The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has taken the Mahama administration to task for failing to submit critical documents on its signature programmes to Parliament, months after their highly publicised launches.
Addressing journalists at a press conference organised by parliamentary leadership on Wednesday, October 22, Mr. Afenyo-Markin voiced growing frustration over what he described as a worrying lack of transparency and accountability.
According to the Minority Leader, despite the government unveiling several ambitious initiatives—including the 24-Hour Economy, Big Push, Feed Ghana, Committee on Youth Exports, National Apprenticeship Programme, and the One Million Coders programme—Parliament has yet to receive any of the official policy documents necessary for scrutiny.
He noted that Parliament had already approved substantial budgetary allocations for these programmes, yet lawmakers remain in the dark about their operational details and implementation strategies. “The government has failed to furnish Parliament with programme documents for the flagship programmes it has launched. Since the swearing-in, Parliament has approved billions of cedis for various ministries ostensibly to execute these programmes. Sadly, to date, none of the documents have been presented to Parliament to enable us properly commence oversight,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin lamented.
The Minority Leader stressed that the absence of these documents undermines Parliament’s essential oversight function and raises serious questions about the executive’s commitment to transparency.
He added, “The 24-hour economy programme, the One Million Coders programme, the Agri-for-Economic Transformation initiative, the labour export programme, and the National Apprenticeship Programme, among others, have all not seen parliamentary scrutiny. These are projects funded with public resources approved by Parliament. Why Parliament is being kept in the dark can best be explained by the executive.”
While acknowledging the potential benefits of the initiatives, Mr. Afenyo-Markin insisted that robust oversight is impossible without the relevant documentation. He concluded by reaffirming the Minority’s resolve to hold the government accountable: “We will not relent in our demand that the government make these flagship programmes available for scrutiny to ensure transparency, fairness, and value for money. Oversight cannot happen when the basic programme documents are not laid before Parliament. It is imperative that the government demonstrates commitment and avails these documents for proper parliamentary oversight.”
The call from the Minority Leader highlights growing concerns over transparency in the implementation of government programmes and Parliament’s ability to fulfil its constitutional mandate.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
