The Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), a leading civil society organization committed to promoting open and accountable parliaments across Africa, has convened a stakeholder forum to assess Ghana’s parliamentary vetting process for presidential nominees.
This comes in the wake of recent disruptions and concerns over the credibility, transparency, and effectiveness of the vetting process overseen by Parliament’s Appointments Committee. The forum provided a platform for critical reflection on the mandate, operations, and performance of the Committee, particularly in light of recent vetting exercises that were marred by political tensions and procedural irregularities.
Vetting sessions in Ghana, which are constitutionally mandated to ensure only competent and ethical individuals are approved for key public positions, have in recent times raised questions about partisanship, insufficient scrutiny, and lack of decorum. A recent incident during a live telecast of a vetting session descended into chaos, with Members of Parliament engaged in heckling and physical confrontations, resulting in damage to public property. This mirrors similar scenes witnessed during the election of the Speaker of Parliament in January 2021.
Speaking at the forum, PNAfrica’s Programmes Manager, Gilbert Borketey Boyefio emphasized the urgent need to restore public confidence in the appointments process. “What we have observed is a gradual erosion of parliamentary standards in the vetting process, where partisan interests tend to overshadow merit, integrity, and accountability.”
The forum brought together legislators, civil society actors, governance experts, and the media to analyze key issues such as the Committee’s adherence to its mandate, the adequacy of its rules and procedures, and the level of scrutiny applied to nominees. It also served as a platform for recommending global best practices and standards for vetting public officials.
The Member of Parliament for Ho West, Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah who doubles as the Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee set up by the Speaker to investigate the circumstances of the recent Ministerial vetting session that descended into chaos informed the gathering that his outfit had completed the Cimmittee Report and laid it in Parliament. He however indicated that there was a pushback from the Minority Caucus about the presentation of the report because of its far reaching recommendations.
PNAfrica is compiling a Discussion Paper capturing insights and recommendations from the deliberations. The paper will be formally presented to the Speaker of Parliament, alongside the launch of an advocacy campaign aimed at securing institutional reforms to prevent future episodes of disorder and to promote a transparent and robust appointments process.
As a parliamentary monitoring organization, PNAfrica believes that the integrity of the vetting process is fundamental to Ghana’s democratic governance, and is committed to working with key stakeholders to strengthen the role of Parliament in holding the Executive to account.
Source: Clement Akoloh | Parliamentary Network Africa
