Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has delivered a critical assessment of the state of governance in Ghana, accusing the administration of President John Dramani Mahama of presiding over what he described as failure, scandal, and deepening national distress.
In a welcome statement read on his behalf by the Deputy Minority leader during the opening of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on Thursday, the Effutu MP said the country is facing multiple crises ranging from economic instability and power shortages to alleged corruption and governance lapses.
“Parliament stands at the center of the nation’s life. And the life of this nation has been marked by failure, scandal, and the deepening suffering of millions of Ghanaians,” he stated.
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Afenyo-Markin raised concerns about the financial position of the Bank of Ghana, claiming the institution had recorded unprecedented losses and negative equity.
He told lawmakers that the central bank’s financial position has deteriorated to what he described as a critical level requiring urgent parliamentary intervention.
“That means Ghana’s central bank owes more GH¢93 billion cedis more than it owns,” he said, warning that the situation posed risks to macroeconomic stability.
He alleged that government policy decisions, including asset sales and monetary interventions, had worsened the financial strain on the central bank.
The Minority Leader also accused the government of undermining civil liberties, alleging that citizens, especially members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been targeted for expressing political opinions.
He cited cases of arrests linked to social media commentary on the return of erratic electricity supply, commonly referred to as dumsor.
“Any government that deploys security forces against citizens for political opinion has lost its democratic bearings,” he said.
According to him, such actions reflect an assault on democracy and risk eroding public trust in state institutions.
Afenyo-Markin also criticised the government’s handling of external crises involving Ghanaian nationals abroad, referring to reported xenophobic attacks in South Africa, terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, and tensions in the Gulf region.
He argued that government responses are often reactive rather than preventive.
“The Ministry must establish a formal early warning and response framework for the protection of Ghanaians outside our borders,” he stated.
The Hon. Afenyo-Markin also renewed criticism of the controversial Damang Mine lease awarded to Engineers and Planners Company Limited, owned by Ibrahim Mahama.
He described the transaction as one that raised serious constitutional and ethical questions, insisting that recusal procedures were insufficient.
“That is not recusal. That is delegation. It is outsourcing a conflict of interest,” he argued.
He called for a full parliamentary probe into the deal, demanding disclosure of bidding documents and evaluation criteria.
Afenyo-Markin demanded multiple parliamentary inquiries into issues including power sector challenges, state financial management, sports administration failures, and governance accountability.
He warned that Ghana risked further instability if corrective measures were not urgently taken.