Defence and security sectors of both old and new democracies tend to have high risk of corruption due to excessive secrecy associated with their mode of operations. These challenges have wider implications and weakens the institutional capacity of their armed forces. The Ghanaian armed forces has transitioned from a praetorian military, to a more professional force, with impressive records of international peacekeeping. Since 2006, Ghana recorded relative increases in defence expenditure due to the changing regional security environment and domestic economic imperatives. This brief examines how Ghana could
improve transparency and accountability in her defence sector through effective parliamentary oversight. It argues that the oversight role of the Ghanaian parliament in security and defence sectors in shaping national security policy and democratic
oversight of the defence sector begs improvement.
