Month: October 2018

Minister designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison has said every cedi owed caterers would be paid today 29th of October 2018.

According to the Agona West lawmaker, the President Nana Akufo-Addo is a listening President and has advised that every money should be paid to the caterers.

“Everybody is getting the last cedis, we are going to continue I am so passionate about it, I go to the market  and I know how expensive it is and they come and cook and no body pays them for three or four months, be rest assured that the debt would be cleared on Monday”, she said.

She made this remarks when the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu asked whether she would ensure that there would be prompt payment as it takes them longer period to have their money.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minister designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison has said children helping their parents do house hold chores should not be seen as “child labour”.

According to the Agona West lawmaker she used to sell bread as a child leading to her mother starting to bake, she revealed to the Appointment Committee.

She quickly pointed out that when parents allow their children to go the extra mile of helping them and not allowing them to go to school that is “child labour”.

Mrs. Cynthia Morrison initially told the committee it is difficult to define child labour in our part of the world where children help their parents.

She made this remarks when the Asokwa lawmaker Patricia Appiagyei wanted to pick her taught on child labour.

The Minister designate further pointed out that when approved she would encourage parents to let their children go to school when they help them on the farm or perform house chores.

In addition, she gave her word to the committee that she would work to let Ghanaians know that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is not a “women” Ministry.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Chairman of the select committee on Education, Steven Siaka has dismissed suggestions by the Minority that, if the current administration had continued building of uncompleted Senior High day schools started by the previous administration the country would not have been faced with the double tracking system.

According to the chairman it is not the making of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government that there is ten thousand Junior High Schools (JHS) and nine hundred Senior High Schools (SHS).

“How were they expecting us to absorber this huge numbers, the problem did not start with the free SHS, it started way back”, he lamented.

Again students have passed well through no fault of theirs, they were not being admitted because of limited facilities and 2011 to 2016 hundreds of thousands of students could not go to school, if they had gone would we not be enjoying our peace now?

“So Nana Addo said if you pass why should we not give you education, we are creating access equal access for every Ghanaian child.  So with the numbers given,  if we are absorbing all of them this are the challenges we would face,  so the ability to think through and come out with an idea called double truck I think is the best all Ghanaians should applaud us”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

A member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament from Ghana and a lawmaker from Suhum, Fredrick Opare-Ansah has said the sub Regional legislative body has not abandoned the idea of electing persons to the ECOWAS Parliament.

According to the Suhum lawmaker, the decision to elect representatives to the sub-regional legislative body depends on the decision of the heads of states just like the protocol has established the body.

He however pointed out that there is a challenge in achieving the process because within the sub Region, there are different terms of governance whiles some countries are running bicameral legislature, others are running unicameral legislature.

“Nigeria and Liberia have a Senate and a lower House, whiles some countries are running five years Presidency other legislature are running nine years. If we are going to do universal adult suffrage when is the election going to take place’, he said.

In an interview, Fredrick Opare-Ansah suggested the sub-Regional legislative body should go the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) way, which has legislative powers and pointed out that not even the European Union Parliament has such power as it draws it power from council of Ministers.

He added that, as it pertains now the legislative body has a proportion representation of five (5) to three (3) with the delegations, whiles the Majority has five and the Minority has three.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Committee on Education, Stevens Siaka has said when the House resumes on Tuesday the 30th of October 2018, it would invite sector Minister Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh to brief it on the brouhaha that had led to the closure of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

According to the chairman, the committee has not been formally informed about the happenings on KNUST campus and as chairman he is also hearing of the development from the media.

On the closing down of the University and the dissolution of the council he indicated that all Ghanaians should abide by law.

In an interview as to whether the committee would embark on a field trip to ascertain for themselves development on KNUST campus,  he said no,  but was quick to point out that after the briefing by the sector Minister if the need be the committee would embark on a trip there.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Deputy ranking member of the Appointment Committee, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak is advocating for a closure to excessive partisanship put on the work of the committee.

According to the Asawase lawmaker when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is in the Majority it seeks to protect nominees that come before the committee to be vetted for Ministerial positions.

Again when the Nation Democratic Congress (NDC) finds itself in the Minority it would be seeking ways of embarrassing government when nominees come before the committee, same applies when it is the other way round.

“I do remember as Majority whip people come to beg, let this person pass through try to help him for us, you do not want to ask a lot of questions”, he lamented.

In an interview he noted that, “we need to stop this if really we want to work in the national interest more especially when the person is going to occupy a very important position”.

He further pointed out that the training of members of the committee he has called for, “if we are going to training members and we do not change our orientation and work in the national interest it would come to nothing”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West and Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection designate, Cynthia Morrison has indicated to the Appointment Committee of Parliament she would step down as a member of the Pan African Parliament when approved.

According to the Agona West lawmaker, when the Appointment Committee recommends her approval to the plenary and it is carried out, she would step down from the continental Parliament.

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu questioned if the nominee would be able to combine her role as Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister and Ghana’s representative to the Pan African Parliament.

“I am automatically disqualify the moment I am approved here, as a member of the Pan African Parliament, for a new person to replace me same was the situation in the case of Adwoa Safo the Deputy Majority Leader who I replaced”, she said.

When ask to share her experience on the Pan African Parliament, she indicated to the committee that she served on the defense and interior committee. She was part of an election observer team that witnessed the Zimbabwe elections.

In addition, she indicated to the committee that she is the second vice President of the West African caucus in the Pan African Parliament and had a lot of opportunities to interact from his colleagues and learnt a lot.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Alumni of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has call on the Alumni of his alma mater to teach students of the institution to be responsible.

According to the Minority Whip, just as the students have a right they should also be responsible and added that the alumni cannot support violence.

He made this known in an interview in the wake of riot on KNUST campus that had led to destructions of vehicles and administration block and the University authority pointing figures at the alumni being behind the students who embarked of this act.

“These students are going to be our future leaders what we are teaching them that any time they disagree on something, they should destroy things that cannot be, I want to plead with all of us who are alumni of KNUST this is our pride and alma mater”, he lamented.

He further pointed out that the alumni should not behave as if they know all that is happening on campus and suggested dialogue to every challenge.

Again during our time at KNUST when we had disagreement we moved from one hall to the other sensitizing students, even the school authorities came in and listen to our arguments, he said.

“Our representatives school council were very vocal, they attended council with the and put strongly the students views, mobilize signatures of students when it become necessary for the outside world to know”.

Mr. Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak also indicated that they went on very peaceful demonstrations and kept vigil, but does not remember during his graduate and post graduate days they held demonstrations that even a fly died.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has donated computers to some basic schools in his constituency.

Torgorme Basic School is the latest to receive part of the so far two hundred and fifty (250) computers.

According to the North Tongu lawmaker, since becoming an MP and in his second term, teachers and pupils at the basic level have received (250) computers and is a positive collective investment.

In addition he also expressed joy that the interventions had led to improvement in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), from an abysmal 20.23 percent in 2012 to 60 percent in 2018.

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that the constituency remain committed to their course of achieving their 100 percent target.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com