Month: October 2013

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale in the Northern Region, Dr. Saagre Bambangi has told Citi News that Ghana’s Legislature is struggling to perform its oversight responsibility because “it is very, very, weak.”

“Parliament in my opinion is very, very weak. It has a weak capacity and so its oversight responsibility is questionable.”

Speaking to Citi News at a forum organized by the Africa Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) on ‘Good Governance in the Extractive Industry,’ Dr. Bambangi stated that “we really need to overhaul our institutions. I am a Member of Parliament and I have just been in Parliament for nine months and I have not seen the power of Parliament yet.”

According to him, the fusion between the executive and the legislature “must end. The fact that we have Ministers who are also Parliamentarians, that thing in my opinion is a very fundamental source of the weakness of Parliament.”

The Walewale MP also suggested government must adequately resource Parliament saying, “in the opinion of one of the MPs, Parliament is broke. Yes, Parliament is broke and if Parliament is broke, how can it function?

“Parliament has to rely on the Ministries, some other agencies to fund them to exercise oversight responsibilities over those institutions. Does it make sense? Parliament is weak; some other institutions are also weak, it’s only the Executive that is powerful in this country and that should be checked,” he added.

In a related development, a research fellow at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Victor Brobbey also indicated that the dominant power of the executive arm of government has weakened the powers of the Legislature to effectively oversee government receipt and expenditure.

“Parliament is created as the supreme law making authority, ostensibly with oversight over our government expenditure but in practice has very little capacity to really do efficient public financial oversight.”

Mr. Brobbey pointed out that the constitutional structure of Ghana, “Parliament cannot really do effective oversight of government receipts and expenditure from all the sectors.”

This he said breeds “corruption, you’d get challenges with the enforcements of even things as basic as environmental governance standards.”

citifmonline.com

Government has pledged its commitment to “ensuring the viability and technical competency of the utility companies to guarantee efficient and sustainable supply of services.”

A statement issued in response to the Trades Union Congress(TUC) demand that government must reverse the recently announced increase in utility tariffs said “since the announcement of the new tariffs, government has not been insensitive to the likely effects on Ghanaians and government itself.”

The statement signed by the Minister of Information and media relations, Mr Mahama Ayariga further stated that a technical working group had been established to make appropriate recommendations to government on what measures to take to mitigate the impact of the new tariffs on government’s budget, domestic and industrial users of utility services.

“Government shares the concerns of organised labour that there should be strict adherence to automatic tariff adjustments by the PURC. Government therefore to re-state its commitment to the formula and will work with the commission and other stakeholders to ensure that this operates efficiently,”it added.

citifmonline.com

A Kumasi-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Bright Generation Community Foundation has presented about 3,000 pair of shoes to children of some selected deprived schools in the Asunafo North municipality.

The Executive Director of Bright Generation Community Foundation, Ms. Bernice Dapaah has disclosed that the NGO was into educational projects for school children and women empowerment.

The group will also donate other teaching and learning materials such as computers, text books, school uniforms and exercise books among others, that would be done every six months for four years.

According to Ms. Dapaah, the shoes were donated by Tom Shoes, and Asunafo North was selected because it was considered as one of the deprived municipalities in the country.

The Member of Parliament for the area, Robert Sarfo-Mensah who was instrumental in attracting the NGO to the municipality commended Bright Generation Community Foundation for granting his request to assist school children of his constituency.

He encouraged the children to take inspiration from the gesture, and take their studies seriously and be obedient to their teachers and parents to be prominent personalities in the future.

Mr. Robert Sarfo-Mensah donated sets of jerseys and footballs to the school, and called on the teachers to help unearth the hidden talents of the children, and nurture them well, both in sports and academics.

He also appealed to landlords of the community to assist the teachers with the provision of accommodation to help improve effective teaching and learning in the school.

Other beneficiary schools included Betwie Nyankomago Primary School, Abebrese L/A Primary and JHS, Kwadwo Addaekrom L/A Primary and JHS, Abogyae L/A Primary and JHS and Asumura L/A Primary and JHS.

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Prestea Huni Valley, Francis Koffie Adu – Blay has presented computers and jerseys worth five thousand three hundred and fifty Ghana Cedis to Boppoh Methodist Primary School.

For a long time, students from the school had to travel long distances to other schools for their ICT lessons, a situation that created a lot of inconveniences to the students. It is therefore welcome development as the students would now easily access the centre for their lessons.

He is confident speaking to ghanamps.gov.gh after the presentation; the MP disclosed that he was moved to presents the jerseys and computers to the school after he had heard of the plight of the children.

He said the donation was to reverse the poor result and also to make learning practical and interesting to the students. He added that he is committed to helping to improve education in the Huni Valley constituency.

The donation was funded from his share of MPs common fund.

Irene Kwakye/ghanamps.gov.gh.

The Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour has presented assorted food items worth GH¢ 4,000 to the 8 Muslim communities in the area as they go through the Eid al –Adha.

The items worth several Cedis include bags of rice, cooking oil, Indomie noodles, bags of mineral waters and sugar.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, Mr. Darfour stated that his kind gesture to the Moslems is in appreciation of their spiritual service they render to the country during their fasting period as they intercede through prayer for the peace and development of Ghana.

The beneficiaries who were very excited about the items expressed their gratitude to the MP and promised to give him all the support to make his tenure successful.

He advised the Nkawkaw Zongo youth not to allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous persons, but rather channel their energies to building their communities and the country as a whole.

Afua Yeboah /Ghanamps.gov.gh

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, has reassured Ghanaians that rural development remained the hallmark of the government.

Ghanaians, therefore, owed it a constitutional duty to iron out their differences and rally behind the government to execute its manifesto.

Mr Kofi Buah, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum Resources, said this during a three-day working tour of 12 communities in the northern part of the Ellembelle District to interact with the chiefs and people there.

He toured Adiembra, Anloga, Asoredanho, Kroboline, Amrahyea, Kwasikrom, Asomasi, Dadwen, New Agyei-Obeng Krom, Sentaso, Ewerekokrom, Bonsukrom, Aidoosuazo and Mandumgbane.

The MP conveyed the gratitude of the government to the people for their support during the 2012 general elections.

He inspected on-going electrification projects, explained government’s policies and gave the assurance that the government would not relent in its efforts to develop the country.

Nana Dotse, Chief of New Adiembra, appealed to government to ensure the contractor sped up work on the 4-kilometre m Aiyinasi-Atababo-Kwesikrom road to pave way for the transportation of cocoa from the northern part of the district to Aiyinasi through to Nkroful, the district capital.

Nana Dotse urged the MP and Government to award on contract feeder roads such as New Basake to Krobo Line, Asomasi to Dadwen, Asomasi to New Adiembra, Aidoo Suazo to Sentaso and Kwesi krom and Ewereko to Aidoo Suazo.

GNA

Motorist and pedestrians alike in the Nkwanta North Constituency in the Volta Region especially residents of Damonko will soon heave a sigh of relief as rehabilitation work continues on the town roads.

The roads in Damonko which is the second largest town in the constituency has a terrible road network which has become a nightmare for drivers who ply the roads as their vehicles frequently break down, a development that has become a great source of worry for them because of the huge sums of money they spend buying spare parts.

The Member of Parliament for the area Hon. John Oti Bless in an interview with GhanaMPs.gov.gh expressed disquiet over the level of deterioration of the roads and feeling obviously touched by the plight of both passengers and drivers, has begun the process of ensuring the roads are put in a good shape.

He noted that the poor state of the road and the possible harm it could cause spurred him to facilitate repair works on the road irrespective of the delay in the release of his share of the MPs common fund which is used in funding such projects.

Hon. Oti Bless expressed his commitment to provide the good people of Nkwanta North with the needed social amenities so as to improve their living conditions.

Kwadwo Anim/GhanaMPs.gov.gh