Month: August 2017

Deputy Northern regional Minister and Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu, Solomon Namlit Boar has urged the Ghana Venture Capital Trust Fund to ensure that due diligence is done before loans are granted.

He expressed concern about the fund’s penchant for giving out loans without due diligence which has resulted in so much indebtedness to it.

Several individuals and institutions are indebted to the Fund without proper documentation as proof to ensure recovery.

This came to light when management of the Trust appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to respond to queries raised in the 2015 Auditor General`s report.

Mr Boar who is a member of the Committee urged management of the Fund to institute very stringent new measures to curb future occurrence of dishing out loans without supporting documentation.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Minister of Defence Aduna Dominic Nitiwul has revealed that ten thousand service personnel will undertake military service as the National Service scheme had written to the military to reactivate the clause that allows National service personnel undertake military service in an interview.

He further noted that due to the logistical constrain a lot of resources have been put in place to ensure that the navy military and air force training facilities are uplifted to undertake this exercise, either this year or next year.

According to the Defence Minister this move will instill a bit of patriotism and nationalism in our people.
“Rwanda has moved from a war torn country to one of the cleanest city because you will not dream of putting rubbish on the street neither will you want to spit on the street. Not because you cannot do that but they have decided to have self-constrain and discipline”.

Mr. Dominic Nitiwul reiterated that, “until we begin to learn and be proud of our Country, nobody will build this Nation for us the exercise is to ensure that we have this military values”.
When I was a young, whenever you are passing and you hear the “National anthem being played, you stand straight”.

In the military when a “big man” is passing the one with a lower rank will stand straight and salute him or her, he said.

He lamented over the practice these days where the younger people will not greet the elderly, he or she will not give out his or her sit to the elderly, “we have to start instilling respect in our society especially the younger generation”

Citing example of the need to be disciplined in all spheres of our, the Bimbilla legislator stated that though the Defence Ministry had to appear before the Public Account Committee at 11:00am, they got there at 10:45. According to him, the concept of “African time” as we usually say must be avoided and we learn to respect time.

“People say military training is about “beating you up” that is not the case rather is instilling in you the values of discipline, physical fitness, with this military service when done for only two months you will be a very fit person.

In addition, health wise, it is going to reduce our health bills, you will check what you eat, learn how to survive when you get yourself in a place you are not familiar with, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sissala East constituency in the Upper west Region, Hon. Ridwan Abass Dauda has called for a collective effort in the fight against rosewood lumbering in the area.

His decision comes after one person was arrested by security personnel in the area for lumbering rosewood at Sumborun, a farming community in the area.

It will recalled that the government sometime this year placed a ban on the export of rosewood across the country as part of efforts to bring sanity in the forestry sector.

The ban also gave directive to the Forestry Commission to stop the issuance of felling permits for rosewood to protect our forest reserves.

Rosewood is close-grained tropical timber with a distinctive fragrance, used particularly for making furniture and musical instruments.

Reacting to the issue, Mr. Dauda noted that it was imperative for stakeholder to join forces in the fight against the menace to help protect the remaining forest reserves.

According to him, the continuous felling of rosewoods poses serious threat to the very existence of the various forest vegetations hence it needed a collective effort to partner government’s fight to protect vegetation, especially in the northern part of the country.

Alice Abubakari/GhanaMPs.com

Winners of Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) Competition in Ghana, Methodist Girls Senior High School (MEGHIS) Mamfe Akuapem, paid a working visit to the Deputy Minister of Information, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei in her office in Accra yesterday.

The deputy minister double as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Akropong Constituency in the Eastern Region where the school is located.

The visit was to officially inform the MP of their departure to Ukraine and also seek of her blessings as they represent Ghana in the international event.

Methodist Girls Senior High School (MEGHIS) made an impressive presentation on its recycling business, showcasing its innovative products ranging from books, clothes, bags and furniture made from car tyres, among other things during the competition.

Their grand debut earned them the first position in the SRB category and the overall best team to represent Ghana at the World Cup in Ukraine in August. This makes MEGHIS the first girls’ school to win the SAGE Ghana Cup.

Madam Asiamah-Adjei, (MP) thanked the good people of Okuapemman and Ghanaian and congratulated the students for achieving that remarkable success and making a strong case for the female faculty in the society.

She however urged the students to make Okuapemman and Ghana proud as they represent the country at the world stage.

Alice Abubakari/Ghanadistricts.com

Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bui Power Authority, Fred Oware on Monday told the Public Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament that the over 1million dollars vehicle purchase contract was awarded without recourse to the constitution of a tender committee.

Bui Power Authority admitted before the committee that it made a mistake when it purchased 40 Ford Ranger Double Pick-ups at the cost of $ 1,345,000 in 2013, without the approval of a Tender Committee.

The power generating authority accepted it breached the procurement law in its transaction. According to the acting CEO, it was after the deal that the Authority put in place measures for the tender board to be constituted.

In addition the power generating Authority was cited in the 2015 Auditor General’s report for various financial irregularities.

40 Ford vehicles from Mechanical Lloyd were purchased at a unit cost of $ 33,650 by Bui Power Authority in 2013.

An initial amount of $504,750 was paid on December 24, 2013 for 25 pick-ups. Subsequent payments were made but these were done without the approval of a tender committee.

Section 17 (1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) mandates state entities to establish their own Tender Committees to supervise their transactions.

But the purchase of the 40 Ford vehicles was done in breach of the law.

“I don’t think there will be any disagreement about a breach of the law to the extent that there wasn’t a Tender Committee” Mr. Fred Oware told the legislators.

He said subsequent to the formation of the Committee, all transactions made were done in accordance to the procurement law.

When asked about the state of the vehicles, Mr. Fred Oware said: “they are on the road working and we don’t have any problem with them.”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bui Power Authority, Fred Oware on Monday told the Public Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament that the over 1million dollars vehicle purchase contract was awarded without recourse to the constitution of a tender committee.

Bui Power Authority admitted before the committee that it made a mistake when it purchased 40 Ford Ranger Double Pick-ups at the cost of $ 1,345,000 in 2013, without the approval of a Tender Committee.

The power generating authority accepted it breached the procurement law in its transaction. According to the acting CEO, it was after the deal that the Authority put in place measures for the tender board to be constituted.

In addition the power generating Authority was cited in the 2015 Auditor General’s report for various financial irregularities.

40 Ford vehicles from Mechanical Lloyd were purchased at a unit cost of $ 33,650 by Bui Power Authority in 2013.

An initial amount of $504,750 was paid on December 24, 2013 for 25 pick-ups. Subsequent payments were made but these were done without the approval of a tender committee.

Section 17 (1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) mandates state entities to establish their own Tender Committees to supervise their transactions.

But the purchase of the 40 Ford vehicles was done in breach of the law.

“I don’t think there will be any disagreement about a breach of the law to the extent that there wasn’t a Tender Committee” Mr. Fred Oware told the legislators.

He said subsequent to the formation of the Committee, all transactions made were done in accordance to the procurement law.

When asked about the state of the vehicles, Mr. Fred Oware said: “they are on the road working and we don’t have any problem with them.”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija Gbawe, Mrs Tina Naa Ayeeley Mensah has donated street bulbs to some selected communities to help reduce criminal activities that usually occur during late-night hours.

The legislator, who also doubles as deputy Minister of Health in the Akufo Addo- administration, in her presentation, charged stakeholders to swiftly install the bulbs to enable residents go about their normal activities with hindrance.

She added that others measure such as beefing up security personnel in the area will soon be employed to help curb the threat these criminals pose to residents whose work extend late into the night.

He charged stakeholders of the beneficiary communities to use the bulbs prudently to help benefit the greater number of people in the area.

Alice Abubakari/ghanamps.com