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Closure of radio stations: “We hope goodwill would prevail with settlement”—Ranking

Ranking member of the Committee on Communications, Alhassan Bashir A.  Fuseini has said he hopes goodwill would prevail as the committee has started the process of settling, the issues of the closure of some radio stations by the National Communications Authority (NCA).

According to the Ranking Member of the committee, there has been a productive dialogue with the affected parties, NCA, Communications Ministry, Radio Gold and XYZ.

“The atmosphere is good, it is our hope that the goodwill would prevail, so that we do not witness back tracking for us to see a successful resolution of the matter so that we can have win-win  situation on our hand”, he said in an interview.

He further pointed out that whiles addressing the issue, the sector Ministry pointed out that some of the affected radio stations were in court hence put them in a tight position resolving the issue at the committee level.“Minister and NCA made known if the matter is withdrawn from court, a fresh application could be put in; we are waiting to see what would come out of this as now the ball is in the court of NCA and the Ministry, when Parliament comes back we would pursue the matter”, he added.

Mr. A. B. A. Fuseini also noted that there were some infractions on the part of the affected radio stations and the regulating body NCA, “they neglected their responsibility along the line as well as the radio stations also reneged on their obligation to NCA”, he lamented.

“Going forward all of them would pick up from where they both fell short, we need to ensure there is a goodwill and trust among them to do their respective jobs properly so that we do not get there again”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority urges NPP officials to refund loans that collapsed banks

The Minority members on the Finance Committee have urged government officials of the Akufo-Addo led administration who took huge sums of loans for their 2016 elections leading to the collapse of local banks to refund the money.

According to the Minority, they have information on the government officials of the current administration who had taken those huge sums of money and they should do the honorable thing.
Monies should be paid back to the receiver so that depositors could be paid promptly, member of the Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo made this known at a press conference he address in Parliament House.

In a question and answer section, the Bolgatanga Central lawmaker told Ghanamps.com that it is not for the Minority to mention the names of the NPP officials, they should rather do the needful.

“At a point in time if the names would have to come out they would come out but it is not for us to put the names out; Ghanaians are struggling to come to terms with how the badly planned and poorly implementation of a minimum capital regime has virtually destroyed Ghana’s financial sector”, he lamented.

He further pointed out that, there are unanswered questions regarding how government spent twenty-three billion cedis of tax payers monies just to collapse financial institutions and create massive unemployment and turned entrepreneurs into idle hands.

The chaotic and often self-inflicting posturing of the Central Bank in handling the banking sector reforms showed a complete lack of directions and focus in the whole exercise.

Bank of Ghana (BOG) did not seem to have a clear strategic blueprint and implementation outcomes of the various elements of the financial sector. A basic question such as what type of financial system were they intended to achieve and the measurable indicators of implantation outcomes was not considered.

Savings and Loans Companies (S&L) did not know what to expect, except threats of collapse resulting in panic withdrawals. To date Rural and Community Banks who suffered unnecessary panic withdrawals sparked by the reckless comments of the Governor of the BOG do not know what to expect. Saving and Loans were collapsed before the issues of minimum capital and recovery plans were contemplated by the BOG.

The Ghanaian Tax Payer  would have been spared the high cost of this chaotic reforms if BOG had listened and followed the reform program initiated by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Governor had not been a needless talkative that caused panic and crushed confidence in the financial sector.

“Why would a government be ready to borrow GHc 14 billion to close down banks and further GHc 7 billion to shut Microfinance companies, but was not ready to use a fraction of this amount to pay off government debts to contractors, which largely accounted for the slide into insolvency in several cases of the collapsed banks?”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Defeated sitting MPs would help capture power — A. B. A Fuseini

Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu Alhassan Bashir A. Fuseini has said sitting lawmakers who lost their primaries in the just ended opposition National Democratic Congress  (NDC) primaries, would work had for the party to capture power in the upcoming 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

According to the Sagnarigu lawmake, he knows those who lost their primaries are committed to the cause of the party.  In an interview he noted that it is very difficult for his colleagues who lost their primaries in their effort to come back to the eighth Parliament.

“They would be forthcoming to help NDC form the Majority in the next Parliament and work hard to bring former President John Mahama back, for him to be sworn in as a President come January 2021 and continue with his good works.

He further pointed out that he has no “doubt in his mind that the NDC is coming back to form the Majority and take over the Presidency.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

NDC FEC okay Muntaka Mubarak to contest unopposed

The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has given the Minority Chief Whip the green light to contest the 2020 Parliamentary election in Asawase unopposed.

His contender Masawudu Mubarick had been declared disqualified to contest on the ticket of the party.
This follows the acceptance of the decision of the report of the Committee on settlement of outstanding disputes.

The committee is headed by former Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Rt. Honorable Edward Doe Adjaho, whose report was presented to (FEC) at a meeting on Tuesday the 3rd of September, 2019.

The Doe Adjaho Committee was established to handle petitions emanating from the vetting process leading to the selection of Parliamentary candidates of the party in the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Three of the petitions from the aggrieved aspirants including Masawudu were referred to the committee.
While two of the petitions relating to Asunafo South and Banda constituencies were amicably settled, the other aspirant at Asawase was disqualified. By this decision Muntaka Mubarak stands elected as the Parliamentary Candidate of the NDC in Asawase Constituency.

This was contained in a press release signed by General Secretary of the Party Johnson Aseidu Nketiah.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

NDC to hold Parliamentary elections in four constituencies

Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has given clearance for the conduct of Parliamentary primary elections in four constituencies on Saturday, 31st August, 2019.

They are Assin South Constituency and Mfantsiman in the Central Region, Fanteakwa North in the Eastern Region and lastly Elembelle Constituency in the Western Region.

This was contained in a press release signed by General Secretary of the Party Johnson Aseidu Nketia.

At a press conference organized late last week, by the scribe of the party on preparation towards the August 24th primaries he made known to journalists in Accra because there were unresolved issues with some constituencies.

“Elections would not be held in those constituencies until they are cleared by a committee set up to resolve grievances arising out of vetting in constituencies”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Losing NDC Parliamentary aspirants should support candidates—Chairman

Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has urged all losing aspirants in the August 24, 2019 Parliamentary primaries to support candidates elected ahead of the 2020 primaries.

According to the chairman, as losing candidates in the Presidential primaries throw their weight behind John Mahama and offered their support and loyalty going into the 2020 general elections, “the not-so-lucky aspirants in the Parliamentary primaries should also display their loyalty and commitment in a similar manner for we have only one adversary, the NPP, and we need to focus all our energies on the effort  to get the people of Ghana to elect us to replace the confused and clueless President Akufo-Addo and his government”.

Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo made this known in an interview when he was commenting on the outcome of the August 24, 2019 primaries of the party.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Italian Government committed to supporting SMEs in Ghana—Ambassador

The Italian Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Giovanni Favilli has said the Italian government is happy and committed to supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

According to the Italian Ambassador, this would help SMEs thrive in order to create more jobs for the youth.

He noted that the Italian Government since 2003 has been supporting SMEs in the country with a loan of thirty million Euros and grants of two million Euros for a period of ten to fifteen years in two phases through the private development fund.

His Excellency Giovanni Favilli also stated that Ghana is blessed with a lot of skilled workforce who are willing to work to promote economic growth in Ghana which Italy is happy about.

The private sector provides the biggest opportunity for job creation in Ghana hence government of Italy will continue to do its best to support the sector, he stated.

The Ambassador who was speaking when the Foreign Affairs Committee called on him reiterated that as stated by President Akufo-Addo, it is not the public sector that would create jobs, rather the private sector that can create jobs and opportunities, adding that Ghana has a lot of resources to achieve this.

He recounted how Italy has been through difficult years, recording slow growth; and expressed delight at the figures that Ghana has achieved in terms of growth and added that both countries have a lot to learn from each other.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“Let’s review Italian agreements with Ghanaian SMEs to 50/50”—Dompreh

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Frank Annoh Dompreh is advocating for a review in business agreement between Italian companies and Ghanaian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

According to the Nsawam Adoagryiri lawmaker the agreements in the ration (70/30) percent at the end of the day is not helpful as Italian companies repatriate their money back to their country.

“For Ghanaian companies to benefit, we should have fifty-fifty (50/50) arrangement, and this should be done at the negotiating table. I know Trade and Industry Minister, Mr. Alan Kyeremantey is putting a team together to put forth our argument”.

He made this known in an interview after calling on the Italian Ambassador as part of the committee’s oversight responsibility.

`Mr. Frank Annoh Dompreh pointed out that Ghana and Italy have had a long standing cooperation since the 1920s, and added that CP Construction is one of the Italian companies.

Again, at my last count, seventy Ghanaian SMEs have been supported by the Italian Government in the area of development, he said.

We can also look at technology transfer in the areas of tomato production, as tomato production constitutes a huge percentage of our meals. He noted that the Italians have some advantages in tomato paste product, which can be tapped to promote the Pwalugu Tomato Factory which has not been effective as we all would have wished.

“I came here because of our Parliamentary collaborations, what our committee would be able to learn from our counterpart committee in the Italian Parliament”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com