Parliament to Hold Special Hearings on Extractive Industries’ Impact on Jobs and National Development
Parliament is set to hold special hearings on Ghana’s extractive industries to evaluate their contribution to national development and job creation, Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga, has announced.
Mr. Ayariga made the announcement on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as the House reconvened for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament.
Delivering his opening address, the Majority Leader said the hearings would focus on assessing how effectively local content laws are being enforced to ensure that Ghanaians derive maximum benefit from the country’s mineral and petroleum resources.
“We propose to hold a special parliamentary hearing on the extractive industries with a view to exploring their impact on beneficial national economic development, overall benefit to the country, and in particular, the extent to which local content legislation are being enforced to create jobs for Ghanaians and promote local ownership,” he stated.
Mr. Ayariga emphasized that job creation remains a top policy priority for Parliament, noting that unemployment continues to be the leading concern among Ghanaians, especially the youth, who constitute 38 percent of the population and 60 percent of the labour force.
He added that Parliament’s deliberations in the current meeting will place strong emphasis on accountability within sectors with high employment potential, such as mining, oil and gas, and agriculture.
“Every sector of our economy has a job creation potential, and our debates and deliberations in this meeting will focus on how this Parliament will hold sector heads accountable for ensuring that those jobs are indeed created to the benefit of Ghanaian youth,” Mr. Ayariga said.
The Majority Leader further revealed that sector committees of Parliament will be directed to conduct public hearings and field reviews to assess the effectiveness of government job creation initiatives and local participation frameworks in key industries.
He reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to strengthening its oversight and accountability role, noting that the current NDC “super majority” will ensure that government appointees deliver on their mandates.
“We will continue to demand performance and delivery of promises made in our manifesto. The overwhelmingly NDC majority will not treat our counterparts in the executive with kid gloves,” he stated.
Mr. Ayariga also indicated that Parliament will enhance cooperation with institutions such as the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote transparency in the award of mining and exploration licenses and to intensify efforts against illegal mining (galamsey).
The upcoming extractives hearings are expected to feature testimonies from sector ministers, regulators, and private sector operators, as part of Parliament’s broader RESET Agenda which seeks to align natural resource governance with sustainable employment creation and inclusive economic growth.
As the House prepares to consider the 2026 national budget, the Majority Leader urged members to devote full attention to the legislative and policy agenda ahead, describing it as “weighty,” and reaffirmed that job creation, economic oversight, and accountability will remain central themes of the current session.
