A fresh controversy has emerged in the Parliament of Ghana ahead of next week’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), after the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, shut down a proposal to include cocoa farmers and other grass-roots groups among invited guests to the presidential ceremony.
The incident occurred during parliamentary proceedings when the MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi and ranking member of the economy and development committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, rose on the floor of the House after an announcement by the Leader of Government Business that President John Dramani Mahama will address Parliament and that Members were expected to be seated by 9.30am to ensure full participation in the event.
Using the occasion to raise a matter of broader national concern, Oppong Nkrumah questioned the long-standing tradition of filling the parliamentary gallery almost exclusively with members of the political elite, senior public officials, the military high command and the diplomatic corps.
He argued that SONA, as a national moment of reflection and direction-setting, should symbolically represent all sections of Ghanaian society, especially those whose labour supports the economy.
He specifically proposed the inclusion of cocoa farmers and other ordinary citizens, describing them as “critical parts of our society” that deserve visibility at such a high-profile national event.
Recognition
Drawing on historical precedent, Oppong Nkrumah recalled that at times during the previous Mahama administration, certain ordinary occupational groups, including One Amina, which benefited from a pig-rearing scheme, had been invited into the gallery in an effort to reflect the broader Ghanaian population during major state ceremonies.
However, the proposal was immediately blocked by the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, who reacted sharply on the floor of the House.
In a blunt intervention, the deputy Speaker reminded Oppong Nkrumah that he is no longer part of the executive arm of government and therefore has no authority to influence decisions regarding who is invited to or excluded from the State of the Nation Address.
His response effectively closed the matter procedurally and politically. Ahiafor, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who is the MP for Akatsi South, serves as First Deputy Speaker in the ninth parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The exchange has injected a new political dimension into preparations for the president’s address.
Traditionally, SONA is a highly choreographed national event attended by top government officials, heads of institutions, foreign diplomats, security chiefs, traditional leaders and selected dignitaries, making the composition of the audience a powerful symbol of who the state chooses to recognise and elevate.
By blocking the proposed inclusion of cocoa farmers, the deputy Speaker’s response has reinforced the elite character of the ceremony. At the same time, Oppong Nkrumah’s intervention has reopened a wider debate about inclusivity, symbolism and representation in Ghana’s democratic rituals.
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