Also known as: Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin · Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin · Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin · Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin · Ghana Parliament Speaker Alban Bagbin
Speaker of Parliament elected by MPs; emphasizes legislative independence from the Executive and Parliament's constitutional powers over bill procedures.
The Founding Executive Director of the Parliamentary Network Africa, Sammy Obeng, has said Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s directive for the House to revisit the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, should trigge …
… Mr Ayariga’s comments come amid ongoing debate over Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s directive for the House to revisit the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill following concerns about whether all parliamentary procedures were adequately complied with be …
The Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rasheed Draman, has described Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s decision to direct a reconsideration of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, as …
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has directed the House to revisit the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill. …
… Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has convened discussions with parliamentary leadership in a bid to build consensus around the legislation as it moves through the next constitutional stages.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has raised concerns about what he describes as growing threats to Africa’s cultural identity, warning that the combined effects of globalisation and xenophobia are placing increasing pressure on the continent’s values and social fabric. …
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has disclosed that he was taken aback by the passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, popularly known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, while he was away on official duties. …
… Earlier today, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, described the Friday passage of the bill as a surprise as he believed it was only supposed to be laid for consideration. …
… Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has directed Parliament to expedite work on the reintroduced Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, urging lawmakers to fast-track consideration of the legislation as part of ongoing parliamentary business.
Parliament will reinstate Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin as a member of Ghana's eight-member delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, replacing Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei who opted out. His earlier presence at the delegation's inauguration in Abuja reportedly caused ECOWAS Parliament to refuse to swear in the entire delegation, prompting the Majority Leader to refer him to the Privileges Committee for investigation.
Why it matters
Parliament's reinstatement of Afenyo-Markin to the ECOWAS Parliament delegation resolves a dispute that had blocked Ghana's regional representation.
Parliament will reinstate Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin as a member of Ghana's eight-member delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, replacing Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei who opted out. His earlier presence at the delegation's inauguration in Abuja reportedly caused ECOWAS Parliament to refuse to swear in the entire delegation, prompting the Majority Leader to refer him to the Privileges Committee for investigation.
Lawmakers from more than a dozen African countries pledged to push new bills restricting LGBT rights after an African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty in Accra on June 3–6, a week after Ghana's parliament passed one of the continent's toughest anti-LGBT measures criminalising LGBT promotion.
The King of Akyem Kotoku paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament to deepen cooperation between traditional authorities and the Legislature on governance, development, and community advancement. Speaker Bagbin commended traditional rulers as indispensable partners in Ghana's democratic development and assured Parliament's readiness to work closely with traditional institutions.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has emphasised that he is not appointed by the President but elected by Members of Parliament, and therefore his primary loyalty is to the legislature and the nation rather than the Executive. He noted that although a President may express a preference during the Speaker's election, such views are not binding on Parliament, citing his own 2021 election as an example.
Parliament Speaker Alban Bagbin has rejected the claim that Parliament becomes functus officio after passing legislation, asserting that the House has constitutional and procedural powers to revisit bills before they are presented to the President for assent, and that Parliament has established post-passage procedures to correct errors and reconsider decisions.
Speaker Alban Bagbin has raised concern that an increasing number of cases are being pushed to Ghana's Supreme Court, weakening its authority as the final judicial body and treating it like an ordinary court. He called for reflection and consultation on the issue, particularly within the ongoing constitutional review process.
President Mahama faces a constitutional choice to assent to or return the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 to Parliament. Legal experts note that Article 106 of the Constitution may provide grounds for the President to return the bill based on alleged procedural irregularities, though these claims remain contested.
Parliament is expected to transmit the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 to President Mahama for assent this month. The President may invoke Articles 106 and 108 of the 1992 Constitution to return the bill to Parliament, citing unresolved procedural questions and concerns about whether constitutional and parliamentary procedures were properly followed during its consideration.
Speaker Bagbin distributed 16,584 sets of uniforms to 7,884 boys and 8,700 girls across 151 basic schools in Nadowli-Kaleo, while backing DCE Mary Haruna and urging the community to end petty political differences and focus on development.
The Ghana Grid Company's eight-member board held discussions with Parliament's Speaker, Alban Bagbin, to strengthen stakeholder engagement on the nation's energy infrastructure agenda and introduce the new Board Chair. GRIDCo's Chief Executive outlined restoration works following a recent fire incident at Akosombo and plans for a new control room, while noting operational challenges from illegal chainsaw and mining activities affecting transmission infrastructure.
Ghana Grid Company's eight-member board held discussions with Parliament's Speaker Alban Bagbin to brief him on company developments and formally introduce Board Chair Kuukua Maurice Ankrah. The CEO outlined restoration efforts following a fire incident at Akosombo and plans for a permanent control room, while highlighting operational challenges from illegal chainsaw and mining activities affecting transmission infrastructure.
Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 on May 29 and is expected to transmit it to President Mahama this month for assent. The President's strongest constitutional grounds for returning the bill, if he chooses, may rest on procedural concerns under Articles 106 and 108 of the Constitution, though Speaker Alban Bagbin and President Mahama have raised allegations of procedural irregularities that the Majority Chief Whip contests.
Ghana Grid Company's board held discussions with Parliament's Speaker to strengthen engagement on the country's energy infrastructure agenda, briefing him on company developments and introducing the new Board Chair. The CEO outlined ongoing restoration work following a fire at Akosombo and plans for a new control room, while noting operational challenges from illegal chainsaw and mining activities.
Parliament's Speaker claimed the House did not suspend Order 172(1) of the Standing Orders before passing the anti-LGBTQI+ bill on Friday, 29 May 2026, but the record of proceedings shows the Majority Chief Whip moved a motion to suspend that very order before proceeding with third reading.
Senyo Hosi, convener of the One Ghana Movement, has called for lawmakers and the public to consider the human and family implications of LGBTQ+ legislation, warning that policy decisions should reflect real-life social realities. He raised concerns about how families might be affected if legislation creates obligations that could place individuals in difficult emotional or legal positions, using parenting scenarios to illustrate the emotional complexity of the issue.
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has cautioned that Ghana's amended anti-LGBTQ+ legislation could be exploited as a tool for oppression despite recent revisions, and that the law may not effectively prevent conduct it targets but could expose individuals to rights violations and selective enforcement.
The principal sponsor of Ghana's Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill says the version passed by Parliament on May 29, 2026, underwent 22 deletions and 31 insertions during committee consideration, fundamentally altering the legislation and weakening its enforcement provisions compared to the 2024 version.
Joy Prime's current affairs programme will bring together political communicators and a youth advocate to discuss the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, disaster management, and emerging political dynamics ahead of the 2028 elections.
The Christian Council of Ghana has announced plans to formally request a copy of the amended Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, from Parliament for its legal team to conduct a thorough review before taking a position on the proposed legislation.
South Africa abstained from adopting the African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values at a conference in Accra, citing the Charter's definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman as inconsistent with its Constitution. Mozambique also abstained, citing logistical challenges and legislative scheduling constraints.
Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on May 29, shifting focus to whether President Mahama will assent to it. Though he indicated during campaigning that he would sign such a bill, his position has become more cautious since taking office; he has suggested alternative approaches like moral education, preferred a government-sponsored bill, and raised concerns about procedural irregularities in the bill's passage.
Minister Samuel Nartey George, a principal sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, has opposed Speaker Alban Bagbin's request for Parliament to reconsider the legislation after its passage on May 29, 2026, arguing that Parliament's Standing Orders do not permit reopening debate on a bill after third reading.
Dr. Rasheed Draman, Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs, has called on the government and parliamentary leadership to urgently clarify their position on the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, citing conflicting signals from state actors including the Speaker and President that risk undermining public confidence in the legislative process.
Former MP Samuel Atta Akyea has argued that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 has been validly passed by Parliament and cannot be easily reversed, despite Speaker Alban Bagbin's call for a review of the bill's passage before presidential assent.
Speaker Alban Bagbin told the Fourth African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty and Values that African countries must resist external pressure to alter domestic laws and cultural norms, arguing that conditioning development aid on legal changes violates UN principles of state sovereignty.
The Christian Council has endorsed President Mahama's decision to subject the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, to further legal and constitutional review before assenting to it, saying the President has a constitutional obligation to seek legal advice and ensure the legislation can withstand challenge.
Joy Online explains that Speaker Alban Bagbin can only appeal—not order—MPs to revisit the anti-LGBTQI bill, since he is not a voting member. His request rests on claims of procedural breach (violations of Orders 170, 171, 172) and lack of demonstrable consensus on the floor.
Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, has warned that promoting same-sex relations attacks society's foundation, and argues Ghana has reached consensus on the anti-LGBTQ+ bill despite renewed debate following President Mahama's and Speaker Bagbin's recent comments suggesting legislative review.
The National Chief Imam's spokesperson Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu expressed disappointment over renewed debate on Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill, stating that the country had already reached a broad national consensus on the issue through political, religious, and parliamentary engagement.
Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, cautioned political parties against turning the anti-LGBTQ+ bill into a partisan contest, saying Ghana has already reached broad national consensus on the matter through extensive debate.