Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has suggested the establishment of a second chamber of parliament to strengthen oversight of appointments to key independent bodies, including the National Media Commission (NMC) and the National Communications Authority (NCA).
Speaking at a high-level media forum organized by the Africa Media Bureau at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Friday, September 26, 2025, Mr. Kufuor weighed in on current debates about whether the NMC and NCA should be merged.
He instead called for institutional reforms to address what he described as excessive presidential appointing powers.
“Currently, everybody is saying the president has too much power, especially when it comes to appointments. That is where the issue of undue political advantage comes in,” he noted.
Kufuor argued that a new oversight body would help entrench accountability and balance.
He proposed that the second chamber, rather than the President or the Council of State, should handle vetting processes for appointments to critical regulatory bodies.
“It shouldn’t be just the president saying so. There should be a body within the law, which is the second chamber, doing the vetting for people who will be recommended. So when they get their positions to be independent, they will work as such,” he explained.
According to Kufuor, such a reform would not only strengthen independence but also ensure public confidence in the institutions tasked with safeguarding media freedom and regulating communications in Ghana.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
