Bedzrah urges swift action on Open Parliament commitments

The Chairman of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Caucus in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has called on the Open Parliament Working Group to urgently advance the implementation of various actions outlined in its plan, emphasising that Parliament’s prompt delivery of information to the public is essential.

He made this call while speaking to the Open Parliament Working Group, a jointly established platform between Parliament and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), during its end-of-year strategic review workshop to evaluate its work and speed up the implementation of Ghana’s Open Parliament Action Plan, launched in June this year.

Hon. Bedzrah noted that although the Action Plan was launched midway through the year, leaving limited time for implementation, the Working Group still has ample opportunity to accelerate progress. He stressed the importance of providing consistent feedback to citizens and ensuring that parliamentary reports and information are easily accessible to the public. “As soon as a report is laid in Parliament, it should be readily available to the public, and if citizens are not getting that feedback, then we have a problem,” he said.

Clerk to Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, reinforced the call for openness, stressing that public trust remains central to Parliament’s legitimacy. He intimated the need to strengthen Right to Information systems to ensure citizens, whom he described as “the true owners of our democracy”, have unhindered access to parliamentary processes.

Executive Director of PN Africa and Steering Committee Co-Chair, Mr Sammy Obeng, highlighted the importance of deeper collaboration between Parliament and civil society. He emphasised that Ghana’s leadership in the global Open Parliament movement must yield measurable results that directly benefit citizens.

Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana and Co-Chair of the National OGP Steering Committee, Mrs Mary Addah, assured the working group of civil society’s commitment to the reform process. She called for closer alignment with national OGP priorities, improved evidence-gathering, and stronger citizen engagement.

Ghana, an OGP member since 2011, continues to demonstrate its commitment to open governance through successive National Action Plans. The opening of Parliament, anchored on transparency, accountability, civic participation, and innovation, remains a key pillar of the country’s efforts to strengthen democratic governance.

BY TIMES REPORTER

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