Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South and co-sponsor of the reintroduced “Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2025,” has challenged President John Dramani Mahama to support the private member’s bill and prepare to assent to it once it receives parliamentary approval.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb on Friday, February 28, 2025, the MP confirmed the reintroduction of the bill, which seeks to criminalize same-sex relationships, advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, and related activities while reinforcing Ghanaian traditional values.
“We have signed the bill, and we have duly submitted it to Mr. Speaker. We have submitted the same to the Clerk of Parliament. We have copied the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader, so it stands as submitted and reintroduced. It is our expectation that next Friday, when the new business statement is to be read, they will program the bill for legislation, and the Speaker is expected to refer the bill to the relevant committees to begin crafting and stakeholder consultations for the processes to be underway. Therefore, nothing stops Mr. President from supporting this bill,” he said.
The reintroduction of the bill follows the expiration of a similar bill passed in February 2024 under the previous Parliament, which lapsed when former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined to assent amid legal challenges and international pressure.
According to Reverend Ntim Fordjour, who has accused President Mahama of shifting his stance on the bill after winning the 2024 election, the President—contrary to his position that the bill should be government-sponsored—should support the private member’s version and propose further amendments following its enactment.
“After it is passed and he has assented to it, if he also feels that, as a state, we should have even stricter and harsher sanctions to apply on top of what we have done, or thinks that there’s a more robust introduction of other dimensions that will enhance the law further and better protect the values, culture, and tradition of our people, he may well do so in his rights as a state. Nothing will be prejudicial, and nothing will be wrong with that procedure. But for him to say that until such a time when he sponsors an LGBT bill—a bill that will deal with these matters—until such a time, any Member of Parliament or Parliament itself is estopped from pursuing a private member’s bill, the same bill that he supported, that I disagree with,” he stated.
“The President is attempting to jettison his principles. He’s attempting to abandon the document that embodies laws and procedures that protect the norms, traditions, and culture of our people. Just because he has won power, all of a sudden he no longer believes in these same principles. Mr. President, please remain consistent with your principles. Some of us have been consistent with ours,” he added.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour’s criticism comes in response to President Mahama’s evolving stance since taking office on January 7, 2025.
While the President, in opposition, emphasized his support for the bill, he has since his election made comments suggesting a preference for embedding cultural values in education rather than rushing into legislation. According to figures like Reverend Ntim Fordjour, this shift raises doubts about the President’s commitment to the bill’s passage.
During his 2024 campaign, then-candidate Mahama consistently opposed LGBTQ+ rights, citing his Assemblies of God faith and Ghanaian culture. In November 2024, he told the BBC he would scrutinize the bill’s content if elected, hinting at potential support but stopping short of a firm commitment. As President, however, his emphasis has shifted toward a government-sponsored bill, distancing himself from the private member’s version reintroduced in 2025.
Meanwhile, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, a key advocate for the legislation, has been vocal about its necessity to safeguard Ghanaian identity. The 2025 bill, like its predecessor, has garnered significant support among lawmakers and religious leaders but faces opposition from human rights groups and some international partners concerned about its implications for individual freedoms and Ghana’s global standing on protecting human rights.
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