Month: December 2011

The Member of Parliament for Ayesuano, Samuel Aye-Paye has warned that the recent increment of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by 30% will have dire consequences on Ghana’s aforestation programme.

According to him, consumers who are not be able to afford the commodity will resort to depending on charcoal for their cooking activities, which will also increase the incidence of indiscriminate felling of trees.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) on Thursday 29th December 2011 released new prices of petroleum commodities with LPG going up by 30%,.

The announcement was met with a lot of public outcry.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show on Thursday Hon. Samuel Aye-Paye criticized the NDC government for the increment at a time when the current economic conditions in the country are very harsh with lots of people finding it difficult to fend for themselves.

He described the 30% hike in the price of LPG as unacceptable when other commodities like petrol and diesel had increment of 15% respectively while premix and kerosene had no increment.

Hon. Samuel Aye-Paye stated that if that was a move by government to discourage commercial drivers from using LPG as fuel to power their vehicles, then the move is bound to fail as drivers are not going to stop using LPG to power their cars as it is relatively cheap.

“ Even with this increment the taxi drivers are not going to budge as the LPG is economical and it helps them save enough money besides their daily sales’’ he said.

He called on Ghanaians to vote out the NDC government come 2012 elections as it has failed to honour its promise of not inflicting the Ghanaian people with increased fuel prices as it preached during electioneering campaigns in the run up to the 2008 elections.

Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh

Mr George Kuntu Blankson, the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East has made yet another presentation to his constituency to enhance their delivery in the constituency.

The Presentation of a Mahindra pick-up worth 38,800 dollars is the latest after he previously donated eight motor bikes worth GHs 1,800 to the constituency.

Mr. Blankson informed executives that the motorbikes and the pick up are part of his contributions to facilitate the movement of the constituency and ward executives in the constituency as they steer the affaires of the party to victory in 2012.

He called on them to work hard and touch base with the electorates in the villages and hamlet in the constituency to explain the “Better Ghana” agenda to them and how it has impacted on them as they solicit for votes in the coming 2012 general elections.

The constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Mr Kwame Nkrumah who received the keys to the car commended Mr Blankson for the donation and assured him that they would work hard to ensure that NDC retained the seat in 2012 the election.

Mr Nkrumah appealed to all the other aspiring candidates including Mr Frank Etrue Hayford, Mr Ibrahim Dawson Michigan, Mr Robert Quartey and Mr Abeiku Crentsil, to run a clean campaign devoid of insults to ensure unity in the party for the general elections in December 2012.

Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central Constituency, has said competency and good leadership brings about development.

“This is what I told the people of Ablekuma Central in my 2008 campaign, which had manifested in the massive development projects in the area, therefore, it will be suicidal if I refused to stand again to continue with the good work of the Government,” he stressed.

Mr Chaie said these after he filed nomination papers to contest the NDC parliamentary primary for the constituency, in Accra.

He called on supporters to rally behind party executives and propagate the good work of the NDC Government to secure victory for the party in Election 2012.

Mr Chaie appealed to party supporters to conduct their electioneering devoid of insults and divisive tendencies.

He said: “our target is to win the 2012 elections and to let the New Patriotic Party know that the Ablekuma Central Constituency seat does not belong to them.”

Mr. Chaie said he has contributed to the development of education in the constituency.

He said through his efforts roads and drainage the system in the area were being rehabilitated while social groups were being assisted to enhance their economic activities.

Mr Chaie said: “My overall achievement has been to work with the people to make the constituency better-off than I found it since my assumption in office,” and cautioned supporters against retarding progress of the party.

The other contestants who would take part in the contest are Alhaji Halidu Haruna, Mr Basha Harsey and Mr Faruk M. Bayonga.
GNA

The Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East Constituency, George Kuntu Blankson has assured the chiefs and people of the Ekumfi Traditional Area for 100 percent uninterrupted water supply to the area by next year.

According to him a new water treatment plant is under construction in Gomoa Antseadze with the view of making water shortage problems a thing of the past.

George Kuntu Blankson made the assurance at a fund raising programme organized by the people of Obidan, near Mankessim in aid of teacher’s quarters for the town.

The MP recounted that over the past few years; he has provided about 18 school blocks for the people of Ekumfi and pledged to build the teachers’ quarters which the community needed in 2012.

He urged the people to institute a scholarship scheme to help the needy children to further their education and pledged GH¢ 2,000 as seed money for the scholarship scheme.

Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/ ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament (MP) for East Ayawaso in the Greater Accra Region, on Friday donated a number of items to the Christian community towards the Christmas festivities.

Dr Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed presented 60 bags of rice and 25 cartons of cooking oil to the community.

The MP, who is also the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing also presented two desk top computers and their accessories each to the Nima Divisional Police Command and the Achievers Book Club in Nima after which he presented his nomination papers to the executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency at Nima.

The MP who is also the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing presented his completed forms, curriculum vitae, and a cheque for his filing fee to the Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Alhassan Tinaa Larry and Mr Ollabode Williams, the Constituency Secretary.

Alhaji Ahmed who had represented the constituency since 2001 is seeking a third term.

He is being challenged by three other candidates, Naser Mahama Toure, Alhaji Harruna Rashid and Ahmed Gadel for the primaries.

Alhaji Larry said the constituency executives have no interest to support any individual against anybody and are only concern to ensure that the NDC retains the seat in 2012.

He said the constituency executives are determined to ensure fairness and openness to ensure a clean atmosphere for all the candidates.

Dr Ahmed promised a campaign based on issues, submission of service and development and devoid of insults so that collectively the NDC would retain the seat.

He said the massive show of support from his teeming followers will spur him on render further services and development to the constituency.

Dr Ahmed said so far he had helped in the human resource development of the youth, provided schools to reduce the shift system, constructed a library and ICT centre as well as asphalting of the Nima Highways and a bridge to link Nima to Maamobi and Nima to Kawokudi.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Timothy Yoosa Bonga, Nima Divisional Police Commander said modern policing requires basic equipment to fight crime and undertake surveillance and thanked the MP for his kind gesture.
GNA

Selected Members of Parliament were on Thursday educated on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) to enable them consider gender issues when planning the national budget.

Gender Responsive Budgeting is a kind of budget that prioritises income and expenditure such that specific needs of women, men, girls and boys are met equally.

Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs in a speech read on her behalf, noted that understanding gender and appreciating its importance was crucial for accelerating Ghana’s development.

Gender mainstreaming is the incorporation of gender analysis and perspective at all levels of policy making such that it promotes gender equality at all levels.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah said preparing sector budgets in a gender responsive could reduce poverty, pointing out that “Women’s active participation in development makes smart economics and their role in development is seen as critical to the success of any development programme of strategy since women constitute more than half of the world’s population.”

She stressed the challenges the Sector Ministry faced in an effort to mainstream gender into policies and programmes, especially in the allocation of resources to address gender inequality concerns in the society, explaining that the Ministry had over the years received less than one per cent of the total national budget.

Ms Afua Ansre, an official of UN Women, the organisation supporting the Sector Ministry as well as the Ministry of Finance in Gender Responsive Budgeting issues, explained that Parliamentarians were critical partners in terms of rolling out policies, plans and programmes on GRB hence the need to raise awareness among Parliamentarians.

She said the organisation hoped to assist Parliament integrate gender responsive budget processes within their on-going work as well as monitoring and institutional processes.

Ms Ansre expressed the hope that at the end of the workshop Parliamentarians would have deepened their knowledge on gender issues and facilitate the gender mainstreaming and GRB in their policies and programmes.

GNA