Author: Kwaku GhanaMPs

The independent Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Worlase Kpeli, has described the decision to align with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Majority in Parliament as apt and satisfactory.

According to him it’s been good so far as the collaboration has not posed any problem to him. “I feel at home, we are growing together and sharing ideas together; opportunities are being given equally”.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com, he noted that he has not seen any discrimination between the regular NDC MPs and himself; “the leadership system is working and courtesies extended to the NDC MPs are also extended to me as well”.

He noted that the ninth parliament has just started, and it has only been two months “and within three months, we will be able to assess very well our collaboration”.

Touching on the president’s appointments as none of the independent MPs have been appointed, he noted that being a Minister or deputy Minister is the prerogative of the President, and “if he finds it fit so be it; we do not have any rules governing it. I am not looking into that but if it comes fine, if not, I am still an MP performing my duties”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The New Patriotic Party Minority in parliament has insisted the Akufo-Addo government had done considerably well with the Ghana Priority Health Infrastructure Project (Agenda 111) completing three (3) District Hospitals.

The three, they said achieved practical completion, equipped and commissioned on the 5th December, 2024.

These include Atwima Kwanwoma Municipal Hospital at Trede, Oforikrom Municipal Hospital at Kokoben, and Ahanta West Municipal Hospital at Bokro.
This is contrary to President John Mahama’s verdict when he delivered the State of the Nation Address of only one being completed.

The Minority presenting what they termed ‘The True State of the Nation Address’ at a press conference in Parliament on Monday, March 3, 2025 disclosed that as at 31st December 2024, progress on the completion of civil works were – 37 sites achieved 70% completion and above, 28 sites achieved between 50% and 70% completion, and 36 sites have achieved below 50%completion.

They also refuted the fact that there was no dedicated fund for the Agenda 111 project.

“We also had dedicated sources of funding these projects from direct Government of Ghana (GOG) budgetary allocation and the Annual Budget Funding Amount Capex from oil revenues.

Dr. Amin Adams  who addressed the media on behalf of the Minority also stated that the Amount needed for the completion of all the District Hospitals and the Zonal Psychiatric Hospitals as at 31st December 2024 was US$1.3billion.

They accused the President of misinforming the public stating, “In his haste to misinform the Ghanaian people, the President told a group of clergy men
who visited him in his office that he needed $1.7 billion to complete the Agenda 111projects. In his address to the nation, he put the amount at GHS22 billion ($1.4 billion atGHS15.5 to US$). So which is the correct amount?”

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has commended first time Members of Parliament (MPs) in the ninth Parliament for their performance so have noting that the first orientation given them in Parliament has yielded good results.

According to him, the MPs, in the next four years would have to work together to defend and uphold Ghana’s democracy; and commended them for being regular at the constituencies.

The leader who gave the commendation at the opening of the second orientation for all Members of Parliament in the ninth parliament in Ho however noted that the MPs regular presence at their constituencies is also affecting their presence in the chamber.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us and we need to prepare ourselves for it; that is the essence of this exercise. For the returning members, I see we have suffered some casualties, many have gotten into Ministerial portfolios and that is going to take them away from us”.

Again, it is important to note that Ghana has become the envy of a lot of African countries and respected in the world at large because of our democracy, we have the capacity to engage in elections and in between elections our institution of parliament works hard to hold the executive accountable, he added.

The Majority Leader further noted in his address that, to ensure the country is properly run, after the elections, we ensured smooth transition, adding that parliament is the heart beat of democracy, thus “we have held our own in the last three decades”.

“We are liked in the continent, we should remain to hold the high standard; we have to build out skills to remain as a very credible parliament, we have to learn how to hold the executive accountable as MPs”.

Again, we should represent our constituencies and help to run our various institutions efficiently and the democracy we have; it has to deliver economic and social benefits to our people, that is what they expect and we have to get the tools and how to use them.

Thus the orientation exercise helps us gain the skills of how to debate, move motions, how to bring issues into the agenda of parliament, how to get Minister on the floor and how to engage with Minister.

He admonished MPs to build a cordial relationship with the media, stating that there are MPs who spend so much time in their constituencies and yet lost their elections at the end because the campaign against them was always about their inability to make contributions on the floor of the House. “You can do all the development works in your constituencies but if you do not spend time in the chamber, it would count against you in the next election”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in parliament has rejected the call for proportional debate on the Message of the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The Minority through its Deputy Whip, Habib Iddrisu has given indication that the Minority would not agree to the Majority’s proportional SONA debate scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

According to him it is alien to the House, that kind of proposition being out forward by the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga when he presented the Business Statement on the floor of the House on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Again, the Majority Leader should know that even in the seventh Parliament when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in the Majority, they never resorted to proportion in terms of debate of SONA.

“We should have five from the Majority and five from the Minority. What is the Majority afraid of? You believe the message the president presented is the state of the Nation; this part of the business statement should be taken away. It is strange to the rule.”

A member who wants to speak would stand in his or her seat when he or she catches the eyes of the Speaker to speak and it did not say proportion should be used, he added.

“Mr. Speaker, the Minority side will not be part of it and will not tolerate it, and we will not allow them to set a bad precedent for us. We will not agree to that, we will all speak and debate SONA”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The ninth parliament of the fourth republic of Ghana, has once again failed to attain the 30 percent female representation, a target many were hoping to see.

But the Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Faustina Elikplim Akurugu said there is the need for political parties to strive to meet this target.

The call for ensuring more women to have access to the legislature has been an agenda many groups have tried to actualize; and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have not relented in pushing for the thirty percent female representation in the various national parliaments.

Out of the two hundred and seventy-five (275) constituencies declared by Ghana’s Electoral Commission for the ninth parliament, with one outstanding constituency yet to be declared, only forty (40) are females representing 14.55 percent.

And the MP said the situation is worrying, saying, “Women are in the majority, if you look at the Ghanaian population, our representation in parliament should be more”

She noted that the perception about women in politics is something that women are still struggling with even with the passage of the Affirmative Action Act, 2024.

“I think we should be able to bridge the gap, the current representation is worrying, and we need deliberate efforts to get a lot of representation of women”, she emphasised.

As to whether the political parties in Ghana can play a key role in this direction, she noted that it depends on the individuals and the kind of support from their spouses, so even if the parties give the push, family support is also important.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com