Month: May 2018

Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has said Ghana’s decentralization would not work without serious accountants at the various Assemblies.

According to the Speaker, a visit to some Assemblies would reveal that there are not proper accountants, hence the mismanagement because they do not know what to do, even as some may have good intention and may not really be thief’s.

“They are incompetent and is as harmful as virtually stealing, we do not need it and also those who also mismanage are not quickly detected because the practice of auditors itself is weak”, he said.

Again they are from the same accounting family, “who would watch the watchman”, we need the best professionals who would watch the watchman?

Parliament is a House of accountability, we will not do our work well if we do not embrace the best of practices in accounting, we need the assistance of real professionals, the Speaker remarked.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAGH), Christian Sottie, is calling for amendment to the current Parliamentary Act 1963 that regulates the accounting profession to reflect current trends in the profession.

According to the former Controller and Accountant General, the current law is lacking behind and over the years they have been trying to bring a new Bill which will be in line with current happenings in the accounting profession.

And further added that ICAGH had raised the issue with the Ministry of Education which they fall under but they had been moving back and forth on the issue but are almost at the end of the draft Bill which will be taken to cabinet soon.

Mr. Christian Sottie urged Parliament to look favorable to their Bill when it comes to the House. He made this remarks when ICAGH and Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament.

So many things are happing all because we did not envisage so many things and we do not have legal backing to deal with those things, key among them, people parading themselves as “Chartered Accounts of which they are not”, he said.

He noted that the new Bill that will come before Parliament when passed will give ICAGH the moral strength to be able to regulate some of these things.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The heavy presence of Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Odorkor Police Division on the Odorkor and Mallam stretch, where a drainage construction is underway has aided with the free follow of traffic.

A visit to the site by ghanadistrict.com on Wednesday and interactions with most road users shows their happiness with the way and manner the MTTD is controlling the traffic situation.

However, the only dissatisfaction by road users has to do with heavy traffic situation around the Sakarman traffic light between 4:00pm to 8:00pm.

In an interview with Gabriel Engman, a Sanitary Engineer with the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project, he pleaded that road users have to bear with the situation but most of the time the MTTD men and women in uniform are visible to direct the traffic situation.

He further added that measures had been put in place to tow away any vehicle that would breakdown along the Mallam and Odorkor stretch not to cause traffic as road safety commission had given assurance of their assistance.

On the extent of work done so far Gabriel Engman, indicated that he is very satisfied with work done so far but was on site to push the contractor to work faster.

Mr. Emmanuel Eklu of the Ghana Highways Authority material division also commended, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Michael Asiedu for ensuring that his men and women are on the ground, to assist with free follow of traffic and being around himself to ascertain the situation on the ground.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanadistricts.com

Public Account Committee of Parliament (PAC) has called for an upward review of rents charged on government bungalows is some Assemblies.

According to the chairman of the committee the current rent on government bungalows at the districts were not economical.

He further added that the review of the rents upward should reflect the realities on the grounds and directed his call to District Chief Executives and Financial Directors on low rent charged on government bungalows.

The Financial Director of the Kadjebi Municipal Assembly, Mac George Apetorgbo told the committee that rent on a two bedroom apartment goes for GHC14 Ghana cedis a month and even at that occupants fail to pay.

Dr. James Avedzi urged auditors to monitor the renovation that occupants of government bungalows made to ensure that the costs of renovations were not inflated.

And urged the assemblies to take steps to retrieve all the outstanding rent arrears and report same to the auditors for verification.

According to the Auditor General’s report, the financial memoranda for District Assemblies, finance officers were required to support their payments with invoices or other vouchers.

The affected Districts are Agotime-Ziepe, Biakoye, Central Tongu, Hohoe, Keta, Krachi East, North Tongu and South Tongu.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

In the wake of attacks on Journalist in their line of duty in Ghana, the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has in collaboration with Norway’s Journalist Association started training some media practitioners on safety in their line of duty in Accra.

In an interview with President of the Association, Roland Affail Monney revealed that the training workshop will be replicated in the regions to sharpen the sense of security in all areas which will pose as danger to Journalist.

He further added that apart from the collaboration the association is having with their counterpart from Norway, the Norwegian government is supporting in the exercise.

As to what advice he has for Ghanaian Journalist, he said, media practitioners should value their life more than the work they do.

Again the International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) is pushing for governments to extend protection to Journalist, “we will push for that convention”, the  UN has also come out with safety guidelines for  Journalist we will train Journalist on this content and for them to adhered to it  in their day to day work

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Acting Director of Public Affairs in Parliament, Kate Addo has indicated that the House is re-introducing briefing of Journalist who cover proceedings in the House at the beginning of every meeting.

She added that leadership of the house would want to brief the media likely on Tuesday the 15th of May, 2018 when the House returns from recess.

The second meeting of the second session of the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic starts on Tuesday the 15th of May 2018.

Journalist covering parliament would have the opportunity to ask questions, high on the agenda would be the issue of MPs who double as Ministers in the 6th Parliament taking double salaries that had generated a lot of controversy.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com