The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam Nartey George, has warned foreign countries against interfering in Ghana’s internal affairs, particularly regarding the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill.

Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, February 12, Sam George who doubles as the Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament (MP) noted that Ghana has the sovereign right to decide on same-sex issues without external influence.

“So Ghana is a sovereign country. If we choose to go the other way, I don’t think that is against the law. If in the UK it is okay for you to withdraw the teaching licence and medical licence of Christians who don’t believe they should support same-sex activity, why should Ghana not also be in a position to say that we will do this?,” he added.

The bill, which was originally introduced in Parliament in 2021 by Sam George and other advocates, is currently inactive, because it did not receive Presidential assent under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s tenure after being passed by the then Parliament.

Having expired with the conclusion of the previous 8th Parliament’s session, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has directed the Business Committee to schedule the reintroduced bill for parliamentary deliberation.

The bill, which aims to outlaw LGBTQ+ activities and criminalise their promotion, advocacy, and funding, was previously passed by the 8th Parliament.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has confidently stated that he will sign anti-LGBTQ bill once it is successfully approved by parliament.

During a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana on Tuesday, November 18, at Jubilee House, the president mentioned all the factors that must come to play for him to assent to the bill.

“I believe that we have no questions or equivocations about what we believe. I believe that we are completely aligned with the Christian Council in terms of your belief. We agree with the Speaker to relay the bill and let Parliament debate it."

"And if there are any amendments or adjustments that need to be made, if the people’s representatives in Parliament endorse the bill, vote on it, and pass it, and it comes to me as president, I will sign it,” President Mahama said.

Before his return to office, President Mahama had already expressed a cautious approach toward the bill, emphasizing the need for a constitutional review.

Speaking with BBC Africa on December 4, he elaborated: “It is not an anti-LGBTQI Bill; it is a Family Values Bill. It was approved unanimously by our Parliament. [LGBTQI] is against our African culture, it is against our religious faith, but I think we must look at the Bill, and the president must indicate what he finds wrong with that bill and send it back to Parliament or alternatively he must send it to the Council of State and get the Council of State’s advice.”

When asked if he would sign the bill into law if elected, Mahama responded cautiously, stating, “It depends on what is in the Bill.” He emphasized that any decision would be based on a thorough examination of the bill’s content and legal compliance. “That is what I would have done,” he affirmed.

While proponents argue the bill is necessary to safeguard Ghanaian cultural and moral values from external influences, human rights advocates have raised concerns, stating it infringes on freedoms of expression, association, and equality under the law.

The bill previously faced legal opposition from journalist Richard Dela Sky and academic Dr. Amanda Odoi, who contested its passage, citing a lack of parliamentary quorum.

The Supreme Court, however, dismissed their challenge, with Justice Lovelace Johnson clarifying that a bill can only be subject to constitutional scrutiny after receiving presidential assent.