Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo Constituency, Samuel Abu Jinapor has criticised the government for what he describes as a lack of transparency and consistency in the conduct of Ghana’s foreign policy.
He insisted that Parliament must be fully briefed on key diplomatic decisions.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee made the remarks on the floor of Parliament following a briefing by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
He argued that the executive is constitutionally required to keep Parliament informed and to seek parliamentary approval where necessary, particularly on sensitive foreign policy matters.
“Government in the exercise of Executive power must be within the framework of Parliament particularly when the government acts in relation to Foreign policy,” Samuel Jinapor told the House.
He stressed that it took the intervention of the Minority Leader to compel the Foreign Affairs Minister to appear before Parliament to brief members, a situation he described as unacceptable.
“It should not take the intervention of the Honourable Minority Leader for the Minister to brief this house on such fundamental and important decisions of the government when it relates to foreign policy,” he said.
Mr. Jinapor also criticised what he described as weak engagement between the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Parliament, particularly the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs.
“Mr Speaker, as ranking member for Foreign Affairs, I must put on record and Hansards must capture that the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs can do better in terms of Parliamentary engagement,” he stated.
He reaffirmed that Parliament is a key stakeholder in Ghana’s foreign relations and must be carried along in the conduct of diplomatic and security engagements.
According to him, effective foreign policy thrives on credibility, institutional accountability and respect for democratic processes.
The Damongo lawmaker further raised concerns about the President’s recent decision to send off Ghanaian troops to Benin and Jamaica without first briefing Parliament.
He argued that such actions undermine parliamentary oversight, especially in matters involving regional security and military deployments.
“The Minister says His Excellency President Mahama, conducted a ceremony this morning at the seat of the Presidency and saw Ghanaian troops off.
The first body within the state of Ghana that should be briefed is Parliament of Ghana, the representatives of the people,” he stressed.
Mr. Jinapor also accused the government of double standards in its relations with neighbouring countries. He questioned what he described as a contradiction in the government’s posture towards Burkina Faso and Benin.
According to him, the government appears to engage more favourably with Burkina Faso’s military junta, while at the same time condemning an attempted military takeover in Benin and deploying Ghanaian troops as part of ECOWAS response.
“If a coup is bad in Benin, it must be bad in Burkina Faso, it must be bad in Niger,” he said, warning that inconsistency in foreign policy positions could weaken Ghana’s credibility on the international stage.
These remarks by the lawmaker intensify calls for stronger parliamentary oversight and clearer principles guiding Ghana’s foreign policy and regional security engagements.
