The Speaker is the first officer of the House. He/she is one of the three highest officers of the State, ranking third in the offical order of precedence after the President and the Vice President.

The office of the Speaker was first created in the then Gold Coast, under the Gold Coast(Constitution) Order in Council, 1950. Since then all Constitutions of the land have provided for the election of the Speaker of the Legislature.

The Fourth Republic Constitution provides that the Speaker shall preside in Parliament at all Sittings and in his/her absence, a Deputy Speaker. In the discharge of his/her numerous responsibilities and in the exercise of the powers vested in him/her, the Speaker is expected to be impartial and does not take part in debate on the floor of the House. Behind the scenes, he/she exercises considerable influence in forging consensus on major issues, while fairly and firmly enforcing order and consistently applying the established practices of the House.

 As head of the Parliamentary Institution and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Board, the Speaker has ultimate responsibility for the Service. 

Speakers of Parliament (1951 to date)