E-visa, African integration, and human rights

By Prof. Jeffrey Haynes

President John Dramani Mahama launched Ghana’s new e-Visa platform on 25 May. The president announced the initiative as a transformative step towards improving service delivery, strengthening border security, promoting trade, tourism and positioning Ghana as a leading digital destination in Africa.

E-visa and African integration

Speaking at the launch in Accra on Africa Day, President Mahama announced that all holders of African passports travelling to Ghana for business will apply for a visa exclusively through the new online platform, ‘and they will pay no fee’. He added that the initiative forms part of Ghana’s broader continental integration vision aimed at reconnecting Africans and the diaspora to Ghana.

The new initiative underlines Ghana as a cornerstone of African integration, deeply rooted in the country’s legacy as the first sub-Saharan African nation to achieve independence. Today, Ghana is central to continental initiatives, hosting the headquarters of major institutions like Afrobarometer and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which serve to solidify its central role in regional policy and economic integration.

4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family and Sovereignty

A forthcoming international conference emphasises further Ghana’s role in regional policy and economic integration. Parliament hosts the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family and Sovereignty, between 3-6 June 2026, at Parliament House, Accra. The conference theme is ‘Consolidating parliamentary consensus: advancing the African Charter on family values and sovereignty’. It will bring together lawmakers, policy experts, academics, civil society leaders and development partners from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on key issues affecting African societies, as well as the role of parliaments in shaping responsive policies.

Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, explains that conference discussions will focus on African cultural identity, family resilience, food sovereignty, data governance, technological transformation and youth development in an increasingly digital world. While not confirmed, President Mahama is expected to attend as Special Guest of Honour. His presence at the conference is expected to underline Ghana’s commitment to continental cooperation and policy dialogue. Previous editions of the conference have featured speakers who promoted Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act as a model for other African legislatures.

The conference, the bill and human rights

Currently, same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Ghana under colonial-era laws, carrying up to three years in prison. Critics and activists fear that the conference will hasten the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill – aka the ‘anti-gay’ bill – into law. Such a bill was passed by parliament in February 2024 but lapsed before becoming law. Lawmakers subsequently reintroduced it for ongoing legislative review, which is currently ongoing.

If the reintroduced bill completes the legislative process and is signed into law by the president, it will introduce some of the harshest restrictions in Africa. They would include a criminalisation of identity: Identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender would be illegal, carrying potential prison sentences of up to three years. There would be a ban on advocacy, whereby anyone found funding, sponsoring, or publicly advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and activities would face between 3 and 10 years in prison. In addition, there are sanctions against public displays and cross-dressing. ‘Gross indecency’ in public, including public displays of affection or cross-dressing, would be classified as a misdemeanour and be punishable by prison. Finally, there would be a public duty to report. The law would require citizens, parents, teachers, and institutions to report suspected LGBTQ+ activities to authorities.

The bill if passed into law would have profound societal and international impacts, including further stigmatisation of sexual minorities, which is already an issue of concern. Local human rights organisations and international bodies, including Human Rights Watch, condemn the potential legislation, citing widespread discrimination, arbitrary arrests, and mob violence in Ghana against those suspected of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. In addition, there are economic concerns. Economic advisors have previously warned that enacting the bill could jeopardise billions of dollars in international development financing and World Bank loans.

Opposition to the bill exists. Influential voices like Cardinal Peter Turkson and the prominent politician, Samia Nkrumah, have called for dialogue and inclusion. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice has warned parliament that the bill would infringe on Ghanaian citizens’ fundamental rights.

Paradox

Human Rights Watch claims that instead of falsely juxtaposing ostensible Ghanaian values with human rights, Ghana’s leaders should uphold the international legal protections that guarantee every Ghanaian the right to equality, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and privacy.

There is a paradox when it comes to President Mahama’s understandable and commendable vision to pursue continental integration aimed at reconnecting Africans and the diaspora to Ghana. On the one hand, Africans will now be able to enter Ghana on a cost-free visa. This will surely aid the intercontinental flow of Africans into Ghana. On the other hand, if any African visitors to Ghana are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, or if they fund, sponsor, or publicly advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and activities, or are seen to engage in cross-dressing or public displays of affection, then Ghanaians would be legally obliged to report suspected LGBTQ+ activities to authorities.

The writer is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at London Metropolitan University, UK.