Mahama Ayariga and Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
The Appointments Committee will on Thursday vet three nominees to the Supreme Court as well as two Ministers-designate following their referral by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
The nominees for the apex court are Justice Sophia Bernasko-Essah, Justice Amoako Asante, all from the Court of Appeal, and former Ghana Bar Association (GBA) President, Anthony Forson Jnr.
The two ministerial nominees are outgoing Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, who has been designated Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology.
Speaker Bagbin formally referred the nominations to the Appointments Committee during an emergency sitting of Parliament on Monday, August 24, 2026, after reading a letter from President John Dramani Mahama communicating the nominations.
The public sitting of the Appointments Committee will provide an opportunity for members to scrutinise the nominees’ qualifications, experience and suitability for the respective positions before the committee submits its reports to Parliament.
The committee’s recommendations will subsequently be presented to the plenary for consideration in accordance with parliamentary procedure.
Mr. Ayariga, who spoke after the Speaker announced the nominations, said he expected the process to be completed expeditiously to enable the President to conclude the appointment process.
He said he personally stood to benefit from the emergency recall of Parliament because it would allow the Appointments Committee to consider his nomination.
Mr. Ayariga also appealed to members of the Minority to support Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings’ nomination, recalling what he described as their previous advocacy for her appointment.
“I also know that my friends on this side have, over the years, campaigned for the appointment of my sister, Honourable Zanetor,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the nomination of the three Supreme Court candidates would also receive favourable consideration.
According to him, one of the nominees had previously been nominated to the Supreme Court during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and had appeared before the Appointments Committee when he was a member of it.
He said although the committee had considered the nomination at the time, Parliament was not able to adopt its report.
Mr. Ayariga further described another of the nominees as an experienced judge of the ECOWAS Court, suggesting that the nominee’s experience would strengthen his suitability for the Supreme Court.
He, therefore, urged members of the Appointments Committee and leaders of government business to consider the nominations favourably and without undue delay.
“I therefore urge colleagues leading government business here to favourably consider the nominations expeditiously, so that we can pass them for the President to complete the appointment process,” he said.
The emergency recall of Parliament followed President Mahama’s nominations as part of changes to his administration and the proposed appointments to the Supreme Court.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House