Speaker Bagbin unveils new strategic push for direct citizen involvement in legislation

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has announced that parliamentary sittings will soon be extended to district assemblies, schools, markets, and chief palaces as part of efforts to deepen decentralisation and promote citizen participation.

Speaking at the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, he described the move as the next “giant step” in Parliament’s reform agenda.

According to him, Parliament will “take a step down to the local government structures” by organising parliamentary settings in communities across the country.

“Parliamentary settings will be extended to district assemblies, local markets, chief palaces, schools, and popular rendezvous in small communities where ordinary honourables will have the opportunity to deliberate and fashion out our nation’s future,” he stated.

The Speaker stressed that the initiative would shift national debates from being confined to the Majority and Minority caucuses to broader public ownership.

“Thus, the debate will no longer be between the marvellous majority and the mighty minority. Ordinary Ghanaians will attend sessions and will own the national debates,” he added.

He maintained that meaningful decentralisation, when properly implemented, has transformative potential for governance and democratic consolidation.

NA/VPO

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