Stephanie Sullivan, the United States Ambassador to Ghana has congratulated the 26-member Appointments Committee of Parliament for the way they vetted the appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Paying a courtesy call on the leadership of Parliament, the Ambassador said, the Committee through their impartial vetting sent a strong signal that the 8th Parliament will [not] do things as it used to because the parliamentarians take their work seriously.

“The way the Appointments Committee conducted its business during the vetting process sent a strong signal that Parliament’s work will not be business as usual and that Parliament takes its scrutiny duties very seriously,” a statement from the Parliamentary Service which was issued and signed by Madam Kate Addo, on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, read.

The Appointments Committee of Parliament chaired by First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu thoroughly vetted President Akufo-Addo’s appointees nominated to some miniseries in his second term in office.

The statement further indicated that Her Excellency Stephanie Sullivan said there is a need for Ghana and the United States of America to strengthen and grow stronger trade relations especially in the private sector since it is the engine of growth.

The statement further revealed discussions that were held among Speaker Alban Bagbin, the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader and US Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader during a discussion spoke about the benefits of the many knowledge exchange programmes between the two countries and emphasized the need for improved trade relations and a further strengthening of the private sector since it is the engine of growth for any economy.

On his part, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, also raised concerns about the menace of money laundering and called on the US to help state institutions to block the illicit transfer of funds.

He said “the indicators used for measuring child labour and child trafficking which shows Ghana in a bad light and urged the US to posit the phenomenon in its proper context, saying that by our culture, Ghanaian children do assist their parents and relatives in their economic endeavours and this, by no means, has anything to do with child labour”, the statement added.

Her Excellency Stephanie Sullivan took the opportunity to congratulate Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on his ascension to the high office of Speakership of the 8th Parliament.

Alban Bagbin expressed gratitude in response to her accolade and also for the good relationship between Ghana and the US.

He stated that his election as Speaker emphasises that “Ghanaians are no longer interested in partisan politics and that they expect the two main political parties to put the interest of the country first and to collaborate more for the ultimate good of the country.”

Read the full statement below: