Parliament Passes 12 Bills as Second Meeting of Ninth Parliament Ends

Follow Nukunya

Get the latest breaking news and updates from Nukunya.

Parliament Passes 12 Bills as Second Meeting of Ninth Parliament Ends

The Second Meeting of the Second Session of Ghana’s Ninth Parliament has ended after 37 daily sittings, with the House passing 12 Bills, processing 173 parliamentary questions and approving several financial agreements and other government business.

The Meeting commenced on Thursday, May 21, 2026, and was adjourned sine die on Friday, July 31, 2026.

In his opening remarks, Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin welcomed Members of Parliament back from their constituencies and urged them to participate fully in parliamentary proceedings and other activities.

The Majority Leader, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, subsequently presented the business agenda for the Meeting and outlined several Bills expected to be introduced to the House.

Parliament Passes 12 Bills

Seventeen Bills were presented to Parliament during the Meeting, including four Private Members’ Bills.

Nine of the Bills presented during the Meeting were passed, while three Bills that were already pending before the commencement of the Meeting were also passed. This brought the total number of Bills passed during the period to 12.

The Bills passed were the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025; Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Bill, 2025; Community Service Bill, 2026; Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026; National Defence University, Ghana Bill, 2026; Tribunals Bill, 2026; Customs Bill, 2026; Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Excise Bill, 2026; Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026; and Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Several other Bills remained before the House when it adjourned, including the Interstate Succession Bill, Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, Parliament (Transition) Bill, Conduct of Public Officers Bill and Economic and Organised Crime Office Bill.

173 Parliamentary Questions Processed

Parliament processed 173 parliamentary questions during the Meeting, comprising 168 oral questions and five urgent questions.

Six of the questions were subsequently withdrawn.

The questions provided Members with an opportunity to seek responses from Ministers and Heads of Constitutional Bodies on various matters relating to government policies, public services and national development.

Mid-Year Budget Review Considered

The House also considered the Mid-Year Review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for the 2026 financial year.

The review was presented by the Minister for Finance, Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

Members debated the statement from Tuesday, July 28 to Friday, July 30, shortly before the House adjourned the Meeting.

At the beginning of the Meeting, the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, had raised concerns about the use of Certificates of Urgency to accelerate the passage of legislation.

She questioned the use of the procedure during the First Meeting, where about 33 Bills were reportedly processed under urgency, and expressed concern that the practice could continue.

Seven Instruments Come Into Force

Twenty instruments were presented to Parliament during the Meeting.

Two of those instruments came into force during the Meeting, while five instruments that had been pending before the Meeting also took effect, bringing the total number of instruments that came into force to seven.

They included the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026; National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026; Social Protection Regulations, 2026; Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Regulations, 2026; National Health Insurance (Procedure for Exemption) Regulations, 2026; Education Regulatory Bodies (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) Regulations, 2026; and Prisons Service (Parole) Regulations, 2026.

Eighteen other instruments remained pending at the end of the Meeting.

Parliament Approves Financial Agreements

The House also approved several financial and related agreements during the period.

These included three Credit Facility Agreements, 12 Bilateral Agreements, one Contract Agreement, three Power Purchase Agreements, three Multi-Year Expenditure Commitments, one Concession Agreement under a Public-Private Partnership, one Treaty, Protocol or Convention, and six Mining Leases.

Parliament also considered and approved the 2026 distribution formula for the Road Maintenance Trust Fund.

Reports and Statements

The House adopted 11 Business Statements, covering each of the 11 sitting weeks of the Meeting.

Members and Ministers also made 48 Statements on various subjects, including government policies and matters of public interest. Several of these Statements were referred to relevant parliamentary committees for further consideration and reporting.

The House also received and referred various reports to committees, including five Auditor-General’s Reports, 36 Audit Committee Reports, annual reports and a Budget Performance Report.

A significant amount of business remained pending when Parliament adjourned. This included 16 Budget Performance Reports, 340 Audit Committee Reports, seven Annual Reports, 26 Auditor-General’s Reports, four Government Policies, five Treaties, Protocols or Conventions and two Contract Agreements.

Parliament Adjourns Sine Die

The Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday, July 31, 2026.

In all, the House held 37 daily sittings during the Meeting and considered a wide range of legislative, financial and oversight matters.

In their closing remarks, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin thanked Members for their participation and contributions to parliamentary business.

The Meeting was characterised by legislative activity, parliamentary scrutiny and consideration of government policies and financial commitments as the Ninth Parliament continued to discharge its constitutional mandate.

Source: Media Relations Department of Parliament