National Security Minister role abolished amid parliamentary debate - NIB to BNI

The government has announced significant reforms to the country's security architecture, proposing to rename the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) as the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) and abolish the specific portfolio of Minister for National Security.

These changes are enshrined in the Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025, and have ignited vigorous debate on the floor of Parliament.

Addressing Members of Parliament on the floor of the House last Thursday, the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, clarified the rationale behind the name change, explaining it aims to resolve persistent confusion between the NIB acronym and the National Investment Bank.

Renaming

"Everywhere in the world, you make sure that the acronyms for the security agencies do not match any other thing," Mr Muntaka stated, adding that the current situation "undermines clarity within the country’s security framework and runs counter to global practice."

He emphasised, "Unfortunately, we have a situation where, when you say NIB, people are wondering whether you're talking about the bank or you're talking about the security agency.

So Mr Speaker, one of the significant things that we are trying to do is to reintroduce the name BNI at this time, even though the BNI of yesterday was Bureau of National Investigation, this BNI will still remain Bureau of National Intelligence."

Beyond the rebranding, the Bill seeks to streamline the national security command structure by abolishing the standalone Minister for National Security position. Under the proposed arrangement, the President would be empowered to designate any Minister to oversee the National Security Coordinator, aiming to prevent operational friction and role duplication.
 

Minority concerns

However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has voiced strong opposition, cautioning that the Bill risks concentrating "excessive authority" in the hands of the National Security Coordinator.

He questioned the necessity of the reforms, arguing the Bill's memorandum lacked empirical evidence to prove Act 1030's failure.

"It appears that this bill is more founded on partisan political interest than a national security interest for good governance," Mr Afenyo-Markin asserted.

He warned against granting unchecked power: "What is being proposed?

So much power is being given to the coordinator, it is not clear how his powers are going to be fettered...

My submission is that if you give such powers to the coordinator, and you do not provide for a clear path of responsibility, accountability and oversight, it becomes problematic to you yourself as a government, and when the rights of citizens are being abused, the man will come and tell you that in the name of national security." 

He urged for further deliberation, stating, "There will be the need for the Minister to sit with us as a House, do further winnowing and incorporate the major concerns raised by the minority on this floor."

Majority response

In response to the Minority's concerns, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga reiterated the core objective: "The fundamental thing about this bill is to revise the existing legislation and take out the imposition of a minister for national security.

That is the fundamental objective of this bill."  

He urged thorough scrutiny, emphasising that the bill aims to abolish the Minister for National Security office and address associated functions and structures that "are not" currently functioning effectively.