Ranking member on Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has indicated in an open letter to the Minister for National Security Albert Kan-Dapaah, he would proceed to the court for his breach of Act 526.

According to the ranking member after twenty (20) days counting from the 29th of this month, when Parliament resumes and the minister does not act, he would go to court to compel him to honour obligations under Act 526.

“Having had all my Parliamentary efforts to get you to comply with the Securities and Intelligence Agencies Act 1996 (Act 526) ignored”.

Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa further pointed out in his open letter that, the “Minister assigned responsibility under section (1) of this section shall in respect of each year submit a report to Parliament on the Intelligence Agencies”.

“Sir, you have not complied with this provision since assuming the position of National Security Minister and thereby undermining Parliament’s constitutional mandate of oversight and I have drawn your attention consistently to this, through a Parliamentary question and had been ignored”.

The North Tongu lawmaker also revealed that he had exhausted all Parliamentary proceedings, considering the worsening insecurity situation in the country, attracting unprecedented domestic and international concern.

On the assassination of undercover journalist Ahmed Hussin-Suala, numerous cases of contract killing and the circumstances of Nana Appiah Mensah escaping from jurisdiction as well as the kidnapping of the Takoradi ladies all of these call for an urgent and unwavering commitment to our constitutional and legal obligation which as you better than many of us are designed to guarantee our collective security, he lamented.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, Abena Osei Asare has donated an incubator to the Enyiresi government hospital in her constituency, as part of her fortieth birthday.

According to the Deputy Finance Minister, life begins at forty and if the Lord has added another year to her age, this is something small she is doing to thank the Lord.

Donating the item to the hospital, she pointed out that the district director of health talked about Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with maternal health as part of it and whatever can be done to help women going to give birth for them to have safe delivery for mothers to have their babies should be done.

The MP thanked the nurses for their hard work in ensuring that there was no maternal death recorded last year.

She further admonished the nurses not to look at the conduct of human beings in the line of their duties, but look up to God and also realize that whatever benefit there is they would have their portion.

“You might not see it today, but tomorrow you would have an opportunity that you would not understand, but you would come to understand later that it was the good health care you gave a patient who came before you”

The Atiwa East lawmaker further appealed to the health administrators to make it a point to nominate the hard working staff of the month and place the person’s picture on the walls of the hospital from next month so that she would support with the little gift she can to encourage others to work hard.

“For health personnel to feel appreciated in other for them to go the extra mile working hard”.
She used the opportunity to thank the doctors at the hospital and pointed out that, effort are being made to complete doctors bungalow for them to stay around the hospital.

As a result of that when an issue occurs, a doctor would just have to walk in to save life within minutes, “we are not going to go all the way to get the doctor from his or her house and this opportunity would be extended to other health personnel”.

In a related development, the Deputy Minister of Finance Abena Osei Asare used the occasion, to donate a television set to doctors at the hospital.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

A former Deputy Minister for Power under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, John Jinapor has raised concern about the continues interference in operations of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

According to him the phenomenon where succeeding governments kept removing Heads of strategic public firms does not augur well for the smooth running of those institutions for the attainment of meaningful outcomes for national development.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show in the wake of the removal of the Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Ltd, the Yapei/ Kusawgu Member of Parliament expressed disappointment in the decision which he said affects progress.

He was not happy Managing Directors of SOEs are mostly appointed before Boards of same institutions.
The MP noted that the direct appointment of Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers and other top notch management positions by the President especially before the Boards must cease.

Mr John Jinapor urged the need for institutions to be built just like it is done in the private sector.

The unfortunate development at the Ghana Airport he noted manifested in the Ministry of Health where the CEO of the Tamale Teaching Hospital was removed without basis.

Other institutions which suffer same unfortunate politically motivated interferences include the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), School Feeding Programme among others.

The young lawmaker noted Ghana’s corporate governance structure is gradually getting worse saying legislation cannot be used to regulate everything but there is the need for common sense to guide all.

Christian Kpesese /ghanamps.com

The Minority Leader, Haruna Idrissu has urged France to collaborate with the Ghanaian government in the area of agriculture as far as the One District, One Factory programme is concerned.

He said French businesses in the country can support the initiative in the processing subsector especially natural fruits.

Mr Haruna also called for support to Ghana in the area of learning the French language an integral part of the Ghana’s Parliamentary service.

The leader noted there is a lot Ghana can learn in the area of Parliamentary democracy which span several years.

The Tamale South Member of Parliament also encouraged the French Envoy to help Ghana learn the French language.

Ghana is surrounding by three French speaking countries to the north, east and west but the study of French is very minimal hence the appeal.

“We trust that by your tenure, we will see a deeper and a stronger bond between the government and people of Ghana and the parliament of Ghana and the parliament of France” he stated.

Mr Haruna said these when the new French Ambassador to Ghana Anne Sophie Ave paid a curtsey call on the Speaker, Prof Aaron Oquaye.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku in the Greater Accra region, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has noted that Ghana which is surrounded by three French speaking countries, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and Ivory Coast to the west has no option but to study the French language.

Dr Okoe Boye who is the Board Chairman of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital made the call during a curtsey by the new French Ambassador to Ghana Anne Sophie Ave on the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Oquaye indicated that it was important to build capacity and exchange culture between the two countries.

“We don’t have an option, I think it is more of an obligation to speak French in this country because across all our borders we have French speaking countries and we have been trying to increase trade among ourselves, and it has not been like we want because people have not looked at the cultural aspect where language is a barrier.

It is our hope that the support is entrenched and deepened, so current and future generation will speak more French” he said.

This, he said will encourage current and future generations to speak more French like Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.

Christan Kpesese/ ghanamps.com