Ghana’s Ninth Parliament has recorded a historic first, with Bawku Central Member of Parliament and Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, and Sunyani West MP Millicent Yeboah Amankwah becoming the first married couple to serve concurrently as Members of Parliament.
The development was publicly revealed and confirmed during Mr Ayariga’s vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The marriage between the two legislators had not previously been public knowledge. During the vetting, Mrs Yeboah Amankwah was introduced to the committee as the nominee’s wife, confirming that the two serving MPs are married.
Mr Ayariga, who has represented Bawku Central in Parliament for several terms, and Mrs Yeboah Amankwah, who represents Sunyani West, were both elected to Parliament in their own right and represent separate constituencies.
The disclosure also featured in an exchange between Mr Ayariga and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
Mr Afenyo-Markin asked the nominee: “In every difficult and danger that you find yourself in life, in whom do you normally put your trust?”
Mr Ayariga responded: “Recently, when I got married, my lovely wife.”
The development is distinct from previous instances in Ghana where women have entered Parliament after the death of their husbands who had served as MPs.
Among them are Lydia Seyram Alhassan, who won the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat following the death of her husband, Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko; and Ophelia Mensah Hayford, who succeeded her late husband, Ekow Kwansah Hayford, as MP for Mfantseman.
In those cases, the women succeeded their deceased husbands at different points.
The public confirmation of their marriage during the vetting has therefore established a notable first in Ghana’s parliamentary history, with a husband and wife serving simultaneously as elected MPs.