Parliament will resume sitting today, Thursday, May 21, marking the start of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, with lawmakers expected to deliberate on a broad range of key bills and policy reforms.

The new sitting is anticipated to focus on major legislative interventions across critical sectors including transport, energy, justice, security, mining and governance.

Speaking on JoyNews on Wednesday, Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Hon. Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, outlined the government’s legislative priorities for the meeting.

According to him, Parliament is expected to take up the Maritime and Related Offences Bill following the submission of a report by the Committee on Transport for its second reading.

The House is also expected to consider reports on the Road Traffic Regulations as well as bilateral air services agreements between Ghana and countries including Luxembourg, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

“We expect to receive the Maritime and Related Offences Bill from the Committee on Transport because it’s been moved, the first reading done and referred to the committee to bring a report for the second reading,” Mr. Dafeamekpor stated.

On the energy sector, lawmakers are expected to deliberate on proposals to review the legal framework governing the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), alongside legislation on private-sector participation in electricity distribution, the proposed Nuclear Power Corporation Bill 2026, and the establishment of a Renewable Energy Authority.

“We want to establish a statutory entity that will coordinate renewable energy issues like solar and wind,” the Majority Chief Whip explained.

Mr. Dafeamekpor further disclosed that the Ministry of the Interior is expected to present a Community Service Bill aimed at reducing prison congestion through the introduction of non-custodial sentencing for minor offences.

Parliament will also consider amendments to the National Identity Register law, prison service parole regulations, and a proposed legislation intended to improve coordination among security agencies.

“There have been complaints about activities of security operatives… so the new legislation is to take care of that,” he noted.

Additionally, the House is expected to deliberate on a proposed Code of Conduct Bill aimed at strengthening rules on asset declaration and ethical standards in public office.

The Majority Chief Whip also indicated that CI 47, which governs civil procedure in the High Court, will undergo review to consolidate the numerous amendments made over the years into a single legal framework.

“There have been so many amendments… we think it’s time to consolidate these issues into a new procedure code,” he added.