By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
One of the sponsors of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, commonly referred to as the anti-LBGTQ+ Bill, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has attributed his party, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 General Elections to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s refusal to assent to the anti-LBGTQ+ legislation.
Reverend Fordjour, a former Deputy Minister of Education who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin South in the Central region, disclosed that he, together with nine other MPs from both sides of the House, has reintroduced the bill for consideration in the current Parliament.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Reverend Fordjour explained that the 2024 election outcome could have been different if former President Akufo-Addo had signed the bill, which enjoyed overwhelming public support at the time.
“If President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had been able to sign this bill, it would have served this nation a lot better, and it would have even enhanced the image of my party. And I dare say that the outcome of the election in 2024 would have been different.
It would have been different; the outcome would have been different. I have said it way before we voted, after we voted, before handing over, and so my position has been consistent and my position has not changed,” he stated.
President John Dramani Mahama, who has expressed support for the principle behind the bill, however, maintains that such legislation should be introduced by the government rather than through a private member’s initiative.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill seeks to impose stringent restrictions on LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana, including custodial sentences for same-sex relationships, public displays of affection, and the promotion of LGBTQ+ content. It also proposes to ban transgender healthcare, dissolve LGBTQ+ organisations, and criminalise any form of support or sponsorship for such groups.
If enacted, the bill would significantly expand existing laws against LGBTQ+ activities and introduce tougher penalties for individuals or organisations found to be in violation.
The bill, which sought to criminalise Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ+) activities in Ghana, was passed by the 8th Parliament but remained unsigned before the legislature was dissolved.
