The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for equitable access to parliamentary capacity-building programmes, clearer private sector policies, and stronger efforts to drive real economic recovery following a high-level engagement with the World Bank.

The meeting, held on Wednesday, March 18, brought Minority members together with the World Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, Paschal Donohoe, during his first official visit to West Africa since assuming office in November 2025.

The engagement, hosted by First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, focused on key national issues including parliamentary oversight, youth unemployment, private sector development and agriculture.

On capacity-building, the Minority acknowledged the importance of the ongoing programme aimed at strengthening Parliament’s role in economic and financial governance. However, they raised concerns about what they described as structural inequities in its design, arguing that the Minority could be disadvantaged despite its critical oversight role.

They also called for the programme to be expanded to include more parliamentary committees and technical staff, stressing that such staff are essential to maintaining institutional knowledge and ensuring effective legislative work.

The issue of youth unemployment featured prominently, with the Minority describing the situation as a national emergency. They cited data showing over 500,000 applicants for security service recruitment, highlighting a mismatch between education outcomes and job opportunities. The Caucus urged a renewed focus on vocational training, drawing inspiration from international models such as Germany’s apprenticeship system.

The Minority further called for enhanced technical support for Parliament’s oversight functions, particularly for committees responsible for finance and public accounts. They suggested incorporating modern tools, including artificial intelligence, to improve the analysis of complex fiscal data.

Concerns were also raised about the lack of a clear private sector development framework. The Minority urged the World Bank to encourage the government to adopt a more structured and actionable policy to stimulate investment and job creation.

On agriculture, the group advocated increased investment, noting that current budget allocations fall short of the sector’s potential. They highlighted challenges faced by local farmers, including limited market access and competition from imports, and called for a comprehensive approach involving irrigation, infrastructure and technology.

The Minority called for the discussions to be translated into concrete, time-bound actions and proposed the establishment of a structured engagement channel between the World Bank and Parliament to enhance monitoring of development projects across constituencies.

They expressed appreciation to the leadership of Parliament for facilitating the meeting and emphasised the need for sustained, results-oriented collaboration to address Ghana’s economic challenges.

In response, Mr. Donohoe reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s development, noting that the institution currently has an investment portfolio of over $3 billion across sectors such as education, transport and energy.

He also indicated that the Bank would soon publish new research on economic growth, job creation and agriculture in Ghana, with a focus on improving productivity and expanding employment opportunities.