Ghana’s parliament has approved a budget of Ghc 15,144,552 for the services and operations of the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.

The house after deliberating on the proposed budget on Monday, March 29, 2021, by the sector Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu agreed that the amount being requested for by the Ministry is right and will be used for the development of the affairs of parliament.

“Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this honourable house approves the sum of Ghc 15,144,552 for the services of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for the year ending December 31, 2021. Mr Speaker the Ministry facilitates coordinates monitors and evaluates strategies for the execution of government business in parliament and also monitors and evaluate the performance of government the constitutional creatures and parliament in public space to guarantee good democratic governance through dialogue. Mr Speaker, it is for this and other reasons that the allocation of Ghc15,144,552 has been allocated to the ministry for the discharge of their function for the 2021 fiscal year. And for this reason, I employ colleagues to be supportive of this motion to approve of this allocation,” he said.

After discussions from both sides of the house, an agreement was reached to approve the budget following the successes the ministry chalked in the previous.

According to the Deputy Minority Whip in parliament Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, the budget allocation is enough to help the sector carry out its operations.

“Mr Speaker I rise to support the motion but in doing so I will make few comments. Mr Speaker, there was zero budget for capital expenditure and I believe this is how the ministry of finance perceives the ministry of parliamentary affairs to be. However Mr Speaker, because of the reality of the nature of the business of the parliamentary affairs, there was the need for the ministry to be given an amount of capital expenditure to procure computers and other things. Mr Speaker, sometimes we use to argue about certain things and later we get to know that we should understand each other simply. This I think Mr Speaker should be part of the Ministry’s work plan so that, that quote will not be on the only parliament of Ghana. Most of these moves must be initiated by the Ministry responsible for parliamentary affairs, with this Mr Speaker I support the motion and call on the house to help approve the motion and approve the fund of the Ghc15,144,552 the ministry requires, ” he said.

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