Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called on the Executive to grant Parliament ownership of the land currently housing its operations, stressing the need for a permanent seat to enhance legislative efficiency.
“We plead with the Executive to release the parcel of land around here for us to develop. We need to have a permanent seat for the pillar of democracy to be housed in a Parliament House,” he said at the launch of Parliament’s five-year corporate strategic plan.
Mr Bagbin explained that relying on rented or shared facilities has posed significant infrastructure challenges, affecting Parliament’s mandate.
“Some of the structures here we can’t have access to them until we ourselves pay, including the banquet hall. And now it’s falling into disuse. We have to spend a lot of money to bring it back,” he added.
The Speaker stressed that Parliament, as an independent arm of government, should not continue to operate as a tenant within State House, noting that ownership of its facilities would improve operational efficiency and institutional independence.
“We have been crying, and I hope you support us in that, that at least we should be liberated from being tenants of the State House to having our own premises as an arm of government,” he said.
The strategic plan launched by Mr Bagbin aims to modernize parliamentary operations, upgrade facilities, and introduce digital systems to support legislative work. As part of this initiative, plans to pilot an electronic voting system in Parliament were also announced.
“There are a lot of limitations – infrastructure limitations. It has not been easy. Even when we’re about to make a decision and there’s no consensus, you have to rely on the human resource, and you see the challenges,” he noted.
“Now we are trying to roll out an IT system where we can have e-voting in the House. We are starting the pilot, and we believe it will ease the struggles you usually see when it comes to decision-making.”
The call for permanent parliamentary infrastructure comes amid broader national discussions on strengthening democratic institutions and improving governance. Some MPs have welcomed the Speaker’s appeal, describing it as a necessary step toward enhancing Parliament’s independence and operational effectiveness.
