Ghana parliament pass new anti-gay bill wey go jail pesin wey engage in same sex up to three years

Ghana parliament don pass di controversial anti-gay bill wey dey prescribe three-year jail term for gay sex.

Di bill dey also prescribe five-year imprisonment for promoting LGBTQ+ activities within di kontri.

Dis law don dey widely criticised as somtin wey dey step on di rights of sexual minorities for di kontri.

Dis na di second time di Ghanaian parliament go pass di anti-LGBT legislation afta former President Nana Akufo-Addo fail to sign di previously passed bill bifor e comot office for January 2025.

Di former president say e no sign am sake of court mata wey challenge di bill.

Wetin to know about di anti-gay bill

Afta long debate, parliament pass di bill wit some new changes.

Di anti-gay bill dey criminalise LGBTQ activities wit jail terms for pipo wey dey practise dis activities.

For di new bill, pipo and some institutions wey provide legal services for LGBTQ pipo no go face sanctions like wetin di previous bill wey dem pass for 2024, provide.

Di new bill also no go punish journalists and media organisations wey report for LGBTQ matas or current affairs for di course of dia professional work.

For di previous bill wey di parliament pass, medical pipo, advocates, media and oda groups wey 'report about, promote and raise awareness about LGBTQ matas go face di law wey dem fit go jail and face sanctions.

But wit dis new bill wey dem pass on Friday, 29 May, medical professionals and odas wey dey provide surgical and counselling services to LGBTQ pipo no go face di law.

Ova di las few weeks, parliament bin dey hear contributions from civil society groups and odas to 'polish' di bifor bifor dem debate am.

Some groups still maintain say di bill go abuse di human rights of pipo wey belong to di LGBTQ community and put dia life under threat.

But di speaker of parliament Alban Bagbin maintain say im go ensure say dem pass di bill for di president to sign am.

During di debate on Friday, di opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) stand up against di new changes wey dem argue say di former bill wey dem submit to di former president Nana Akuf-Addo to sign for 2024, no dey "fit for purpose".

Despite di opposition by di minority lawmakers for di house, parliament pass di bill.

Di new bill still dey maintain di existing penalty of up to three years for prison for same-sex activities, wey e also dey ban funding and sponsorship of LGBTQ activities wit 3-5 years jail term for offenders.

African kontris wia homosexuality dey illegal

64 kontris dey wey get laws wey criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of dis dey for Africa.

Some kontris, wey include several for Africa, don recently move to decriminalise same-sex unions and improve rights for LGBTQ pipo.

According to Amnesty International, homosexuality still dey illegal for 38 African kontris.

Dis na some of di African kontris wey LGBTQ dey illegal:

Algeria: Same sex activity dey illegal for Algeria. Di law criminalise same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. Di sentence include maximum penalty of three years imprisonment and a fine. Di Algerian family code specifically limit marriage to heterosexual couples.

Burkina Faso: For September 2025, Burkina Faso transitional parliament bin approve one bill wey ban homosexual acts. Di bill impose punishment of up to five years in jail, and don bicom part of a broader crackdown on same-sex relationships across di continent.

Burundi: President Évariste Ndayishimiye say homosexuals for im kontri "suppose dey stoned". Homosexual sex dey illegal for Burundi, punishable by up to two years for jail.

Cameroon: Homosexual acts dey punishable by up to five years for prison.

Chad: For August 2017, Chad penal code wey criminalise same-sex intimacy between men and between women bin come into effect for di first time. E dey punishable wit imprisonment for up to 2 years and a fine of between 50,000 and 500,000 FCFA.

Comoros: Homosexual acts dey punishable by up to two years imprisonment and a fine. Both men and women dey criminalised under dis law.

Egypt: For Egypt, homosexuality dey highly stigmatised, and for long, accuse dey say police dey hunt LGBT pipo. No explicit law dey against homosexuality for di kontri.

Gambia: Homosexual acts dey illegal for The Gambia, MPs bin pass one bill for 2014 wey impose life sentences for "aggravated homosexuality". Although, leading rights groups bin call on di then Gambian President Yahya Jammeh say make e no approve di tough anti-gay legislation.

Gabon: For 2020, Gabon reverse one law wey criminalise homosexuality and make gay sex punishable wit six months in prison plus big fine.

‎Ghana: Dey just pass dia anti-homosexual bill.

Kenya: Gay sex dey illegal for Kenya, but di govment dey tolerant of gay pipo - for example, dem give asylum to pipo from oda African kontris, wey dey face persecution for dia home kontris sake of dia sexual orientation. Kenya President William Ruto also say dia culture and religion no allow same-sex marriages.

Ethiopia: Homosexuality dey illegal for Ethiopia and punishable by penalties wey range from 10 days to three years in prison, according to di UN.

Mali: For October 2024, di National Transitional Council bin adopt one new penal code wey criminalise same-sex sexual activity for up to seven years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 CFA Francs.

Malawi: For 2015, Malawi bin suspend laws against same-sex relationships pending one decision on weda to repeal di legislation, but currently, homosexual acts carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail.

Nigeria: Nigeria govment don tighten laws against homosexuals. Same-sex couples fit face up to 14 years in prison. Di law also recommend prison sentences of up to 10 years for anyone wey follow for gay clubs or organisations and for same-sex couples wey publicly show affection.

Morocco: Homosexuality dey illegal for di conservative Muslim kontri, and sexual relations outside marriage also dey punishable.

Sierra Leone: Same-sex sexual activity dey banned for di kontri. Di provision carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Na only men dem dey criminalise under dis law.

South Sudan: Di kontri dey criminalise same sex activity wit up to fourteen years imprisonment and a fine. Na only men dey criminalised under dis law. Trans pipo fit also face prosecution under one 'vagabond' law wey criminalise man wey dey dress as woman wit a maximum penalty of three months imprisonment and a fine.

Sudan: Sudan dey criminalise same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. Sentences include a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Tanzania: Homosexual acts dey illegal for di East African nation and punishable by up to 30 years in jail.

Togo: Togo dey criminalise same-sex sexual activity between men and between women wit a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment plus fine.

Tunisia: Homosexuality dey illegal and unacceptable for Tunisia. Gay and lesbian sex dey punishable by up to three years in prison but for 2017, di govment say dem go stop to conduct forced anal examinations for pipo dem suspect of homosexuality.

Uganda: For 2023, Uganda bin vote in some of di world harshest anti-homosexual legislation wey mean say pipo wey engage for same-sex relationships fit dey sentenced to death in certain circumstances. Di law bin cause widespread condemnation.

Zambia: Homosexuality dey illegal for di deeply conservative kontri, wia British colonial-era laws on homosexuality still apply. For 2020, President Edgar Lungu bin pardon two men wey dey sentenced to jail for 15 years on top accuse of di act, afta e trigger diplomatic palava wit di US.

Zimbabwe: Homosexuality dey illegal for Zimbabwe and dia LGBT community bin often face violent persecution during di rule of former President Robert Mugabe, wey bin dey of di position say gay pipo "worse pass pigs and dogs".