The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has recalled the House from recess to consider urgent parliamentary business.
Parliament will sit from Monday, August 24, to Friday, August 28, 2026, with proceedings on Friday ending at noon.
Mr Bagbin, in accordance with Standing Order 58(4), directed the recall in a press statement issued and signed by him and copied to The Ghanaian Times on Wednesday.
“In the exercise of the power conferred on the Speaker of Parliament by Order 58(4) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, do hereby direct that Parliament shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, be recalled from recess to sit onMonday, at 12 noon of the 24th to Friday, the 28th day of August, at Parliament House, Accra, to consider urgent parliamentary business,” the statement said.
The recall will also provide the opportunity for the newly appointed Majority Leader, Mr James Agalga, MP for Builsa North, to lead government business on the Floor for the first time in his new capacity.
Mr Agalga recently replaced Mr Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central, as Majority Leader after the latter was named Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs by President John Dramani Mahama as part of a ministerial reshuffle.
Explaining the need for the recall, the Majority Chief Whip and MP for South Dayi, Mr Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, said the decision was in line with the constitutional and parliamentary procedures governing the conduct of parliamentary business.
He maintained that the recall should not be viewed as unusual, stressing that Parliament could be summoned during recess whenever there was urgent business requiring the attention of the House.
Mr Dafeamekpor’s position is consistent with his earlier defence of the Speaker’s authority to recall Parliament under the Standing Orders. He has previously argued that the Speaker does not breach the rules when Parliament is recalled to deal with urgent government business.
Parliament on July 31, 2026, adjourned sine die after 37 sitting days, bringing the second meeting of the second session of the Ninth Parliament to an end.
The second meeting was marked by several disagreements between the Majority and Minority caucuses over the passage of key bills, including the Tribunals Bill, which the Minority urged President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to.
Another key highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the mid-year budget review statement and economic policy of the government by the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
The controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was also not reconsidered by Parliament, despite a directive by Mr Bagbin for the Bill to be brought back after it had already been passed.
The August recall is therefore expected to give the House the opportunity to attend to matters considered urgent before Parliament resumes its normal sitting schedule.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
