Report on the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana 1st December 2016 This report was sponsored by STAR-Ghana with funding from UKaid, DANIDA and European Union i Authors: Lolan Ekow Sagoe-Moses Ernest Nii Ashitey Armah Kwabena Sarfo Sarfo-Kantanka Odekro Team: Gifty Mensah, Research Assistant Sampson Adotey Jnr, Data Assistant Emelia Afi Agblevor, Data Assistant Samson Lavoe, Graphics Lead Evelyn Larbi, Administrative Assistant Gloria A. B. Karikari-Yeboah, Social Media Manager Kinna Likimani, Odekro Director of M&E and Special Projects Nehemiah Attigah, Odekro Co-founder & Principal Lead ii 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 holding public officials to account. Yet, information with which to assess the work of the Ghanaian Parliament itself or 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. Through our work, we aim to generate, analyze, and present relevant data in citizen- friendly forms, thereby enhancing public understanding of the workings and work of Parliament and enabling citizens to make informed assessments of the performance of individual members of Parliament (MPs) and Parliament as a whole. iii iv Contents FOREWORD: ...................................................................................................................... ix Terms and Meanings ........................................................................................................ ix Research Methodology ..................................................................................................... v Data Sources ................................................................................................................................ v Data Mining ................................................................................................................................. v Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................... v Introduction to the Report ............................................................................................... 1 Report Aim ..................................................................................................................................1 Report Content ............................................................................................................................1 Citizen Expectations and the Importance of the Report ........................................................2 How Parliament Works ..................................................................................................... 5 Who Can Run for Election as an MP? ........................................................................................5 What Powers Does Parliament Have? .......................................................................................6 What are the Limits of Parliament’s Powers? ..........................................................................6 How is Parliament Managed? ....................................................................................................7 What Rights and Privileges does an MP have? ........................................................................8 How are Bills, Loans and Infrastructure Agreements Approved by Parliament? .................9 A Brief Overview of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic ............................. 12 An overview of the Fourth Republican Parliament (1993, 1997 - Present). ....................... 12 The Composition of the Current Parliament .......................................................................... 17 Engagement with CSOs & Stakeholders ....................................................................... 21 How Effectively do MPs Engage CSOs? .................................................................................. 21 Parliamentary Committee Meetings with CSOs and Stakeholders ..................................... 22 Which CSOs Were Consulted? ...................................................................................................... 28 CSOs in Parliamentary Statements .......................................................................................... 29 Who Initiates CSO and Stakeholder Consultations? .............................................................. 30 Engagement with Local Constituents ............................................................................ 34 Why is it Important for MPs to Engage their Constituents and Solicit Their Input? ......... 34 Parliamentary Committees ...................................................................................................... 36 How Committees of Parliament Engage Citizens .................................................................. 37 Public Hearings ................................................................................................................................ 37 Direct Stakeholder Engagement .................................................................................................. 37 Public Forums ................................................................................................................................... 38 v Statements ........................................................................................................................ 41 Which Factors Affect an MP’s Opportunities to Contribute to Discussions? ..................... 44 Party Affiliation ......................................................................................................................... 45 Leadership Position .................................................................................................................. 47 Gender ........................................................................................................................................ 50 Thematic Focus of Statements on the Floor .......................................................................... 51 Questions ................................................................................................................................... 52 Bills .................................................................................................................................... 56 Number of Bills Passed............................................................................................................. 56 Focus of Parliamentary Bills ..................................................................................................... 58 Duration of Bill Approval ......................................................................................................... 60 Number of Amendments ......................................................................................................... 65 Leadership.................................................................................................................................. 66 12. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 68 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 73 Tables Table 1: Various Parliaments under the Fourth Republic, membership and gender distribution ......................................... 12 Table 2: Committees and the number of meetings held with CSOs........................................................................................ 23 Table 3: Committee-Citizen Engagements (2013-2016) .......................................................................................................... 38 Table 4: List of MPs who did not make a single contribution to Parliamentary debates (2012-2016) ................................ 41 Table 5: Bill, Number of Amendments & Duration (days) ....................................................................................................... 61 Figures Figure 1: How are Bills, Loans and infrastructure Agreements Approved by Parliament? ................................................... 11 Figure 2: The Composition of MPs in the Sixth Parliament of Ghana ....................................................................................