Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for a sustained and institutionalized partnership between Parliament, academia and civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen economic governance, public financial management and parliamentary oversight in Ghana.
According to him, Parliament can no longer operate in isolation from the research and evidence generated by academic institutions or the grassroots perspectives provided by civil society organizations.
Speaking at the launch of the maiden Information-Sharing Session between Academia, Civil Society Organizations and Committees of Parliament in Accra on Wednesday, July 29, Mr. Bagbin stressed the need for Parliament to draw more extensively on independent research and citizen perspectives when scrutinizing government policies and public expenditure.
“Parliament cannot be the solo police of our purse,” he said.
The session brought together Members of Parliament, representatives of the World Bank and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), academics, CSO leaders, diplomats and journalists.
The Speaker explained that Parliament has the constitutional responsibility to make laws, approve national resources and hold the Executive accountable, while academia provides research and evidence to deepen understanding of national challenges and civil society organizations amplify citizens’ concerns and monitor the implementation of government programmes.
He noted, however, that collaboration among the three sectors had historically been limited, with valuable academic research and civil society findings not always feeding directly into parliamentary deliberations.
Mr. Bagbin said the engagement was particularly timely as Parliament considers the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, stressing that effective oversight of the public purse requires Parliament to look beyond official government reports.
“As a Parliament, we only have to doze off for a second and government goes on a shopping spree at the expense of the fundamentals of life,” he cautioned.
He further warned that Parliament must be adequately equipped with the knowledge and capacity required to scrutinize government decisions, observing that “an untrained guard dog is a danger to even its master.”
The Speaker also outlined a number of reforms being pursued by Parliament to promote openness, transparency and citizen participation.
These include the development of an Open Parliament Plan, the establishment of a multi-stakeholder Parliamentary Open Government Steering Committee, an electronic petitions platform, the live broadcasting of parliamentary proceedings and the organization of Open Parliament Week.
He said the restructuring of the former Public Affairs Department into specialized directorates, including the Citizens’ Bureau, Media Relations, Public Engagement, the Visitors’ Centre and Broadcasting, was also part of Parliament’s efforts to become more accessible and responsive to the public.
Mr. Bagbin described the Citizens’ Bureau as an important institutional bridge between Parliament and the people, ensuring that the experiences, concerns and aspirations of citizens continue to inform parliamentary work regardless of changes in political leadership.
“Institutions must endure beyond leaders,” he said, emphasizing that while Speakers and governments may change, the relationship between Parliament and the people “must remain constant.”
The Speaker urged parliamentary committees, particularly the Committee on Economy and Development, the Budget Committee and the Committee on Independent Constitutional Bodies, to regard the information-sharing session as the beginning of a continuous institutional relationship rather than a one-off engagement.
He also challenged academic institutions and civil society organizations to provide Parliament with timely, objective and policy-relevant research while continuing to hold public institutions, including Parliament itself, to high standards of transparency and accountability.
Rt. Hon. Bagbin commended the Citizens’ Bureau for organizing the session and expressed appreciation to ISSER, the World Bank, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as well as the participating academic and civil society institutions, for supporting the initiative.
He expressed confidence that the partnership would develop into a lasting institutional framework capable of enriching parliamentary deliberations, strengthening oversight and promoting sound economic governance for the benefit of present and future generations.
Source: Felix NYAABA/ expressnewsghana.com