The Minority Caucus of Ghana’s Parliament, led by Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has been on the neck of the Clerk of the Appointments Committee of the House, Gifty Jiagge Gobah.

The Minority Caucus has accused Jiagge Gobah of being behind the chaos that was seen in Parliament during the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30, 2025.

They claim that the Appointments Committee Clerk connived with members of the Majority Caucus to sneak in some ministers-designate who were not scheduled to be vetted.

Afenyo-Markin, who has personally and severally called Jiagge Gobah a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), attacked the clerk in the full glare of cameras, shaming her and calling her a partisan clerk who wants to destroy Parliament, especially after the vetting on Friday, January 31, 2025, started without members of the Minority Caucus seated.

But, did the Appointments Committee clerk do anything wrong? Does she have the power to call a meeting of the committee? What really are the functions of clerks to committees of Parliament?

Functions of Clerks to Committees of Parliament:

The Standing Orders of Parliament clearly state the functions of clerks to committees of the House.

Order 269 indicates that every committee of Parliament is supposed to have a clerk who is assigned by the Clerk of Parliament.

“(1) The Clerk to Parliament shall assign an officer of the Service as Clerk to a Committee.
(2) The Clerk to Parliament may assign an officer of the Service to provide any other necessary support to a Committee in the performance of the functions of the Committee,” Order 269 reads.

Order 270 further indicates that clerks to committees essentially play the roles of secretaries. Their duties are to take minutes of proceedings and manage correspondences of the committees.

Below are the duties of clerks to committees of Parliament as listed in the Standing Orders:

“(1) The Clerk to a Committee is the administrative head of the secretariat of the Committee and
(a) shall provide procedural and technical advice to the Committee;
(b) shall transmit notice of a meeting addressed to each Member of the Committee, together with a copy of the agenda by delivery of hard copy, e-mail, text message, or any other electronic means;
(c) is the custodian of the records of Committee proceedings;
(d) shall liaise with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and other relevant stakeholders in furtherance of the mandate of the Committee; and
(e) is the Returning Officer of the Committee in the event of voting.

"(2) The Clerk to a Committee shall record the minutes of proceedings together with a note of decisions taken by the Committee, the names of Members present and voting, and persons in attendance.

"(3) The Clerk to a Committee, in the performance of administrative functions, shall submit proposals for the strategic plan and annual work plan containing the programme of activities and the budget of the Committee for the consideration of the Committee.

"(4) The Clerk to a Committee shall perform any other function assigned in relation to the mandate of the Committee.”

Additionally, clerks have no power to call meetings, as far as their job descriptions enshrined in the Standing Orders of Parliament state. By the same Standing Orders, they only take instructions from the chairperson of the committees to notify members of a meeting.

Unless otherwise proven, is it that the Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, and his Minority side get it completely wrong in their scathing attack on the Clerk to the Appointments Committee, Gifty Jiagge Gobah?

BAI/AE

Meanwhile, watch as Kwami Sefa Kayi begs NDC to return to Kokrokoo show



You can also watch videos from the Minority after chaos erupted during Mintah Akandoh's vetting