Alban Bagbin sworn in as Speaker of 9th Parliament

Speaker of the eight Parliament Alban Bagbin has been elected as the speaker of the newly inaugurated ninth Parliament.

The trained lawyer and former member of Parliament was nominated by Majority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

He was seconded by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader.

The process was, however, characterised by controversy following the minority’s preliminary concerns he raised regarding President-elect John Mahama’s on the NDC MPs to nominate Mr. Bagbin as Speaker.

After several pronouncements from both sides of the House, the Clerk of Parliament declared Alban Bagbin as Speaker.

He was declared Speaker because there was no other nomination proposed, and as the rules require, when there is no other nomination or proposed names, the one nominated would be declared as Speaker.

Mr. Bagbin was nominated by the Majority leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, for the position after the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Djietro, commenced proceedings with a roll call of members whose names had been presented to the House by the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

The motion for the election of Mr. Bagbin as Speaker of the 9th Parliament was seconded by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

After a brief discussion on the motion, Mr. Djietro declared, “With there being no other nominations for the position of Speaker, I hereby declare Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin as the Speaker of the 9th Parliament.”

Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Esaaba Torkornoo, swore him in as Speaker.

Bagbin took the oath of allegiance and office as the Speaker of Ghana’s eighth Parliament on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

Profile of Alban Bagbin

1. The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Bagbin attended the Sombo R. C. Primary and the Wa Secondary Schools in the Upper West Region and proceeded to the Tamale Secondary School in the Northern Region where he obtained his Advanced Level Certificate in 1977.
2. He gained admission to the University of Ghana School of Law and graduated in 1980 with a Degree in Law and English. He enrolled at the Ghana Law School and was subsequently called to the Bar in 1982.
3. He holds a Certificate in Privatization in Public Utilities and Infrastructure from the Eastern South Africa Management Institute (ESAMI), Tanzania, and an Executive Master’s Degree in Governance and Leadership from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 2008.
4. Rt. Hon. Bagbin earlier worked with the antecedent of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) as Assistant Administrative Officer and acting Secretary to the Board. Having joined the Akyem Chambers earlier, he continued with his legal practice whilst at GSS. He was later employed by the erstwhile State Hotels Corporation as Personnel Manager before leaving for Libya to teach English. He returned in 1986 and between 1989 and 1992, he was the external solicitor for a number of Banks, Industries, Stools and other clients.
5. Later, he established a private Law Firm, the Law Trust Company, together with two partners. He was the Managing Partner.
6. The Speaker was elected MP in 1992 and sworn to Parliament in January 1993. He chaired various committees of Parliament, including the Public Accounts Committee, Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, and House Committee.
7. Sometime in late December 2000, he was appointed by then NDC leadership to be its Minority Leader in Parliament. In this role, he distinguished himself. In January 2009, he was again appointed this time as the Majority Leader.
8. He was later brought into the Executive to serve as the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, and also as Minister for Health. He also worked as an adviser in the Office of the President.
9. He was returned to Parliament leadership once more as the indefatigable Majority Leader. Again, he distinguished himself.
10. In January 2017, as the record 7th Term MP for Nadowli, he was elected as the 2nd Deputy Speaker to serve under the Speakership of Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye Snr., in the 7th Parliament.
11. Speaker Bagbin has served on a number of Boards and international organizations including the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Group (ACP), the European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly (EUJPA), International Council for Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), and Global Organization for Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC). He served on the Governing Board of the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA), Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), National Media Commission (NMC) and the Legal Aid Board.
12. He was eventually elected as Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana. He has been in Parliament since January 1993 to January 2021 as MP for Nadowli and from January as MP for Nadowli and from January 2021 to January 2025 as the substantive Speaker.
13. He is the immediate past President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and also the President of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments in Africa.
14. He has been a Member of the Ghana Bar Association since 1982. 43yrs at the Bar.

By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana