Speaker commends MPs for consensus-building as House adjourns sine die

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has lauded Members of Parliament (MPs) for the spirit of consensus-building and bipartisanship that characterised the second meeting of the first session of the Ninth Parliament.

In a closing address read on his behalf by the First Deputy Speaker and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor, the Speaker commended the House for its collective commitment to national development despite political differences.

“This meeting has demonstrated what is possible when we work together, transcending partisan interests to serve a better good,” he said.

Mr Bagbin urged members to carry forward the spirit of national unity and public service that had defined the session, stressing that parliament was not a courtroom but a political institution built on deliberations, negotiations and consensus building.

Output

The meeting, which spanned May to August 2025, recorded 43 sittings, during which the House passed eight out of 13 bills laid before it. Key among them were the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill, and the University for Development Studies Bill.

Parliament also approved the nomination of seven Supreme Court Justices and four deputy ministers, vetted by the Appointments Committee. A total of 497 questions were filed, with 297 answered—comprising 242 oral and 55 urgent questions—signifying robust oversight over the Executive.

The House ratified international agreements, adopted business statements and considered various reports and instruments, including 131 timber utilisation contracts and 11 Auditor-General’s reports.

Challenges, recess

While celebrating achievements, the Speaker also called attention to challenges, notably the sudden death of the Akwatia MP, Ernest Kumi, and violent incidents during the rerun of the Ablekuma North parliamentary elections.

He called for discussions on improved healthcare for MPs and reforms to uphold electoral integrity.

As Parliament adjourned, Mr Bagbin reminded members that the recess was not a vacation but a return to their constituents.

He urged them to use the period to reconnect with the people, undertake field oversight and deepen the country’s democratic governance with renewed purpose and a spirit of service.

Achievements

In his closing remarks, the Majority Leader and MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, enumerated the government's aggressive approach to combating illegal mining (galamsey), reporting significant actions like arresting 1,345 miners, seizing 425 excavators and holding over 1,000 excavators at ports.

He emphasised a coordinated effort to monitor excavator importation, requiring justification for their use and implementing tracking systems. 

The Majority Leader also cautioned the minority against using parliament to undermine investigative agencies lawfully executing their constitutional mandates in response to the minority’s claims that the government was targeting individuals over political affiliations.

“I think that it is a height of hypocrisy for us to enact such fine laws, establish those institutions and when they are exercising their responsibilities and their mandates, we sit in this house and criticise them and try to undermine them in the exercise of their legitimate duties,” he said, urging aggrieved persons to seek redress at the appropriate institutions. 

Criticism

The Minority Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, in his remarks, criticised the government for what he described as growing authoritarian tendencies and a failure to uphold democratic and economic justice.

He urged an end to bitterness, revenge and selective persecution, stressing the need for national unity.

“It is time to end the bitterness, the revenge and the pain.

We are a country of one people.

If the House will continue to dictate to the government, so be it. But we live to see,” the Minority Leader said.