The Minority in Parliament has questioned the deployment of Ghana’s troops to Benin and Jamaica without prior approval of Parliament.
According to the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the lack of consultation with Parliament is a blatant disregard for institutional oversight and due process.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the Assin South MP urged the government to follow proper procedures to ensure transparency, accountability, and scrutiny of costs and modalities.
“The decisions that should have come to Parliament for prior approval… these troops committed to undertakings in Benin and Jamaica ought to have come to the attention of Parliament,” he stated.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour questioned the protocols, troop numbers, duration, and costs involved, drawing parallels to a past deployment to Guinea-Bissau where a coup occurred despite the presence of regional forces.
He argued that the post-facto intervention in Benin, after the coup had been thwarted, raises doubts about its impact and necessity, especially given domestic security challenges.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour again stressed the need for prior parliamentary interrogation of costs, duration, and details, noting that recent approvals for helicopter purchases involved Parliament.
He accused the executive of taking Parliament for granted and running the country as if it were a one-party state.
The MP also criticised recent shows of force by security agencies on Accra streets, calling them misplaced amid ongoing conflicts like the Bawku crisis and illegal mining (galamsey) threats.
He urged prioritisation of domestic flashpoints over international deployments while Ghana’s own peace ranking has slipped to 61st globally in the 2025 Global Peace Index.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour highlighted a leadership vacuum at the Ministry of Defence, with no substantive minister since the previous one’s demise, and called for urgent explanations from the Acting Minister of Defence, Minister of Interior, and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Ghanaians deserve to know the rationale,” he concluded, demanding accountability for taxpayers’ money in these “misplaced priority decisions.”
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
