Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns about the government’s launch of several major national programmes without submitting their official documents to Parliament for scrutiny, describing the situation as a clear breach of accountability and transparency standards.
According to the caucus, at least 11 flagship programmes have been publicly announced and allocated funding, yet none of them has been properly laid before Parliament for approval.
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economic Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said these initiatives include the One Million Coders Programme, 24-Hour Economy Initiative, Jobs Export Programme, Adwumawura Project, National Apprenticeship Programme, Tree for Life, Accra Reset Programme, One Child-One Tree, Ghana Infrastructure Plan, Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities, and the No Fee Stress Programme.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah explained that although these programmes have been featured prominently in government communications and on national platforms, they have not been accompanied by programme documents outlining their objectives, selection criteria, funding frameworks, or performance indicators.
“These are initiatives that have been launched, and ministers have received hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis to execute them,” the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP said.
“But not one of them has had a programme document presented to Parliament. So how do we know the targets, the beneficiaries, or the performance benchmarks? Without these documents, Parliament cannot perform its oversight role effectively,” he intimated.
He stressed that the lack of proper documentation and parliamentary approval makes it difficult for the legislature, the media, and civil society to track the real impact of government policies.
“Even ordinary citizens have no way of knowing how to access these programmes or measure their progress,” Mr. Nkrumah added.
The MP revealed that there are growing calls within Parliament for the executive to immediately submit all programme documents for review.
He also disclosed that “intelligence suggests the matter has already been discussed at Cabinet level, and the President has instructed ministers to bring the relevant documents to Parliament.”
He described this as a welcome but long-overdue step, emphasising that transparency should be institutionalised rather than left to executive discretion.
“We don’t need to run away from accountability. If programme documents are properly laid before Parliament, oversight can begin, and we can all follow the results,” he stated.
Drawing comparisons with past administrations, the MP recalled that when the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative was introduced under the previous government, Parliament debated the policy and insisted that every transaction under the programme be brought before the House for approval.
“That is not to say that everything in the past was perfect,” he admitted and pointed out, “but even if there were shortcomings then, it doesn’t mean we should continue bad practices. Governance should improve year by year.”
He also revealed that Parliament’s committees are preparing to hold public hearings on the Annual Progress Reports (APRs) of various ministries, departments, and agencies in the coming weeks.
“The 2024 APRs are ready and ministers will soon be invited to explain what they achieved with the funds allocated to them,” he said.
He noted that the absence of programme documents makes it impossible to establish baseline data for evaluating future performance.
“When we eventually review progress, what will we compare it to?” he asked and added, “We need those documents to know what the targets were in the first place.”
To prevent similar lapses in the future, the MP suggested that Parliament consider a new law compelling all governments to lay programme documents before the House once funding has been approved.
“Today we rely on moral persuasion. But if a bill becomes necessary to make it mandatory, then it is something Parliament should consider seriously,” he asserted.
He urged the government to demonstrate its commitment to good governance by ensuring that all national programmes, whether new or ongoing, are subjected to full parliamentary scrutiny, noting, “Transparency is not optional. It is the foundation of trust between the government and the people.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House