Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticised the Majority in Parliament for preventing the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) from answering questions in a public committee sitting, describing the decision as wrong and contrary to Parliament’s Standing Orders.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said one of the key items scheduled for Parliament on Wednesday was for the BoG Governor to respond to questions before the committee. However, he alleged that the Majority blocked the proceedings from taking place in public.
“One of the major things we were supposed to do yesterday in Parliament was for the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to come and answer questions, but the Majority did not allow it to go as planned. That is very wrong. That is not what the law says, and that is not what we should be doing,” he said.
The former Information Minister argued that Parliament’s revised Standing Orders, which came into effect in January 2024, require committee sittings to be open to the public unless there are exceptional reasons for holding them in private.
“We changed our Standing Orders, and we started using the new ones in January 2024. The Standing Orders clearly state that committee meetings are open to the public. It is only when there is something to hide that justification must be given to committee members for a closed-door meeting,” he stated.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah further claimed that concerns previously raised by the Minority about the operations of the Bank of Ghana were gradually being confirmed.
“So far, all the warnings we have given about what is happening at the Bank of Ghana are coming true. They are only pumping money and diverting funds from the former government’s domestic gold purchase reserves, and because they do not want to discuss the issue publicly, they are trying to hide things,” he alleged.
Clarifying the controversy surrounding a document cited during the discussions, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said it was not a new statement from the Central Bank but an existing publication that had been attached to the Governor’s written response to Parliament.
“The document being referred to is not a new statement by the Bank of Ghana. It is the guidelines for foreign exchange market intermediation that the Governor had already issued and attached to his response to a parliamentary question,” he explained.
He maintained that the Governor was prepared to answer questions publicly and had no reason to avoid scrutiny.
“The Governor himself is not shy to answer these questions. He is a professional. He will not come and lie, and he will not engage in politics or propaganda,” he said.
His comments come after Parliament decided to hold proceedings involving the Governor of the Bank of Ghana behind closed doors, arguing that the decision was consistent with the Standing Orders and long-standing parliamentary practice.
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