Month: June 2014

The Minority in Parliament is planning to drag outgoing Minister of Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah to Parliament over Ghana’s participation in the on-going World Cup tournament in Brazil.

According to the Member of Parliament (MP) of Kpandai, the Minister will have to account to Parliament since no MP was involved in Ghana’s organization towards the World Cup.

Afriyie Ankrah and his Deputy, Joseph Yamin have both been re-assigned by the President.

Although no reasons were given for the decision, it is believed that the two were reshuffled due to the appalling performance of Ghana at the World Cup which led to the country’s early elimination from the tournament.

Other matters including the agitations within the Black Stars camp leading to the dismissal of two players from the camp is also believed to have contributed to the President’s decision.

Matthew Nyindam who also serves on the Sports committee told Citi News, it is not enough for the President to re-assign the Minister in the face of what he considers a disgraceful campaign at the World Cup.

“The Minister and his Deputy failed this country, they failed us completely. They have not been able to demonstrate to Ghanaians that they have the capacity to lead,” he opined.

He interpreted their re-assignment as the President’s admission that the two failed to perform at the Sports Ministry.

But he questioned why they were not given an outright dismissal saying, “you don’t send them back to another office. What are they going to do there? Is it because the President has no priorities? Some of us think this is not the best.”

Mr. Nyindam served notice that Mr. Afriyie Ankrah will be hauled before Parliament soon “because some of us have started talking to our ranking members.”

He lamented over the complete exclusion of the Sports committee of Parliament from Ghana’s preparations towards the World Cup tournament.

“We were not involved in anything. We didn’t know what went on and as a member of the committee, I can say on authority that no Member of Parliament can say that he has played any proper oversight of what happened leading to Brazil,” he complained.

Citifmonline.com

The Minority in Parliament is angry with the directive from the Chief of Staff Prosper Bani for the dissolution of the committee set up to investigate how officials of the National Petroleum Authority rented an office apartment at a whopping sum of $63,000 a month.

The MP for Afigya Kwabre South and Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament William Owireku Aidoo described the decision as “sad day for Ghana.”

A five-member committee was instituted by the Ministry of Energy few days ago to unravel the circumstances under which the office was rented.

The sector minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah described the $63,000 a month office space for the Authority as not representing “prudent use of state resources”.

The wings of the committee have been clipped even before it would begin any investigation.

A statement from the Chief of Staff ordered the dissolution of the committee, stating “the Presidency is reviewing the approval processes that went into the decision to commit state funds to rent an office when the upfront payment involved could have completed a permanent office building for the NPA.”

The chief of staff again directed the Energy Ministry to direct the NPA not to renew the rent agreement at the end of the current tenure.

The intervention by the Chief of Staff has angered the minority in Parliament.

William Owireku Aidoo wondered how the chief of staff would intervene in a matter like this without any punitive measures against the perpetrators.

He said for a state agency to pay an amount of $700,000 a year for rent in a country reeling under harsh economic pressures was the height of financial indiscipline and heads must be made to roll.

“We cannot go forward with such a conduct,” he indicated.

Myjoyonline.com

The woes of students of Presbyterian Primary B School at Begoro in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region will soon be over with the completion of a new classroom block.

The new 6-unit classroom blocks under construction by the Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa North Kwabena A. Amankwa is about 90 percent complete and expected for completion in the next few months.

Students currently attend classes in a dilapidated structure constructed so many years ago by the Presbyterian Mission.

The present state of the facility does not only pose danger to the students and their teachers but it cannot also protect them from the rain and other hard weather conditions.

With the onset of the rain, the students will have to miss a lot of instructional periods to bad weather. He noted that helping to provide conducive environment for teaching and learning is important to achieving quality education.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Parliament on Wednesday approved of government’s request to issue $1.0 billion Eurobond on the international capital market.

According to government the decision to issue the bond is to reduce its over-reliance on short term domestic instrument to finance capital projects and diversify its sources of funding.

Presenting the Finance Committee’s report, the Chairman James Klutse Avedzi stated that the ministry of finance intends to apply part of the funds raised to finance capital projects in the 2013 Budget statement.

Part of the proceeds will also to be used to refinance existing maturing short term debt instruments and also to swap existing external debt to reduce the cost of debt servicing.

Touching on the timing of the bond issue, Hon. Avedzi said the minister stated that the bond market is a global one and no sibgle country has control over it.

According to the minister the presence of big players like Nigeria will rather send positive signal to investors about prospects of the sovereign bond market in West Africa.

Minority MPs were not enthused about issuance of the bond as to them the timing was wrong and could add more debt to the already huge national debt stock.

However the Majority was all for the issuance as it will enable government attend to numerous projects that needs to be urgently carried out.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Parliament on Tuesday eulogized the late Maulvi Dr. Wahab Adam, the Ameer in-charge of Ahmadiya Muslim Mission in Ghana, who died last Sunday.

Virtues that run through tributes from the Legislators were the late leader’s humility with which he served Ghana and his peaceful nature.

Maulvi Dr. Wahab Adam died on June 22, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, leaving behind a wife and seven children.

His burial has been fixed for Wednesday June 25, at Ahmadiyya Cemetery at Kasoa in the Central Region, after pre-burial ceremony at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra.

Maulvi Dr Wahab Adam was born in December, 1944, at Brofeyedur – Adansi in the Ashanti Region. He attended T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School, Kumasi and to Ahmadiyya Muslim Seminary and Ahmadiyya Theological University, in Pakistan.

Over there, Maulvi was seen most in white shirts and pair of white sandals, during his lifetime, signifying peace.

He received a Diploma in Arabic and Honours Degree in Theology and Islamic Jurisprudence in 1960.

After serving as the Brong-Ahafo Regional Missionary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission from 1960 – 1969, he became the Principal of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Missionary Training College at Saltpond. In 1971, he was appointed to the high office of the Deputy Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission of the United Kingdom.

He was subsequently promoted to the position of Ameer (Head) and Missionary-in-Charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana.

He supervised the affairs of the Mission with distinction since 1975, was active in the establishment of the Halal Committee that advocated the national holidays for Muslim festivities.

The Member of Parliament for Wa East Hon. Ameenu Salifu, delivering a statement in the memory of the late Dr Adam, commended the efforts of the great leader in ensuring development in all the areas he served steered and was very instrumental in the establishment of the Halal Committee that advocated the national holidays for Muslim festivities.

Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip Mr. Ignatius Baafour Awuah, noted that the humility with which he conducted himself endeared many people to him and also saw to the development of parts of Berekum where he served previously.

MP for Nadowli-Kaleo Hon. Alban Kingsford Bagbin, said: “We eulogise and celebrate the life of one of our illustrious sons, who has transited into internal glory,” adding that the late Maulvi had an aura of being genteel, soft-spoken and was a very inspirational leader.

Minority Leader Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensa- Bonsu, said: “The entire nation has lost a great man,” describing him as an epitome of humility, simplicity and peace.”

The House observed a minute-silence in memory of the late Mauvi, after which Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, Speaker declared:” Surely, we’re from Allah, and to him we will return.”