Ghana's Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called on committee leaders and members to keep their work independent and even-handed, arguing that the legislature's standing depends on how it reaches decisions as much as on what it decides. He spoke in Accra on Saturday at the Parliamentary Committees Leadership Programme, held under the theme "Enhancing Parliamentary Accountability through Effective Oversight and Post-Legislative Scrutiny," according to allAfrica.com.
Bagbin said committees carry a duty to handle legislative and oversight work in the national interest, and that public confidence in Parliament is tied to the transparency and fairness of its procedures.
Why it matters
Committees do much of Parliament's substantive work: they examine bills, review public spending, question government policy and press public institutions to account. Bagbin described them as the engine room of the legislature, allAfrica.com reports. If that work is seen as partisan or vulnerable to outside pressure, the argument goes, the credibility of the whole institution suffers.
The Speaker warned lawmakers against letting external pressure shape their decisions, especially when they are considering legislation.
Majority Leader backs consensus, with limits
Majority Leader James Agalga told committee leaders to put consensus-building and mutual respect first as a way of speeding up parliamentary business. While the majority side has a responsibility to steer government business, he said it must stay open to opposing views and legitimate concerns so that scrutiny remains effective.
Agalga added that reaching agreement should not be read as abandoning political principles. In his view it reflects political maturity and an acceptance that national development depends on dialogue and shared responsibility.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu seeks constitutional change
Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu argued that strong oversight is central to consolidating Ghana's democracy and to making sure public money produces results for citizens. Parliament's watchdog role, he said, goes beyond checking expenditure: it also involves keeping the democratic system working and holding institutions that manage state resources to account.
He urged MPs to build broad knowledge so they can speak to national issues beyond their own committee portfolios.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also pressed for amendments to the 1992 Constitution to reinforce Parliament's oversight powers, particularly its ability to hold ministries, departments, agencies and other public bodies accountable for state resources. He said the current framework has gaps that limit Parliament's supervision of public institutions.
He pointed to Article 103, which sets out the functions of parliamentary committees, noting that it focuses on ministries and departments without expressly covering agencies and other independent governance bodies. By contrast, he said, the provisions on the Auditor-General extend that office's auditing reach to agencies, educational institutions and independent constitutional bodies.
"The Auditor-General is supposed to work for Parliament in the exercise of our responsibilities. And yet, greater functions have been assigned to the Auditor-General, not so much to Parliament itself," he said.
He called for a review of the relevant constitutional provisions so that Parliament's oversight duties are clearly defined and properly supported.
The training programme also addressed committee leadership and governance, with Bagbin urging MPs to take the training seriously, according to GBC Ghana Online.
Watch for whether the proposed constitutional review gains traction in Parliament, and whether committee leaders change how they handle legislation and oversight in the sessions ahead.
