Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has defended Parliament’s decision to hold a closed-door Committee of the Whole meeting with Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, insisting the process complied fully with the Standing Orders of Parliament.
His comments come after the Minority Caucus boycotted the session and accused the Majority of preventing journalists from covering the Governor’s appearance before Parliament.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps, Mr. Ayariga rejected claims that the closed-door session is a Majority attempt to shield the Governor from scrutiny, arguing that Parliament has an established practice of hearing independent constitutional bodies behind closed-door unless the committee decides otherwise.
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“The issue is whether every time the Governor of the Central Bank appears before Parliament it must be a public hearing. The rules say the Governor appears before the Committee of the Whole, not before the House in plenary,” he said.
The Majority Leader explained that under Standing Order 266, committee proceedings are generally held in public unless members of the committee determine otherwise.
He noted that institutions such as the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), GETFund, and other independent constitutional bodies routinely appear before committees without media coverage.
According to him, the Bank of Ghana Governor should not be treated differently.
“We insisted that we follow the long-established practice of a closed-door meeting. If the committee agrees to admit the media, that is fine. But the committee decided otherwise,” he stated.
Mr. Ayariga said the Minority chose to walk out instead of persuading members of the committee to support an open session.
Responding to claims that the Governor had already answered questions regarding Ghana’s foreign exchange interventions, the Majority Leader clarified that Dr. Asiama had only prepared written responses for the meeting.
He stressed that because the Minority walked out before proceedings commenced, the Governor never formally delivered the answers before Parliament.
“The Governor has prepared responses, but he has not formally answered the questions because the meeting did not proceed with the Minority present,” he explained.
Mr. Ayariga argued that discussions involving the central bank require a measured approach because of their potential impact on financial markets and currency stability.
He warned against turning appearances by the Governor into public political exchanges that could undermine investor confidence.
“The Central Bank Governor deals with highly sensitive matters. We have to exercise caution because comments relating to monetary policy and the currency can affect the economy,” he said.
He added that while politicians may engage in partisan debate, the Governor must be protected from unnecessary political confrontation while remaining accountable to Parliament.
Forex programme
The Majority Leader also rejected suggestions by the Minority that the current foreign exchange interventions were solely the result of policies introduced by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
He acknowledged that the Gold for Reserves Programme began under the NPP but argued that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government strengthened and expanded the initiative.
According to him, the creation of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), the removal of taxes on gold sold to the state, and legislation making GoldBod the sole authorised buyer of gold significantly increased official gold purchases.
Those reforms, he said, reduced gold smuggling and improved the country’s ability to mobilise foreign exchange.
“What made the programme successful was establishing GoldBod, removing taxes that discouraged miners from selling to the state, and ensuring only GoldBod purchases the gold,” Mr. Ayariga stated.
He maintained that the reforms had strengthened Ghana’s foreign exchange management framework while improving transparency in the gold trade.
The Majority Leader reiterated that Parliament remains committed to holding independent institutions accountable while balancing transparency with the need to safeguard sensitive economic information.