Patrick Boamah, Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, has urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to provide an urgent briefing to Parliament on issues affecting Ghanaians in South Africa, arguing that lawmakers should not rely on social media updates for national matters.
The MP states that the typical parliamentary procedure for getting ministers to respond is frequently too sluggish for pressing circumstances, especially those that can have an impact on Ghana’s diplomatic ties.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Mr. Boamah stated that the Foreign Affairs Minister need to attend before Parliament to give MPs firsthand information on events concerning Ghanaians living in South Africa.
He warned that if there was a chance that the situation would worsen, Parliament could not afford to wait.
“Are we going to wait till the unfortunate happens, that diplomatic relationship between South Africa and us is severed? No, we don’t want that to happen,” he stated.
Additionally, Mr. Boamah urged the minister to speak to Parliament directly, criticising his dependence on social media for updates.
“So if the minister is in a country, like he always rushes to the House to brief us on visas and what have you, he should come to the floor. He should stop tweeting and posting. We are the people’s representatives,” he stated.
The lawmaker from Okaikwei Central further emphasised that lawmakers have an obligation to help and represent their constituents, particularly those who reside overseas.
“The people in South Africa, they have reps in the chamber. If the person is from Takoradi, it’s the person’s MP. If the person is from Abeka, it’s the person’s MP,” he said.
A legislative briefing, according to Mr. Boamah, would allow legislators to interact with impacted citizens and support initiatives meant to address any difficulties they might be encountering.
He declared, “So we’ll find a way to even reach out to our constituents out there to help solve some of the matters that we are confronted with.”
Source: newsthemegh.com