Parliament in financial limbo

Parliament is under growing pressure to address a host of unresolved financial and procedural issues, with the Minority in Parliament expressing serious concerns over delayed statutory payments, poor system infrastructure, and lack of decisive action on illegal mining (galamsey).

At the heart of the uproar is Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, who delivered a comprehensive critique of government inaction during a press conference and later on the floor of Parliament.
His commentary painted a troubling picture of delayed government obligations to statutory bodies and poor accountability to Parliament.

Mounting Arrears and Silence on Payments

Annoh-Dompreh noted with alarm that statutory payments—particularly to institutions such as the Electoral Commission, District Assemblies, and the National Health Insurance Fund—are significantly in arrears, with some debts dating back to 2023. Of particular concern is the Electoral Commission’s outstanding balance of GHS 200 million, which he claims has not yet been paid, months after the Commission conducted successful district-level elections that gave the ruling party a landslide victory.

Parliament itself, he said, has not received its second-quarter budget release, affecting its internal operations.

The Minority Chief Whip urged the Finance Minister, or at least his deputy, to appear before the Committee of the Whole to brief lawmakers on the status of the payments and strategies for clearing the backlog.

“We cannot talk about a national reset agenda when statutory bodies are crying for funds,” Annoh-Dompreh emphasized.

Risking Representation at Pan-African Parliament

He also raised concerns about Ghana’s looming risk of missing out on representation at the upcoming Pan-African Parliament (PAP) session.

According to him, delays in finalizing Ghana’s delegation are recurring issues that have not been resolved since the last Parliament.

“I humbly wish to bring the attention of the leadership to make sure that we work with this part,” he said, warning that official invitations from PAP are expected soon and inaction would result in Ghana forfeiting its seat.

Committees in Disarray

Another matter raised involved the internal committee composition of Parliament. Annoh-Dompreh disclosed that several MPs were either placed on only one committee or none at all—an anomaly he said violates parliamentary standing orders.

He explained that he and the Chief Whip had completed a review and report on this issue, and called on House leadership to expedite the adoption of a motion to regularize the committee appointments. “We must avoid standing in defiance of our own standing orders,” he said.

Galamsey Fight Lacks Clarity and Funding

Perhaps the most emotional appeal from the Minority Chief Whip was directed at the escalating menace of illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey.”
He expressed deep disappointment in the government’s handling of the crisis, stating that despite pledges to reclaim water bodies and lands, no dedicated funding was allocated for this purpose in the most recent national budget.

“This is a matter of public interest. The public wants to know the government’s plans, what has been done, and what will be done. We’re even hearing rumors of a possible state of emergency declaration. Parliament deserves to be briefed,” he said.

Digital Infrastructure Still Not Functional

Adding to the list of inefficiencies, Annoh-Dompreh criticized the malfunctioning parliamentary digital document system, which was introduced nearly six months ago.

He described it as a waste of public funds, noting that MPs still could not access vital business documents electronically.

“It is unacceptable that after all this time, documents are not displaying on the system. This Parliament must insist on getting value for the investment made,” he charged, urging Majority leadership to ensure final resolution of the issue.

Majority Leader Responds with Optimism

In response, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga attempted to calm the storm, acknowledging that delays in disbursements were real but attributing them to final approvals that had only just been granted.

He revealed that the Finance Minister had indeed planned to brief Parliament that day but had been called away to Côte d’Ivoire, where he was serving as a returning officer in the African Finance Policy Board (AFPB) elections.

Mahama Ayariga assured that the Minister would soon return to make the statement and initiate the transfers.

He further promised that 80% of the District Assemblies Common Fund would be disbursed directly to the assemblies and encouraged MPs to monitor fund utilization closely to ensure proper impact at the local level.

Regarding other payments in arrears, Ayariga indicated that some were pending audit clearance but assured Parliament they would be made by early next month.

On the committee composition and Pan-African Parliament representation, he said discussions were ongoing and expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved “with dispatch.”

Parliament In Financial Limbo

By Daniel Bampoe

Parliament is under growing pressure to address a host of unresolved financial and procedural issues, with the Minority in Parliament expressing serious concerns over delayed statutory payments, poor system infrastructure, and lack of decisive action on illegal mining (galamsey).

At the heart of the uproar is Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, who delivered a comprehensive critique of government inaction during a press conference and later on the floor of Parliament.
His commentary painted a troubling picture of delayed government obligations to statutory bodies and poor accountability to Parliament.

Mounting Arrears and Silence on Payments

Annoh-Dompreh noted with alarm that statutory payments—particularly to institutions such as the Electoral Commission, District Assemblies, and the National Health Insurance Fund—are significantly in arrears, with some debts dating back to 2023. Of particular concern is the Electoral Commission’s outstanding balance of GHS 200 million, which he claims has not yet been paid, months after the Commission conducted successful district-level elections that gave the ruling party a landslide victory.

Parliament itself, he said, has not received its second-quarter budget release, affecting its internal operations.

The Minority Chief Whip urged the Finance Minister, or at least his deputy, to appear before the Committee of the Whole to brief lawmakers on the status of the payments and strategies for clearing the backlog.

“We cannot talk about a national reset agenda when statutory bodies are crying for funds,” Annoh-Dompreh emphasized.

Risking Representation at Pan-African Parliament

He also raised concerns about Ghana’s looming risk of missing out on representation at the upcoming Pan-African Parliament (PAP) session.

According to him, delays in finalizing Ghana’s delegation are recurring issues that have not been resolved since the last Parliament.

“I humbly wish to bring the attention of the leadership to make sure that we work with this part,” he said, warning that official invitations from PAP are expected soon and inaction would result in Ghana forfeiting its seat.

Committees in Disarray

Another matter raised involved the internal committee composition of Parliament. Annoh-Dompreh disclosed that several MPs were either placed on only one committee or none at all—an anomaly he said violates parliamentary standing orders.

He explained that he and the Chief Whip had completed a review and report on this issue, and called on House leadership to expedite the adoption of a motion to regularize the committee appointments. “We must avoid standing in defiance of our own standing orders,” he said.

Galamsey Fight Lacks Clarity and Funding

Perhaps the most emotional appeal from the Minority Chief Whip was directed at the escalating menace of illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey.”
He expressed deep disappointment in the government’s handling of the crisis, stating that despite pledges to reclaim water bodies and lands, no dedicated funding was allocated for this purpose in the most recent national budget.

“This is a matter of public interest. The public wants to know the government’s plans, what has been done, and what will be done. We’re even hearing rumors of a possible state of emergency declaration. Parliament deserves to be briefed,” he said.

Digital Infrastructure Still Not Functional

Adding to the list of inefficiencies, Annoh-Dompreh criticized the malfunctioning parliamentary digital document system, which was introduced nearly six months ago.

He described it as a waste of public funds, noting that MPs still could not access vital business documents electronically.

“It is unacceptable that after all this time, documents are not displaying on the system. This Parliament must insist on getting value for the investment made,” he charged, urging Majority leadership to ensure final resolution of the issue.

Majority Leader Responds with Optimism

In response, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga attempted to calm the storm, acknowledging that delays in disbursements were real but attributing them to final approvals that had only just been granted.

He revealed that the Finance Minister had indeed planned to brief Parliament that day but had been called away to Côte d’Ivoire, where he was serving as a returning officer in the African Finance Policy Board (AFPB) elections.

Mahama Ayariga assured that the Minister would soon return to make the statement and initiate the transfers.

He further promised that 80% of the District Assemblies Common Fund would be disbursed directly to the assemblies and encouraged MPs to monitor fund utilization closely to ensure proper impact at the local level.

Regarding other payments in arrears, Ayariga indicated that some were pending audit clearance but assured Parliament they would be made by early next month.

On the committee composition and Pan-African Parliament representation, he said discussions were ongoing and expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved “with dispatch.”