Parliament has passed the Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025, during its sitting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, introducing sweeping reforms to Ghana’s national security framework.

A key highlight of the legislation is the renaming of the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI), a move intended to eliminate public confusion and restore the agency’s original identity.

The bill repeals the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2020 (Act 1030), and seeks to modernize Ghana’s intelligence architecture in line with current government policy. Among its major provisions are:

Clearer mandates for intelligence agencies to avoid overlaps.

Establishment of Regional and District Security Councils under the National Security Council.

Placement of national security coordination directly under the Presidency.

Removal of the standalone Minister for National Security role, allowing the President to designate an existing minister—such as the Interior Minister—to supervise the National Security Coordinator.

Presenting the bill, Interior Minister Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka emphasized that the reforms aim to streamline operations, enhance inter-agency coordination, and ensure that security measures remain consistent with constitutional protections and human rights.

Unfortunately, when you say NIB, people wonder whether you mean the bank or the security agency. One of the significant things we are doing is reintroducing the name BNI—Bureau of National Intelligence, he explained on the floor of Parliament.

The bill now awaits presidential assent before becoming law.