The Parliament of Ghana, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), and the World Bank today launched the “Building the Capacity of Parliamentarians for Economic and Financial Governance project to enhance Parliament’s Economic and Financial Governance. The £800,000 FCDO support through the World Bank will be dedicated to implementing a comprehensive capacity-building program for Ghanaian Parliamentarians in the areas of economic and financial governance over the next 18 months. This will strengthen Parliament’s oversight, resulting in a faster legislative review, and better economic governance and fiscal discipline
Launching the initiative, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said, “This initiative will strengthen parliamentary oversight, improve fiscal management, and deepen understanding of economic policies among Members of Parliament. By equipping Parliament, especially new legislators, with needed skills and knowledge, the program will foster effective governance, accountability, and transparent management of public resources.”
Michelle Keane, acting World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, on his part, said, “The World Bank is glad to be part of this important initiative. Members of Parliamentary committees require the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their ability to evaluate allocations and uses of government expenditures and revenues, it will also help to better assess the economic and distributional impacts of fiscal decisions, and ensure that economic policies are aligned with medium term macroeconomic sustainability and inclusive and sustainable development goals.”
Keith McMahon, Chargé d’affaires at the British High Commission, said “The UK firmly believes that only Ghanaians and their elected representatives can drive Ghana’s prosperity. We are proud to support both the public and parliamentarians to deliver the best economic outcomes for the country through this new partnership.”
The Committees to benefit from this support include the Finance, Budget, Economy and Development, Assurances, and Public Accounts. Support from the project is also envisaged for the newly created Office for Parliamentary Analysis and the Citizens’ Bureau.
The Proposed initiative will:
- Provide technical support on economics, Public Financial Management (PFM), Tax policy and Administration, Growth, and Development to key Parliamentary entities to empower them to make informed decisions on the potential impacts of macro-fiscal policy.
- Support initiatives led by parliament that focus on promoting the prudent use of public resources for the benefit of the nation.
- Develop training materials, toolkits, and handbooks for induction and training of members of relevant Parliamentary committees and entities.
- Explore innovative modes of support tailored to the context, including peer-to-peer learning opportunities for committee members to promote a culture of debate and consensus.
- Promote peer learning with other legislatures.
- Support Parliament’s capability to identify knowledge & evidence gaps and leverage external engagement with CSOs, thinktanks, and the private sector to fill these.
- Support parliament’s transparency and accountability efforts and foster greater awareness and usage of published information by the media and civil society.
The Speaker of Parliament expressed his gratitude to the UK FCDO and the World Bank for their support, which underscores their confidence in Ghana’s commitment towards strengthening its democratic institutions and economic resilience.
This partnership marks a significant step towards fostering good governance and sustainable development in Ghana. Parliament looks forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of this vital capacity-building initiative for better oversight, Transparent fiscal governance and a sustainable economic policy engagement by Parliament.
