Ghana News
Mahama Deflects Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Question in London, Fueling Speculations He ‘Will Not Sign’
President John Dramani Mahama has given fresh credence to speculation that he may refuse to sign Ghana’s controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill into law.
This is after he conspicuously deflected a direct question on the legislation during a diaspora town hall in London. A prominent Ghanaian transgender activist has already declared with confidence that the president “will not sign this useless bill.”
The dual developments, coming just days after Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on May 29, 2026, have intensified debate over whether the legislation will ever take effect.
In London: A Question Asked, A Question Avoided
During a marathon town hall meeting with Ghanaian residents in the UK on Sunday evening, May 31, 2026. President Mahama took dozens of questions on the economy, infrastructure, mining, and diaspora voting rights. But when one attendee, an elderly Ghanaian man, asked directly why Ghana needed the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, the president’s response was striking in its absence.
The questioner, who identified himself as a retired community activist, pointedly asked: “Everywhere you go from now… the LGBTQ bill and why we needed it.”
Mahama did not offer a substantive answer.
The moderator quickly moved on, and the president did not return to the issue for the remainder of the nearly two-hour event.
For diaspora attendees and observers, the moment spoke volumes. A president who had just spent an hour delivering detailed statistics on economic recovery, energy sector debt, and road infrastructure had no reply—or chose not to give one—on one of the most consequential pieces of social legislation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Political analysts suggest the deflection may signal discomfort with the bill rather than endorsement.
In Accra: ‘Mahama Will Not Sign This Useless Bill’
Adding fuel to the speculation, popular Ghanaian transgender activist Angel Maxine released a video on social media expressing absolute confidence that the president will reject the legislation.
“President Mahama will not sign this useless bill into law,” Angel Maxine said. “The politicians just passed the bill because they want to score some cheap political points. The reality is that it will not be signed into law.”
The activist urged members of the LGBTQI+ community not to be afraid but to take precautions to protect themselves, suggesting that the bill’s passage was political theatre rather than a genuine legislative threat.
A Bill That Has Divided the Nation
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill criminalises LGBTQ+ identification, advocacy, and the funding or sponsorship of related activities, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison. However, the final version passed by Parliament includes controversial exemptions for legal professionals, journalists, and medical workers.
The Minority Caucus opposed these exemptions, arguing they exposed flaws in the original bill. Despite their objections, the majority pushed the legislation through.
The bill now sits on President Mahama’s desk, awaiting either his signature—which would make it law—or a refusal to assent, which would send it back to Parliament or effectively kill it.
International Pressure Mounts
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UNAIDS have all condemned the bill, urging Mahama to reject it. They warn that the legislation would endanger LGBTQ+ lives, violate constitutional rights, and harm public health efforts, particularly HIV/AIDS prevention.
Domestically, however, conservative and religious groups are pressing for swift enactment, framing the bill as a defence of Ghanaian family values and cultural sovereignty.
What Mahama’s Silence Means
The president has not yet issued any public statement indicating his intention. His campaign promises on human rights were moderate, and he has historically avoided culture-war rhetoric.
But his refusal to defend or even address the bill in London—before an audience of diaspora Ghanaians who contribute nearly $8 billion annually in remittances—has not gone unnoticed.
Some see political calculation: signing the bill could alienate Western partners and risk foreign investment. Rejecting it could anger the conservative base that largely supports the legislation.
Angel Maxine believes the president has already made up his mind.
“President Mahama will not sign this useless bill into law,” the activist repeated. “The reality is that it will not be signed.”
What Happens Next?
For now, the bill remains in limbo. The president has not disclosed a timeline for his decision. But between the deflection in London and the bold prediction from Accra, speculation is hardening into belief among some LGBTQI+ advocates: Mahama may let the bill die by refusing to sign it.
If he does, it would mark a quiet end to a legislative battle that has divided Ghana and drawn international condemnation. If he signs, he will face immediate backlash from human rights organisations and Western governments.
The president’s pen remains suspended. But his silence, for many, is already speaking.
Ghana News
Ghana Ties Rice Imports to Local Production, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
These are the most relevant and impactful stories from across Ghana today, presented as concise updates on key developments across the country.
Government to Tie Rice Imports to Local Production in Major Policy Shift
The Ghanaian government is set to introduce a significant policy linking rice import permits directly to investments in local rice production and milling facilities. This move by the Ministry of Agriculture aims to boost domestic farming, reduce the country’s growing rice import bill, and accelerate progress toward food self-sufficiency. Read the full story here
Edem Senanu Questions Procedural Lapses in Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Process
Chairman of Advocates for Christ, Edem Senanu, has raised concerns over how Parliament’s House of Records handled the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, questioning procedural and drafting issues that emerged after its passage. Read the full story here
Sheikh Shaibu Warns Against Politicising Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, has cautioned the NDC and NPP against turning the anti-LGBTQ+ bill into a political contest, stressing that Ghana already has a broad national consensus on the matter rooted in cultural and religious values. Read the full story here
Honest Ghanaian Rewarded GH¢10,000 for Returning Lost ATM Cash
Fidelity Bank has rewarded Emmanuel Appiah Boateng with GH¢10,000 for his honesty after he returned GH¢4,000 he found left behind at one of its ATMs. Read the full story here
Nigel Gaisie Files GH¢10m Defamation Suit Against Kumchacha
Prophet Nigel Gaisie has sued Prophet Nicholas Osei (Kumchacha) for GH¢10 million over alleged defamatory statements questioning his prophetic ministry. Read the full story here
680 Ghanaians to Be Evacuated from South Africa Amid Xenophobia Concerns
The Ghana High Commission in South Africa has announced plans to evacuate 680 Ghanaians (340 on June 6 and 340 on June 7, 2026) due to xenophobia-related safety issues. Read the full story here
Free SHS Suppliers to Picket at Education Ministry Over GH¢50m Debt
The National Association of Institutional Suppliers (NAIS) will picket at the Ministry of Education on June 11, 2026, over unpaid debts of approximately GH¢50 million for supplies delivered under the Free Senior High School programme since 2023. Read the full story here
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has temporarily halted new emergency admissions after its Accident and Emergency ward exceeded capacity due to overwhelming patient numbers. Read the full story here
15 dead, 25 injured in head-on collision at Peki-Tsame
At least 15 people have been confirmed dead and 25 others injured following a devastating head-on collision between a container truck and a passenger bus at Peki-Tsame in the Volta Region. The fatal accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, 2 June 2026, near the premises of Peki Senior High School, prompting an emergency response from personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS). Read the full story here
Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.
Ghana News
Is the UN Losing Its Legitimacy? Ghana’s President Says Permanent Security Council Bias ‘Eats Away’ Trust
The continued exclusion of Africa from permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council is not merely a procedural flaw but a structural imbalance that is systematically eroding the credibility of the multilateral system, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama warned on Monday.
Speaking at Chatham House, the London-based international affairs think tank, Mahama argued that the UN’s primary decision-making body risks becoming untenable as a steward of global peace and security if it fails to reflect the demographic and political realities of the 21st century.
“This is not nearly a procedural anomaly,” Mahama said. “It is a historical injustice and a structural imbalance that undermines the credibility of the multilateral system itself.”
The president’s remarks come as the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains composed of five permanent members (P5) – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China – all of which were Allied powers in World War II.
Africa, home to 54 UN member states, the largest regional bloc in the organization, holds no permanent seat and only three non-permanent seats that rotate every two years.
Mahama noted that the representational gap is poised to become more pronounced as global demographics shift. According to UN population projections, Africa will account for nearly a quarter of the world’s population by 2050.
“This eats away at the trust in the system,” a senior official from the Ghanaian presidency later summarized, reinforcing Mahama’s central thesis that legitimacy in global governance requires equitable participation.
The Ghanaian leader affirmed that his government would continue to advocate for “comprehensive reform” of the UN, including permanent, veto-wielding seats for African nations.
The African Union has long pushed for a common position known as the Ezulwini Consensus, which demands at least two permanent seats for the continent, with the same powers and responsibilities as current P5 members.
However, Mahama’s critique extended beyond the Security Council. He linked the UN’s representational crisis to what he described as parallel failures in the international financial architecture. He argued that debt vulnerabilities across the Global South are not isolated fiscal challenges but structural development constraints that limit investment in health, education, infrastructure, climate adaptation, and industrial transformation.
“The international debt system must therefore become fairer, more flexible and more development-focused,” Mahama said.
He also called for reforms to global taxation frameworks, asserting that developing economies should derive equitable value from economic activity generated within their jurisdictions. A stable international order, he warned, cannot be sustained while prosperity remains structurally unequal.
To illustrate the tangible cost of such inequality, Mahama pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic. African nations, he said, discovered that access to vaccines and essential medical supplies depended not on the urgency of public health need but on their position within the global supply hierarchy. That experience, he noted, directly prompted Ghana to launch the Accra Reset Initiative – a strategic framework designed to move Africa and the Global South from dependency toward resilience, and from passive participation toward active agenda-setting in global governance.
President Mahama concluded by rejecting any characterization of Ghana as a passive observer of the changes reshaping the international order.
“We see ourselves as active participants in shaping a more balanced, equitable, and cooperative international system,” he said.
No immediate response was issued by the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Reform of the council requires an amendment to the UN Charter, which must be approved by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratified by all five permanent members, each of whom holds a veto over their own status.
More Than 9,000 Ghanaian Children Have Been Treated for Clubfoot, Yet Many More Are Still Being Left Behind
As Xenophobic Attacks Rise, Cape Town’s ‘Apartheid Wall’ Draws Accusations of Misaligned Priorities by Black South Africans
Ghana Ties Rice Imports to Local Production, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
-
Fashion & Style1 day agoThe Rise of BagBagSitter: Fashion, Function, and Ethical Style in One Bag
-
Ghana News1 day agoToday’s Newspaper Headlines: Tuesday, June 2, 2026
-
Ghana News2 days agoMahama Cites Procedural Issues with Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, Suggesting Global Opposition May Have Succeeded in Killing Legislation
-
Festivals & Events4 hours agoWhy Abadinto Could Redefine How Ghana Experiences Art
-
Ghana News1 day agoGhana Assures Relations with South Africa Intact, Final Black Stars Squad for World Cup Released, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
-
Ghana News2 hours agoGhana Ties Rice Imports to Local Production, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
-
Ghana News1 day agoIs the UN Losing Its Legitimacy? Ghana’s President Says Permanent Security Council Bias ‘Eats Away’ Trust
-
Taste GH2 days agoHot, Spicy, and Fast: Inside Ghana’s Love Affair with Street Noodles