The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has emphasised the need for the establishment of constituency offices for all Members of Parliament (MPs), arguing that it is critical to deepening Ghana’s decentralisation efforts.Ghana cultural tours

He made the remarks at the Kasoa Traditional Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, organised to engage residents and authorities on development issues in the municipality.

According to the Minister, while the executive and judiciary are well represented at the local level through Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and district courts, Parliament remains largely absent in constituencies.

“Every MP must get an office in his constituency. If you go to every district, there is a district court, there is also a DCE. The executive is represented by the DCE, the judiciary is represented in the constituency by the district court, but who represents Parliament?” he questioned.

He stressed that the lack of permanent offices for MPs makes it difficult for constituents to access their representatives, particularly when they want to contribute to legislative processes.

“If you want to feel Parliament in your constituency, who do you go to? So that has always been the dream, that let us decentralise Parliament. Assuming you want a law to be made, how do you locate the MP if he doesn’t have an office in your constituency?” he added.

The Minister noted that decentralising Parliament through constituency offices would improve accessibility, strengthen citizen participation, and enhance the responsiveness of lawmakers to the needs of their constituents.