Lincoln University in Pennsylvania has cancelled the scheduled visit of President John Dramani Mahama, just two days before a ceremony at which he was to be conferred with an honorary doctorate, with the cancellation linked to concerns over Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the university is cancelling the visit from John Dramani Mahama, President of The Republic of Ghana, originally scheduled for Thursday, March 26th,” the university posted on its website.
The Ghana Embassy in Washington D.C., confirmed the development in a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, revealing that Lincoln University had communicated concerns raised by a group about Mahama’s perceived position on the anti-LGBTQ bill currently before Ghana’s Parliament.
“It is both surprising and regrettable that, just hours ago, the Embassy received a communication from the University indicating that concerns had been raised by a group regarding President Mahama’s perceived position on Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill,” the Embassy’s statement read.
The Embassy noted that all logistical arrangements had been finalised, with Embassy officials and university representatives having conducted a full walkthrough of the venue just last week.
Making the situation more awkward, Lincoln University itself acknowledged that the concerns did not surface during its earlier vetting and due diligence processes before the invitation was extended — raising questions about the university’s internal processes.
The honorary doctorate was to recognise Mahama’s outstanding contributions to public service, democratic governance, and global advocacy for justice, equality, and reparations — values Lincoln University publicly champions.
The university’s Pan-Africana Studies Chair, Associate Professor Gnaka Lagoke, had described the conferral as a powerful symbol, noting that Mahama “carries the Kwame Nkrumah mandate”, a reference to the fact that Ghana’s founding president was himself a Lincoln University alumnus.
President Mahama is currently in New York, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25, presenting a landmark resolution on behalf of the African Union seeking global recognition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade as a crime against humanity.
Lincoln University has not issued a further public statement explaining the decision beyond the brief cancellation notice on its website.
