NIB reverts to BNI as parliament passes Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill

Ghana’s Parliament has approved the Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025, clearing the way for a significant shake-up in the country’s national security structure. A central feature of the new law is the return of the name Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI), replacing the National Investigations Bureau (NIB).

The legislation also removes the standalone office of Minister for National Security. Under the new arrangement, responsibility for supervising the National Security Coordinator will rest with a minister designated by the President, rather than a separate ministry dedicated solely to national security.

The change of name from NIB back to BNI was defended in Parliament by Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, who said the existing acronym had created recurring confusion with the National Investment Bank. He argued that restoring the old name would make the agency’s identity clearer to the public.

The bill was one of the more contested security measures before the House, with opposition members raising concerns about how much authority the revised structure places around the presidency and the National Security Coordinator. Reports on the parliamentary debate indicate that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin questioned whether enough safeguards had been built into the framework.

Beyond the name change, the legislation is also intended to provide a broader legal framework for the operation of the National Security Council, while formalising Regional and District Security Councils as part of the wider security architecture. It further integrates the Office of the National Security Coordinator into the intelligence structure to improve coordination across agencies.

The bill itself appears on Parliament’s published bills list as the Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025, showing it was originally laid in July 2025 before going through the legislative process that ended with its passage this week.