The House convened today with a tone of renewed hope and determination, as Hon. Mahama Ayariga, Majority Leader, delivered an inspiring opening speech at the commencement of the second meeting of the second session of Ghana’s Ninth Parliament.
In his remarks, Hon. Ayariga expressed deep gratitude to Almighty God for His grace amid the nation’s challenges, emphasizing that Ghana’s resilience and democratic strength continue to serve as an inspiration across the continent. He lauded the dedication of the Rt Hon Speaker, his deputies, and all parliamentary colleagues for their unwavering commitment to national service, even during recess periods where many represented Ghana at regional and international forums.
Highlighting recent achievements, the Majority Leader celebrated Ghana’s remarkable economic recovery, citing a report from Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI Ghana. He quoted the economist’s praise for the government’s swift exit from the IMF programme, the decline in inflation, a stable cedi, increased reserves, and rapid debt reduction—an accomplishment that signifies a new phase of economic stability and growth for Ghana.
A key focus of his speech was the government’s plan to adopt a Policy Coordination Initiative (PCI) with the IMF, a strategic move that aims to allow Ghana to implement its own economic reforms without relying on future bailouts. Hon. Ayariga underscored that this achievement was made possible through strong leadership, diligent work by economic teams, and the support of Parliament in passing crucial legislation.
The Majority Leader also called for increased oversight of government agencies, emphasizing the importance of transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public funds. He urged Parliament to scrutinize appropriation proposals carefully, ensure local content policies are enforced, and prevent smuggling and wastage.
He acknowledged the upcoming constitutional review process, urging Members to be prepared for rigorous debates on potential amendments that could shape Ghana’s constitutional future. He reminded colleagues that Parliament’s role extends beyond legislation; it is the voice of the people—representing farmers, traders, teachers, fishermen, students, nurses, and entrepreneurs—and must act in their best interests.
The speech also touched on Ghana’s recent diplomatic and sporting achievements, including the country’s support for the national football team, the Black Stars, as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the first hosted across three countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Hon. Ayariga also addressed the case of Hon. Kwame Ohene Frimpong, the Member for Asante Akyem North, who was detained in the Netherlands over extradition requests from the United States. He urged colleagues to respect the presumption of innocence and exercise restraint in comments.
In closing, he called for unity and collaboration across party lines, emphasizing that Ghana’s progress depends on working together for the common good. He urged punctuality and active participation to ensure the legislative agenda for the session is successfully accomplished.
Below is the full statement:
OPENING REMARKS BY THE HON MAHAMA AYARIGA, MAJORITY LEADER
AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE SECOND MEETING OF THE SECOND SESSION OF THE NINTH PARLIAMENT OF THE FOURTH REPUBLIC OF GHANA.
THURSDAY, 21ST MAY, 2026.
Rt Hon Speaker,
It is with great humility, gratitude to the Almighty God and a deep sense of patriotism that I rise this afternoon, to welcome Honourable colleague back to this august House to commence the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament.
I will begin by expressing profound gratitude to Almighty God for his grace, protection and mercies upon our beloved country. Although this country has been through many challenges and uncertainties, we continue to remain strong, serving as a beacon of hope and oasis of inspiration to others on the continent and beyond. Our democracy remains resilient and is growing stronger with the passage of each day. Our institutions continue to function effectively, albeit various challenges still persist. I am indeed confident that the hope and aspirations of our people, though tested, remains alive and fortified.
Let me also commend the Rt Hon Speaker and his able deputies for their dedication and patriotism to the nation. The nation will always be in your debts for your selfless dedication in serving the Motherland.
I further acknowledge the efforts of the Leadership of the House and Colleague Members of Parliament. Though we were on recess, you were never on vacation. I monitored the work of MPs delivering in our various constituencies and at committees and international events at which Ghana had to be represented. Some were mostly busy representing us at the activities of the regional ECOWAS and Pan African parliaments.
I believe your engagements in the constituencies, your various committee engagements with relevant stakeholders and the exposure to international contemporary issues during this recess have better prepared you for the work ahead in this session.
At this point, let me congratulate some of our colleagues who made us proud by being elected to key positions at the Pan African Parliament during this recess.
Hon. Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings was elected Second Vice President (effectively the Second Deputy Speaker equivalent) of the Pan-African Parliament. Hon Frank Annoh Dompreh was elected to Chair the Health, Social Work and Labour Committee of the Western Caucus of the Pan African Parliament.
We wish you well in your new offices. We have no doubt that you will continue to showcase Ghanaian Exceptionalism abroad.
Rt. Honourable Speaker,
We commence sitting at a profound moment of renewed hope and optimism in the country. Let me quote a post of Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI Ghana about a week ago:
Franklin Cudjoe writes….
“The fastest economic recovery in Ghana’s history has been recorded and achieved by version 2.0 of the Mahama-led government — this, after the most regressive, self-immolating policies of waste, mismanagement, and plunder the country has ever seen.
Key achievements:
- Exit from the IMF programme with star-studded honours
- Rapid decline in inflation
- A confident cedi
- International reserves built back better
- The quickest debt reduction from 65% to 45% of GDP in just one year
Buoyed by confidence, candour, and transparency, the government’s finance team — competently led by Dr. Ato Forson — carefully choreographed how to work with the IMF programme they inherited, even though it was badly bruised, broken, and moribund from excessive haemorrhage following the twin shocks of the DDEP, which amounted to the literal pickpocketing of our savings and investments by the previous administration.
Remember: the previous government renegotiated the IMF programme the NDC government handed to them. Sadly, they missed almost 70% of the structural benchmarks they had promised the IMF by the end of 2019 — when the economy was already stuttering in fits — only to later be exposed and overwhelmed by COVID-19 and, to a very minute degree, the Russian war on Ukraine.
In essence, the final apocalyptic collapse of the economy we witnessed in 2022 — with all macroeconomic indicators gasping for air — was entirely avoidable.
So what has changed this time with the exit plan from the IMF? A commitment never to return to the IMF after three and a half years — the period we have been cursed, through maladministration, to return to the Fund since independence in 1957.”
“What is the PCI? It is a non-financial advisory and monitoring tool provided by the IMF. It allows the country to design and implement its own economic reforms without receiving a financial bailout, acting essentially as a global seal of approval for the government’s fiscal management.
This masterstroke in economic diplomacy could not have been achieved without the backing of the President, whose mission this time around is legacy and respect. The President reads every document handed to him, often correcting grammatical mistakes before signing the country up to the contents.
So, we can say that yes, stability has been achieved after the races with death we experienced prior to 2025…
“In the meantime, we are grateful for the dexterity of the economic management team, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, the encouraging progress of GoldBod, and all other functionaries of government who will abide by the honour code of spending within budgets to make Ghana’s self-imposed IMF PCI possible”.– Franklin Cudjoe
This House should share in the glory of this moment. This is because, every policy, legislation and appropriation needed to produce this success story was carefully considered and approved by this House. I recall that we passed the Ghana Gold Board Bill at 3am in the morning after sitting through the previous day.
The Government has indicated a plan to commit the nation to a Policy Coordination Initiative (PCI) with the IMF. This Parliament will once again be called upon to support the government with the appropriate policy, legislative and appropriation approvals necessary to ensure that we never have to go back to the IMF within a short time after exiting their programmes like we have done since 1957!
Mr Speaker, we are therefore commencing this Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament at a time when a lot of work needs to be done to carry our nation’s economy to where we want it.
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.
The international community has continued to applaud the Ghanaian people for our strides in democratic governance. The recently released 2026 World Press Freedom Index tells a story of remarkable institutional redemption. Ghana has made a monumental leap, soaring to the 39th spot globally out of 180 countries, our highest ranking in over half a decade.
So Mr Speaker, I stand before you to celebrate a profound democratic resurrection. Under the deliberate, rights-driven stewardship of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, led by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, we have fiercely reclaimed our heritage as a vanguard of free expression.
Rt Honourable Speaker.
Our democracy remains a work in progress. Even as we are applauded for doing so well, we seek perfection. That is why I once again urge Honourable Members to brace themselves for a heavy schedule of work this session because the Government is likely to bring before us a number of proposals for constitutional amendments pursuant to the work of the Constitution Review Committee. Government has worked on its Position Paper which will inform the specific amendments proposals that might be brought before this Parliament in this session. A number of entrenched and non-entrenched provisions of our Constitution might be considered for amendment and this House will play a crucial role.
So today is not a mere constitutional ritual but rather, a solemn reminder of the sacred trust that is placed on us, as the elected representatives of the people. Our office as the representatives of the people, places us at a position where we are the hope of the farmer in Sombo, the trader at Makola, the market woman at Kejetia, the teacher at Fomena, the fisherman at Elmina, the young entrepreneur at Atidzive in Akatsi South, the nurse in Hohoe, the young student in Bawku and the everyday Ghanaian whose expectations of leadership remain high and optimistic despite the social and economic burdens that confront them.
As the elected representatives of the people, I beseech us to never lose sight of the fact that 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 and communicated to the Government through Questions, Motions, Debates and Statements. We, as the gatekeepers of democratic governance must therefore work assiduously to meet the needs and aspirations of the people as we ensure the equitable distribution of national resources.
Mr Speaker, the various occurrences in the sub-region that threatens democratic governance and stability makes it imperative for us to govern accountably with honesty, maturity, patriotism, and national unity. While the country continues to enjoy peace and democratic stability which is the envy of many, we must, however, acknowledge that our democracy has only matured through tolerance, dialogue and institutional resilience. It is imperative for us to commend the Ghanaian people for their continued faith in democratic governance and constitutional order while working to meet their needs.
Recently, the judiciary has come under attack by no less a person than the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Leader Hon Alexander Afenyo Markin. Let me repeat a caution given by this very Minority Leader in this chamber that when you are not satisfied with a decision of a lower court you appeal and seek redress in the higher courts. In this day and age we must strive to be consistent because records are kept of whatever you have ever said.
I want to assure the judiciary that we on this side of the House have their backs.
Mr Speaker.
We must equally acknowledge that public confidence and trust in governance is increasingly being measured not by speeches, but rather, by tangible improvements in the living conditions of the people we serve. To this end, Ghanaians expect accountability, transparency, and responsive leadership. They expect Parliament to rise above partisan divisions whenever the need arises and rally around the desire to improve their lives and livelihoods. We cannot fail them in this endeavour and the trust they repose in us must be the fuel that energizes us to do more for the country and its people. This is a sacred trust we must uphold and deliver to the benefit of the citizenry.
Mr. Speaker.
We are not oblivious to the remaining myriad economic problems confronting us. A half decade accumulation of jobless youth, a recovering private sector and financial institutions and a huge infrastructure deficit. Parliament must work with the Executive Branch of government to build on the recent economic successes to address these challenges.
In this regard, I will ask all Committees overseeing the economic sectors to ensure that Ministers account to use regarding the measures taken to ensure local content policies in the various economic sectors. Jobs for which Ghanaians have the skills and competencies cannot be occupied by non-Ghanaians.
Also, Committees should ensure that all factories are producing at full capacity and the domestic market is protected through ending smuggling of goods into the economy. Committees overseeing the security and revenue mobilization sectors must sit up and ensure that smuggling is curtailed and proposals for tax reforms to help in that regard come before this House.
We must ensure that pursuant to the ending of the IMF bailout programme, we scrupulously scrutinize all appropriation proposals brought before us to ensure that public funds do not get wasted in unscrupulous consumption but is invested in the productive sectors to create jobs and wealth for our unemployed youth.
The last one and half years of economic management establishes the point that our economy does not lack. Our economy has only suffered from decades of inefficiency, waste, graft and corruption.
Mr Speaker,
I can say with confidence that in the aftermath of our exit from the IMF programme, the takeoff of the 24 Hour Economy will be accelerated to create the jobs we promised the youth of this country. Today, the Minister of Finance will make a statement on the most recent economic developments and this will give us an opportunity to debate the future direction of our country’s economic governance.
Government’s quest to address the many challenges confronting the nation will see this Meeting being packed with a number of Businesses and activities. This is a Working Government and looking at the Agenda for this Meeting, I can promise Hon Colleagues that the House is going to get very busy as we have a number of Public and Private Businesses to conduct.
The following are the Businesses that have been scheduled for the House to undertake during the Meeting:
48 Bills including Cyber Security Authority and Data Protection Bills
– 26 Instruments to be presented
– STATEMENTS, MOTIONS,
– PRESENTATION OF PAPERS and REPORTS
More so, there will be a number of Committee Sittings to consider various referrals. There will also be a number of site visits and familiarisation tours that will be undertaken by the various sector Committees to ascertain the works that are being done by the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the country. Although most of these site visits and familiarisation tours were taken during the recess, I envisage more to be undertaken during the Meeting. All these activities help Parliament to undertake its legislative, oversight, financial control, deliberative and representational functions. I know that we will rise to the occasion and that this Meeting is going to be productive and fruitful in service to the people and the nation as a whole.
Mr Speaker, the Black Stars of Ghana which is the Men’s Senior National Team is representing the nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup which starts from 11thJune to 19th July, 2026. As most of us know, this is the first time that the World Cup is being hosted by three (3) different countries: the United States of America (U.S.A), Canada and Mexico; and will see matches being played across sixteen (16) different cities. I will therefore take this opportunity to wish the Black Stars of Ghana all the best in their competitions. They have the full support of this Honourable House and by extension, the entire nation. We have hope and confidence in their ability to deliver and we know they will make us proud once again. May they lift the flag of Ghana higher during the tournament.
We have all been formally informed of the detention of our colleague, the Honourable Member for Asante Akyem North, Kwame Ohene Frimpong, at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam by Dutch authorities, acting on a request for extradition by the United States of America based on a federal court warrant regarding an indictment in the courts of the United States of America. I urge Ghanaians to be circumspect in their comments regarding this matter as all accused persons are innocent until proven guilty. We must not do anything to compromise the legitimate defenses available to our colleague.
At this juncture I will admonish my Hon Colleagues on the other side that no Parliament can operate without corporation and collaboration. We must therefore learn to work together – Majority and Minority alike – for national development, prosperity and progress. May we never forget that beyond political parties, beyond ideology and beyond electoral competition, we remain one people with one destiny. History will judge this Ninth Parliament not by the volume of our arguments but by the quality of our contributions to national progress.
I urge all MPs to be punctual and attend sittings on time so that we can achieve the legislative programme of this session.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for your kind indulgence.
