By: Ebenezer Adu / Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada | May 22, 2026
Mahama Ayariga has stated that Ghana’s Parliament is currently ranked as the second most open legislature in Africa, highlighting recent reforms aimed at improving transparency, accessibility, and public participation in parliamentary proceedings.
Speaking during a leadership media briefing following the resumption of parliamentary sittings on Friday, the Majority Leader said Ghana has made significant progress in opening parliamentary processes to the public through expanded media access and institutional reforms.
According to Mr Ayariga, Ghana’s legislature has increasingly strengthened its reputation as one of the continent’s most transparent parliamentary institutions. He noted that Parliament’s openness continues to improve as citizens gain wider access to proceedings and legislative discussions.
“In Africa, we are one of the most open parliaments. In fact, we are number two in Africa. I believe that our aspiration is that we become number one in Africa,” Mr Ayariga said during the briefing.
He explained that comparisons between African legislatures often involve differences between unicameral and bicameral parliamentary systems, stressing that Ghana’s unicameral Parliament continues to perform strongly in continental rankings despite those distinctions.
“There is an issue whether we should be put in the category of those who practise bicameral parliament. We have a unicameral Parliament. But they have number one, and we followed,” he explained.
Mr Ayariga also pointed to live television coverage of parliamentary proceedings as one of the reforms improving openness and accountability. According to him, broadcasting parliamentary debates directly to citizens has strengthened transparency and public oversight of legislative work.
He suggested that Ghana’s ranking could improve further in future assessments due to the continued expansion of live coverage and greater public accessibility to parliamentary activities.
“Now that we have live television broadcasting of our proceedings, in the next rating they might probably review that and Ghana may climb to the top as a parliament,” he added.
The Majority Leader stressed Parliament’s commitment to strengthening public trust in democratic institutions through continued reforms, broader citizen engagement, and improved access to legislative proceedings.
