The Minority in Parliament has strongly opposed a ruling by First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor to bar the media from covering a Committee of the Whole briefing with Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama on Wednesday, July 15.
The decision followed a request by the Majority for the session to be held in camera. Addressing a press conference after journalists were asked to leave, Member of Parliament for Ofoase/Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, questioned the basis for the ruling, noting that previous appearances by the Governor had been open to public coverage.
“Earlier, the Governor submitted his answers, and I’m going to read to you the answers they don’t want you to hear. The responses have already been published on the Order Paper, so they are not secret. We are astonished and disappointed that they don’t want the media to cover what the Governor is about to say,” Oppong Nkrumah said.
He argued that the Governor’s responses revealed that since August 2024, the BoG had not directly intervened in the foreign exchange market using its reserves, but had relied on proceeds from the domestic gold purchase programme.
“The Bank of Ghana is here to admit that its ability to intervene on the market is as a result of the domestic gold purchase programme. Why is it that the Majority is preventing the Governor from saying this to the entire country?” he asked.
The Minority further alleged that the BoG had failed to provide updated figures on its market interventions and intended to question the Governor on financial losses and the accuracy of published data.
Oppong Nkrumah announced that the Minority had suspended its participation in the proceedings in protest.
“As a result of their decision not to allow you to cover, we have suspended our participation. Our leadership will continue to engage so that they do the right thing,” he said.
He emphasized that Parliament must uphold transparency and accountability.
“This is the House of accountability. This is the people’s House. This is where the people must hear the answers to all of these questions,” he added.
The Majority Leader, however, explained that the decision was not intended to prevent the media from accessing information from the engagement.
By Eric Bekoe (KOB)
