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Month: November 2017

Ghana’s debt to GDP ratio down to 68.6% from 73%

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Ghana’s public debt to GDP ratio which stood at 73% at December, 2016 has reduced to 68.3% as at September, 2017, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has said.

The reduction according the Minister was as a result of prudent management of the economy which he said has lead to a decline in the country’s annual debt accumulation rate of 36% over the last four years to about 13.58% in just nine months since the New Patriotic Party Government to over the economy.

Mr Ofori Atta disclosed these on the floor of Parliament when he presented the Budget statement and Economic policy of Government for the 2018 financial year on Wednesday, 2017 on the theme ‘’Putting Ghana back to work’’.

On the macroeconomic performance of the economy, the Minister stated that the overall GDP which grew by 7.8% as of June against 2.7 % in the same period of 2016 is estimated to grow by 7.9% by end of 2017, up from the original forecast of 6.3%.

“Overall real GDP grew by 7.8 percent as of June against 2.7 percent in same period 2016. It is estimated to grow by 7.9 percent at end of 2017, up from the original forecast of 6.3 percent” he indicated.

Non oil GDP is expected to record a 4.8 percentage growth by close of the year, 2017.

Ghana’s industry is estimated to grow by some 17.7% at the end of 2017, making it the best performing sector of the economy largely due to increased production in the petroleum upstream.

Agriculture and services sectors are also projected to grow by 4.3% and 4.7% respectively by the end of the year.

He also announced cuts in electricity tariffs with residential reduced to 13percent, special load tariff-low voltage also reduced to 13percent.

Mr Ofori Atta was full of confident that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government will end the fiscal year with a better fiscal deficit of 6.3% lower than the target of 6.5% set in the 2017 budget because it is on course as compared to the previous administration.

“I’m glad to report that we are well on course to end the year on a fiscal deficit of 6.3 percent from 9.4% in 2016” he said.

The Finance Minister assured of government’s resolve to be fiscally disciplined and remain within the limits set by Parliament.

“Mr. Speaker, we as a government will end the year with a deficit which is likely to be lower than what was approved by this house.

This I believe is going to be the second time in a decade that government has managed to stay within its budget deficit target” he assured.

By Christian Kpesese / Ghanadistricts.com

WA Airport to start operation next year—Deputy Aviation Minister

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Deputy Minister of Aviation, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has said flight to Wa, will start operation ending of February 2018, when the Wa Airport will become operational.

He noted that 100 percent of the overall project has been achieved and will be ready for commercial airline operation only in the day.

The Deputy Minister who was answering question on behalf of the sector Minister who is out of the country for which reason the question could not be taken on Wednesday 14th November 2017.

He noted that the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority(GCAA) is taking steps to install a navigational aid NDB-Non-Directional Beacon and a containerized control tower in February next year.

According to the Deputy Aviation Minister 2000-meters-long and 45 meter-wide runway has been completed with the rehabilitation of the Centre for National Culture building remodeled into terminal buildings.

In addition to improve operation safety during approach and landing phases a Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radio Range (VOR) co-located with Distance Measuring Equipment (DEM) will be install August of next year, he said.

Mr. Darko-Mensah noted that government is doing all to ensure that it develops aerodrome in each region, which will serve as a catalyst for industrialization and rapid socio-economic development of the Upper West Region.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

MPs who ask questions must also take Parliament serious —Majority leader

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Leader of Government Business and Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu acknowledging that it is not right for Ministers not to be in the House to answer questions, also urged MPs to take Business in the House seriously by coming to the House to ask questions in their name.

He made this remark when the MP for Wa Central, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo was not in the House to ask a question in his name to the Aviation Minister.

And acknowledge the issues raised by the Minority leader that Ministers should come to the floor of the House to answer questions.

“MPs who pose questions should also demonstrate some level of seriousness, we should not be seen holding only one edge of the sod, seriousness on the part of both Ministers and MPs is important”, he said.

According to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, it is disheartening looking at the number of MPs who made it to the floor of the House a day after the budget of 2018 was presented to the House.

“If we were in critical times on the floor, you will have someone from the Minority holding his or her standing orders and calling for quorum”.

In addition he revealed that he has advised Ministers who will not be able to make it to the House to give advance notice to help the Business Committee of the House plan.

The Speaker wanted to know if  any of  the Deputy Minister of Health was around but he was told no, “for the dignity of Parliament”,  keeping the House in the dark Parliament will forever take lightly it does not show due regard he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Absence of Ministers is becoming too much —Minority leader

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Minority leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu has expressed worry in a growing trend in the House were Ministers required to answer question on the floor of the House absent themselves.

He did not take kindly to the absence of the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, who did not show up on the floor of the House on Thursday 16th November 2017 for questions in his name.

Deputy Majority leader Sarah Adwoa Safo indicated to the House that the Health Minister had indicated that, he was attending to a pressing issue.

According to the Minority leader, the conduct of the Health Minister is not acceptable because there cannot be pressing issues that will override Business of Parliament and pointed out that, the Health Minister is not a medical doctor performing surgery.

And added that Parliament has to play its oversight role hence the need to have Ministers present themselves for scrutiny.

He further noted that, Thursday’s incident was not the first incident and the practice should be addressed.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority fear abuse of SP —Inusah Fuseini

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Inusah Fuseini has revealed that the Minority has always had the fear that the office of the Special Prosecutor can be used to witch-hunt political opponent.

Despite being part of the committee that passed the Special Prosecutor Bill 2017, the opposition National Democratic Congress Minority is still of the opinion that, it could be used to hound former appointees.

In an interview with ghanamps.com Mr. Fuseini noted that, ultimately the President will appoint the Special Prosecutor.

“I am not saying that it is not a political setup by the NPP for the purpose of the NPP. I am saying that it is a political office, established in pursuant of a political promise. It now becomes an institution of State because it is a political office and set up in pursuant to the Manifesto of the NPP, it can be abused,” he said.

“The Special prosecutor must not only look backward. It must also look to the present and future. It is not only the Minority that is concerned. Many people are concerned. History shows clearly that when the powers of such an office is not circumscribed in such a way that it respects the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, it can be abused.”

Though not directly related, the Akufo-Addo administration has indicated that it is building cases against officials in the Mahama administration who have been found to have wasted the public funds with impunity.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Reduction in electricity tariffs is insignificant—Minority

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Ghanaians have been urged not to be excited yet following government’s proposed reduction of 13percent in electrify tariffs for residential consumers, Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu said in an interview, noting that the reduction is insignificant when approved.

Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta the Finance Minister in presenting the 2018 budget and policy statement of government on Wednesday November 15, 2017, mentioned that for industry and government the reduction is estimated at 21percent.

The Minister said recommendations are going to be made to the PURC in this respect, which will bring a little more relief to businesses and domestic users of electricity.

Mr. Iddrisu questioned the possibility of this move, saying that the reduction will not be any significant, even if the PURC eventually approves the proposal.

According to the Minority leader, the previous administration under John Mahama faced stiff opposition from Organised Labour when it introduced a similar proposal through the Energy Sector Levy.

“We have been there before. When we increased the Energy Sector Levy which affected increases in electricity tariffs, I presided over the resolution where Organised Labour protested vehemently over the matter and I do know the advice we got from experts from the PURC and what can be done.

I am saying let not people smile at a reduction which probably will be negligible or insignificant.”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

President will assent SP Bill as soon as he receive it —Banda

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Chairman of the Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Ben Abdalah Banda has said President Nana Akufo-Addo will give assent to the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill 201, to become law as soon as he received the passed Bill by Parliament.

He noted that President is interested in the whole establishment and believe he will not take too much to ensure the right person is appointed to occupy the position of the Special Prosecutor.

According to the chairman of the committee, despite the Bill has been passed, the committee will embark on its intended trip to learn from the best practices in Canada, South Africa and Singapore.

And maintained that whatever is learnt from the trip can still be impacted on the regulations that will guide the Office of the  Special Prosecutor and the committee would have an oversight responsibility over whoever will be appointed as the SP.

He dismissed suggestions that the passed Bill was rushed and intended to jail former appointees who were corrupt under the rule of former President John Mahama.

Ghana loses close to $3 billion dollars to corruption, so if such an institution is being established to reduce corruption and ensure Ghanaians can enjoy social amenities we should be happy about that, he said.

He pointed out that the Special Prosecutor Bill will stand the test of time and retreated that when the committee had the stakeholders meeting they took on board the recommendations given by civil society.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Zongos’ will thrive in the coming months – Zongo Minister

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Zongo and Inner City Development, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface, has said with the passage of the Zongo Development Fund Bill 2017 the Zongos’ will thrive in the coming months.

He noted in an interview that  the last withdrawal of the Bill before its passage, there was propaganda going on with the Zongos’ that government was no longer interest in the Bill hence its withdrawal and he had to come out to clear the air on the issue.

“For me it is heartwarming to have the Bill pass which will be factors in the 2018 budget, presented today, it is one of the fasters Bill to be passed in Ghana”, he said.

He further recounted the challenges the Bill faced hence its withdrawal on two occasions, “people did not understand this but it was all about the loopholes seen and to be worked on I took two days to pass this Bill”.

He thanked the Attorney General and MPs for their support helping the Bill go through its fast passage.

As to whether he will come to the House with a Bill to enhance development in the Inner City, he responded by saying he cannot say “yes or No”.

According to the Madina legislator, work has already started in the Inner City and gave an example of receiving a hefty money from the World Bank, which development has started around Odor in circle and its enclaves, but he was not interested in making noise about but rather getting the work done.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

We will have run into crises if the SP Bill was not passed – Ranking

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Inusah Fuseini has said Ghana will have run into crises if the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill 2017 was not passed on the 14th November 2017.

Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill 2017, the Ranking member in an earlier interview indicated has to be passed before the budget of 2018 is presented to the House for approval.

The Tamale Central legislator dismissed assertion that the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill was rushed, he remarked rather that if anything was rushed in the last hour it should rather be the 2018 budget and not the SP Bill.

According to the ranking member the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill 2017 was being considered long ago and had been advertised several times and the committee had met Attorney General on the Bill.

He noted that apart from the Right to Information Bill, the SP Bill without fear of doubt is one Bill that has attracted the concerns of MPs from both side of the House and their best effort and time has been devoted to the passage of the Bill.

On the expected trip outside the country to study best practices, he confirmed to ghanamps.com that the committee will still embark on its trip despite the passage of the Bill, as the trip will help enhance operationalization of the SP.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Capping of funds chokes Roads Ministry- Aduomi

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Government’s policy of slapping a 25% cap on statutory funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is choking operations at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, a Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwabena Owusu Aduomi has lamented.

The deputy who described the current status of the road fund as severely distressed said after the Minister of Finance has deducted the 25% from Roads and Highways paltry allocation, virtually nothing is left to work with.

According to him, the emptiness of the road fund has left the Ministry with money to fix even potholes in the country.

Responding to several questions by Members of Parliament for government to move in to construct or rehabilitate deteriorating roads across the country, Mr Aduomi who is also MP for Ejisu Juabeng said there was not enough funds in the Road Fund.

In an interview granted to some journalists in Parliament House, the Deputy said the former Minister used the road money to secure a loan of GHc1.2 billion from the United Bank for Afrika (UBA).
The repayment of which is such that every quarter, the Ghana road fund has to pay GHc206 million.

According to him projections made by the Ministry is that for every quarter the fuel levy provides about GHc240 million to the Road fund but when an amount of GHc206 million is deducted from it to pay for the UBA loan,  then virtually nothing is left.

“So it means that less than GHc40 million every quarter that the road fund will get to finance road projects. So the predicament is that we will not get enough funds to pay for all numerous ongoing projects,” he added.

The situation has been worsened by the former government’s decision to award numerous road contracts in the last quarter of its administration.

“The GHc600 million that he [the former road minister] said was in the fund, before he left office he approved project payments of over GHc300 million,” Mr. Aduomi said.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com