Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye is advocating for financial support for companies in Ghana that are engaged in recycling of plastic waste as a way of dealing with the menace.

According to the Ledzokuku lawmaker, companies in the recycle business are unable to handle the volumes of plastic waste generated in the country hence the need for financial support by government.

He further called on the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology to play a major role in this direction to deal with the menace.

Plastic waste is killing animals and plants in our lagoons and further added that gutters are chocking because of plastic waste, leading to loss of lives, and we have to spend millions of dollars to try to remedy the damage, he lamented.

Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye noted that Ghana has law that can deal with the plastic menace, but the only problem is the courage to enforce those laws.

We need stringent measures to deal with these plastic wastes. In Africa, a country that had come out of war, Rwanda is doing well in this direction; they have banned plastic use, they are doing well, it is possible Ghana can do it, he emphasized.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Leader of Government Business and Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu had cautioned that Parliament should be cautious of MPs from the Minority side who have turned the chamber into a praise showering place of former President John Mahama.

He further noted that the House should take a second look at the new choristers who have turned themselves into praise singing academy, “they cannot turn this House into a yes men and women for former President John Mahama”, he said.

“Mr. Speaker the issue before us is the management of the Energy Sector Levy and Accounts for 2017. It would not be a worthy venture to embark on who supported ESIL or not, just as it would be pointless pointing fingers at who supported or did not support health insurance.”

“Again when the then Energy Minister Kofi Adda  came to this House to show us oil we had discovered, the then Minority during former President  Kufuor’s time said it could not be oil, rather dirty oil and some said palm kernel oil, also they walked out of the House during the debate on the health insurance”, he lamented.

Mr. Speaker we have gone beyond this, today what is before us is the management of the Energy Sector Levy,

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Member of Parliament for Wa West, Joseph Yieleh Chireh is calling for total ban of plastics in Ghana to curtail the plastic waste menace.

According to the Wa West legislator, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resource should collaborate with the Environment Science and Technology Ministry to bring a legislation for plastics to be banned.

He further cited Rwanda as a country that had return from war and had implemented ban on plastic use.
“What is preventing us from doing so, may be some interest are there let us address them, we need an environment free of plastics”, he lamented.

Again we must have the courage to bring policies that would ensure that we ban plastics, “the argument often is that there are so many people in this industry, what are you going to do for them, what would be the alternative?”

“I do not think these people were born into this industries, it was available for them to make money, but is it  making money at the expense of real life, making money at the expense of the environment”?

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini has raised concerns about the redesigning of vehicles originally built to carry goods to commercial passenger (trotro) vehicles in the country.

He observed that most of these reconfigured trotro vehicles do not have seat belts and contributes to the carnage on Ghana’s roads.

Contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament concerning poor state of roads in the country, the former Minister for Roads and Highways also identified fatigue driving by long distance drivers as another cause of road crashes.

The MP urged the need for officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service to up their game by arresting and punishing those who violate road traffic regulations.

He acknowledged that the road sector is capital intensive, stating that investment in Ghana’s road infrastructure alone stands more than $ 7 billion.

Mr. Fuseini urged the Ministry of Finance to help improve resource allocation to the Roads and Highways Ministry to enable it to fulfill its mandate.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, William Quaittoo is urging the need to use the road fund for its established purpose.

He also advocate for the tolling of major roads in order to derive the necessary revenue to fix the country’s roads which are in very bad conditions.

The former Deputy Minister for Agriculture proposed that Ghana must encourage Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) modules by private sector players to help the country build her infrastructure base since there is no money for the nation to do so all by itself.

The Akim-Oda Member of Parliament made the suggestion on the floor of parliament when he contributed to a statement on the poor nature of Ghana’s road networks.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

The Health Minister had given indications that works on the Kumawu District Hospital, would resume as soon as the Ministry of Finance gives approval.

According to the Minister the Kumawu District Hospital forms part of the seven district hospital programme being undertaken by Mssrs, NMSI of the United Kingdom under a turnkey arrangement.

He further noted that the project had stalled due to the expiration of the letter of credit backing the loan.

Finance Ministry is currently in discussion with the UKEF and the contractors on strategies to extend the credit facility. Again the Finance Ministry had also sanctioned an audit on the project which is being done by the Crown Agents Gh. Ltd, he said.

In view of the above, the Health Ministry is awaiting approval for the extension of the loan by the Finance Ministry, based on which the commercial contract would be reactivated.

Member of Parliament for Kumawu, Philip Basoah wanted to know when work on the District Hospital which had stalled for over a year will resume and be completed.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former Deputy Minister of Interior, James Agalga had said if he were in the shoes of Ken Agyapong, knowing very well its true he use strong words to describe the Majority leader and MPs and cannot regale his way through he would apologies first before meeting the privileges committee.

According to the Builsa North legislator, he would have adopted the mitigation approach, if it was true the words attributed to him.

“You have to respect the people’s Assembly, we are not stupid, you people voted for us when he says we are stupid it means the people who voted for us are stupid, in any case this are allegations which had to be proven. If he appears and says “I am sorry”, a report would be brought before the plenary for us to collectively decide which way to go, he said.

Minority Chief Whip Mohamed Mubarak Muntaka on Wednesday the 6th of June 2018 drew the Houses attention to some strong words used by the Assin Central MP, Ken Agyapong against the Majority leader and the House.

First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu was in the chair directing affairs and referred the matter to the privileges committee.

Mr. James Agalga in an interview noted that the Assin Central MP has the right to be heard and no one has provided any evidence yet, he should be allow to face the privileges, because their recommendation would have to come before the plenary to take a decision.

As to whether the privileges committee would be able to carry out its duty considering that it, had to deal with a member of the House, the Builsa North lawmaker responded in the affirmative.

And recounted what Black Raster went through by kneeling before the “people’s Assembly” to apologies to the representatives of the people.

“In fact if you go through contempt process in the House and do not end up in jail does not mean punishment has not been exerted”, he lamented.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com