Month: September 2016

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe-Adjaho has assured the chiefs and people of the Volta region that they will not be taken for granted by the NDC government or any of its functionaries.

According to him, the region is being accorded the needed attention in terms of development by the government and nothing will be done to undermine the people.

Speaking at a grand durbar in Ho to climax this year’s Asogli Yam festival celebration on Saturday, Mr. Doe-Adjaho pledged the support and commitment of all government appointees from the region towards its development.

“I want to pledge in the presence of all the dignitaries and chiefs gathered here that, we, the sons and daughters of this region who are in government won’t do anything to deprive this region of its share of development. Whatever we have to do however, to ensure the region’s progress we shall do it to the best of our ability,” he stated.

The Speaker of parliament who led a high-powered government delegation including the chief of staff, Julius Debrah to represent President John Mahama as a special guest at the festival, said their presence at the event, which coincided with the launch of the NDC’s manifesto at Sunyani, was an attestation of their commitment to the people of the region.

“As we are aware, the President who was the guest of honour, is in Sunyani and from there, he will travel to the United Nations. Because of that, he asked me to lead a delegation to this festival.”

“Myself, I was scheduled to be on an official assignment abroad but I have to cancel my trip, to be here with other appointees including the chief of staff, because duty has called. This shows the high level of respect we have for the people of Asogli and for that the entire [Volta] region,” Mr. Doe-Adjaho remarked in Ewe, before going ahead to deliver the President’s address at the durbar.

His remark comes on the back of a recent tongue lashing of the NDC and its appointees in government by Togbe Afede XIV, paramount chief of the Asogli traditional area and President of the Volta region House of Chiefs, for showing gross disrespect to the chiefs and people of the area, because it is their political ‘world bank.’

The speaker of parliament therefore called on all stakeholders in the region to put aside personal interest in order to build “solid and congenial synergies and collaborations between chiefs and committed government appointees from the region. Because from our different elective and appointive positions, we owe it a sacred duty to the region to serve and help achieve our aspirations.”

Other members of the high-powered delegation to the festival included, Ambassador Dan Abodakpi, Health minister, Alex Segbefia, Volta Regional minister, Helen Ntoso, Deputy Minister for Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Gomashie and the Deputy General Secretary of NDC, Koku Anyidoho.

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban S.K Bagbin has said the ruling National Democratic Congress can achieve its 57% of popular votes in the upcoming December 7 election, only if the party avoids complacency in its quest to retain power.

According to him, though the target is very achievable, the NDC needs to work extra hard to realize this objective.

Thousands of members and sympathizers of the NDC have gathered in the Brong Ahafo Capital of Sunyani, Saturday, to launch the party’s Manifesto for the upcoming crucial polls that promises to be keenly contested, especially between the largest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the incumbent NDC.

Addressing the teeming crowd, Hon. Bagbin urged members of the Umbrella Family to gird their loins for the work ahead of the election, which will see the NPP remaining in opposition for several years to come.

The unprecedented achievement is copiously captured in the Green Book, the right ideas, credible policies, intended programmes are found in the manifesto. With a galaxy of such capable messengers as our Parliamentary Candidate led by an accomplished President, John Dramani Mahama as our candidate, I’m more than confident that the NDC will win with a wide margin.”

He added: “The 57% target target I want to assure you is achievable, we need to work hard and have to be vigilant on the election day. But you know, with such a wounded elephant I don’t know what else they can do apart from to fight with desperation. But let’s fulfill the prophesy of Dr Arthur Kennedy of chasing the elephant into the bush.”

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is planning to rig the forthcoming elections, the New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong has alleged.

He is thus warnning the NPP to be extremely vigilant or risk losing the December 7, 2016 elections, adding it would be suicidal for the party to assume an automatic victory considering the debilitating economy of the state.

“… It’s not a done deal for you at all Nana (Akufo-Addo),” said Mr. Agyapong on Adom TV Thursday, adding, “they (NDC) have over 30 diabolic plans to win this election, so, no one should be fooled that it is a done deal for the NPP just by dint of the suffering Ghanaians are going through.”

It would be “politically suicidal” for the NPP to be complacent in the forthcoming elections, former Trade and Industry Minister in the erstwhile Kufour administration warned despite his believe that the party will win the polls.

“…I’m not going to sit here and tell NPP people we have already won the elections. It cannot be the case that we in opposition working against an incumbent government can take anything for granted,” said Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku in August on Starr Chat hosted by Bola Ray.

He said everything is in place for the party to return to power, nevertheless, the party has to be a lot more strategic “than perhaps we have been before.”

Mr. Agyapong thus advised Nana Akufo-Addo to shun companies that do not have his interest at heart. “Don’t surround yourself with these people,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North Constituency, Gifty Twum Ampofo, says her constituency under an Akufo-Addo presidency will see massive improvement in infrastructure and in the lives of the constituents.

She stated that with the abundance of raw materials in the country, it was left to Ghanaians to properly utilize them effectively in order to address the economic challenges facing the country.

According to her, with Nana Addo’s policy of “One District One Factory,” every district in Ghana would develop, explaining that the policy has the potential of creating hundreds of jobs for the youth who are currently suffering under President Mahama.

Using her constituency as an example, Madam Twum Ampofo said cocoa, which is the main crop in the area, had served the country immensely and mentioned the setting up of a factory by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana as one of the best projects that ever happened to the constituency.

“At first, CRIG was sending their cocoa beans to France and USA for flavour evaluation but currently it has been able to establish its own flavour laboratory, making it the first in Africa. This factory is very important in the sense that it can research extensively into the different flavours that can be derived from the cocoa,” she revealed.

The Abuakwa North MP, who was speaking to the Daily Statesman, further said she was very optimistic about the chances of the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the December 7 elections.

She believes his tenure as president would take Ghana to a different level.

She called on Ghanaians to embrace Nana Addo’s “One District, One Factory” policy because the NPP has a competent team to implement the policy to ensure its success.

The MP also disclosed that most farmers in her constituency, especially those from Abremponsu and Ahiaben, lack logistics for vegetable preservation leading to crops losses.

“Recently when I visited Abremponsu and Ahiaben communities, farmers in that area had harvested garden eggs so much that the maxi sacks which cost just GH¢20.00 were still being bargained for and even in some cases, there were no buyers for them,” she said.

Madam Ampofo revealed that she had had talks with farmers in the area, precisely cassava farmers, who she advised to move from processing the cassavas to just gari, but to another product similar to cerelac, a baby cereal food, mostly patronized by students and mothers.

She appealed to the people to make the right decision and give her and Nana Akufo-Addo the mandate to transform Ghana’s economy and develop Abuakwa North constituency.

Member of Parliament for Adaklu Constituency, Mr Kwame Agbodza has assured that work would start on roads in the Adaklu District before the end of 2016.

He said some 72 kilometres of “virgin roads” in the District would be opened soon by the Department of Feeder Roads, with the main Abuadi-Waya-Mafi Kumasi to Keyime to be fixed by the China Railway Group Limited.

Mr Agbodza was speaking at the inauguration of a taskforce to spearhead the 2016 Election campaign for the National Democratic Congress in the Adaklu District.

He said the Adaklu Abuadi to Kodiabe road had also been approved for construction by a local construction company and urged the electorates in the District to retain the NDC in power to complete development projects.

Mr Agbodza said the Government was also taking steps to address issues of access to potable water in the more than 70 communities and called for support from the chiefs.

He enumerated interventions by the Government in the education and health sectors and described the District as among the fastest growing in the country.

Mr Francis Ganyaglo, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, urged the electorates to vote massively for President John Dramani Mahama and Mr Agbodza for the rapid socio-economic development of the area.

Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parlaiment for Tano North, has presented items worth GH¢600,000 to some security agencies in her constituency.

The prisons camp at Duayaw-Nkwanta received 100 pairs of boots, tricycle (motor king) and 90 pairs of sandals (for inmates).

She also presented two motorbikes and 100 pairs of boots to the District police and 50 pairs of boots and street lights to the fire service

Mrs Prempeh said she bought the items with her share of the MPs common fund to facilitate work of the beneficiaries.

She advised the security agencies not to allow political affiliations to interfere with their work but exhibit a high sense of professionalism, as the country readied itself for the general election.

The MP said almost all the communities in the constituency had benefited from development projects and appealed to the electorate to retain her in the December polls.

Mrs Prempeh said several projects are currently under construction and urged the electorate to give her another chance to complete the implementation and execution of more of such projects.

Assistant Director of Prisons John Asiedu Benaye, the Camp Commander at the Duayaw-Nkwanta prisons, on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the MP for the gesture, saying most of the security agencies lacked useful equipment and appealed for more support.

The Deputy Education Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has challenged running mate of the New Patriotic Party Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to substantiate claims he made on the educational sector during his lecture on Thursday.

Dr. Bawumia during his lecture at the National Theatre on Ghana’s economy alleged that the NDC government had constructed a bungalow at the Dambai College of Education at the cost of GHc900, 000.

Bawumia also claimed that the Bolgatanga and Wa polytechnics were established under the NPP, but responding to claims by the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Ablakwa urged Dr. Bawumia to substantiate his allegations.

Ablakwa in a facebook post stated that “Bolgatanga and Wa Polytechnics were established in 1999 and had enrolled students long before the NPP came to power. His claims that the NPP established both Polytechnics is untrue.

“There is no Teacher’s Bungalow project at Dambai College of Education built at GHS 900,000 in 2011. We have checked the records and hereby challenge him to prove his allegation.”

He added that “hard as I have tried, it’s exceedingly worrying that I couldn’t find a single truthful claim under the education component of Dr. Bawumia’s unprovoked vicious attacks on President Mahama’s Government.

Below is Ablakwa’s unedited Facebook post.

Sammy Ablakwa writes:

Fact Checking Dr. Bawumia on his Education claims:

1) Bolgatanga and Wa Polytechnics were established in 1999 and had enrolled students long before the NPP came to power. His claims that the NPP established both Polytechnics is untrue.

In any case, Dr. Bawumia should be telling Ghanaians why they failed in eight years to fulfill their promise of establishing a Polytechnic in EVERY District as contained on Page 29 of the NPP’s 2000 Manifesto. (Yes you are right, One District One That is not a new trick in the NPP book).

Instead of accounting for the lost “Decentralized Polytechnics” (as the NPP Manifesto refers), Dr. Bawumia is rather attempting to obliterate President Rawlings’ legacy in Bolga and Wa.

2) It is intellectually dishonest to claim that the NPP established UMaT which had existed under various forms since 1952. See the official website of the university: http://umat.edu.gh/about_umat/umat_main/university-history.html

3) Carrying out renovations in 36 Senior High Schools cannot be the same as establishing 36 Senior High Schools.

4) There is no Teacher’s Bungalow project at Dambai College of Education built at GHS 900,000 in 2011. We have checked the records and hereby challenge him to prove his allegation.

I must add that I am not surprised Dr. Bawumia was this time round dead silent on initial claims he and his boss had trumpeted that current WASSCE results are the worse in history. Clearly, the self-professed lover of data does not appear to fancy that kind of data which cannot advance his political agenda.

Any wonder he conveniently ignored data on universal access to basic education, gender parity, time on task, social intervention programmes, scholarships, gross enrollment, text book to pupil ratio, pupil teacher ratio, TVET reforms, WASSCE awards, university rankings just to mention a few.

Hard as I have tried, it’s exceedingly worrying that I couldn’t find a single truthful claim under the education component of Dr. Bawumia’s unprovoked vicious attacks on President Mahama’s Government.

Let those who claim they created paradise in Ghana and yet Ghanaians voted them out in 2008 continue to live in that bubble. We have work to do and a nation to build under the inspiring, selfless, humble, visionary and unifying leadership of President Mahama.

We will stay focused on Changing Lives and Transforming Ghana.

God bless us all.

Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei -Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has described President John Mahama’s comment about the Minority caucus’ failed move to activate a bi-partisan probe into a Ford gift to him, as unfortunate to say the least.

President Mahama in an interview with Paul Adom-Otchere on Good Evening Ghana Tuesday, described the Minority’s action as “a frivolous waste of taxpayers’ money”, adding that the New Patriotic Party is engaging in “petty politicking” to soil his hard earned reputation.

He said he felt “sad” about the situation where Members of Parliament had to be recalled after being given transportation allowances and other incentives.

A motion filed by the Minority Legislators to have the Ford gift saga investigated, compelled Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho to recall the House which has been on recess.

The Speaker dismissed the motion, on the grounds that Parliament could be usurping the powers of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) which is constitutionally mandated to look into issues of conflict of interest or breach of code of conducts.

But speaking on Accra based Neat FM, Hon. Osei-Kyei Mensah -Bonsu stated that the President describing their move as a waste of time and resources clearly shows that he (President) does not even understand Parliamentary procedure, after serving as Member of Parliament for twelve years.

“The President is an elderly person, if he speaks and even does not choose his words well, as he did on this matter, one is always measured when responding to such a person. Otherwise looking at the language the President used, we should have put him at his proper place but, we can’t do that because of his stature. All I’ll say is that his comments were unfortunate, probably he was misinformed.”

Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azuri Awuni a couple of months ago, reported that President Mahama in 2012, received a 2010 Ford Expedition from his Burkinabe friend Djibril Kanazoe. The latter was subsequently awarded two contracts, which include the fencing of the Ghana Embassy Wall in Burkina Faso at a cost of $650,000 and also the construction of part of the Eastern Corridor Road Project.

The presidency at the time of publication of the report admitted that Mahama received the said vehicle from Kanazoe but dismissed claims of corruption.

The Youth Wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and other private citizens took up the issue and petitioned CHRAJ to determine the conduct of Mahama to establish whether he breached the code for public officials.

Obuasi West Member of Parliament (MP), Kwaku Kwarteng, has laughed off President John Mahama’s pledge to give a meter to each household in a Central regional town, Abura.

The Minority MP says the President is taking over a job assigned to a public company, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Wednesday, he expressed disappointment in the lack of candor in the President’s promise.

“I wish we would promise bolder things…provision of meter that should be done by ECG?…It is now a campaign promise by the National Democratic Congress (NDC)?” he expressed shock.

He said Ghanaians want a leader who can take them out of a ‘crisis’ and not one who promises to do a routine work done by District Managers of the ECG.

The 2016 campaign is underway and it appears to be shaping up as a campaign of what the New Patriotic Party (NPP) calls it is possible versus what the NDC has criticized as unrealistic.

The NPP’s one-district, one-factory has been dismissed as unrealistic. But after president Mahama hit the campaign trail in the Central region, his promise to provide 1,500 meters has been dismissed as timid.

Name-calling or truth-telling

President Mahama has expressed hurt that the 2016 NPP flagbearer Akufo-Addo has been insulting him by a constant reference that he is an incompetent leader.

But responding to Mr Mahama’s concern about mud-slinging language from the NPP, Kwaku Kwarteng finds no insult in describing a leader as incompetent.

“If I am not doing a job properly for which I am paid and somebody said I am incompetent, I would not take that as an insult,” he said.

He said it is for the President to do an introspective search to find out reasons why the NPP calls him incompetent.

Sparing the word incompetent as an insult, Mr Kwarteng suggested that descriptions like Nana Akufo-Addo is too short or he has cancer are “the wrong things we think should not happen in a campaign”.

This is the second time President Mahama has taken exception to the description.

During his “Changing Lives, Transforming Ghana’ tour in the Greater Accra Region last November, President John Mahama appeared irked by the description.

“I’ll take that word from Kufuor or from Rawlings because they’ve been there before. All of you guys [NPP critics] have never ever come near the presidency. Do you know what it takes to be a president? And you stand and say incompetent Mahama administration,” Mahama said.

He also said, “I will not allow useless insults to distract me.”

Green book distribution evidence of abuse of incumbency

The Obuasi West MP also condemns what he believes is an abuse of incumbency by President Mahama.
He said while the “very expensive” printing of the ‘Green book’ to catalogue government’s achievements may not be considered an abuse of power, the manner of its distribution confirms the opposition’s fears.

“These books have been given to NDC communicators, something printed with state money…you go with them to a program and they pull out the green book as though their party gave to them, and you think it is not an abuse of incumbency?”