Month: June 2014

Procurement processes for the construction of office buildings for eighteen assemblies (18) out of the forty six (46) new district assemblies have been completed.

Award letters have been issued and contracts have been signed to enable contractors commence work on the project which is expected to facilitate the efficient execution of the various assemblies duties.

This came to light when the deputy minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum appeared on behalf of the substantive minister to answer a question in Parliament on Tuesday asked by the Member of Parliament for Kumawu, Hon. Philip Basoah who wanted to find out from the ministry if there were plans to construct offices for the new districts.

He said the beneficiary District Assemblies include Dorma West, Asutifi South, Ayensuano, Upper West Akim, Kpone Katamanso, Tatale Sanguli, Pusiga Binduri, Builsa, Nandom, Daffiama-Bissie-Issa, Afadzato South, North Tongu, Bia East, Jomoro, Banda, Akwapim South, Bodie District Assemblies.

Hon. Kwadwo Agyekum noted that the outstanding District Assemblies were fraught with few challenges. He said during the evaluation of the tender documents, the Ministry observed that the Tenders for the outstanding District Assemblies did not meet the financial and equipment requirements to execute the work.

He added that consequently, the Ministry has initiated action for the re-tendering as per the Public Procurement Act 2003(Act 663).

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Plans are far advanced for the construction of a new three unit classroom block for pupils in the Kpandu Primary school within the Salaga North Constituency; an initiative by the Member of Parliament for the Area, Hon. Alhassan Mumuni.

The project cost GHs 107million and it’s in line with the MPs vision of providing equal opportunities for all persons within the constituency particularly in education.

It also seeks to supplement the efforts by government in providing more educational infrastructure in the country.
Hon. Mumuni who informed GhanaMps.gov.gh about the project said the contract has been awarded and would be commenced soon.

The MP further said that he attaches great importance to education and as such he will join force with the education directorate to help improve the standard of education in the constituency.
He assured that all other schools facing educational infrastructure challenges will not be neglected since they would also benefit from three unit classroom blocks projects.

Hon. Alhassan Mumuni took the opportunity to appeal to school authorities to adopt maintenance culture to ensure the long span of educational projects.

Hon. Mumuni however indicated the source of the funding for the school project to be from his share of the District Development Fund (DDF).

Irene Kwakye/Ghanamps.gov.

The Member of Parliament for Salaga North Constituency, Hon. Alhassan Mumuni, has secured funds for the completion of an on-going electrification extension project in the area.

Five communities that are suppose to benefit from this project includes Nyamalga, Fuu, Gbung, Kpalebe and Kpabusi.

The Member of Parliament who made this known in an interview with GhanaMPs.gov.gh further added that, the project is specifically is aimed at enhancing social-economic activities in the area and open more avenue for job creation in the beneficiary communities.

Hon. Alhassan Mumuni further disclosed that efforts were also far advance for to connect nine more deprived communities to the national power grid system to ensure that they also benefit from the national cake.

According to him, the project is expected to be completed within thirty days.

In another development, the MP said measures has been put in place for reshaping and surface improvement of deplorable roads within the constituency in a bid to improve the transportation network in the area.

Irene Kwakye/GhanaMPs.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Hon. Emmanuel Aboagye Didieye has unveiled plans to rehabilitate the defunct Nana Kwasi Gyimah Ferry to help facilitate transportation on the Kpando-Agordeke routes on the Volta Lake.

This move is to assist locals from these adjoining communities and the surrounding places commute and cart their goods on the river and generally boost transportation for the people.

Hon. Didieye , against this backdrop visited Akosombo lately to inspect the state of the facility and the extent of works required to put through rehabilitation of the ferry.

The MP in an interview with Ghanamps.gov.gh revealed that the breakdown of the facility, has relatively posed a challenge for transportation in general along this route.

He claimed this intervention will be meaningful in responding to the transportation challenges of people living in these areas, as this was invariably a highly patronized means of transportation.

According to him, plans were afoot to mobilize resources for this operations geared towards reviving and enhancing the ferry for improved transportation for his constituents.

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, says if reports of a monthly rent of $63,000 for offices of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) are true, then it does not represent “prudent use of state resources”.

The Minister said in a statement released by his outfit that he will demand an explanation from the NPA Board for its decision to rent the facility at that “high cost”.

Already the NPA, Ghana’s petroleum industry regulator, has been summoned by Parliament to justify the payment of $63,000 dollars a month as rent for its offices located at East Legon in Accra.

The Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament summoned the Authority following accusation by the Minority that the state is not getting value for money in the transaction.

Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Kwabena Donkor told Joy News’ parliamentary correspondent Elton Brobbey critics should also be curious about “the floor space, [as well as] price per square meter”.

He however said the Authority should be made accountable if the rent does not give value for money.

Mr Buah was quoted in the release as saying the NPA’s action if confirmed “runs at variance with the philosophy and preferences of His Excellency the President [John Mahama] as far as the use of public funds are concerned.”

The release was signed by the Energy and Petroleum Ministry’s Deputy Head of Communications, Ras Liberty Amewode,

Read below the full statement from the Energy and Petroleum Ministry.

Cost of rent for NPA office

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has agreed with the public concerns on the high cost of the premises recently rented by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) as offices.

According to the Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, “if the NPA’s office was rented at $63,000 per month as has been reported, then that hardly represents prudent use of state resources, no matter how conducive or appropriate the facility is for their operations.”

“The Minister would be demanding from the Board and management of the NPA an explanation for such a decision, especially the consideration that went into a decision that runs at variance with the philosophy and preferences of His Excellency the President as far as the use of public funds are concerned.” Mr. Buah Stated.

The public is assured that the Ministry will do everything possible to get to the bottom of this matter.

Signed

Ras Liberty Amewode

Deputy Head, Communications

Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya has appealed the Ministry of Roads and Highways to ensure the collapsed major bridge connecting the Atomic down Junction to Dome at the Goil Filling Station close to Ecobank in the Ga East Municipality is immediately re-built.

According to her, the current state of the bridge has resulted in a situation where residents of Ashongman Estate, Kwabenya, Berekusu, and sections of Taifa who use the facility to find alternative routes to avoid the heavy traffic building up at the Atomic Down Junction Roundabout, a situation she noted causes inconvenience and affects development as productive hours are lost.

A section of the road on the bridge has sunk in on Tuesday 17th June and made it impossible for vehicles to pass over it.

A closer look at the bridge indicated that the culvert created for water to pass through it is not serving its purpose as the water has created its own route at the side of the culvert thereby washing away the sand supporting both the culvert and the main road.

Feeling very worried about the state of affairs, Hon. Adwoa Safo who is the MP for the area raised the issue on the floor of Parliament on Friday with a call to the relevant institution to act speedily to avoid the loss of lives during this rainy season, especially school children who traverse that road daily.

The Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga East Assembly, Mr. John Kwao Sackey, he said his outfit is aware of the state of the bridge and has initiated the process to have it repaired as soon as practicable.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

With measures onboard to ensure that school children secure improved stock of learning materials to enhance teaching and learning in schools, the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North Hon. Emmanuel Aboagye Didieye has donated set of exercise books to basic and some second cycle institutions in his constituency.

As an indispensable move amidst other strategic measures targeted to help improve quality education in the educational sector, the Afram Plains North legislator believed that the distribution of these exercise books to a number of schools in the constituency will ostensibly contribute to give leverage to quality education.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, Hon. Didieye said pupils in every school visited in the basic level received at least three books each, whiles the SHS students were also given five books each.

Some of the basic schools considered under this move included, Adeembra JHS, Amankwakrom D/A JHS, Donkorkrom Islamic school, and Atakora D/A JHS amongst others.

In addition, beneficiary schools that were earmarked for this kind gesture in the Vocational and Technical schools also included Donkornkrom Agric Senior High , and St. Mary’s Vocational/ Technical school amongst others.

In other related development, the MP in the bid to promote ICT education in the area, offered to conduct free ICT classes for the 144 pupils who sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE).

This move was invariably undertaken to help prepare the pupils for their ICT paper in this year’s exams for the purpose of achieving better results in the BECE.

Participants after the 1 month training held at the Christian heritage school at Donkorkrom were presented with certificates.

Hon. Didieye stressed that “the best means to mitigate poverty among people is knowledge, adding that ICT is an emerging area in development trends globally, hence the need to promote it effectively.

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, has inaugurated a new clinic at a cost of GHc80,000 at Sowutuom in the Ga Central Municipality.

The clinic, which is the first public health facility within area, was funded through the MP’s National Health Insurance Fund with support from the Municipal Assembly and the Ghana Health Service.

Speaking at the opening, Ms Botchway said the country is still lagging behind in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on maternal and infant mortality, hence, the need to construct adequate health facilities to enable citizens to have swift access to a healthcare centre during emergencies to help reduce the rate at which women and children die at birth.

She also called for benevolent organisations to also contribute their quota to supplementing equipment at the clinic.

The MP indicated that efforts have also been directed at transforming education and social infrastructure sectors in the locality, but until government moves to establish a major hospital in the area, the clinic would be apt in addressing some health challenges of the community.

“Infant mortality rate is still high. Death rates can only be reduced through regular checks for babies and mothers, hence a unit has been a set aside to address such needs,” she said.

Dominic Amarh Quaye, the Municipal Director of Health Services, said the assembly would bear the initial operation cost of the facility until it is fully fledged to generate and manage its revenue.

“In terms of equipment, we have been able to procure some medical equipment and office furniture with the fund the Member of Parliament have secured. They include electronic beds, mattresses, bed sheets and crutches,” he mentioned.

Expressing gratitude to the representative for her efforts, he tasked officers at the centre to maintain the equipment and also show commitment in performing their duties.

He also acknowledged the electoral member for the area, Alhaji Abdalah Shuaib, for his efforts towards the construction.

Aristo Aryee, MCE, Ga Central, described the facility as one which has brought great relief to residents of Sowutuom as they would no longer suffer the burden of plying long routes to seek treatment.

Daily Guide

Inhabitants of three Sissala East communities, in the Upper West region have benefited from the establishment of a Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) centre, each in their respective localities.

The Member of Parliament for the Sissala East constituency, Hon. Sulemana Alijata Gbentie with funds secured from her share of the NHIS fund allotted to her, managed to accomplish the separate facilities for the people at a cost of GHS 50,000.

Beneficiary communities include Yigantu, Chinchan, and Santie which are all local communities in the Sissala East district.

Highlighting the completion of the three facilities to Ghanamps.gov.gh the Sissala East legislator indicated that, the project which had been in her scheme of plans was completed specifically this year, to solve primary health issues for the people.

Already, she said the facilities have fully been furnished and put up for operations, with the people accessing it in their various communities.

She however noted that the new facilities secured for the three communities created the opportunity to also cover more people under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Jonathan Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh