President Mahama (third left) and other dignitaries standing at attention as the national anthem is played before delivering his speech. Photo: Vincent Dzats
The government has decided to construct a new Parliamentary Chamber Block for the Legislature.
President John Dramani Mahama, who disclosed this yesterday in his State-of-the-Nation Address to Parliament yesterday, said a feasibility study would be conducted for the construction of the Chamber Block at the premises of the State House.
In addition, he said the government would explore appropriate housing for Members of Parliament (MPs) in order to guarantee their safety and security.
“A strong Parliament is a strong democracy. Strengthening Parliament is also a crucial element in managing a successful transition to middle-income status,” he told the House.
He said the Job 600 Project, which is currently under construction, would be completed soon to provide office accommodation for the MPs.
President Mahama assured the lawmakers that government would provide them with laptops with full internet connectivity to facilitate communication between their offices and constituencies.
He expressed government’s commitment to strengthen the Committees of Parliament by ensuring that the Chairpersons and Ranking Members of Parliament are accorded recognition consistent with their status and responsibilities, as recommended by the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).
“In my first term, we will seek to strengthen Parliament by eestablishing the Democracy Fund proposed by the CRC to provide sustainable funding for Parliament, Independent Governance Institutions and other pro-democracy governance bodies,” he said.
President Mahama, who was once the MP for Bole Bamboi Constituency before his nomination to become the vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election, gave the assurance that government would strengthen the legislature to ensure that it played its oversight role effectively.
