President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, widely referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, still has significant hurdles to clear before it can be enacted.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session at Chatham House in the UK, President Mahama explained that several procedural and constitutional matters must be resolved before any decision is taken on presidential assent.
The President acknowledged that the legislation has drawn intense public interest due to its far-reaching implications for family values and social policy in Ghana.
“The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill has probably been the bill that has evoked the most interest in Ghana. It shows how important issues of family values are,” he said.
He pointed out that concerns have already been raised about the manner in which Parliament approved the bill.
“There have been a few issues raised. One, that there wasn’t quorum when it was passed. That’s an issue that has come up, and then two, there were some procedural lapses in terms of its passage,” he stated.
President Mahama disclosed that he had been informed the Speaker of Parliament was addressing these concerns. He stressed that once the bill is formally transmitted to the Presidency, it will undergo a detailed legal review.
He emphasized that because the legislation originated as a private member’s bill, the Attorney General and legal advisers at the Presidency would carefully examine it before any recommendation is made.
“It must come for assent and so once the president gets it, you go through it because you are not part of the discussion in Parliament. The legal counsel in the Presidency and the Attorney General would sit on it and make sure that everything is in order before the president is advised to assent,” he said.
Mahama further outlined constitutional options available to the President, including referring the bill to the Council of State for advice or returning it to Parliament if substantial issues are identified.
“The president has another option. If there are some things that he thinks are a problem, he can refer it to the Council of State for advice. If substantial issues are raised, the president would return the bill to Parliament indicating exactly what the issues are,” he said.
He concluded by underscoring that the legislative process is far from complete. “So there’s still quite a while to go before that bill becomes law,” he added.
His remarks come just days after Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, following amendments. Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has summoned House leadership over the passage, insisting that consensus must be built to ensure wider public acceptance. Bagbin also expressed surprise at the manner in which the bill was approved, amid concerns raised by some lawmakers about procedural irregularities.
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