President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, still has several legal and procedural hurdles to clear before it can become law.
According to him, concerns raised about the bill’s passage in Parliament must be addressed before any decision is taken on presidential assent.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session at Chatham House Address in the United Kingdom on Monday, June 1, President Mahama said the legislation has generated significant public interest because of its 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.
The President noted that questions have emerged regarding the process through which the bill was passed by Parliament.
He cited concerns about whether there was a quorum at the time of its passage, as well as allegations of procedural lapses during the legislative process.
“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 that the Speaker of Parliament was addressing concerns surrounding the approval of the bill.
He explained that once the legislation is formally transmitted to the Presidency, it will undergo a comprehensive legal review before any decision is made.
According to him, the Attorney General and legal advisers at the Presidency will scrutinise the bill to ensure all constitutional and legal requirements have been met.
“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.
The President also outlined constitutional options available if issues are identified during the review process, including referring the bill to the Council of State or returning it to Parliament for reconsideration.
“So there’s still quite a while to go before that bill becomes law,” he added.
His comments come days after Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, following a series of amendments.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has summoned the leadership of the House for discussions on the bill, insisting that consensus must be built around the legislation to ensure effective implementation and broader public acceptance.
Speaking during a Q&A session at Chatham House in the UK on Monday, June 1, President John Dramani Mahama said the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill remains far from becoming law due to unresolved procedural and legal issues, including quorum concerns.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) June 1, 2026
He said the bill will be reviewed by the… pic.twitter.com/9BgOigYfOt
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