Foh-Amoaning warns Mahama against following Akufo-Addo’s failed approach to anti-LGBTQ bill

Private legal practitioner and Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Moses Foh-Amoaning, has launched a scathing attack on President John Dramani Mahama over his handling of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, warning that the President risks repeating what he describes as the “failed approach” of his predecessor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In a fiery interview on Asempa FM monitored by this publication, the veteran lawyer directly appealed to President Mahama to prioritise the passage of the bill into law. Foh-Amoaning accused the former president—and now again president—of hesitating on the legislation, a move he claims mirrors Akufo-Addo’s refusal to assent to the bill before leaving office.

Drawing a provocative parallel, Foh-Amoaning likened international pressure on Ghana to accept homosexuality to the historical transatlantic slave trade. He argued that external forces should not dictate the nation’s moral and legal stance on LGBT rights.

“We cannot allow a repeat of the same foot-dragging we saw under Akufo-Addo,” Foh-Amoaning said. “President Mahama must show leadership and resist foreign coercion, just as we should have resisted the slave trade.”

The bill, which has sparked intense debate both locally and internationally, proposes severe restrictions on LGBT advocacy and activities. While proponents like Foh-Amoaning describe it as a defence of Ghanaian cultural and religious values, critics warn it would institutionalise discrimination and harm Ghana’s human rights record.

President Mahama is yet to respond to the remarks. His administration has so far maintained that it will review the bill in consultation with stakeholders, without committing to a specific timeline.

Meanwhile, civil society organisations have urged caution, emphasising that any rushed decision could isolate Ghana diplomatically and economically. Foreign governments, including the United States and several European nations, have previously signalled potential sanctions should the bill be enacted.

Foh-Amoaning, however, remained defiant, insisting that Ghana’s sovereignty and traditional values must take precedence over foreign pressure.