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Month: May 2018

Government releases GHC200m to address sanitation problem—Kofi Adda

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, has revealed that government is fulfilling its promise of making Accra the cleanest city, by releasing two hundred million Ghana cedis (GHc 200,000) for that cause.

He made this remarks at the opening of a four days urban sanitation forum ongoing in Accra on the theme, “Taking Urban Sanitation Solutions to Scale”.

The forum brought together participants from civil society and delegations from Nigeria, Liberia, South Africa and Serra Leone.

According to the Minister, May 24th this year, the finance Ministry released two hundred million Ghana cedis to the Sanitation Ministry to address problem with sanitation.

He added that it settles the promise made by President Nana Akufo-Addo during the state of the Nation address when he promised the said amount.

Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda further revealed that eighty million Ghana cedis(GHc 800,000) has been approved by cabinet to clear outstanding debt to cover operational cost of land fill site as far back as 2012.

“I can say Accra is on its way of becoming the cleanest city in Africa, since the political will is there and Ghana is a shining example in this regard”, he said.

“As a new Ministry we have had a considerable support from government of Ghana as well as our traditional partners like the World Bank, civil society, United Kingdom and Canada.

What is left now to do is to initiate processes to access, funds to be utilized  in  top priority areas in sanitation which would make a significant difference in  the sanitation situation in Ghana”, he added.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

We need significant members to transact business—Majority Leader

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Leader of Government Business and Majority leader has reiterated the importance to have significant Members of Parliament in the chamber to transact business on the floor of the House.

He backed calls made by MP for Lambussie that members attach seriousness to business of the House and endeavor to be punctual.

Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu’s call comes in the wake of the Lambussie legislator expressing worry over the chamber being almost empty and gave indications that the Minority would start, demanding quorum to start business on the floor of the House.

He further expressed appreciation that on Wednesday the Lambussie lawmaker was drawing the Speakers attention to members not showing up in the chamber and not calling for proceedings to come to a halt because MPs do not form quorum.

And was of the opinion that Tuesday’s votes and proceedings of the House indicate that 207 members came to the chamber, with time MPs would troop in but was not happy that out of the 275 members only twenty were on the floor to transact business of the House

He however pointed out that some Ministers who are MPs had come to the House to do business but because proceedings had not started they stepped out and would return to the House to do business.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Government using oil funds for campaign projects—Ato Forson

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Ranking member on Finance is accusing government of diverting oil revenues into the implementation of campaign promises in breach of the Petroleum Revenue Act.

In an interview with the media in Parliament, Casiel Ato Forson noted that the practice is affecting other sectors of the economy that ought to benefit from the oil funds.

“Someone is tactically breaching the Petroleum Revenue Management Act,” Mr. Forson said on  Tuesday.
He said the government is also breaching the Ghana Infrastructure and Investment Fund Act by choosing to divert the oil revenues into funding other activities.

According to the Ajumako Enyan Essiam Constituency MP, the government has diverted the funds into activities, including the free Senior High School policy.

The Petroleum Revenue Management Act (815) which was passed in 2011 regulates the collection, allocation and management of oil revenues by the government.

The Act says in part “For any financial year, a minimum of seventy percent of the Annual Budget Funding Amount shall be used for public investment expenditures consistent with the long-term national development plan.”

Rather than going by the law of the country, the MP said the government is spending a chunk of the money on consumption instead of physical infrastructure.

“I don’t think it is something that we should encourage. I think as people of this country we should be interested in the matter,” he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“I wonder if getting MPs offices has helped us”—Osei-Owusu

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu lamented on Wednesday and wondered if getting offices for Members of Parliament had helped the institution considering lateness of MPs to chamber and not even showing up sometimes.

According to the first Deputy Speaker when MPs did not have offices they came to the chamber on time in their numbers, most of them gathered at the MPs cafeteria and entre the chamber on time.

He lamented over current practice where MPs sit in their offices and would not show up in the chamber whiles others monitor through their monitors to find out if the Speaker who is always on time had started proceedings in the House.

Again I have observed that since we have offices now some MPs come in, sign and go back and sit in their offices.

MPs are not happy that some of the NGOs that work with Parliament publish the names of legislators who absent themselves from the chamber and some have threatened to petition the Speaker for some MPs to be withdrawn, he said.

“Nobody would be happy if that happens, but if we go by the records so of us have breach the constitution and not ought to be members of the House, I encourage members to take work in the House serious’.

In addition we have been advised to come into the main chamber, do some business before we leave the chamber for other committee works, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ghanaians are watching us with the chamber empty—Ras Mubarak

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has drawn the attention of MPs that Ghanaians are watching them with attitude they have adopted not to come to the chamber to do business leaving the chamber empty.

In recent times MPs report to the chamber late forcing the Speaker Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye and this two Deputies to start proceedings late, whiles most of the times the chamber is almost empty.

Mr. Ras Mubarak expressed worry over the practice where some MPs travel without filling the permission form, to be given permission by the Speaker to travel and added that it is required that as an MP you seek permission from the Speaker before traveling.

He back the submission made by the MP for Lambussie that the Minority would start raising issue of quorum on the floor of the House.

And disagree with the Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu that some MPs were out on official assignment but forgot to sign permission forms, “Ghanaians are watching us, they are watching how we take business of the House seriously”, he said.

Again the attitude show on the floor here reflects in the various offices of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; people are behaving the way they want they would not come to work early and leave without permission, lamented.

He further noted that this is affecting productivity in Parliament because MPs would not come to the chamber early for proceedings to start and when they show up, they leave in no time.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Let us take a second look at sitting in the afternoon—Haruna

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

As starting business on the floor of Parliament, at 10:00am is becoming difficult in the second meeting of the second session of the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic, Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu is advocating for adjustment to be made to move the sitting time from 10:00am to midday or 2:00pm which would be convenient.

According to the Minority Leader in other jurisdictions they have adopted the late sitting which is working for them considering how MPs come to the chamber late.

He further added that even civil society groups working with Parliament have had cause to raise issues with absenteeism in the House and how it’s affecting work in the House.

“The public would even lose confidence in Members of Parliament, the question of quorum is a requirement of our standing orders”, he lamented.

Again members should give some respect to the office of the Speaker by seeking permission before traveling; there should be approval granted by the Speaker before members travel, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“There are some reasons for the chamber being empty”—Agyeman Manu

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu has urged the Member of Parliament for Lambussie to be cautious in calling the Speaker to rule, for an empty chamber, because the Minority had indicated their intention to result to calling for quorum on the floor.

According to the Health Minister, there are reasons for the chamber being empty because members had sort for permission to carry out other equally important assignments.

He backed his point by saying, the votes and proceedings of the House on Tuesday 29th May 2018 shows that only 38 members were absent without permission but 30 members were granted permission, for good reasons.Again, he pointed out that one of his Deputies, Kinsley Aboagye-Gyedu was on official assignment with the National Health Insurance board in Thailand, but without permission.

“I feel there are some who are absent without feeling the permission forms, because there are situations that takes us as MPs out of Parliament to our constituencies”, he lamented.

Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu was quick to point out that it was wrong for the Lambussie lawmaker to be giving ultimatum that in the coming days the Minority would get to the standing orders and call for quorum.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority to raise issue of quorum—Lambussie MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Lambussie Dery Edward Kaale-Ewola has sent the strongest indication to the Majority side of the House that Minority would start raising issue of quorum if they continue to stay away from coming to the chamber to do business.

According to the Lambussie legislator out of the one hundred and sixty-nine (169) members of the Majority only twenty showed up to do business on the floor on Wednesday 30th May 2018.

The first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu was in the chair directing affairs of the House when the Lambussie legislator raised the issue on the floor of the House.

He further drew the first Deputy Speaker’s attention that business cannot go on, on the floor of the House if there is no quorum and it was becoming unbecoming for MPs on the Majority side not to come to the House to do business.

“If for nothing at all MPs should come and at least to listen to the Speakers prayer before going to do other business, look at the order paper we have only one committee meeting, look at the House what baffles me is about the Majority side twenty members(20) out of the one hundred and sixty-nine(169) members”.

Mr. Speaker we may pardon the Majority today, but going forward in the future we would not accept anything or tolerate it, he said

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Legal Aid Commission Bill 2017 goes through second reading

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Legal Aid Commission Bill 2018 had gone through second reading on the floor of the House with 32 amendments after the Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Ben Abdallah Banda presented reports of the committee to the House for approval.
When passed, the Legal Aid Commission Bill 2018 would repeal the Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997(Act 542) to provide legal aid and other legal services to certain category of individuals in Ghana.
The committee further noted with concern that provision has been made in the Bill to require lawyers perform pro bono services as a condition of their solicitors License but was rejected by the committee.

In the view of the committee, the Ghana Legal Council is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of lawyers in Ghana and a body alone with such powers to make such regulations.

Mr. Ben Abdallah Banda noted that, apart from restructuring the scheme into a commission with the requisite level of autonomy, it would further enhance access to legal aid service in the country through the establishment of regional and district offices of the commission.

He further added that the above measure would inure to the benefit of the poor and vulnerable in the Ghanaian society, to ensure the achievement of liberty, equality before the law freedom and justice as well as the protection of other fundamental human rights and freedom.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Tsito-Awudome and Kpedze health facilities to be upgraded—Agyeman Manu

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu has said on the floor of Parliament that the Tsito-Awudome Health Centre would be upgraded to a polyclinic base on population growth.

According to the Minister, government is sourcing for funds to upgrade and rehabilitate the Health facility in the Ho West constituency when funds are available.

He further added that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is planning for Hospitals and Kpedze is currently ranked 7th in the Volta Region for upgrading into a Hospital.

Funds are being sourced for, so when government gets funds Kpedze would be considered. This The Minister was responding to Ho West MP’s question on the floor of the House.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/hanamps.com