News:
July 15, 2026
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has moved to clarify the decision to bar the media from covering the Bank of Ghana Governor’s recent appearance before Parliament’s Committee of the Whole, insisting the move was consistent with long-standing parliamentary practice for independent constitutional bodies.
Addressing journalists, Mr. Ayariga explained that the core issue was whether the Governor’s appearance should be a public hearing. He noted that while the rules were changed to allow the House to invite the Governor before the Committee of the Whole rather than in plenary, the media has never been granted automatic access to such sessions.
“Many of you have been covering this house for so many years and you all know that apart from the ministers, all the other independent constitutional bodies that come, they come and appear before the committee of the whole,” Mr. Ayariga stated, pointing to the Administrator of the Common Fund, the NHS, and even the Electoral Commissioner as examples where media coverage is not routine.
The Majority Leader stressed that the decision was rooted in the House’s Standing Orders, specifically Order 266, which states that committee proceedings shall be held in public unless otherwise determined by the committee. He argued that the committee could not be forced to sit in public without a consensus.
He revealed that the Minority caucus had insisted on media coverage, citing a precedent set during a previous appearance by the Governor. However, when the committee failed to reach an agreement, the Minority opted to walk out rather than proceed with the questioning.
Mr. Ayariga dismissed suggestions that the Governor was avoiding public scrutiny, noting that the Governor had already prepared a press release with his responses and was willing to share it with the public. “There is nothing that the governor is afraid of answering in public,” he asserted.
He further criticized the Minority’s approach, accusing them of prioritising “media optics” over substantive engagement. “Clearly what the minority has done is to show that they are not interested in the question and the answers to the question. They are interested in the media optics,” he said, adding that the Governor regularly holds monthly media briefings and has been consistently responsive to parliamentary invitations—unlike his predecessor.
Ghanamps.com