Joseph Osei-Owusu Criticises 4-Day Notice for Ministerial Vetting, Calls for 21 Days for Public Participation

Joseph Osei-Owusu, the former chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, has raised concerns about the insufficient notice given for the recent ministerial vetting of President John Dramani Mahama’s nominees.

In a statement issued on January 16, Osei-Owusu, who also served as the first deputy speaker of the 8th Parliament, described the decision to schedule the vetting just four days after the notice was issued as rushed and undemocratic.

The notice for the vetting was released on January 9, 2025, with the hearing set for January 13, 2025. Osei-Owusu argued that this left no room for meaningful public participation or engagement with the process.

In his view, a notice of at least 21 days would have been more appropriate to allow citizens, stakeholders, and organisations to prepare and present any relevant concerns regarding the nominees.

“I would have thought that a minimum of one week, at best two weeks, should be given to allow people who have issues and want to bring them out to the committee to do so,” Osei-Owusu said.

He added that the lack of adequate time for public engagement and transparency during the vetting process was “the wrong step” and undermined the spirit of public hearings.

He emphasised that the purpose of a public hearing is not only for the process to be conducted openly but also to allow for the involvement of the public.

“The reason we call it a public hearing is that we want to afford the opportunity for the public to participate,” he explained. “Not just because it’s in public, but because we want to give the public the opportunity to participate if they have something to contribute.”

Osei-Owusu expressed his disappointment with the decision to hold the vetting so hastily, calling it “needless, hasty, and indecent.”

He emphasised that such a rush undermines the transparency and accountability that the public expects from the process.