Biometric attendance system will improve MPs’ presence in Chamber – ACEPA

Dr Rasheed Draman, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), says the proposed biometric attendance system for Members of Parliament (MPs) will significantly reduce absenteeism and improve participation in parliamentary proceedings.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Draman said the system would address longstanding concerns about MPs’ absence from parliamentary sittings by ensuring that legislators were physically present in the Chamber before their attendance was recorded.

He explained that Parliament had previously introduced a clocking system to monitor attendance, but it did not fully achieve its purpose because some MPs signed in without actively participating in proceedings.

“With the biometric system, attendance will be tied to the unique features of each Member of Parliament, making it more difficult for anyone to register attendance without actually being present,” Dr Draman stated.

According to him, improving attendance was essential to strengthening Parliament’s oversight, lawmaking and representative functions, as debates and decision-making processes were often affected when the required number of MPs were absent from the Chamber.

Dr Draman recalled that, over the years, concerns about absenteeism led to some MPs being referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee for investigation and possible sanctions.

He expressed optimism that the proposed biometric attendance system would promote greater accountability among legislators and encourage them to remain committed to their constituents' and the nation's interests.

The comments follow recent remarks by the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who announced plans to introduce a biometric attendance system during his address at the opening of the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament last Tuesday.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen discipline and improve participation in parliamentary business.

The Speaker said the system would enable Parliament to accurately monitor attendance and participation levels of MPs while helping to address public concerns about lawmakers who fail to attend parliamentary sittings regularly.

Absenteeism has long concerned the public in Ghana’s Parliament, with recurring reports of low attendance affecting the conduct of business in the House.

Parliamentary leaders, governance experts, and civil society organisations have repeatedly called for stricter measures to ensure MPs attend sittings, contribute meaningfully to debates, scrutinise government policies, and effectively represent their constituents' interests.