Eight Terms and Counting: Meet Ghana’s longest-serving MP Collins Dauda

Alhaji Collins Dauda has made history as Ghana's longest-serving Member of Parliament (MP) after securing his eighth term representing Asutifi South in the Ahafo Region.

Alhaji Dauda, who was sworn into the Ninth Parliament on January 7, 2025, has now surpassed the previous record of seven parliamentary terms held by former Suame MP Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and current Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.

His latest term extends a parliamentary career that began with the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic in 1993 and has spanned more than three decades, making him one of Ghana's most experienced legislators.

Eight terms in Parliament

Alhaji Dauda first entered Parliament in 1992 after winning the Asutifi South seat on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket. He later became a member of the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, inaugurated in 1993.

He retained the seat in the 1996 parliamentary election and served in the Second Parliament from 1997 to 2001.

However, his uninterrupted run ended in the 2000 parliamentary election, when he lost the Asutifi South seat to New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate Cecilia Djan Amoah.

The defeat came during a major political transition in Ghana, as the NPP, under John Agyekum Kufuor, won the presidential election and formed government in 2001.

Collins Dauda beats Bagbin, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to become longest-serving MP in Ghana

Alhaji Dauda returned to Parliament after winning the Asutifi South seat in the 2004 election. He was subsequently re-elected in successive parliamentary elections, eventually securing his eighth term in the 2024 election.

His return to the Ninth Parliament therefore established a new record for the number of terms served by an individual as an MP in Ghana.

From Consultative Assembly to Parliament

Alhaji Dauda's political career predates the Fourth Republic.

Before becoming an elected MP, he was a member of the Consultative Assembly that helped work on Ghana's 1992 Constitution, the document that established the constitutional framework for the Fourth Republic.

He also worked with the Asutifi District Assembly before entering Parliament.

His transition from local government and constitutional work to national politics eventually made him one of the country's longest-serving legislators.

Ministerial career

Beyond his work as a legislator, Alhaji Dauda has held several significant government positions.

In February 2009, under the administration of the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, he was appointed Minister of Lands and Mineral Resources.

He later moved to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing under President John Dramani Mahama.

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His ministerial responsibilities placed him at the centre of issues including Ghana's land and mineral resources sector, water supply and housing infrastructure.

In Parliament, he has also served on important committees, including the Finance Committee and the Lands and Forestry Committee. He is also a member of the Committee of Selection.

Early life and education

Alhaji Collins Dauda was born on February 13, 1957, in Mehame, Ahafo Region, the same year Ghana gained independence.

He is the son of Issaka Naaba and Mariama Issah.

Alhaji Dauda received his secondary education at Mim Senior High School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level and Advanced Level certificates between 1973 and 1981.

Before entering politics, he pursued a career in teaching.

He began teaching at Kukuom Agricultural Senior High School in 1985. A year later, he joined the teaching staff of Ahafoman Senior High School, where he continued teaching until 1992.

His background as an educator preceded his entry into constitutional and parliamentary politics.

A new parliamentary record

Alhaji Dauda's achievement places him ahead of two of Ghana's most experienced parliamentarians, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and Alban Bagbin, who each served seven terms as MPs.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who represented Suame for seven terms, became one of the Fourth Republic's longest-serving legislators before leaving Parliament.

Bagbin, meanwhile, has a separate distinction. He served as an MP in every Parliament of the Fourth Republic from 1993 until he was elected Speaker and has served two terms as Speaker of Parliament.

Alhaji Dauda's eighth term gives him the distinction of having served the most terms as an elected MP in Ghana.

More than three decades in politics

Alhaji Dauda's parliamentary journey has followed Ghana's political development through several administrations and parliamentary transitions.

He entered Parliament in the early years of the Fourth Republic and has remained in the legislature through government changes between the NDC and NPP.

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Apart from the 2001 to 2005 parliamentary period, when Cecilia Djan Amoah represented Asutifi South, Alhaji Dauda has represented the constituency on the NDC ticket throughout his parliamentary career.

His longevity has also given him experience across different areas of parliamentary work, including finance, land, forestry and government administration.

At 69, Alhaji Dauda continues to serve as the MP for Asutifi South, having turned a political career that began more than three decades ago into a record-setting tenure in Ghana's Parliament.

He is married to two wives and has eleven children.

The only MP known for wearing white

Beyond his parliamentary record, Alhaji Dauda is also known for a distinctive tradition that has become closely associated with him: his decision to wear only white outfits to Parliament.

He has maintained the practice for more than 14 years, making his all-white appearance a familiar sight in the parliamentary chamber.

However, Alhaji Dauda's preference for white did not begin when he entered Parliament.

Although he became an MP in 1993, he said he started wearing only white in 2009.

According to him, the preference was influenced in part by his late father's dislike for dark colours.

Alhaji Dauda recounted that his father disliked anything dark in colour, extending the preference even to food such as fish and meat.

The practice eventually became part of Alhaji Dauda's own way of dressing, to the extent that he had virtually no dark-coloured clothes in his wardrobe.

The black outfit he had to buy

Alhaji Dauda recalled one occasion when he was required to wear a black outfit for an event in Parliament.

Because he had deliberately avoided dark-coloured clothing for years, he discovered that he had nothing suitable to wear.

He therefore had to go out and purchase a black outfit specifically for the occasion.

The incident, he explained, demonstrated just how completely he had embraced his preference for white clothing.

His choice of attire has since become one of the more recognisable personal features associated with his long parliamentary career.

What he wears to funerals

His preference for white, however, presents an interesting question when he attends occasions where black clothing is traditionally expected, particularly funerals.

Alhaji Dauda explained that he usually opts for a smock on such occasions rather than adopting the conventional black outfit.

The choice allows him to attend such events while maintaining his distinctive approach to dressing.

MRA/BAI

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