• +233 20 230 9497

Month: October 2019

Women and Youth elect: NDC combat-ready to ensure victory 2020—Ablakwa

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said with the election of National officers for the position of Women and Youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) the party is combat-ready to ensure victory in 2020.

Over the weekend the following people were elected as new executives of the youth and women wings of the party: National Youth organizer, Opare, Edem Agbana first Deputy and Ruth Dela as second Deputy.

Dr. Hannah Bissiw was elected Women organizer, Maame Efua first Deputy whiles Abigail Elorm second Deputy at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Feteh in the Central Region.

According to the North Tongu lawmaker, the party must rally behind the discerning choice of the delegates and ensure that together the party wins in 2020’

“Our renewed confidence in the new team would be further enhanced when we consciously bring on board everybody including all aspirants for strategic deployment. Let’s be reminded that since Biblical times; the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few”.

He further added in a Facebook post that it is the surest way to end the disappointment, disillusionment and agitations for many Ghanaians as a result of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) poor performance.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

ECOWAS might miss SDG seven if… Dr. Bawumia

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Vice President of Ghana Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said there are strong indications that, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) might not be able to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) seven by 2030.

According to Dr. Bawumia it is against this background that ECOWAS member states continue to improve enabling environment for investment in sustainable energy as a community.

SDG seven touches on affordable and clean energy, with the aim of having clean energy production, energy from waste, renewable fuels, energy distribution, management and energy storage.

He made this remarks at the opening of the third ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).

“We are doing a lot to better the condition of our people however, our efforts are not good enough as poverty and other socio economic indicators continue to paint a gloomy picture of the region. The good news is that as leaders we have what it takes to change this unfortunate narrative, hence the need to have an in-depth understanding of the urgency of our collaboration to remove the regional impediments to lift out people out of poverty by providing them with the right infrastructure and system meant for their development”.

He further pointed out that the sub-region owes it a duty to make the right decisions particularly in electricity sector with the focus on the rural population urgently as possible.

“To meet   our ECOWAS target on SDD seven we need to take a stock and see why progress has been slow, we may need to revise our strategic plan, here in Ghana the sector ministry is committed to ensuring that our energy is reliable and high quality”.

Ghana has a robust power pool to support the ECOWAS regional effort to ensure that sustainable renewable energy is achieved as a comprehensive national renewable master plan is in place, he added.

He thanked ECREEE for its leadership and commitment to ensure that the region achieve regional energy integration on sustainable basis.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ranking on Finance set record straight with Communications Minister

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has retorted to the ranking member on Finance Cassiel Ato Forson on issues relating to the Communications Service Tax (CST).

Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Essiam Cassiel Ato Forson in a statement said the Minister was abusive in addressing issues relating to CST he talked about.

Mrs.  Ursula Owusu-Ekuful told the Minority spokesperson on Finance not to instruct her on how to do her job.

After the directive to the telcos last week, Forson wrote to the Ministry requesting the withdrawal of the fiat which he described as illegal.

In a letter to Ato Forson, Owusu-Ekuful said the lawmaker was in no position to give her orders concerning her job.

Reacting to the minister’s response in a statement issued on Wednesday, 23 October 2019, Mr Ato Forson said: “It is important to note that even though the Electronic Communication Act gives the Minister of Communication the right to issue directives to the regulator in the management of the sector, it does not give the Minister of Communication the authority to issue written directives that are necessary for the administration and implementation of tax laws as stated in Section 1, subsection 1 and 2 of the Revenue Administration Act.

“I had hoped that we could engage in a decent discourse as public officers who occupy transient positions only at the pleasure of the people we are expected to serve with decorum and honour, but it wasn’t to be. Guided by Colossians 4:6: ‘Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man’, I refuse to join you in your brothel”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ursula refute allegations calling Ghanaian witches

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Office of the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has refuted allegations making the rounds in the media that she called Ghanaians witches for complaining about the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

“I have never called anyone a witch for complaining, I merely touted the NPP’s achievement as remarkable and tangible and asserted that only blind propagandists would feign ignorance of these visible achievements, which were obvious and touched every home in Ghana”.

In a statement the MP noted that she urged the youth to boldly respond to propagandists with the truth and to itemise the strides made by government in the past two and half years, just as the vice president Dr. Bawumia recently did during the NABCO anniversary celebrations.

“I never instructed the youth to shut complaints down as the news article purportedly suggested”, she lamented.

We take serious exception to this false story which has received wide circulation, readership and subsequent publications from other media houses and demand retraction and apology.

The office also urges the public to disregard these false media reports and treat them with the contempt they deserve. Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful respects the right of all Ghanaians to have their own opinions about any issue though she may not agree with it. She will continuously proclaim the envious achievements of the NPP Government to all and not relent in defusing the false reportage and vile propaganda put out by others, the statement said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

budget to be presented next month—Deputy Majority Leader

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo has hinted that the Economic Policy of Government would be presented on the floor of the House on the 14th of November, 2019 barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta would present the budget on behalf of the President Nana Akufo-Addo.

She made this disclosure on Tuesday the 22nd of October, 2019 when she presented a welcome address on behalf of the Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu at the commencement of the third meeting of the third session of the Seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

UAE gives indication to invest in energy sector in W/A —ECREEE

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given the green light that, it is prepared to invest in the energy sector in West Africa.

Executive Director for the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Mahama Kappiah, revealed this in Accra at the third ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum in Accra.

In an interview, he pointed out that UAE has taken a step further by inviting the West African sub-region for a forum to identify projects to sponsor and if Heads of states agree to it, in March of next year every member of the fifteen states if possible need to be carried along.

“When we were coming for this forum we made our objectives clear that, we were not coming her to talk, we needed partnership to improve the energy situation which would contribute to the social economic development. Here comes a partner who can invite all the great investment houses, they say present your projects in the energy sector along the value chain.

They have said we should meet, put everything on the table for discussion, how they can fund it, they are serious ready to invest, this is an opportunity for us since we are so much behind, it would help us move forward in the sector”.

As to whether the whole partnership with the UAE would be on renewable energy, he noted that it is the entire chain, exploration, extraction, refining, power generation, distribution and LPG supply.

“To organize a West African energy supply, they are ready for us, we have never received this type of offer, and this is the first time”.

Mr. Mahama Kappiah emphasized the need for improvement in the living situation of the West African sub-region and become more productive, “we need energy to do that, without energy we are not going anywhere”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

ESEF third forum enters day two in Accra Ghana

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
The third forum of ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum has entered its third day in Accra on the theme, Achieving sustainable energy targets in ECOWAS”, bring delegates across the West African sub-region for this forum.

Delegates were in various committee discussing topics on how to move forward the renewable energy agenda in the sub-region.

Some of the topics being discussed are, standalone solar systems investment in West Africa and Sahel, capitalizing on the region’s renewable energy potentials, the role of IPP and financing methods and African continental free trade agreement opportunities and prospects for the ECOWAS Region electricity sector.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

NDC put on hold primaries in five constituencies

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The functional Executive Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has put on hold parliamentary primaries in five constituencies until further notice.

The affected constituencies are Yilo Krobo, Mpohoe, Ellembelle, Asawase and Fanteakwa.
This was contained in a press release signed by the General Secretary of the party Johnson Aseidu Nketiah.

In a related development the party would hold a press conference this afternoon to be address by Mr. Johnson Aseidu Nketiah to outline preparations towards the Parliamentary elections on Saturday 24th of August 2019.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Only one proxy qualify for NDC’s 2019 Parliamentary primaries—Aseidu Nketia

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia has revealed that only one person qualifies with his proxy application for this weekend’s Parliamentary primaries of the party.

According to the General Secretary of the NDC, with numerous applications for proxy received fourteen days clearly before the elections, only one application from Afadzato South passed the stringent process of authentication.

He further pointed out that all other applicants had be declared invalid because of one problem or the other. This, he revealed when he addressed the media on Wednesday 21st of August 2019 on preparation ahead of Saturday 24th August 2019 parliamentary primaries.

“Mr. Emmanuel Quarshie of Afadzato South has provided a scan copy of his voters ID and his NDC card with his pictures, where he had delegated someone to vote for him because he would not be available”, he said.

Mr. Johnson Aseidu Nketia when questioned by journalists as to what led to declaring other proxy invalid noted that, the other proxies were written in the same hand writing “obviously something is wrong”.

Again others had proxy letter written the same day from one constituency and there was no way of authenticating, and for that reason they could not meet the proxy mark.

He noted that, the law provides that they attach the list of successful proxy to the voters register, so that officials of the Electoral Commission who come to the polling station with the register can attach the proxy to the list.

“Fortunately or unfortunately it is only one person whose proxy would be attached and he is from Afadzato South in all the other list there would be no proxy attached”, he told the media.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

NPP fix April 25 for Parliamentary primaries

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has fix next year April 25, to hold parliamentary primaries in 169 constituencies where it has sitting Members of Parliament for the 2020 parliamentary elections.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, John Boadu has cautioned prospective aspirants to desist from all forms of campaign activities, “until nominations are duly opened else they risk being disqualified for flouting party directives”.

The party would equally hold primaries same day for its presidential primaries.

The decision was reached at a joint National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meeting held on Monday October 21, 2019 in Accra. NEC would at the appropriate time come out with detailed guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the primaries the statement said.

However, primaries would be held on Saturday Octobers 26, 2019 for the remaining orphan constituencies that were excluded from the party’s nationwide primaries on September this year due to some outstanding matters, which have since been resolved,

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com