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Month: December 2019

Let us add value to our agriculture products —Tamale South MP

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu is advocating for Ghana to take its agriculture to the next level by adding value to its products.

According to the Minority Leader he has learnt of a report that indicates that the European Union (EU) benefits from cocoa financially than Ghana and Ivory Coast.

“I am trying to get hold of that report to make useful reading, what we are not making useful of cocoa, that we that cannot earn us more value as a country”.

He further pointed out that as a country Ghana is not at the zenith yet when it comes to modernizing agriculture.

“I am yet to see a farmer who has a hundred thousand cedis to deposit to get a tractor as we speak today there is not up to five strong combine harvesters in the Northern Region, farmers scramble just looking for an opportunity to have a combine harvester, to harvest rice”.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu made this remarks on the floor of Parliament when the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Afriye Akoto made a statement on the floor of the House in commemoration of this year’s farmers’ day celebration.

“It is unacceptable for Ghana that every year we spend four hundred and fifty million US dollars to rice importation, whiles we to respect trade protocols with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). We need to do something to improve the production of domestic rice”.

He gave an example of producing rice as he harvested it, it took him more than a year to be able to sell and even with that not all because the company that bought wanted a few, “we should be sufficient to reduce rice importation”.

“Let us change our attitude are we ready to consume locally produce Ghanaians rice if we need to support our local farmers?”

Again, there should be ways of supporting our local farmers with subsidies and the Brong Region they are known for the production of poultry there should be special attention paid to them.

“There is no reason why mango and oranges produce in abundant be left to get rotten and go waste, we should rather be adding value to them”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Pinkrah to question Commission on GUTA brouhaha and border closure

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Ahead of today’s joint committee meeting on Trade, Customs and Free Movement at the Community Parliament in Abuja Nigerian, a member of the Ghanaians delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, who is also a member of the Trade Committee, Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah has said sent signal he would raise issues with the closure of the Nigerian border and the brouhaha between the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and their Nigerian counterparts.

According to the Akrofruom lawmaker, when the Commissioners from the ECOWAS Commission appear before them he would put a question to them on what is being done on the closure of the Nigerian borders.

Also of concern would be the confusion in Ghana where retail trading meant for Ghanaians are being heavily taken over by Nigerians resulting in some confusion some weeks back, he said in an interview.

The issue of Nigeria closing its borders featured strongly at the beginning of the Second Ordinary Session when countries presented their reports, and the fracas between GUTA members at the Ghana Kwame Nkrumah Circle and their Nigerian counterparts who are involved in retail activities was not left out.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Abuja

Appointment committee to start vetting Supreme Court nominees today

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
The Appointment Committee of Parliament would start vetting of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s nominees for the Supreme Court today, Monday 9th December 2019.

Today’s public vetting would see Justice Mariama Owusu and Avril Lovelace- Johnson appearing before the committee to be vetted.

On Tuesday, December 10th Justice Gertrude Araba Esaba Torkornoo would be the last to be vetted by the committee for a report to be prepared for onward submission to the plenary for either approval or rejection.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Akufo-Addo’s gov’t is giving meaning to transformational agriculture—Minister

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs

Minister for Agriculture Dr. Akoto Afriyie has said with the assumption of power by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led by President Akufo-Addo, the sector has been given transformation and modernization in Ghana.

According to the Minister the evidence is there for everyone to see with the abundance of harvest, and various strategic interventions had been made to change the face of agriculture in the country.

Again with the implementation of food and job campaign, changes are being implemented through five tailed models towards addressing specific constraints that had bedeviled agriculture for a long time.

He further pointed out that the farmers all over the country have embraced planting for food and jobs campaign and they are getting the reward for it.

Dr. Afriyie made a statement on the floor of the House on Thursday 5th December 2019 head of the farmers’ day celebrations.

“The best way to honor our farmers is to consume what we grow and government is doing the needful by investing heavily in agriculture, building of warehouse and importation of farm machinery. As Ghana’s agriculture is becoming attractive to investors and we are repositioning agriculture”.

“Agriculture is expected to play its role as the driving forces of the country’s economic growth, I am privileged to be leading the transformation process with the support of my team at the Ministry”.

The farmers’ day celebration is on the theme, “enhancing small scale agriculture towards agriculture business development”.

He urged lawmakers to be part of this year’s celebration in Ho as farmers deserve to be celebrated for their invaluable contribution towards development.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ellembele MP commends EC for restoring names of five thousand people

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Ellembele, Emmanuel Kofi Amah Buah has commended the Electoral Commission for restoring missing names of almost five thousand people on the electoral register in his constituency.

The former Energy Minister threatened to sue the EC if those who did not find their names on the electoral register are not rectify last month in an interview with journalists in Parliament House.

According to the Ellembele lawmaker, the names had been verified and indeed are those who had registered and did not find their names during the exhibition have their names on now.

“It is a very interesting experience, EC has admitted that they were wrong to have omitted these names and I am encouraged that they have taken the trouble to reverse and restore the names, the issue is that there are a lot of constituencies that have same challenges”.

As to what should be done to the others with similar problems like his, he noted that, according to the election director in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) headquarters there are close to half a million of people whose names did not appear when the names were exhibited.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Bole Bamboi MP urges Nigerians to come to Ghana but obey our laws on retail

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs

Deputy Ranking on the Committee of Trade and Industry, and Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana has said Nigerians are welcomed to stay in Ghana and trade but would have to obey Ghanaian laws when it come to retail trade reserved for Ghanaians.

According to Yusif Sulemana, the issue of exchange between Ghanaian traders and Nigerian traders in Ghana has lingered on for quite some time now.

Over six hundred shops belonging to Nigerians at Kwame Nkrumah Circle was locked up by members of Ghana Union of Traders Association, GUTA.

He noted that, the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government did something about it in 2013 with amendment to the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) Act.

“We are told ECOWAS protocol conflict with our Act, which is not true, in international business safe guide is apply to the local indigenous business person, as a result of activities of foreigners”.

He further pointed out that GUTA is acting because government is not acting the way they should, the reason for the misunderstanding between Ghanaian retail businesses and their Nigerian counterpart.

“Nigerians are not leaving in Asia, they are in ECOWAS, they have closed their borders to importation of banned foreign rice; all we are saying is that Ghanaian laws within the GIPS Act should be respected”.

He noted that local traders in Ghana register their business before they operate in the market places, and foreigners not Nigerians alone would have to obey our local laws, he told journalists in an interview on the recent brouhaha between GUTA members and their Nigerian counterparts.

Ghanaian traders are complaining saying cost of renting a warehouse and shops have not been easy. “This has to do with the influx of foreigners, the cost of doing business is high”.

Ghanaians are being pushed out of business, most of them are finding it difficult to survive, we are not saying they should take the law into their hands but government must come in to deal with the situation, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Gov’t seems to be seeking interest of foreigners on retail brouhaha—Kofi Buah

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Former Minister of Energy and Ranking member on the committee of Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Kofi Amah Buah has taken a swipe at government, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo for what appears to be government rather seeking the interest of foreigners.

This follows the President admonishing members of GUTA against taking the law into their own hands following the brouhaha over retain business in Ghana which is reserved for Ghanaians.

“They drop the ball, Act 865 of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) section 27 has laid out areas where only Ghanaian traders should work, same with section 28 what you need to do as a foreigner the amount you need to pay”.

He pointed out in an interview with journalists in Parliament House that foreigners who want partnership need to pay two hundred thousand dollars, those standing alone as foreigner have to pay five thousand dollars as retailer and big businesses are required to pay one million dollars.

As a big business, you are mandated to employ twenty-seven Ghanaians, same Act 865 section 40 states that those who fallout there is a way they should be taken through.

“Is this something that is difficult, GUTA cannot be blamed, the police and government should ensure that the laws are enforced and foreigners not allow go against our laws”.

Mr. Kofi Buah recounted that during the tenure of the previous administration, there was a task force in place with members of GUTA on it, and they were able to deal with the problem of foreigners moving into areas of trade left sole for Ghanaians.

When the current government came to power they threw away the taskforce and it looks like they are now working in the interest of the foreigners.

We had a taskforce and we added members of GUTA, we were able to deal with the problem, but when this present government came to office it threw away the taskforce, he lamented.

To him, government seems to be working in the interest of the foreigners by not allowing the laws of the land to work.

“We in the Minority demand that, the Ministry of Trade and Industries, and the President within the short possible time should enforce the law to prevent members of GUTA from doing what they are doing”, he lamented.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Sanitation, Local Government Ministers to brief Parliament on waste management

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs

Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah and Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Alima Mahama would brief parliament on Friday, the 13th of December 2019, on measures being adopted to comprehensively address waste management in the country.

According to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu it would focus on the signing of related off-taker agreement. This was when he presented the Business Statement on the floor of the House on Thursday.

The House is expected to sit in committee of the whole to grant audience to the two Ministers who would brief the House fully.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Parliament to sit on Monday for extended sittings

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu presenting Business Statement for the ensuing week on the floor of the House on Thursday 5th of December 2019 told the House it would sit on Monday the 9th of this month.

According to the Majority Leader this is to enable the House complete the tall agenda of business pending.

He further told the House the Business Committee would continue to liaise with the various committees and accordingly schedule committee reports on the estimates for presentation at the plenary whenever such reports are ready.

He further entreated the committees to expedite consideration on the Estimates for presentation of reports on same at plenary.

Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that the committee had not prepared for any Minister to come to the floor to answer questions, however any question duly admitted by the Speaker would be taken.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Mark MPs who do not show up in plenary absent — Muntaka

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs

Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Mubarak Muntaka has said lawmakers who do not show up at the plenary but go for committee meeting should be marked absent.

According to the Asawase lawmaker, it is wrong for MPs to go for committee meetings and not show ups at the plenary for business, as the Speaker had ruled on this matter severally and said plenary take precedence over committee meetings.

“Mr. Speaker it is also not write when we see colleagues come show up their face in the chamber for few minutes and go away expecting that they would be marked as present”.

This came to light when ranking member on Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa during the correction of votes and proceedings on Thursday 5th November 2019, drew the attention of the Speaker that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botwe, was at the committee meeting to defend her Ministries budget estimate but was marked absent.

Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye noted that if any MP does not come to the plenary and touch base with a meeting at some corner, the person should be marked absent.

“You are absent that is incontrovertible, it has been ruled on again and again that if you do not come to the plenary you are absent”.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Frank Anno Dompreh when he caught the eye of the Speaker drew his attention that other committees that met to look at the estimates of Ministries, Agencies and Department had been captured except the committee he chairs.

Speaker Oquaye noted that the clerk to the committee should see to it that the matter is resolved as it is the duty of the clerk to ensure that the meeting is captured in the votes and proceedings.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com