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Parliament to reconvene on October 21 - Speaker in new statement
Parliament to reconvene on October 21 - Speaker in new statement
By: Abigail | 3 mins read
Parliament is set to reconvene on October 21, the Speaker has announced.
The new development comes after Speaker Alban Bagbin Sumana, on Monday, October 6, announced via an official statement an indefinite suspension of Parliament. Parliament was originally scheduled to resume sitting on October 14 for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament.
The statement cited “circumstances beyond control” without elaboration, sparking speculation among MPs and the public.
However, the Speaker later announced that the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament will commence on Tuesday, October 21, at 2:00 p.m. at Parliament House in Accra.
The statement continued that the turnaround of events was in accordance with Order 58 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Order 58 of the Standing Orders of Ghana’s Parliament empowers the Speaker to issue a formal notice of a parliamentary meeting. The exact wording is:
“The Speaker shall give notice of a Meeting of Parliament by causing a notice to be published in the Gazette and in such other manner as the Speaker may determine.”
Meanwhile, this final session of the year is expected to be intense, with Parliament set to debate and approve the 2026 Budget, address pending bills, including environmental and governance legislation and also review committee reports on finance, infrastructure, and national policy.
Members of Parliament (MPs) were expected to reconvene in October, following their recess for the Second Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
This information was made known by the First Deputy Speaker, Honourable Bernard Ahiafor, on Friday, July 31. The legislators on Tuesday, May 17, began their official work following a recess for Easter celebrations last year.
Parliament, from May to August this year, convened a total of 43 sittings; during this period, the legislative body passed several key bills, endorsed certain proposals, and debated several matters of national importance.
On 24th July, Parliament wrapped up its debate on the Mid-Year Review Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2025 financial year, which was presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
In the course of the debate, the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, acknowledged the government's efforts while describing the budget's content as commendable.
According to him, Ghana now fully controls its gold resources. This, he described as a major and transformative achievement for the country.
In his submission on the floor of the House, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin contested the government’s celebratory claims regarding the performance of the local currency. He added that “2022 was a storm for the cedi, but I dare argue, despite all of this, the NPP government stabilized the cedi in 2023.”
Also from the Minority side, Hon. Michael Kwesi Aidoo, Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, criticised the incumbent government for failing to address the real concerns of Ghanaians despite its claims of restoring the value of the cedi.
He stressed, “Whenever you say anything about the issues of the economy, our colleagues will refer you to the dollar, that the dollar has reduced. Mr. Speaker, as I speak to you today, it has not reflected in our pockets.” To him, the Mid-Year Budget Review had nothing new except repetition of words.
