When the budget statement is read each November, MPs pack the chamber in Accra. The Minister of Finance speaks, and members cheer or heckle along party lines. Ghana’s Parliament, created under the 1992 Constitution, is the body that turns policy into law and approves how public money is spent.
Members, the Speaker and the two sides
Parliament currently has 276 seats, each representing a single constituency. MPs are elected every four years at the same time as the presidential election. The Speaker presides over Parliament. Under the Constitution, the Speaker is elected by MPs and need not be an MP. Since 2025, the Speaker has been Alban Bagbin, who was re-elected for a second term.
The party with the most seats forms the Majority, and the other side forms the Minority. Leaders of each side manage business and debates.
A hung house and making laws
After the 2020 election, Parliament was almost evenly split between the NPP and the NDC, with one independent. It was one of the most closely divided parliaments in Ghana’s history, and votes were often tense. In the 2024 election, the NDC won a large majority, giving President John Mahama strong control of the legislature. Bills are introduced, debated, examined by committees and passed. The President must assent before a bill becomes law.
Committees, ministers and public access
Committees examine bills, budgets and government agencies. The Public Accounts Committee, which reviews the Auditor-General’s reports, holds public hearings that often reveal financial irregularities. Ghana’s Constitution requires that most ministers be appointed from Parliament, a hybrid system that critics say weakens Parliament’s independence from the executive. Parliament meets at Parliament House in Accra. Plans for a new chamber have been debated, including a controversial proposal for a new building in 2019 that was abandoned after public opposition.
Proceedings are broadcast on television and radio, and citizens can watch from the public gallery.
Criticism and the Clerk
Parliament is sometimes criticised for absenteeism, partisan behaviour and weak oversight. Supporters point to its role in keeping Ghana’s democracy stable. The Clerk to Parliament runs the parliamentary service, keeps records and advises the Speaker on procedure. Parliament also has its own staff of researchers and committee clerks. Ghana’s Parliament can be noisy and partisan. For more than three decades, it has also been the place where Ghana’s political arguments are settled with votes rather than violence.
