Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has confirmed that Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill will move to committee consideration in Parliament within the coming weeks, signalling the next formal step in the legislation’s renewed journey through the House.
George, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and is a principal sponsor of the bill, announced the development through a social media post on Saturday, March 28. He stated that the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament would begin consideration of the private members’ bill, which he re-laid alongside fellow lawmakers earlier this year.
“Hopefully, once the Committee completes its work, we can return to the Plenary for clause-by-clause consideration and pass the Bill for a second time,” he said.
Parliament formally received the reintroduced bill on February 17, 2026. Speaker Alban Bagbin had previously directed the Business Committee to schedule the bill for consideration, following a Financial Impact Analysis concluding that the proposed legislation does not impose any financial burden on the Consolidated Fund, clearing a key constitutional hurdle.
George’s update comes as President John Dramani Mahama addressed the matter on the international stage. Speaking after receiving the International Statesperson Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Mahama called on international partners to respect Ghana’s stance, stating that the country’s public policies are shaped by its legal framework, cultural values, and national consensus.
Mahama is the first African leader to receive the award since its establishment, with the recognition presented periodically since 1973 to global figures whose work advances peace and freedom.
The President distanced his office from any attempt to predetermine the bill’s outcome. “What the eventual nature of the bill would be, nobody can second-guess Parliament, and I, as President, cannot anticipate Parliament in respect of that bill. But I believe that our democracy will work out,” he said.
He noted that civil society organisations are presenting submissions to Parliament and expressed confidence that the process would reflect the collective will of Ghanaians. He also pointed to the independence of the judiciary as a pillar of Ghana’s democratic strength.
The bill lapsed with the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the 2024 general election, after having passed its first iteration in February 2024. A group of ten lawmakers reintroduced it as a private members’ bill in March 2025. Mahama has stated that while he supports the legislation in principle, his preference was for it to be introduced as a government bill rather than a private members’ bill.
The President’s visit to the United States this week was centred on leading a delegation to the United Nations to advocate for reparatory justice for the Transatlantic Slave Trade, including the presentation of a landmark resolution to the General Assembly seeking a formal declaration of the trade as a crime against humanity. The trip also drew attention when Lincoln University in Pennsylvania withdrew a planned honorary doctorate from Mahama following concerns raised within its community over his position on the bill.
The bill now advances toward committee deliberation, with its passage through the current Parliament’s full plenary process still ahead.
