The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has called on public servants to exhibit a high sense of accountability to build public trust in them. He said the recent Afrobarometer report indicated that trust in Ghana’s institutions revealed that Members of Parliament, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies were the least trusted among the 14 institutions evaluated, describing the finding as “striking.”
Mr. Bagbin made the call during the maiden Speaker’s Public Financial Management (PFM) Series held in Accra. Organised under the auspices of the World Bank and the UK Government through the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the event was themed “Parliament, the press, and the purse: Building accountability through dialogue.”
He stressed that public trust in government institutions was rapidly eroding, placing a greater responsibility on public servants to be open, transparent, and accountable in managing state resources. Citing the 2024 Afrobarometer findings, he noted that although 73 per cent of Ghanaians preferred democracy to any other form of governance, satisfaction with its performance had dipped to 49 per cent.
The Speaker emphasised the crucial role of Parliament and the media in strengthening public financial management, noting that effective accountability is achieved only when both institutions engage openly, share insights, and constructively challenge one another. He highlighted initiatives under the partnership with the World Bank and FCDO as already strengthening the capacity of Parliament, particularly committees responsible for finance and economic governance.
Through such dialogue, Mr. Bagbin said, Parliament, the media, and citizens could better appreciate national priorities and work together to ensure prudent resource allocation.
The Majority Chief Whip, Mr. Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, lauded the programme as a necessary wake-up call, urging MPs to thoroughly interrogate documents and figures that come before the House. He stressed Parliament’s responsibility to hold the Executive accountable, especially under the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
The Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, said the dialogue formed part of a broader project launched in June 2025 to strengthen Parliament’s capacity in economic governance. He urged the media to focus on issues that promote development, accountability, and good governance.
The World Bank Senior Public Sector Specialist, Governance Global Practice, Mr. Smile Dem Kwawukume, and the UK Head of Trade and Economic Resilience at FCDO, Ms. Juliet Eanes, pledged continued support to build Parliament’s capacity to deliver improved fiscal oversight.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, in a speech read on his behalf, said the dialogue was timely as Ghana navigated complex economic challenges. He stressed the need for Parliament, the media, and the public to work collaboratively to promote financial transparency and inclusive development. Such engagements, he added, would help rebuild public trust, strengthen institutions, and ensure that national resources are used judiciously for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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