The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has hailed public relations professionals as the engineers behind the transformation of Ghana’s Parliament into the most open unicameral legislature in Africa.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2026 National PR Summit at Capital View Hotel, Koforidua, on the theme “Public Relations and Leadership Readiness”, the Speaker said strategic communication was at the heart of his Open Parliament Action Plan.
He said when he assumed office, he deliberately relied on PR professionals within the Parliamentary Service to drive reforms aimed at demystifying Parliament and making it accessible to ordinary Ghanaians.
According to him, the professionals engineered key innovations including the establishment of Parliament TV, extensive live-streaming of proceedings on social media, introduction of sign language interpretation, and direct citizen engagement initiatives such as Parliament Connect, Citizens in Focus and Parliament Aayalolo.
Other initiatives driven by the team, he said, included the Editors’ Forum to build trust with media gatekeepers and the Democracy Cup to connect Parliament with the youth through sports.
He disclosed that the initiatives yielded tangible results, including more than 20,500 educational visits to Parliament in 2025 and Ghana’s Parliament being adjudged the most open unicameral Parliament in Africa in 2022 and 2024 by the Open Parliament Index.
The Speaker noted that the achievement underscores the critical role of IPR Ghana and its members in strengthening democratic institutions, adding that when communication is clear, leadership is better understood and when institutions listen, democracy becomes stronger.
The three-day summit, running from October 22 to 24, has brought together over 300 Fellows and members of IPR Ghana, academia and dignitaries together.
By Robert Dela Mawuenyegah, (Member, IPR Ghana)//Newswatchgh.com
