Parliament is reconvening today for the second meeting of the second session of the Seventh Parliament from the Easter break.
During the Easter recess, Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, recalled parliament for an emergency sitting on April 26 to ratify the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which was an urgent pre-requisite to qualify Ghana to host the headquarters in Ghana.
High on the Agenda for the second meeting is the new Right To Information (RTI) Bill, 2018, which is currently before parliament and is undergoing public review before the House substantively considers and passes it.
A statement signed by the acting Director of the Public Affairs Department of Parliament, Kate Addo said bills to be considered during the second meeting are Ghana Railway Development Bill, 2018; Occupational Safety and Health Bill, 2018; National Commission for Tertiary Education Bill, 2018; Affirmative Action Bill, 2018; Creative Arts Bill,2018; Disability Bill, 2018; Ghana Meteorological Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Other bills, which are at the committee level, are the Right To Information Bill, 2018; Legal Aid Commission Bill, 2017 and the Witness Protection Bill, 2017.
This meeting promises to be hectic and full of ‘fireworks,’ as the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) members have promised to make a strong case on the number of presidential staffers engaged by the government and bonds it has raised.
However, during the April 26 recall for the ratification of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, the minority cooperated fully with the majority in a bi-partisan approach to ratify that agreement which the minority hailed.
The Speaker, Prof Mike Oquaye, commended the minority for its bi-partisanship in ratifying that agreement and expressed the hope that such cooperation would continue to be exhibited by the minority during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the vetting of the Deputy Special Prosecutor nominee, Jane Cynthia Naa Kwoshie Lamptey by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, would take place tomorrow.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr