Month: November 2015

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has completed plans for the inclusion of the Gomoa East District in the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).

According to Mrs. Rachel Nana Adjoa Apoh Opoku, Member of Parliament-elect for Gomoa Central, the inclusion of the district with two constituencies by the government, would help reduce abject poverty currently confronting the aged, People With Disabilities (PWDs), and widows.

She was optimistic that the Ministry would not deny Gomoa East District which had been declared as one of the poorest among others in the three Northern Regions.

Mrs Opoku made this known when she donated 2, 200 pieces of half cloths to widows, the aged, and PWDs, at Gomoa Ekwamkrom in the Gomoa Central Constituency.

The occasion coincided with the MP’s birthday celebration which was attended by party supporters, constituency executives and some traditional rulers.

She disclosed that the Gomoa Central Constituency was carved from Gomoa East Constituency in 2012, and was one of the poorest in the Central Region.

She reiterated that when the Ministry approved the LEAP, it would go a long way to improve the quality of lives of the people.

The MP stated that the Gender Ministry had given assurance that the People of Gomoa Central would benefit from the programme in 2016.

She stated that apart from the LEAP, the government under President John Dramani Mahama had initiated many social interventions to make sure that lives were improved in the district.

Mrs Opoku assured her constituents that her second term in Parliament would help to complete projects she initiated three and half years ago.

She said through her instrumentality, President John Dramani Mahama had given one out of the 50 Community Senior High School (SHS) in the Gomoa Central Constituency, which would be commissioned early next year.

MP Said apart from SHS, many educational structures had been constructed for the basic schools. Health Centers, re-shaping of many feeder roads and other social amenities that could help improve the living standards of the people.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Wassa Amenfi East, Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, has instituted a scholarship scheme with a seed capital of GH₵ 50,000, to support brilliant but needy students in the area.

According to him, he also used his influence to secure 34 classroom blocks through the Ghana Education Trust Fund to the area while the district has also benefited from the World Bank and European Union educational complex project.

Touching on other infrastructure projects allocated to the area, the MP said five communities have benefited from rural-urban water system project, 42 community-based health planning services compounds, six health clinics, while Ayanfuri/Bogoso road, which was in a deplorable state is under construction.

Mr Oppong-Fosu added that 30 mechanised boreholes have been dug for some communities, to resolve the water shortage experienced in the area while 25 others would be provided soon.

He said more communities have been connected to the national grid electricity grid, which had enhanced the socio-economic lives of the people while 10.4-kilometre town roads have been earmarked for asphalting at a cost of GH₵ 21.4 million.

Mr Oppong-Fosu pledged to work in tandem with the chiefs and other development partners to propel the development of the area forward.

The Gomoa Central Constituency executives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party have refuted claims by their Member of Parliament for the area; Rachel Appoh that she induced electorates in the party’s just ended primaries to reduce the NO votes against President John Mahama.

According to the party leaders, the MP was not in a position to have bribed over 4,000 voters, adding that the only expenses incurred by their representative in Parliament was catering for the traveling expenses of the voters who had to travel from afar to the designated polling centres.

Hon. Rachel Appoh who is also a former deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection told Kasapa FM that had it not been through her tireless efforts, the dissenting votes of NO against President John Dramani Mahama who ran unopposed in last weekend’s primaries would have been high in her constituency.

She told Fiifi Banson in an interview on Anopa Kasapa Monday that she had to pay money to appease some of her constituents to reconsider their decision of voting NO against the President.

She said going into Saturday’s Presidential and Parliamentary primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), a lot of her constituents who are members of the umbrella family were peeved for being denied a share of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection.

“I worked tirelessly before managing to reduce the NO VOTE against the President. The people wanted to vote against President Mahama because they feel they have been denied the LEAP initiative by the Gender and Social Protection Ministry. If you look at the District LEAP initiative poverty ranking, we are second and so my people do not understand why they should be denied that initiative,” she lamented.

But speaking to Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Si Mi So on Kasapa 102.3 FM, Thursday, Communications Director of the Gomoa Central Constituency, Emmanuel Akyer emphasized that voters who endorsed President Mahama did that out of their own volition.

“Any voter who voted YES did so in his/her own assertion based on the performance of the President who has brought a lot of development by ways of schools, numerous CHPS compounds and basic school infrastructure.”

He on behalf of the constituency executives assured the President, MP and the party of victory in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2016.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

Debate over the 2016 Budget and Economic Policy Statement of the Government of Ghana appears to be in jeopardy at least for now following a standoff that broke out between the Minority and Majority members of the House over quorum to begin government business.

For close to one hour, the issue of quorum was the subject matter on the floor of the House as members failed to find a common ground.

At the commencement of government, Member of Parliament for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, coming under Order 48 (1) of the Standing Orders of the House, drew the First Deputy Speaker, Ebo Barton-Odro’s attention to the fact that the House ha no quorum to begin the deliberate over the government business.

Order 48 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana states “The presence of at least one-third of all the Members of Parliament besides the person presiding shall be necessary to constitute a quorum of the House.”

But his argument was strongly objected to by the deputy Majority Leader and MP for Ashaiman, Alfred Agbesi who insisted that the House had the needed number to consider the government as advertised on the Order Paper.

The House was billed to begin debate on the motion of the 2016 Budget which was moved on Friday, November 13, 2015 by the Minister for Finance, Seth Terkper.

After back and forth argument over the matter, deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul, pleaded with Hon. Barton-Odro, who presided over the affairs of the House for a headcount.

In all 93 members were present to begin the business of the day.

But the Minority was not convinced. They insisted that Ministers of State who were seated during the headcount were all captured and therefore called for a recount.

Their plea was again objected to by the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mahama Ayariga, who argued that there was a clear deliberate attempt by the Minority to boycott to the debate on the 2016 Budget.2b41ada2-994b-4e04-a9c8-408d61c23fa9

He told the Speaker that per his checks, there were a good number of Minority members who were seated at the cafeteria either drinking tea or doing a different thing.

MP for Abuakwa, Samuel Atta, strongly countered the argument put forth by the Bawku Central legislator. He wondered why the Majority could bang their hopes on the numbers of the Minority to form a quorum knowing very well at least 92 members from the side (Majority) could have prevented any debate over the matter.

The Speaker after listening to the argument advanced by both sides of the House suspended sitting for ten minutes to enable the House find a common ground over the issue.

But checks conducted by Kasapafmonline.com suggest that there is more to the issue than the quorum being raised by the Minority members.

Inside sources say the Minority were peeved by the comments President Mahama made about them during one of his #ChangingLives tour.

The Minority had earlier accused the President of throwing the country into huge debt due to unbridled borrowing.

But the President in a sharp response dismissed the claim saying that all the loans receieved parliamentary approval.

He said if the Minority NPP was asking what the loans had been used for, then it means they have been sleeping in Parliament.

“You say we haven’t used the loans for anything and that we are misusing monies. Meanwhile every loan we take is taken through Parliament for approval so what have they been doing? Have they been sleeping?

“They approve the loans in Parliament; there is no single loan we have taken without taking it through Parliament; they should come and tell us what they have been doing,” the president jabbed the Minority MPs at a rally in Ho.

Sources say the posture of the Minority is “pay back time”.

Debate on the 2016 Budget is expected to begin today in Parliament.

The debate is expected to be heated as the Majority side is expected to highlight the positives in the document, while the Minority punches holes in the achievements and critically scrutinize the projections made by the government.

The debate on the budget is expected to last for about two weeks.

However Veteran Journalist and Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has predicted that the conduct of government business in Parliament, especially, work on the 2016 budget is likely to face challenges in the month of December.

According to him, the huge number of Members of Parliament on the side of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who lost in the party’s recent parliamentary primaries will likely boycott sittings out of anger.

A total of 26 legislators on the Majority side in Parliament including its deputy Majority Leader, Alfred Agbesi and First Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Hajia Mary Boforo, were defeated much to the surprise of many.

The ruling party had earlier scheduled its primaries to be held a week before the presentation of the 2016 Budget in Parliament and its subsequent approval by the House.

That programming was criticized by political watchers including Mr Kwesi Pratt who thought it was politically suicidal, as the government side in Parliament will need its full complement of numbers to pass the budget.

Speaking on Peace FM on Tuesday, Mr Pratt said that the NDC should have held it primaries very far away from the month in which an important programme on government’s calendar such as the budget was to be read.

“The timing for the primaries was so wrong. How do we expect 26 MPs who are peeved after losing their seats in the primaries, returning to Parliament just a week after the elections to take part in the debate of the 2016 Budget and its approval?”

“We are talking about a Parliament where there is high level of absenteeism. You are going into the debate of the Budget already limping on one leg. What kind of political strategy is this? The strategy is so wrong; I just don’t know who gave the NDC that advice.”

Ghanamps.gov.gh

Old students of Achimota Senior High School, known as Akoras, have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament over encroachment on the school’s lands.

Class FM’s parliamentary correspondent Ekow Annan reports that the petitioners are calling for a moratorium to be placed on all land sales and illegal construction activities on all Achimota school lands. This was contained in a request submitted to parliament on Tuesday November 24.

The old students are also demanding an investigation into the sale and encroachment activities of the said lands.

They are also appealing for the prosecution of all persons and entities engaged in illegal sale and acquisition of the school’s lands.

The spokesperson for the group, Ernest Afram, stated that the encroachment is negatively affecting school activities and endangering lives of students and teachers.

“We are calling on government to help us protect the lands of the school. Achimota school lands were purchased in 1927 and reserved for education. As we speak, we have people, who have encroached on the school farm, the school septic system, the primary school. Certain teachers cannot even enter their bungalows. Someone even walled [the] front of a teacher’s bungalow and students had to go and break the wall,” he complained.

Mr Afram said copies of the petition have been presented to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Chief Justice, Attorney General, the Lands Commission, and the Member of Parliament for the area.

There is wild jubilation by supporters of Sam George, the newly elected Parliamentary Candidate for Ningo/Prampram constituency on the ticket of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the streets of Prampram which is stronghold of his opponent E.T Mensah.

Sam George beat his former political ‘god-father’ and NDC heavy weight E.T Mensah, in one of the fiercest race in the just ended primaries.

Certified results declared by the Electoral Commission official from 22 polling stations gave Samuel Nartey George, 4,910 votes representing 53.4% of total votes with ET Mensah polling 2,831 representing 38.5%.

Ningo-Prampram was tagged as the hottest spot before Saturday’s nationwide primaries, and it indeed lived up to the billing with all the drama that unfolded before the voting day.

The initial war of words between the former ‘father and son’ contestants in the media was intensified on the grounds in Ningo-Prampram, where Mr. Sam George was reportedly attacked and jabbed on the face disagreement about the voters’ register on Saturday. This led to the election being postponed to Sunday.

The supporters took to the streets Monday morning to express their excitement over the victory of Sam George, whose triumph is one that his funs will savour for a long time.

With his election, Sam George will battle off NPP’s Parliamentary candidate for the area, Sylvester Tetteh who is also solid on the ground.

It however remains to be seen if Sam George will be able to beat the NPP candidate who contested E.T Mensah in 2012 elections and polled 17,122, as against E.T Mensah’s 21,178 votes.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alfred Agbesi has been beaten in today’s parliamentary election held in the Ashaiman constituency.