The Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga, has declared that Parliament will intensify its oversight role to ensure State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and public institutions remain accountable to their mandates and manage public resources responsibly.
Delivering his opening remarks at the commencement of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on Thursday, Mr Ayariga charged Members of Parliament and parliamentary committees to take their oversight responsibilities seriously as the House prepares for what he described as a demanding legislative session.
According to him, Parliament must strengthen supervision over Ministries, Departments, Agencies and State-Owned Enterprises to sustain economic discipline, improve governance and protect the public purse.
“Committees must monitor agencies they superintend over to ensure continued discipline and conduct conducive to national progress. This is what Ghanaians expect of their Parliament,” he stated.
The Majority Leader emphasized that the coming months would be critical in consolidating Ghana’s recent economic gains and ensuring transparency and accountability in public expenditure following the country’s exit from the IMF programme.
He urged committees overseeing the economic sectors to intensify scrutiny of ministers and state institutions, particularly in relation to local content implementation, job creation and the protection of local industries.
“Jobs for which Ghanaians have the skills and competencies cannot be occupied by non-Ghanaians,” he noted, while calling for stronger measures to curb smuggling and unfair practices that undermine local businesses.
Mr Ayariga further called on lawmakers to critically examine appropriation proposals and government expenditure to prevent waste, inefficiency and corruption, insisting that public funds must be directed into productive sectors capable of generating employment and wealth for the youth.
“The economy has only suffered from decades of inefficiency, waste, graft and corruption,” he declared.
The Bawku Central MP disclosed that Parliament would be handling a heavy legislative workload during the meeting, including constitutional amendment bills arising from the work of the Constitution Review Committee.
He revealed that the House is expected to consider 48 Bills and 26 Legislative Instruments, alongside motions, committee reports, policy papers and oversight activities across the country.
Among the major legislative proposals expected before the House are the Cyber Security Authority Bill and the Data Protection Bill.
“Looking at the agenda for this Meeting, I can promise Honourable Colleagues that the House is going to get very busy,” he said.
Mr Ayariga reminded MPs that Parliament remains the voice of ordinary Ghanaians and must continue to reflect the hopes, concerns and aspirations of citizens through its work.
“As elected representatives of the people, Parliament is not only a House of Records and Law; it is also the House where the hopes, aspirations, anxieties and frustrations of the people are duly expressed,” he stated.
He therefore appealed for greater cooperation between the Majority and Minority caucuses to advance national development and deepen democratic governance.
The Majority Leader also urged lawmakers to remain punctual and fully committed to proceedings to ensure the smooth execution of the legislative agenda.
Parliament resumed sitting on Thursday after recess amid expectations of an intensive legislative programme focused on economic recovery, governance reforms and national development.
By: Christian Kpesese
