanaians reacting to the president’s remarks stated, “He said he will sign it. He criticised Akufo-Addo for not signing. Today his government with a super majority in parliament has ignored the bill. The God that will punish this man is watching him!”.
“Ghana must also respect the position of the US, Israel and Argentina on the UN resolution on transatlantic slave trade because their decision is based on strategic and in-depth thinking”, a netizen added.
“Mr President, don’t carve in to their demands. We don’t want it in our country. Ghana has so many issues to deal with. Child malnutrition, Poor Sanitation, Poverty across rural areas, people not able to afford a 3 square meal a day. That’s what we worry about”, one X user added.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has made a definitive statement on the pending anti-LGBTQ bill legislation, declaring that he will assent to the bill if it is passed by Parliament.
According to John Mahama, a person’s gender is determined at birth, adding that the family is the foundation of our nation.
He added that there is no question what Ghanaians believe in.
Speaking to leaders of the Christian Council of Ghana in Accra on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, President Mahama stated, “We agree with the Speaker to relay the bill and let Parliament debate it, and then if there are any amendments or whatever that have to be done. If the Parliament of the people of Ghana endorses the bill, votes on it, and passes it, and it comes to me as President, I will sign it”.
“A person’s gender is determined at birth, and the family is the foundation of our nation. That is our position. So, there are no questions or equivocations about what we believe,” President Mahama noted.
He added, “We agree with the Speaker to relay the bill and let Parliament debate it, and then if there are any amendments or whatever that have to be done”.
Also, the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, has been laid before Parliament for consideration for a second time.
On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, following its First Reading, Speaker Bagbin referred the bill to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee for further scrutiny and reporting.
Watch the video below:
President John Mahama has called on international partners to respect Ghana’s position on LGBTQ issues, stressing that public policy is shaped by the country’s legal traditions, cultural values, and societal consensus.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/k9C7D9WbZH
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) March 27, 2026