Features
Are our parliamentarians devt agents or lawmakers?
A Parliament is made up of a group of people who make or change the laws of a country, whilst parliamentary is used to describe things that are connected with a parliament. The active players who are experts on parliamentary procedures, are known as Members of Parliament.
Ghana has a unicameral Legislature (one chamber) composed of 275 Members of Parliament (MPs) from single-member constituencies with an Executive President who appoints Ministers, majority of whom by the 1992 Constitution, have to come from Parliament. The Constitution further provides that the Speaker shall preside in Parliament at all sittings and in his absence, a Deputy Speaker should be in-charge. Another important positions in Ghana’s Parliament, are the Majority and Minority Leaders, who are supposed to initiate the Business of the House.
COMPOSITION OF GHANA’S PARLIAMENT
The current Speaker of Parliament is Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin with Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, as the Majority Leader and Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader. These are the most important personalities as far as the parliamentary procedures in Ghana are concerned. They are the people who are supposed to champion the cause of law making in this country and are, therefore, highly revered.
The debate which is currently going on within the society is that, looking critically at the functions of our august Parliament, the question that arises then is; Are our Parliamentarians development agents in their constituencies or purely lawmakers? This particular question, surfaces as a result of a comment purported to have been made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during his recent tour of the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
PRESIDENT’S VERBAL ATTACK ON JOHN JINAPOR
During his interaction with the chiefs and people at Yepei in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region during his two-day official visit to the region, President Akufo-Addo, took the MP for the Yapei-Kusawgu, John Abu Jinapor, to the cleaners, accusing him of failing to connect 17 communities in his constituency to the national electricity grid. That was when the Paramount Chief of the Yapei Traditional Area, Yapeiwura Dr. A.B.T. Zakariah, made an appeal to him to extend electricity to the 17 communities in his traditional area.
Hear the President: “In my lifetime, the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency has produced two members of parliament, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, who was a former colleague in parliament and John Jinapor, also known as ‘J J’, who was one-time Deputy Minister of Energy. It is, therefore, surprising that about 17 communities in the constituency are still not connected to the national grid.” He said the MP for the area, John Jinapor, had failed to bring the needed development to the constituency and urged the people to reconsider their voting pattern in the 2024 election by voting for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He said the educational development under John Jinapor was wanting as “there is no Senior Technical High School in the whole of Kusawgu area”.
The President’s verbal attacks on John Jinapor, has indeed, heightened the debate as to whether MPs should concentrate on development projects in their respective jurisdictions alongside their lawmaking function.
DIVERGENT VIEWS OF MPS ON THE ISSUE
There have been divergent opinions from some of our MPs themselves on this relevant issue which needs to be interrogated in order not to make it a political issue or gimmick.
As far back as February 2018, during the first term of President Akufo-Addo, his Majority Leader in the then Parliament and MP for Suame in the Ashanti Region, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, stated emphatically that MPs were not agents of development. According to him it was not the role of parliamentarians to fix roads, build health clinics, construct schools and expand other infrastructural development in their constituencies. He said the President, Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies and sector Ministers, were the only mandated bodies to provide development projects across the country.
Explaining the roles of MPs at a public forum in Tamale during that time, he said MPs were not agents of development and advised voters to stop judging their MPs based on number of roads they fixed. He buttressed his argument with past experiences in the Northern Region in 2016, in which some MPs who had served at least two terms and had gained some level of experience, lost their mandate, largely due to an alleged non-performance in the area of infrastructural development. Some of those MPs were also faced with stiffer competition and lost during their party’s internal elections, while others narrowly won to represent their parties. The notable losers included Ibrahim Abubakari Dei, former MP for Salaga South, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, former MP for Nanton and the late Abubakari Sumani, former MP for Tamale North.
MAJORITY LEADER’S OPINION
The Majority Leader, therefore, affirmed the commitment of parliamentary leadership to counter that growing culture through literacy crusade to educate voters on how MPs operate. Again in September 29, 2021, during an interview on an Accra-based Kingdom FM, the then Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Lawyer Appiah Kubi, discounted the perception that lawmakers were development agents and described that as false. He maintained that the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) were responsible for the development at the local level. He asked MPs to desist from creating the perception in the minds of their constituents that they were development agents.
OKUDZETO ABLAKWA THINKS OTHERWISE
But, contrary to these opinions, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu in the Volta Region, has a different opinion, saying that MPs are agents for development not only lawmakers. To him, while the primary job of parliamentarians is more of lawmaking, they must equally focus on developments in their respective constituencies. “I think that if you want to be an effective MP, you have to be versatile. Particularly, for a developing country like ours, you cannot say you will be an MP who focuses only on lawmaking. So, you can have part of you that develops the ability to be an agent for development. How to lobby for projects, how to pursue initiatives which will ease the burdens that your constituents have,” he said on Ghanaweb TV’s current affairs talk programme.
With some of these divergent views in vogue, some of the constituents still have the notion that it is the duty of their MPs to bring developments to their constituencies, hence the frequent confrontations and attacks on their MPs when they are not seeing these development projects. Just recently, some artisans at the Suame Magazine in the Ashanti Region attacked, pelted with sachet water and hooted at Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP for the area, as an expression of displeasure with the lawmaker over failed promises, especially the bad nature of their roads.
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS INAPPROPRIATE
It is unfortunate that the President knowing very well that MPs are not sole agents of development but rather to complement the work of MMDCEs as far as development projects are concerned, should blame the lawmaker, John Jinapor, for not bringing development project to his constituency. In any case, the MP who belong to the minority side, will need financial backing from the government as he lobbies for projects for his constituency and also to prosecute that development agenda which the President spoke about when he addressed the people.
These empty promises during electioneering by most of our aspiring parliamentary candidates, can also be attributed to these frequent attacks and confrontations by the electorate. In the event that, they have promised to deliver certain projects during their campaigns and cannot meet these expectations of the people who gave them their mandates, the controversies and attacks will surely emanate. It is necessary for our politicians, especially prospective MPs to tone down some of these vain promises if they want to have their peace to continue with their work in parliament.
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By Charles Neequaye
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
