Parliament yet to receive documents on 24-Hour Economy, other policies – Afenyo-Markin

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Mahama administration of failing to submit key documents on its flagship programmes to Parliament for scrutiny months after their launch.

He noted that the government’s continuous delay in presenting official policy documents for initiatives such as the 24-Hour Economy, Big Push, Feed Ghana, Committee on Youth Exports, National Apprenticeship Programme, and the One Million Coders programme undermines parliamentary oversight and transparency.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the leadership of Parliament on Wednesday, October 22, Mr. Afenyo-Markin expressed concern that, despite the government launching several high-profile initiatives and Parliament approving substantial budget allocations for their implementation, legislators have yet to receive the relevant documentation.

“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,” he said.

He added that the absence of such documents raises questions about transparency and accountability.

“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,” the Minority Leader stated.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin noted that while the policies themselves are commendable, proper oversight cannot take place without official documentation.

“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,” he insisted.