Report on the First Session of the Seventh Parliament
Authors: Ernest Nii Ashitey Armah, Odekro PMO Dr. Kwabena Sarfo Sarfo-Kantankah, University of Cape Coast Professor Gretchen Bauer, University of Delaware Gifty Mensah, Odekro PMO With input, oversight and editorial support from: Kobby Graham, Lecturer, Ashesi University Kinna Likimani, Odekro Director of M&E and Special Projects Nehemiah Attigah, Odekro Co-founder & Principal Lead Ian Gregorio-de Souza, Technical Lead 2 Odekro :: The First Session of the Seventh Parliament About Odekro A well-functioning democracy is built on a foundation of transparency and accountability. In our traditional tripartite system of government, the legislative arm bears primary responsibility for shining the light of scrutiny on the business of government and in holding public officials to account. Yet, information with which to assess the work of the Ghanaian Parliament itself or to hold MPs accountable is often lacking. While occasional assessments of individual Parliamentarians can provide useful information, a more comprehensive approach to parliamentary monitoring can often yield deeper insights into Parliament’s effectiveness. Odekro seeks to promote transparency, accountability and democratic governance through citizen action and engagement with the Parliament of Ghana and other government agencies. The Odekro platform promotes transparency and popular participation by providing free public online access to Bills, Motions, and parliamentary Debates (Hansards). The Hansards and parliamentary data are extracted from purchased and scanned documents, Parliamentary Clerks, and portable document formats (PDFs) published openly on the Parliament of Ghana website. Odekro uses a set of indicators to assess and measure the performance of Parliament. These indicators are derived from a series of variables and are combined into an index to measure variations in the quality, quantity, and output of legislative activity and to facilitate engagements with the public and other stakeholders.
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