Business, Appointments committees constituted

Parliament has unanimously approved the membership of the Business and the Appointments committees.

The committees were composed based on the approved ratio of 138:137 for the Majority and the Minority caucuses, respectively.

Per the approval, the Business Committee, which will comprise 20 members, will have 10 members for each caucus, while the 26-member Appointments Committee will also have 13 members for each caucus.

While the Business Committee will oversee government businesses the House is to handle, the Appointments Committee will vet and recommend the various government appointees for approval by the House.

The approval was given after a motion had been moved by the Committee of Selection for the House to adopt and approve its report on the membership of the two committees.

Motion

The Leader of the NDC caucus in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, moved the motion on behalf of the Chairman of the committee, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, who is also the Speaker of the House.

The motion was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the NPP caucus, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

In accordance with Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 151 of the Standing Orders of the House, the Committee of Selection was appointed last Friday to compose the Standing, Select and other committees of the House.

Reading the report of the committee, Mr Iddrisu said pursuant to Order 151 (2) of the Standing Orders of the House, the committee met and composed the Business Committee and the Appointments Committee, in accordance with Orders 160 and 172, respectively.

He said in its deliberations, the committee was guided by the formula adopted by the House on Friday, January 15, 2021 for the composition of the membership of committees.

He noted that the committee was also guided by Article 103 (5) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 154 of the Standing Orders of the House, which required that the composition of the committees shall, as much as possible, reflect the different shades of opinion in Parliament.

Review of Standing Orders

He said the committee, after deliberations, recommended to the House that the Standing Orders of Parliament be reviewed in earnest.

“This has become necessary in view of the fact that the revision will have numerical consequences on the composition of the various committees of the House.

“Considering the urgent need to facilitate the business of the House and that of government, the committee, in the meantime, composes the membership of the Business Committee and the Appointments Committee to the House for approval,” he said.

He said the two committees would work in the interim, pending the passage of the reviewed Standing Orders, and would stand dissolved on the coming into force of the new Standing Orders.

He added that after the coming into force of the reviewed Standing Orders, the committee would submit to the House the list of the chairmen, vice-chairmen and other members of all committees of the House.

Members of Business Committee

The committee will be chaired by the Leader of the Majority Group in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, with Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin acting as Vice-Chairman.

Other members of the committee from the Majority caucus are Mr Frank Annor-Dompreh, Ms Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Mr Moses Anim, Ms Hawa Koomson, Mr Alex Tetteh Djornobuah, Mr Joseph Kudjoe, Ms Mavis Nkansah Boadu and Mr Habib Iddrisu.

Members of the NDC caucus include Mr Haruna Iddrisu, who is the Ranking Member of the committee, and Mr James Klutse Avedzi, who is the Deputy Ranking Member.

Other members are Mr Mubarak-Muntaka, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Ms Dela Sowah, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, Ms Joycelin Tetteh, Mr Eric Afful, Dr Zanetor Rawlings and Mr Adamu Ramadan.

Members of Appointments Committee

The Appointments Committee has 13 members from each caucus.

Chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, with Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin as the Vice-Chair, the committee includes, from the Majority caucus, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, Dr Mathew O. Prempeh, Mr Henry Quartey, Mr Bryan Acheampong, Mrs Ursula G. Owusu-Ekuful, Ms Patricia Appiagyei, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, Mr Alhassan Tampoli and Mr John Kumah.

The NDC caucus is led by Mr Haruna Iddrisu as the Ranking Member and Mr Mubarak Muntaka as the Deputy Ranking Member.

The rest are Mr Mahama Ayariga, Mr Sampson Ahi, Mr Eric Opoku, Ms Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Mr James Agalga, Mr Edwin N. L. Vanderpuye, Mr Samuel O. Ablakwa, Mr Alhassan Suhuyini, Mr Francis Xavier Sosu, Ms Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahim and Ms Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui.