Minority Caucus Stages Multiple Walkouts in Parliament Over Bank of Ghana Briefing and Oversight Obstructions

Parliamentary proceedings reached a standstill as the Minority Caucus, led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, staged a series of walkouts in protest against what they describe as the systematic obstruction of their oversight duties. The friction reached a boiling point in July 2026, when the Minority exited the chamber twice in a single day: first in response to a closed-door briefing by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor, Dr. Johnson Asiama, and subsequently over a ruling by First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor that blocked supplementary questions regarding the government's SIM card re-registration exercise. While the Minority claims these actions are necessary to protect transparency and public interest, the Majority, led by Mahama Ayariga, has dismissed the protests as "publicity-seeking" maneuvers that disregard established parliamentary protocols.

The controversy surrounding the Bank of Ghana centers on a reported $2 billion decline in gross international reserves, which fell from $14.2 billion in early 2026 to approximately $12 billion by June. Ranking Member on the Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and MP Patrick Boamah have demanded clarity on whether these funds were exhausted on foreign exchange interventions to support the cedi. The Minority’s walkout was triggered by the Majority’s successful request to hold the Governor's briefing in-camera. Oppong Nkrumah argued that since the Governor’s written responses were already on the Order Paper, excluding the media was a deliberate attempt to "spin" the narrative and conceal the truth about the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme’s role in currency stability—a program credited by Deputy Ranking Member Dr. Gideon Boako as a legacy of the previous administration’s financial strategy.

The second major disruption involved a heated exchange over the government’s new SIM card registration policy. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor of bias after his supplementary questions to the Minister for Communications—defended by Sam George as a necessary step to close security gaps—were ruled out of order. The Minority contends that using Standing Orders to stifle inquiries into the costs and processes of the registration exercise undermines the legislature's role in holding the executive accountable. Afenyo-Markin emphasized that such procedural tactics frustrate the public’s right to know, though he clarified that the caucus would continue to participate in other parliamentary business to avoid a total boycott.

Beyond the immediate walkouts, the parliamentary floor has become a battleground for competing economic and legal disputes. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has called for the abandonment of the "24-Hour Economy" policy, alleging that GH¢650 billion has been spent over two years without producing tangible jobs or operational institutions, whereas the "One District, One Factory" (1D1F) initiative previously showed measurable success. Concurrently, Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has launched a counter-offensive, accusing the previous administration of misusing a $600 million African Development Bank loan intended for cocoa farm expansion. Tensions have further escalated following the arrest of Dennis Miracles Aboagye by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), with the Minority demanding a briefing from the Attorney General, a request the Majority has so far rejected citing ongoing investigations.