Source: Government of Ghana
Parliamentary Affairs Minister-designate, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has called for an effective collaboration between various political parties in country to ensure the 30 percent women representation in Parliament as set by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

According to him, Ghana needs to be encouraging and deepening responsiveness to have an all inclusive parliament.

Mr Mensah Bonsu said this on Monday, February 6, when he appeared before the Appointment committee of Parliament for vetting.

Currently there are 35 women in Ghana's parliament and this represents 12.73 per cent, a clear short of the 30 per cent representation set by the IPU. The figure is an increase of 6, as against the election 2012 figure of 29, where 133 women contested 102 parliamentary seats.

"It does appear that our women folks are not finding space in parliament... together we have to work on that," he said.

Touching on the relevance of his ministry, Mr Mensah Bonsu said the involvement of the Majority Leader in the day-to-day administration of government business would give him a fair idea of how the government would be running in order to be able to move Members of Parliament along with those policies.

"In the Westminster system, all ministers come from parliament. Ministers necessarily have to perform oversight functions, so in the Westminster system ministers, because they have to perform their functions of overseeing the executive, still do that in other committees other their own sectors.

"In our own jurisdiction since 1993, we have had the Majority Leaders double up as ministers. The Hon. J. H. Owusu-Acheampong was Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. He continued to 1997 until midstream when it changed and Dr Kwabena Adjei replaced him. They were all Majority Leaders and Ministers for Presidential Affairs. We continued the tradition under J. H. Mensah, followed through with Papa Owusu Ankomah and Felix Owusu Agyapong, then the Hon. Abraham Osei Aidoo. It is the Hon. Alban Bagbin who, because of some developments, indicated that if the NDC won he would insist that the Majority Leader was not made a Minister of State in charge of Parliamentary Affairs and that indeed continued under the two NDC administrations," he said.

The Appointments Committee has so far vetted 25 ministerial nominees, 13 of whom have been sworn in as substantive ministers by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

They include, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, Justice Minister, Gloria Akuffo, Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway and National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah.

The others were Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Agriculture Minister, and Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.

By Govt of Ghana

• Africa
• Ghana