Month: October 2013

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaben, Ms. Ama Pomaah Ando, has presented streetlight bulbs to 19 communities in her constituency.

It is also meant to assist the people to carry out economic activities during the night.

Presenting the bulbs at a ceremony at Juaben, she said she was liaising with some California-based energy experts and companies in the United States to use wind to generate energy to support socio-economic and industrial activities in the area.

Feasibility studies on the project had already been carried out and indications are that it is viable and could be done.

Ms. Andoh said she would make every effort to get some corporate bodies, local and international, as well as Juaben citizens resident abroad to buy into the project and contribute financially to its implementation.

Mr. Abu Bonsrah, assembly member for Achiase-Odumase, thanked the MP and said the bulbs would help to enhance security, especially during the night.

Hon. Cletus Avoka, Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebila Constituency, Upper East Region, has urged members of the Bawku West District Assembly to meet regularly within the year so as to generate enough revenue for the assembly’s projects.

This, he said, would also form the basis of several criteria that would enable the assembly to access finances from the District Development Fund (DDF) and funds from other donor partners for the execution of projects.

Mr Avoka, also a former Majority Leader in Parliament, threw the challenge in an address at the first ordinary meeting of the ninth session of the Bawku West District Assembly, a statement issued and signed by Mr Peter Atogewe Wedam, Acting Regional Public Relations Officer of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) said.

Mr Avoka said the unfortunate fire outbreaks the country experienced over the past few months coupled with the energy crisis hindered government’s development efforts and programmes.

“In addition to this was the Supreme Court hearing of the 2012 election petition which caused especially many foreign investors to hold back their capital owing to the then uncertainties as to the fate of Ghana after the verdict,” he said.

Mr Avoka said, notwithstanding, the John Dramani Mahama administration did all it could under the circumstances to put Ghana at her present level of development and called on all, especially those in decision making positions such as assembly members, to assist government’s development agenda now that the election petition was over.

He appealed to Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, Upper East Regional Minister, to ensure that the Bolgatanga-Bawku road and roads in the Zebila Township were tarred.

Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said the time had come for assembly members to assist management of the district assembly to find new ways of generating revenue instead of over-reliance on the District Assembly Fund which often delayed in coming.

He disclosed that government was waiting for the release of about 20 million US Dollars from the African Development Bank to be used to finance the Bolgatanga-Bawku road to ensure its early completion.

Mr Moses Adugpam, Presiding Member of the Assembly, called on the District Police Command to take immediate steps to regulate trading activities and vehicular parking on the roads to prevent any mishap.

GNA

Dr. Kweku Agyeman-Manu, a former deputy Finance Minister says the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) rushed in implementing the single spine pay policy which is currently taking as huge as 70 percent of government revenue.

According to Mr. Agyeman-Manu, the decision to implement Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) was initiated by the New Patriotic Party administration. He said the decision to implement the SSSS was ill-advised, adding that, the current administration lacked ideas in reversing the negative impact the policy is having on the economy.

Speaking Thursday on <b>Badwam</b> on Adom, the Member of Parliament for Dormaa West in the Bono Ahafo Region, also denied the claim that the pay policy was endorsed in 2009 by then President Agyekum Kufour shortly before exiting office.

According to the Chairman for the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, president Kufuor rather endorsed a 34 percent increment in salaries and not the SSSS since work on the latter was incomplete at the time Mr. Kufuor exited office.

He was reacting to the assertion by the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper on Wendesday, during the meet the press series to the effect that, the poor state of the country’s economy is as a result of huge wages and salaries which needed to be paid.

Mr. Terkper said the economy of Ghana is still facing liquidity challenges, with both revenue receipts and expenditure falling below their targets, nine months into the year. The only exception is compensation for workers, which has overshot its target by 2.2 per cent, Mr Terkper said.

Mr Terkper said total revenue and grants for the period amounted to GH¢11.90 billion, as against a target of GH¢14.15 billion. Although the figure was a shortfall of the target, he said it was 13 per cent higher than what was recorded for the same period last year.

Myjoyonline.com

Construction of a six-unit classroom block at Maamekrobo LA Primary School in the Kwahu North District in the Eastern Region has commenced.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains South, Joseph Appiah Boateng whose efforts made it possible for the project to be made possible disclosed that though the project is now at the foundation level, all other materials are ready to ensure smooth and speedy completion of work.

The classroom block according to Mr. Boateng is expected to ease congestion in the school and provide conducive environment for teaching and learning. In view of this, he indicated that other auxiliary facilities like library, staff room, store, and sanitary facilities were also included.

The Member of Parliament also disclosed that 50 laptops have already been procured ready to set up an information and communication technology (ICT) centre attached to the library to enhance the study of ICT skills while they look forward to government interventions.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for the Gomoa West, Francis Kojo Arthur has hinted that plans are advanced for the establishment of a polyclinic at Dawurampong.

Speaking to ghanamps.gov.gh, Mr. Arthur indicated that provision of primary health care is very important to avoid needless deaths and to guarantee good health for the citizenry to contribute to socioeconomic development.

According to him, at present, patients have to travel as far as 10 to 14km to other town to access health facilities which sometimes resulted in deaths.

Mr. Arthur said the government took this initiative to reduce the maternal mortality recorded in the district. Construction of the health facility is in line with the national agenda of increasing health facilities towards improving maternal health in the country.

Meanwhile, the MP has donated an ambulance to the community to facilitate transportation of people in need of emergency health assistant to nearby hospital.

Irene Kwakye /ghanamps.gov.gh

Government intends to use the energy sector as a springboard to develop other sectors of the economy, Mr Armah Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, has stated.

“The energy sector needs to be expanded to serve as the backbone of the country’s industrialization process,” he added.

Mr Buah was speaking at a durbar to celebrate this year’s World and National Tourism Day at Nkroful in the Ellembele District of the Western Region at the weekend. The celebration was under the theme: “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future”.

Mrs. Matlida Amissah-Arthur, the Second Lady and Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjaye, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, members of Parliament and Diplomatic Corps were among the large number of people who graced the occasion.

Mr. Buah said the tourism sector must take advantage of the numerous oil and gas projects in order to strengthen its position as a critical sector of the economy.

He said the hospitality industry could take advantage of the oil and gas projects to expand and create jobs for the country’s teeming youth.

He said the three members of Parliament from Nzema had formed a committee to join forces to develop the tourism potentials of their areas.

Mr. Ebenezer Teye Addo, Western Regional Minister, expressed concern about the use of chemicals for fishing in the region.

He added that “Galamsey” activities had led to the pollution of major river bodies in the region including the Ankobra, Pra, Bonsa and Tano rivers.

Mr. Addo said: “It is the duty of everybody, therefore, to act and prevent all these happenings in order to protect these endowments for posterity and to preserve them as tourist sites”.

He said: “We must not look on unconcerned and allow few people and their collaborators to hold all of us to ransom”.

Mr. Addo advised the people of Nzulezo to observe good sanitation practices to prevent the outbreak of epidemics.

Mr. Daniel Eshun, District Chief Executive for Ellembele, suggested the Founder’s Day should be celebrated at Nkroful and the occasion used to portray the works and achievements of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

He said the burial place of Dr. Nkrumah at Nkroful had become a shadow of its former self and the district assembly was collaborating with a private partner to restore and beautify the place.

GNA