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Parliament is the voice of the people – Speaker Bagbin
The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has stated that Parliament is the legislative arm of government that represents the voice of the Ghanaian people.
The Rt Hon Speaker made the statement when a six-member delegation from the University of Media Arts and Communication led by the Rector of the Institute of Journalism, Prof. Christiana Hammond paid a courtesy call on him to present a proposal on upcoming courses in Effective Political Communication to Members of Parliament.
In furtherance, Mr. Speaker said “Parliament is the voice of the people particularly in jurisdictions that focus on that voice including the commonwealth.”
He noted that political communication plays a central role in the business of Parliament adding that Parliament has often made frantic efforts to use resource persons to teach new Members of Parliament in Political Communication.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker revealed that Parliament has in recent times embarked on reforms with a strategic plan where the Public Affairs Department has now been split into three Departments namely Media Relations Department, Public Engagement and Parliamentary Broadcasting to communicate effectively and ensure a robust citizen participation.
The UniMAC Faculty seeks to collaborate with the Parliamentary Training Institute to teach and train Members of Parliament with programs in Effective political communication to obtain Diplomas and Degrees.
This will help enhance the capacity and sharpen the skills of Members of Parliament to effectively communicate with the citizenry.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
