At 61, Moses Foh-Amoaning has become one of Ghana’s most polarizing figures. The silver-haired lawyer with albinism is a former president of the Ghana Boxing Authority and lecturer at the Ghana School of Law.
But he is now more popularly known for his role as the executive secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values.
Depending on who you ask, he can be seen as a defender of Ghanaian morality against Western cultural imperialism. But others see him as one of the main driving forces behind Ghana’s harshest anti-Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) legislation.
For more than a decade, Mr. Foh-Amoaning has been at the forefront of efforts to block what he calls the “L.G.B.T.Q. agenda” in Ghana.
His coalition, formed in 2013, has mobilized interfaith opposition to comprehensive sexuality education in schools and helped draft and champion the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill — commonly known as the anti-gay bill.
The legislation would broaden penalties for same-sex conduct, criminalize advocacy, and even mandate “correction” for those who identify as L.G.B.T.Q.
The bill has become a flashpoint in Ghana’s culture wars.
In 2024, Mr. Foh Amoaning’s lobbying succeeded when a private member’s bill (legislation crafted by eight Members of Parliament, including Sam George, the current Minister of Communication) was passed by Parliament in February 2024 with overwhelming support.
However, victory was short-lived when the bill lapsed at the end of the previous legislative session amid legal challenges.
The bill was reintroduced in early 2025 under President John Mahama’s new administration. But it has remained in limbo, with debates and procedure delaying progress as of November 2025.
Mr. Foh-Amoaning, undeterred, continues to press for its enactment as a public law. He argues the bill is “not about hate”, but is intended to “protect the rights of all Ghanaians”.
From Sports Fields to Moral Battlegrounds
Born in Ghana, Mr. Foh-Amoaning trained as a lawyer and built a varied career. He lectured on law and later served as president of the Ghana Boxing Authority.
He has credited spiritual interventions — church offerings and prayers — for past sporting triumphs, blending faith with public life in a way that mirrors his activism.
His turn to social conservatism intensified around 2013, when he helped found the coalition amid growing global discussions on L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
Drawing on biblical and Quranic teachings, as well as Ghanaian cultural norms, he argues that homosexuality is “un-African” and a Western import.
He has further labelled LGBTQ individuals as “mad“, stating that once the bill is passed, the Mental Health Authority will help “restrain” them.
“A no-go area for the LGBT agenda”
In October 2019, Mr. Foh-Amoaning collaborated with a US Group called the World Congress Families to organise a conference in Accra. The event was to push for “family values” and condemn LGBTQ activities in the country.
It’s been reported that the group had reached out to Mr. Foh-Amoaning before the conference due to similar advocacies stating that sexual and gender equality are incompatible with African culture.
The organization was founded in 1997 in the United States by the academic Allan Carlson as a project of the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society. It rebranded in 2016 under the umbrella “International Organization for the Family” (I.O.F.)
The group promotes a rigid vision of the “natural family” as the lifelong union of one man and one woman with their biological children.
Headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, the group opposes same-sex marriage, abortion, divorce, contraception, and comprehensive sexuality education, while framing demographic decline as a “demographic winter” threatening civilization.
The I.O.F., led since 2016 by Brian Brown (who also heads the National Organization for Marriage in the United States), has organized more than a dozen global congresses and numerous regional events, uniting conservative Christian activists, policymakers, and religious leaders.
It has been designated an anti-L.G.B.T.Q. hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center since 2014 for its role in supporting repressive laws abroad, including Russia’s 2013 “gay propaganda” ban.
The group has reportedly helped influence similar legislation in Uganda and Nigeria.
In the 2010s, it forged close ties with Russian Orthodox oligarchs and officials close to President Vladimir Putin, who provided funding and venues.
The organization is currently active through online advocacy, partnerships, and smaller events, including family-focused gatherings in Latin America.
Its Accra event in 2019, themed “The African Family and Sustainable Development,” featured various prominent speakers, who were on hand to condemn LGBT and advocate for the anti-LGBT bill.
One of the speakers, current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, used his time on stage to call on his fellow politicians to declare the country “a no-go area for the LGBT agenda”.
Mr. Foh-Amoaning lobbied former presidents and the national chief imam for support, framing the gathering as a united front of Ghana’s “Holy Trinity” — Christians, Muslims, and traditional rulers.
“Sex Education is an LGBTQ Agenda”
That same year, Mr. Foh-Amoaning led a campaign against the introduction of comprehensive sexuality education (C.S.E.) in Ghanaian schools.
Developed with UNESCO support to teach age-appropriate lessons on reproductive health, consent, and relationships, the program was branded by opponents as a covert effort to “brainwash” children into accepting homosexuality.
“C.S.E. is a clear L.G.B.T.Q. agenda,” Mr. Foh-Amoaning declared on radio and television, rallying religious leaders and parents.
Following public pressure, the government shelved CSE and distanced itself from the program.
The Fight Over the Anti-Gay Bill
The coalition’s crowning effort has been the family values bill, introduced in 2021 and backed by lawmakers from both major parties.
The bill prescribes up to three years in prison for identifying as L.G.B.T.Q., longer sentences for “promotion” of LGBT activities, and requirements for “therapy”, a practice that Mr. Foh Amoaning stated has worked in converting LGBT members.
“We treated some [lawyers and judges] and they’re all fine. And if you have friends who are in that type of situation, we are willing to help them,” he said in a radio interview.
(However, reviews and research have found no reliable evidence that conversion efforts produce lasting, genuine changes in sexual orientation or gender identity)
After its 2024 passage, former President Nana Akufo-Addo deferred assent pending Supreme Court reviews, which dismissed challenges as premature.
The bill lapsed with parliamentary dissolution before the 2024 elections.
Reintroduced in 2025, it has faced new hurdles, including Mr. Foh-Amoaning’s recent allegations of resistance from lawmakers allegedly involved in same-sex activities.
International donors, including the World Bank, have warned of funding cuts, and activists report increased violence against L.G.B.T.Q. Ghanaians.
Trying To Cross The Finish Line
President John Mahama, who assented to power in January 2025, has gone on record to state he will sign the Family Values Bill into law if Parliament debates, amends, endorses, and passes it
He gave this assurance to the Christian Council of Ghana at the Jubilee House when the Council paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
President Mahama has stated his position on LGBT, stating that marriage is between a man and a woman and that gender is determined at birth.
The President has not stated his position on specific areas of the bill, including conversation therapy and punishment for LGBT allies.
As the bill continues to be debated in Ghana’s parliament, Mr. Foh-Amoaning shows no signs of retreating. In recent weeks, he has criticized university policies he claims accommodate LGBT students.
The bill is currently a touchy subject, igniting debate online and offline.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby initially said he was “gravely concerned” by the bill. He later apologised for the statement, saying that he had “no authority over the Church of Ghana, nor would I want any.”
Ghanaians are currently waiting to see what Parliament does concerning the bill.
If it does pass, Moses Foh Amoaning will most likely be one of the first individuals to run a victory lap with its passage.
