Written by Amy O’Donoghue
Interest group JustRight Ghana has expressed their anger and concern at Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s selection as a keynote speaker at the LSE Africa Summit 2026. They have cited his commitment to the criminalisation of LGBTQ existence as the reason for this concern.
Dr. Bawumia will be one of the key speakers at the Summit, taking place on 28-29 March. He is the former Vice President of Ghana and has announced his intention to run for president in 2028. He is also a Fellow of the International Growth Centre, an institution based between LSE and Oxford University.
JustRight Ghana has highlighted Dr. Bawumia’s verbal opposition to LGBTQ rights, noting that he has repeatedly pledged to sign Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025. This bill would criminalise LGBTQ existence, implementing penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment for advocacy, and mandating family reporting. Dr. Bawumia has made his strong support for such measures clear, stating that he won’t allow LGBTQ activities in Ghana “no matter the consequences”.
Speaking directly to The Beaver, JustRight Ghana stated: “Our concerns begin with the very real and urgent situation facing LGBTQ persons in Ghana. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has repeatedly and publicly committed to supporting and signing legislation that would significantly expand the criminalisation of LGBTQ people, their expression, and even advocacy on their behalf. This is not a hypothetical concern — such laws create an environment where individuals can face arrest, violence, social exclusion, and the breakdown of family and community support systems simply for who they are or for speaking out.”
“Against this backdrop, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the London School of Economics and Political Science to provide Dr. Bawumia a platform, particularly on a subject like artificial intelligence and governance. In the hands of governments hostile to minority rights, digital technologies can be used as tools of surveillance and repression. This makes the choice of speaker especially significant.”
When contacted for comment, LSE Africa Summit told The Beaver:
“Dr Bawumia was invited to open the Summit which this year will be on the theme of AI in Africa. Dr Bawumia’s career as a former Vice-President of Ghana, and Deputy Governor at the Bank of Ghana gives him a unique perspective from which to address these issues.
At the point when we became aware of his past statements regarding LGBTQ+ rights the offer to speak had already been extended, and the offer accepted. It is LSE policy not to withdraw an invitation to speak once it has been extended and accepted to protect free speech and so it was decided to continue with the programme as planned.
This will not, however, be an uncritical platforming of a politician. There will be a Q&A session following his speech.We will also be hosting policy dialogues the following day on issues relating to the future of AI in Africa. In these, we will directly address the potential of AI to be used to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community.
The opinions of speakers do not reflect the opinions of the Summit Organising Committee. Issues of inequality and discrimination are very important to us and have been so throughout the process of planning the Summit. We have designed our programme to ensure there is space for these topics to be fairly discussed.
We believe that the Summit will be an inclusive space where diverse views, opinions and identities will be respected. Moreso, this diversity will be reflected through tangible contributions to our discussions and published outputs.”
An LSE spokesperson said:
“Our Code of Practice on Free Speech is designed to protect and promote lawful freedom of expression on campus, including the ability of our community to refute ideas lawfully and protecting an individual’s rights to freedom of expression within the law.
“This is enshrined in UK law by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which LSE has an obligation to adhere.
“A range of events happen at LSE each day, covering many viewpoints and positions, including on controversial issues. LSE does not, however, endorse speakers or views at our events. As outlined on LSE event listings: ‘LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.’ ”
