‘Stay out of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ debate’ – Prez Mahama to IMF, World Bank

• Posted on March 11, 2025March 11, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President John Dramani Mahama has warned multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avoid interfering in Ghana’s domestic policies, particularly concerning cultural and social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights. 

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Next Africa, Mahama argued that multilateral institutions should focus on their economic mandates rather than attempting to influence cultural values in Ghana.

“Multilateral institutions should avoid getting into cultural matters,” Prez Mahama stated bluntly in a recent Bloomberg interview. “This is a diverse world. We have different cultures.“

His comments come amid speculation that organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) might withdraw funding if Ghana passes controversial anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that is being considered for revival in parliament.

When directly asked about potential financial consequences should the bill become law, Mahama remained defiant: “If they decide to pull [funding], well, it’s their prerogative. But I don’t believe that multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF should include in their mandates how people behave culturally.“

Ghana’s parliament is currently considering reviving a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill. 

The previous version of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill expired after facing legal challenges and failing to receive presidential assent. Mahama clarified that although the legal challenge was eventually dismissed, the bill lapsed because it wasn’t signed into law.

Regarding any new version of the bill, Mahama advocated for broader stakeholder consultation. “What we need is more stakeholder consultation to look at whatever new bill will come and make sure that we carry everybody on board,” he explained.

The President emphasized that persevering family values should focus more on education than legislation alone. “Proper family values are something we all are interested in,” he said. “But it’s not only in the bills that we send to parliament to regulate them, it’s also about teaching our children those family values as they grow.