Month: May 2018

The Minority Chief Whip and a member of Parliaments Appointment Committee, Muntaka Mubarak Mohamed has said the Deputy Prosecutor Nominee, Cynthia Lamptey, might have a smooth and none stretching vetting today.

According to the Minority chief whip he had not had any encounter with the nominee but looking through her CV so far he noticed she is not a controversial person.

And added that if things stand as they are by Friday 18th of May 2018, she should have her approval by the House as so far there had not been any petition against her.

As at the time he granted this interview on Tuesday 15th of May 2018, he noted that the Appointment Committee is yet to meet.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Speaker of Parliament Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has underscored the importance of a well-established accountancy processes in every establishment if Ghana is to develop through joint ventures.

According to him accountancy is an instrument for national development therefore the role of the accountancy professionals cannot be overemphasized since investors rely mostly on effective accountancy standards enable them invest in limited liability entities which will inure to the greater benefit of the country.

“…in fact accountancy is the mother of limited liability companies, if accountancy is poor, you can’t have companies, because the man who has bought shares and is expecting that he not going to sit at the company, his going to rely upon the books prepared by proper accountants and the profits would be declared appropriately, he is going to rely on accountants otherwise he won’t put his money there” he stated.

The Speaker made these remarks when members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) and ICAUK paid a courtesy call on him in Accra.

He noted that Ghana’s decentralization concept will not work without qualified accountants at the local levels hence the need for the country to give preference to the accountancy profession.

Parliament he said is a house of accountancy which cannot do its work effectively without the involvement and support from accountants.

Prof Oquaye has therefore pledged the readiness of Parliament to work with the accountancy professionals through collaboration to deepen professionalism and high standards in the country.

“We cannot do our work well if we don’t embrace the work of accountants, we at Parliament will want to work with you more” Mr Speaker stated.

By Christian kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Ghana’s quest to ensure gender parity in its democratic dispensation for an enhanced socio-economic development has received a major boost following the introduction of an Affirmative Action Bill before Parliament for consideration.

The Affirmative Action Bill, 2018 is one of the new Forty-Nine (49) Bills among others as well as Instruments, Motions, Referrals and Directives outlined for consideration as Parliament reconvenes Tuesday, 15 May, 2018 for the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Seventh Parliament.

Some of the Bills are the Ghana Railway Development Bill, 2018, Occupational Safety and Health Bill, 2018, National Commission for Tertiary Education Bill, 2018, Renewable Energy(Amendments) Bill, 2018, Creative Arts Bill, 2018, the Disability Bill 2018 and the Ghana Meteorological Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2018 among others.

Eight (8) other Bills which are currently at the Committee stage are the Legal Aid Commission Bill, 2017, Witness Protection Bill, 2017, Land Bill, 2018, Right to Information Bill, 2018 and the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill, 2018

Others are the Ghana Integrated Bauxite and Aluminum Authority Bill 2018, Ghana, Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill 2017, Technical Universities (Amendment) Bill 2017.

In a press release announcing the Agenda for the meeting, Acting Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo noted that Twenty Five (25) Instruments of which one is already at the Committee Level will be presented to Parliament.

The release mentioned also that Fifty Three (53) Papers will be presented whiles four major Motions have been tabled for debate during the Meeting.

The Second Meeting is also expected to consider Nineteen (19) Directives to Committees by the Speaker even as notices of questions to be answered by various sector Ministers will also form part of the Agenda for the 2nd Meeting.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has said Ghana needs accountants as an instrument for national development.

He recounted his days as a Member of Parliament when he made a strong statement on the floor of the House, the House was approving a Bill to move the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) to University of Profession Studies (UPS).

“We should ensure that UPS is not turn into liberal arts institution after some time, we need accountants and all accountancy related subjects were not to relegate to the background”.

The Speaker made this remarks when the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountant Ghana (ICAGH) Christian Sottie and Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) President Nick Parker called on him.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

As Parliament resumes starting the second meeting of the second session of the fourth Republic, 49 new Bills would be presented to the floor of the House for the first time.

The House would on Tuesday, the 15th of May 2018 start its second meeting after the House had been on more than a month break.

During this second meeting, the House would work on Bills, Instruments, Motions and referrals from the Speaker Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye.

Some of the  Bills to be looked at are Ghana Railway Development Bill, 2018, Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2018, Affirmative Action Bill 2018, Creative Arts Bill 2018, Disability Bill 2018  and Ghana Metrological Agency(Amendment) Bill 2018.

There are eight (8) Bills currently at the committee level, including Legal Aid Commission Bill, 2017, Witness Protection Bill, 2017, Land Bill, 2017, Ghana Integrated Bauxite and Aluminum Authority Bill 2018, Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill 2017, Technical Universities (Amendment) Bill 2017.

Also there are twenty-five (25) Instruments of which one is already at the committee level. In addition, fifty-three (53)  papers would be presented during the meeting.

This was made known in a statement signed by Acting Director of Public Affairs Kate Addo.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

President of the Institute of Chartered Accounts Ghana, Christian Sottie is calling for the establishment of a collage of accountancy to help train quality accountants for the nation.

He added that the economy of Ghana is growing and if proper structures are not put in place to train and develop quality accountants, investors will not have confidence in our economy.

According to Christian Sottie University of Ghana over the period had tried training accountants but did not work so they had to stop.

ICAGH aliened the syllabus of Cape Cost University and they are doing well in training accountant, whiles University of Ghana has been brought on board, he said.

Mr. Christian Sottie argued that ICAGH needs more than a University training accountants, “we need a college to fully train professional accountants”.

“We have law school and medical school, but we do not have accountancy school, we believe that if we can do this will bring quality accountants and that is one thing we are working towards with the Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales” (ICAEW), he said.

Again we will be able to serve the country better when this is done, we are not going to ask for subvention as a regulator, we are not even complaining.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Public Account Committee of Parliament has directed management of Klikor Senior High School (SHS) in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region to take legal action against the Denu branch of the Agric Development Bank over retention of Eleven Thousand Ghana cedis (GHc11, 000) as unearned salary for deceased teacher.

Auditor General’s report in 2016 has cited the bank for retaining the above amount as unearned salary for a late teacher, Francisca Azorliadey.

The bank argues that the amount is to offset a loan taken by the late teacher before her demise.   Controller and Accountant General continue to pay the deceased for about a year after her death, this came up during the public hearing of PAC in Ho.

According to the accountant for Klikor SHS, William Duvor countless letters had been written to the bank that had not yielded result.

Chairman of the committee consequently tasked the school to ensure that the amount is returned to government chest and urged the bank to chase the next of Kin for their money loaned by the deceased.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com