Month: August 2012

The Tourism Minister, Akua Sena Dansoa, has lost her bid to return to Parliament after losing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary in the North Dayi Constituency.

Hon. Dansoa polled 87 votes as against Mr. George Loh’s 99. He is a legal advisor to former Attorney General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu. The third person, Dr. Gavua had 83.

Hon. Akua Sena Dansua is a member of four parliamentary committees, Gender and Children, Public Accounts, Business and Local Government and Rural Development and her defeat comes as a major blow to the party.

Ms. Dansua hails from Botoku in the Volta Region. She was appointed Minister for Youth and Sports on January 25th 2010 during the reign of late President J. E. A. Mills.

On the 4th of January, 2011, Ms Akua Sena Dansua was appointed the Minister for Tourism in a re-shuffle by President Mills.

Citifmonline.com

The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom in the Ashanti region, Elizabeth Agyemang has instituted excellent award for brilliant students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Dubbed Honorable Elizabeth Agyemang’s Academic Excellent Awards, five students who excelled in law, medicine, science and engineering were presented with laptops, cash prize and certificates.

The presentation coincided with the 46th Congregation of KNUST where several students graduated after completing their courses.

The awards were Academic Excellence Award for Best Medical Student, Academic Excellence Award for Best Law Student and Academic Excellence Award for Best Female Science Student.

The rest were Academic Excellence Award for Best Female Engineering Student and Academic Excellence Award for Overall Best Student all of which are expected to run for the next four years.

Madam Agyemang has since her election advanced the cause of women, assisting in providing opportunities for them at both home and abroad.

According to her, the award, which forms part of her educational policy for the constituency is also aimed at increasing women participation in Science and Engineering programmes at the University which is in her constituency.

Myjoyonline.com

Mr John Akolgo Tia, Member of Parliament (MP) for Talensi in the Upper East Region, at the weekend gave assurance to victims of recent floods in the area that government would help them to overcome their plight.

The MP, who visited the constituency to sympathise with the victims and to solicit first hand information about havoc caused by the floods, said it was to help authorities to initiate plans towards the prevention of disaster in the future.

Mr Tia said effects of the floods, had cautioned that there was need for urgent interventions to curb future disasters.

He said that the damming of the White Volta must be taken seriously, and urged farmers to stop farming along river banks.

The MP was accompanied by Mr Mahama Ken Karzan, Coordinator of National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) for Talensi and Nabdam Districts, and some Assembly Members to sympathise with the family of 29-year-old Cynthia Kadene and her one-and-a-half year old baby, who got drowned in the Nanbangtetal River at Datoko, near Tongo.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) learnt that Kadene, who went to the farm to harvest okro, drowned when she attempted to cross the river.

Kadene had been buried, but the body of the baby had still not been found.

Mr Tia and his entourage also visited a family at Duusi, to console a married couple, who were trapped in their room with their baby when the roof collapsed on them during the rains.

Karzan told GNA that 922 farmers were affected by the floods and 1, 912 acres of farms were destroyed.

GNA

Parliament has adjourned Sina Die for recess after 57 regular and one emergency sitting to allow MPs take rest and prepare for vigorous campaigning as December general elections approaches.

During the second meeting of the Forth Section of the Fifth Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, four Bill including the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill, 2011, Immigration Amendment Bill 2012, Public Health Bill 2011 and University of Profesasional Studies Bill, 2011 were passed.

A total Legislative Instruments and 2 constitutional Instruments were also presented to the House.

Parliament may reconvey from 3-27 September 2012 for an emergency sitting subject to the Speaker Rt. Hon. Joyce Bamford Addo’s recall of the House to enable MPs discharge their obligation of working on some instruments laid before Parliament including the amended CI 73 which was laid in the House on 16th August which seeks to establish 45 new constituencies but requires 21 sitting days to mature.

The Third meeting of Parliament is expected to commence on Tuesday 16 October and adjourn on Friday 2 November, 2012.

The House is however expected to reconvene on Monday 17 December, 2012 after the general election to wind-up on its mandate before their dissolution.

Presenting their closing statement both the majority and minority leaders of the House, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu and Cletus Avoka respectively commended the MPs for their dedication to work, unity of purpose a and patriotism that characterized an emergency sitting to transfer power to the then Vice President John Mahama to the high office of President and commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces following the demise of ex- President J.E.A. Mills.

Additionally, they thanked the House and the Appointment Committee especially for the mature manner they handled the vetting of the vice Presidential nominee Mr. Kwesi Amissah Arthur who is the current Vice President which was unprecedented in the country’s political history.

Madam speaker, on her part expressed gratitude to MPs for their tolerance and cooperation during the second meeting of parliament.
She single out her two Deputies, Edward Adjaho and Professor Michael Quaye commenting on their support through out the session.

She reckoned with admiration and astuteness in handling matters of the house, the legislative business.

Madam Speaker wished the House well and prayed for Gods guidance to ensure the return of MPs to continue with their unfinished business of Parliament.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Parliament has approved separate loan facilities of US$162,931,563.27 and GHC55,000,000 for the construction of 7 new district hospitals.

The loan agreement between the government, Barclays Bank and her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State will finance the design, construction and furnishing of the proposed hospitals.

Part of the loan facility will be used to provide an integrated IT systems which will be provided by NMS Infrastructure Limited

The project when completed will improve access to hospital services for rural dwellers.

Several MPs have welcomed the move. MP for Nhyiaeso, Dr. Richard Anane says the Ministry of Health must ensure a commensurate number of workforce for the facilities that will be put up.

“The structures alone cannot and would not be able to do what we are hoping will be gotten. Madam Speaker, the personnel to man these to prosecute the agenda should also be considered.”

He advised the government to ensure that the right skills are employed to handle such facilities.

Hon. Dominic Azimbe Azumah, MP for Garu-Timpane whose constituency will also benefit from the hospitals was grateful and hoped that this will be done as soon as possible to at least, prevent maternal mortality.

“During the crisis, which unfortunately happened in Bawku, I lost a lot of people because we were accessing the Bawku Hospital because that was the only facility close by,” he lamented.

He is hopeful that the new hospital will prevent such needless deaths across the country.

But the MP for Ketan-Essikadu consistuency, Joe Ghartey, however raised some concerns with the amount of borrowing that government is undertaking.

According to him, the country must be careful not to suffer the fate of other countries which are reeling under the debt incurred as a result of excessive borrowing.

“Loans that we are approving over the last two weeks is over a billion dollars and we all know that various countries are suffering in Ghana as a result of their high loan profile,” he said.

Source: Radioxyzonline

Parliament has suspended sitting because MPs are demanding a firm assurance that their salary arrears will be paid.

Majority Leader Cletus Avoka is briefing Speaker Joyce Bamford-Addo on the position of MPs on the matter.

Mr Avoka was expected to secure a firm commitment from the executive that the MPs’ salary arrears would be paid and furnish the House with same but he failed to inform the House accordingly, prompting murmurs from some MPs.

The House therefore decided to suspend sitting for further consultations.

MPs last month held a crunch closed sitting to consider reports that the president had cut down their ex gratia.

Tempers reportedly flared at that sitting with outspoken MP for Lower Manya Krobo, Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu telling Joy FM the legislative body will retaliate if the decision was not reversed.

Many MPs will be battling an election in the next few months to try and retain their seats and therefore will need resources to prosecute their campaigns.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

The flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, has said Ghana’s Parliament has too many legislators.

Dr. Nduom is, however, calling for a reduction in the number of MPs, adding the number is too much for a small nation like Ghana. He was commenting on the withdrawal of the Constitutional Instrument 73, which allows the creation of 45 new constituencies.

He said: “I do also hope that someday soon we would sit down and realise that we have too many Members of Parliament for a country like Ghana so that we find a good formula for reducing the number to one, that for me would be also effective.”

The EC has withdrawn the C.I 73 due to a number of errors identified in the report.

The PPP flagbearer said he hopes and expects the right thing is done regarding the passage of the bill.

Source: Citifmonline.com

The Electoral Commission (EC) is expected to redraw the controversial Constitutional Instrument (CI) 73 after a meeting with the Leadership of Parliament yesterday and re-laid an amended one today Wednesday 15 August 2012.

The CI was primarily to create 45 new constituencies after publishing of the 2012 Housing and Population census.

The (CI) 73 was laid in Parliament by the Majority Leader Cletus Avoka but due to some anomalies found in the report presented, the MPs most of whom were on the minority side clamored for its annulment.

The subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament which worked on the CI 73, in a report submitted to the House on Monday stated that the instrument passed in its current state could create “conflict” because it was full of mistakes, omissions and misplacement of Electoral Areas.

The CI was expected to come into force today Wednesday 15 August, 2012 after being laid in Parliament for the required 21 sitting days.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The speaker of parliament, Joyce Bamford Addo has expressed her gratitude to Members of Parliament for their cooperation that ensured the smooth transfer of power to the current President, John Dramani Mahama.

She particularly commended them for their swift responds to her summons in constituting the House at a very short notice to swear in the then vice president of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama to assume the high office of President on the faithful Tuesday evening of 24th July, some few hours after the demise of President John Atta Mills.

Right Honourable Speaker noted that though stricken with grief, the MPs turn out on time and in good numbers to execute this all important national assignment with tenacity of purpose which invariably has sent a message of assurance and hope to all Ghanaians and also earned praises and recognition from within and afar.

She further thanked the Appointment Committee of Parliament for the dispatch with which they vetted the then vice Presidential nominee, Mr. Kwesi Amissah Arthur and presented the report for her approval.

She again thanked the MPs for their active participation and activities that formed part of the 3 day burial and funeral rites for the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh