The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has provided insights into why the post-budget review workshop is not conducted within the confines of the Parliament House.

Bagbin cited a historical low turnout by Members of Parliament (MPs) in past experiences with those present often facing distractions during the workshop as the primary reasons for choosing an external venue.

Addressing parliament on November 13, 2023, Bagbin stated, "Experience has shown that anytime we attempted to hold the post-budget workshop in parliament, it has not been successful. There have been a lot of disruptions whenever we attempted doing it on the floor of parliament. So, a lot of members are usually not present, and those who are present can't focus because of these disruptions. That's why we have been hosting it outside the precinct of parliament."

In response to the financial challenges facing the country, Bagbin vetoed the use of hotels for the post-budget workshop this year.

This decision came after Deputy Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, announced that the workshop would be held at Rock City Hotel, owned by MP Bryan Acheampong.

Expressing concerns about the additional financial burden imposed on the state coffers, Bagbin clarified that the House did not decide on using Rock City as the venue for the post-budget review.

He pointed out that although Volta Sirene and Rock City submitted their invoices, the latter was deemed too expensive, leading to the decision to hold the workshop within the premises of the Parliament House in Accra.

"I believe that democracy has finally decided, and the people have prevailed on their representatives to decide that this year’s post-budget workshop be held here in parliament. Reporting on Saturday early in the morning, we will use the floor of the house as the main conference," affirmed Bagbin.



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NAY/AE