Month: July 2015

A court order for a recount in the NPP Sunyani East primary has affirmed the victory of the incumbent Member of Parliament Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh.

The legislator remains the winner after a court recount Friday.

A Sunyani High Court that supervised the exercise after two hours of recounting agreed to the legitimacy of the incumbent who now polled 389 votes, compared to an initial 388 votes in the contest, while his opponent dropped by one vote.

Former Ghana Ambassador to Libya and High Commissioner to Nigeria in the Kufuor administration, George Kumi, challenged the outcome of the primary held June 13, 2015.

Parliament has approved a syndicated loan facility worth $US1.8billion to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for the purchase of cocoa beans for the year 2015/2016 Crop Season.

Additionally, the House granted the Minister of Finance the power by Statute to waive US$18,000,000.00 worth of taxes on the US$1.8billion.

The loan facility is US$1million higher than what the COCOBOD secured in the previous crop season (US$1.7billion) for same task.

The approval was necessitated by a majority voice vote that approved and adopted the report of the Finance Committee on the above mentioned amount on floor of the House Wednesday.

The loan facility was secured between the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and a Consortium of Banks and other Financial Institutions, with the Government of the Republic of Ghana as Guarantor.

Per the terms of the trade finance facility, COCOBOD must collaterize at least 650,000 metric tons of the country’s cocoa beans to ensure that they repay the loan.

Production for the 2015/2016 crop season, according to officials of the COCOBOD, is pegged at 950,000 metric tons.

Chairman of the Finance Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, presenting the committee’s report said the amount will enable COCOBOD to buy all the cocoa beans produced by the farmers and will also inject some confidence in the economy.

The Ranking Member of the Committee, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, commenting on the issue said Parliament’s approval of the trade finance facility “will send a signal to the banks to mobilize enough money for the loan being requested.”

“Part of the reason for the loan facility is to help stabilize our currency since COCOBOD will give all the proceeds to the Bank of Ghana,” he added.

A member of the Finance Committee and MP for Akim Oda, William Agyapong Quaittoo, said the country expects the Cedi to appreciate against all the major trading currencies with the injection of the loan facility into the economy.

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament elect for Talensi Benson Tongo Baba has been sworn in by the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho on the floor of Parliament.

Mr B.T Baba, a former Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, polled 10,366 of the total valid cast, representing 42.31%, to win the seat which was declared vacant by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, following the resignation of Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore, in June 2015 after he was enskinned a paramount Chief of Tongo.

His closest rival, Thomas Pearson Duanab Wunifrom the New Patriotic Party (NDC) polled 6,845 votes, representing 27.94% of the total 24,499 valid votes cast.

B. T. Baba’s election now brings to total 148 of NDC Parliamentary seats while that of the NPP drops to 122 from a previous 123 seats.

He has the next two and half years to occupy the seat before contesting for another election in 2016 parliamentary election.

The Talensi seat, had for the past three terms, been occupied by the ruling NDC with a majority of 2000 votes difference.

GhanaMPs.gov.gh

Lecturer at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Ghana, Professor Alex Dodoo, has apologized to the institution of Parliament, which he recently described as ‘ignorant’.

Dodoo Tuesday honoured an invitation to the House’s Privileges Committee which dragged him to explain his comments on their take on the recent Ebola Vaccine Trial in the Volta Region.

Yoni Kulendi, lawyer for Dodoo told the House his client “unconditionally” and “irrevocably” apologizes for the comments.

The MPs had called on the Speaker to immediately order for the cessation of the Phase 1 of the Ebola Vaccine trial until enough consultations were made.

But their call was immediately opposed to by Prof. Dodoo. He said those calling for the cessation of trial which was being held in the Hohoe Municipality at the time lacked knowledge about the whole exercise.

The MPs who could not contain his remarks lodged a complaint to the Speaker at a plenary sitting on June 16, 2015, and prayed that he (Prof. Dodoo) be hauled before the Privileges Committee for questioning.

The Speaker after listening to the arguments advanced by the Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, MP for Ho West, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah and MP for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, granted their wish.

Parliament would by October ending this year sanction institutions that fail to comply with the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

This follows a directive given on Thursday by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, instructing 25 institutions named in the PAC’s report for financial irregularities to submit to the house, a report on the implementation of the Committees report or face full sanctions by October 15, 2015.

The directive is as a result of an application made by the Chairman of the PAC and MP for Dormaa Central, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, praying the Speaker to ensure that the House obtained full financial accountability of public funds from the Executive and other public office holders.

Mr Agyemang Manu presented the Committee’s report of the Auditor-General on the Public Boards, Corporations and other statutory institutions for December, 2010 and 2011, findings of which, revealed significant irregularities in the financial accounts of the 25 institutions.

He told the Speaker that the House ought to sanction public officials for ineptitude resulting in the loss or misappropriation of public funds.

The Speaker in response to the PAC’s request, said in keeping with the Legislature’s constitutional role of keeping an eye on the public purse, henceforth institutions that appeared before the Committee would be required to present implementation reports on recommendations or face the rigours of the law.

The institutions named in the report include the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Ghana Trade Fair Company and the Ghana Standards Board.

Others include, the School of Public Health, College of Health Science of the University of Ghana, School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the University of Professional Studies, the Accra Polytechnic, the University of Mines and Technology, the University of Cape Coast and the National Board for Professional and Technician Examination.

The Minority in Parliament is threatening court action against government accusing it of circumventing the procurement law after awarding a single window contract to West Blue Consulting.

According to Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo Markins, NPP MPs are allowing government some time to overturn its decision failing which it will not hesitate to go be to court.

The MP insist that that government disregarded the legal requirements and chose one company, West Blue Consulting, over several others with the same expertise to work at the ports.

“Act 663 of 2003 Procurement law, states in part that an entity may engage in single source procurement with the approval of the board:

“(a) where goods, works or services are only available from a particular supplier.

“(b) Where there is an urgent need for the goods, works or service.

“(c) Where owing to a catastrophic event, it is impractical to use other methods in procurement because of the time involved,” he quoted the law as saying.

But the Effutu MP says none of this applied to the decision to choose West Blue Consulting.

All the existing five Destination Inspection Companies at the ports are being cleared after August with no contract extension in sight.

The five DICs make about 100million a year which is 1% of total revenue accrued from the ports.

ith the DICs out of the way, one company, West Blue Consulting, is to be offered the contract to inspect goods at the ports before clearance.

A letter from the presidency has directed the finance ministry not to renew any contract of any of the DICs because it is the wish of the President that the single window contract be awarded West Blue.

Mr. Afenyo Markins insists the president is acting in breach of the law and must refrain from do so.