A new assessment of Ghana’s Parliament has raised concerns over the increasing reliance on urgent legislative procedures, limited public participation in law-making, and challenges affecting parliamentary oversight and accountability.
The Parliamentary Performance Assessment Report (2025) by the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica) examines the output of the First Session of Ghana’s Ninth Parliament, covering legislative, oversight, representational and operational activities between January and December 2025.
The report, however, clarifies that its assessment focuses on measurable parliamentary outputs and activities rather than judging the individual performance of Members of Parliament. It analyses areas including attendance, sitting hours, questions, statements, committee activities, bills and subsidiary legislation.
One of the major concerns highlighted by the report is Parliament’s extensive use of Certificates of Urgency in passing legislation. According to the assessment, Parliament passed 39 Government-sponsored Bills during the period, with 34 of them—about 87 percent—processed under urgency procedures.
PNAfrica noted that while urgency procedures may sometimes be necessary, the heavy reliance on the process raises questions about the depth of legislative scrutiny, transparency and opportunities for citizens and experts to contribute to proposed laws.
The report indicated that public consultation was conducted on only a small proportion of legislation passed during the period, suggesting that opportunities for wider stakeholder engagement in law-making remained limited.
On parliamentary oversight, the report recorded that Members of Parliament asked 398 questions during the session, including 81 urgent questions on matters of public importance. However, it observed that parliamentary questions and statements, although important oversight tools, remain largely dependent on voluntary participation by MPs.
The assessment also raised concerns about committee effectiveness, noting disparities in the number of meetings held by various committees. While some committees recorded significant activity, others had limited engagements despite having oversight responsibilities over critical sectors.
On representation, the report noted that women’s representation in the Ninth Parliament increased slightly, with 41 women MPs out of 276 members (14.86 percent). However, it said this remains below global benchmarks and that women continue to be underrepresented in key parliamentary leadership positions.
The report further highlighted concerns about parliamentary working hours, noting that although sittings generally aligned with the expected five-hour duration, some proceedings extended late into the night, raising questions about productivity, fatigue and the quality of legislative scrutiny.
It also examined attendance records, reporting high official attendance averages above 80 percent throughout the year, but pointed to a disconnect between official attendance figures and visible participation in the Chamber, including instances where the Speaker raised concerns about low attendance and quorum challenges.
Among its recommendations, PNAfrica called for clearer rules governing the use of Certificates of Urgency, including mandatory written justification and parliamentary scrutiny before such procedures are approved. It also recommended reviewing parliamentary sitting arrangements, strengthening committee procedures, expanding citizen engagement, and introducing mechanisms to formally guarantee public participation in legislative processes.
The report was developed through analysis of official parliamentary records including Votes and Proceedings, Order Papers, Hansard, Journals, and information obtained through Right to Information requests, with additional perspectives gathered from governance experts, civil society actors, MPs and members of the public.
PNAfrica said the assessment is intended to provide a credible baseline for understanding parliamentary activity and supporting reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and citizen-centred governance.
Source: Clement Akoloh/parliamentnews360.com
