Gay in Ghana: Policing Sexual Orientation

October 16, 2026 KirkSims, A Methodist prayer camp in Ghana.

By Amanda Meyer

January 12, 2026

Ghana is a country with extremely conservative views and policies, especially related to homosexuality.  In fact, Ghana is one of 78 countries with laws criminalizing sexual activity by members of the LGBT community, 38 of which are in Africa.  Ghana’s law in question does not specifically mention homosexuality.  It specifically states that those with “unnatural carnal knowledge” of any persons over age 16 without consent can be charged with a first degree felony and sentenced to 5-25 years in prison, and with consent can be charged with misdemeanor.  The law defines this knowledge as “sexual intercourse with a person in an unnatural manner”, which is generally interpreted to mean non-heterosexual intercourse.

Part of the reason behind Ghana’s strict policies against homosexuality could be the strength of religion in the country.  Conservative religious groups are more likely to oppose homosexuality, and Ghana is per capita the most religious country in the world, with 95 percent of its citizens identifying with an organized religion.  This overall leads to a more conservative atmosphere when it comes to values and beliefs, and is probably a strong contributor to the anti-gay atmosphere in Ghana and many other African countries.

Ghana’s policies have gained attention this year when controversy arose about President John Dramani Mahama’s friendship with gay American writer Andrew Solomon.  Rumors and panic spread, with newspapers reporting that Mahama would “push the gay rights agenda” – stories that have yet to come true.  In addition, Nana Oye Lithur was appointed head of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; she caused an uproar when she stated that “the rights of everybody, including homosexuals, should be protected.”  Despite this hopeful statement, little has been done to make Ghana a more welcoming place for members of the LGBT community.  In October, members of the Ministry of Education swore to stamp out homosexuality in SHS (high school).  Public relations officer Paul Krampah stated explicitly that “homosexuality and lesbianism, I mean these are practices that we don’t condone in our part of the world.”  It would appear that despite the increase in media attention, Ghana’s policies regarding homosexuality are unlikely to change in the near future.