Mahama signs five bills into law, including security agency reforms and expanded digital deposit protection

President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday assented to five bills passed by Parliament, converting them into law in a signing ceremony held at the Jubilee House and witnessed by senior members of government including Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.

The five pieces of legislation span national security, higher education, financial protection, mining taxation, and tertiary education regulation — covering a wide swath of public policy in a single sitting. One of the most significant changes comes through the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, which abolishes the Office of the Minister of National Security. Under the new law, the President is free to designate any Minister to oversee the country's security and intelligence apparatus.

The Act also restores the original name of a key intelligence body. The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) reverts to its former title — the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) — a change the President said was necessary to eliminate persistent public confusion between the agency and the National Investment Bank, a prominent Ghanaian financial institution that shares the same initials.

The University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes a new university with three campuses spread across different parts of the country. The main campus will be located at Bonsu in the Eastern Region. A second campus is to be sited at Ohawu in the Oti Region, while a third will be established at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.

The Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Act, 2026 reverses a recent hike in the levy applied to mining companies. President Mahama explained the context directly at the ceremony. "The act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties." President John Dramani Mahama added.

In a measure reflecting the rapid growth of mobile money in Ghana, the Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Act expands the scope of the original deposit protection framework — which previously applied to deposits held in commercial banks and licensed financial institutions — to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms. The reform means a broader range of digital financial assets held by Ghanaians will now benefit from formal protection.

Rounding out the five bills, the Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Act, 2026 amends Act 1023, granting private tertiary institutions greater operational flexibility and offering them the option to obtain a Charter — a significant shift in how private higher education is governed in Ghana.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Clerk of Parliament Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President Dr Callistus Mahama, Attorney General Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Senior Presidential Advisor Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.