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Month: September 2020

Minority demand Acting Auditor-General submits 2019 report to Parliament

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Minority in Parliament is demanding the Acting Auditor-General to submit to the House audited report of 2019 as a matter of urgency as it is a constitutional requirement.

According to the Minority, reports of the Audited Accounts of Government for last year under Article 187 (5) and the Audit Service Act, 2000 Act 584 should be submitted in the interest of accountability and transparency.

At a press conference on Monday, September 28, 2020 addressed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu noted that, the abrupt and ill-advised decision of the president in directing the Auditor-General to proceed on his accumulated leave was not intended to gag the A-G in drawing attention to the many anomalies perpetrated by government.

The Minority expressed concern that these delays may be deliberate for the primary purpose of avoiding further embarrassment to the government, and it is their hope that the delays are not intended to cover-up malfeasance on the part of government because this year is an election year.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu emphasized that the AG is enjoined to draw the attention of the House to instances where public funds are not properly accounted for, or there is deficiency through fraud, default or mistake by any person.

“The Auditor-General shall, within six months after the end of the immediately preceding financial year to which of the accounts mentioned in clause (2) of this article relates, submit his report to the to parliament and shall, in that part, draw attention to any irregularities in the accounts audited and to any other matter which in his opinion ought to be brought to the notice of parliament”, article 187 (5).

“We further call on the president on the president to direct the Acting Auditor-General to urgently submit the said reports to Parliament for consideration and report just as he directed the Auditor-General to proceed on his statutory leave”.

Again, accountability, transparency and good governance obliges all of us to ensure that the AG complies with tenets and dictates of the constitution and laws of Ghana. And we call on well-meaning Ghanaians to join the Minority in compelling the A-G to comply with the laws of Ghana and submit his reports to the House for scrutiny. Anything short of this will amount to attempts to cover up wrong-doing by Government, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker Tunis starts first day at work in Abuja

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs
Speaker of the Fifth Community Legislature of the West African sub-region, Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis has started his first day at work on Monday, September 28, 2020 at Abuja.

The former Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in the Sierra Leone Parliament, in April this year, resigned his position to pay more attention to his new role as Speaker of the sub-regional parliament.

He made those disclosure after his party held a close door meeting with him on April 16, 2020 as part of his fulfillment of his pledge to devote time to the Community Parliament’s work, after his inauguration as speaker in Niger.

“My dear brothers and sisters, I have agreed with government to honorably leave the office of Leader of Government Business but to remain in the Leadership of Parliament”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

Atiwa East NPP embarks on health walk ahead of 2020 campaign launch

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs
The youth wing of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Atiwa East in the Eastern Region, on Sunday, September 27, 2020 embarked on a health walk ahead of this year’s campaign launch on Thursday October 1, 2020.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected on Thursday to cut sod for the construction of a hundred bed capacity hospital at Enyiresi in the Atiwa East District.

Mr. Benjamin Morevery, the constituency youth organizer of the ruling party has commended the lawmaker for the constituency, Abena Osei Asare and the president for the development the constituency had witnessed, including the Atiwa East Trauma Hospital with a remodeling of the Enyiresi Hospital, as well as an accident and emergency center.

Additionally, the chairman of the constituency, Albert Antwi, expressed his joy over the health walk exercise which made the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) panic due to the huge turnout of the youth who participated in the exercise.

He reiterated that, this year’s election would be a “cool chop” for the ruling government based on the marvelous performance of President Akufo-Addo as the election would be based on track records of both the ruling party and the main opposition party.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

SINGLE CURRENCY: Humado wants Parliament to be briefed on status of the ECO

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Ghana’s Member of Parliament for Anlo and a member of the country’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Clement Kofi Humado is advocating for the legislature to be briefed on the status of the implementation of the sub-regional single currency, the ECO.

According to him, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Regional Integration should come before the Community Parliament, to give a report on preparation reached on the implementation of the single currency at its next session.

In an interview as to what lawmakers are doing on their part to ensure the implementation of the ECO, he said, “we can influence the Secretary General, John Azumah and the Speaker Sidie Mohammed Tunis to invite him to give us status report on the situation and we can pick it up from there”.

His call comes in the wake of the uncertainty and delay that seems to be affecting the implementation of the single currency that the sub-region has been looking forward to.

Mr. Humado is pushing for a gradualist approach where countries within the sub-region who meet the convergence criteria can start with the implementation of the single currency, and allow other countries to join later as the year go by.

The second rapporteur of the Community’s Parliament Committee on Infrastructure, expressed worry over the delay in kick starting the single currency which has a 2020 deadline.

He fears the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economies of all fifteen member countries may even worsen the quest for implementing the single currency and explained further that, the Community lawmakers were informed by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs that the single currency would come into force this year.

And pointed out that this was later revised to ending of either September or October 2020. However, at the 57th Session of Authority of Heads of State and Governments in Niger, it emerged that there is lack of consensus among the Heads of States on what to do with the ECO.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

ECO Implementation: “Let’s use the gradualist approach to start implementation in 2021 — K. Humado

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

A member of Ghana’s delegation to the fifth Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Clement Kofi Humado is advocating for the implementation of ECO next year using the gradualist approach.

This follows the uncertainty and delay that seems to be affecting the implementation of the single currency, ECO that the sub-region has been looking forward to.

According to him the ECO implementation should go along the gradualist approach where countries within the sub region who meet the convergence criteria can start with the implementation of the single currency, and allow other countries to join later as the years go by.

Speaking in an interview with Ghanamps.com Mr. Humado expressed worry over the delay in kick starting the single currency which has a 2020 deadline.  He fears the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economies of all fifteen member countries may even worsen the quest for implementing the currency for all 15 member countries at a goal.

Mr. Humado further explained that, the Community lawmakers were informed by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs that the single currency would come into force this year possible in January, which they were all delighted about.

He pointed out that this was later revised to ending of either September or October, but with the 57th Session of Authority of Heads of State and Government in Niger, it has emerge that there is lack of consensus among the Heads of States on what to do with the ECO.

Again, “the Francophone countries are saying something different, and the Anglophone countries are also not unanimous on what to do. And the situation has become very complicated”.

On the ECO implementation, he pointed out that there are two school of thoughts, the first one being the ‘gradualist approach’ where those who meet the convergence criteria would start while others join gradually.

And the second being the ‘big bank approach’, where everybody should be pushed to join at the same time with the implementation of the ECO.

“Personally, I do not know what this whole thing is about anymore, I feel disappointed and I have spoken to few people within the sub-region, they have expressed same sentiment about the way things are going. The solution should be the gradualist approach, those that are able should start with remaining joining”, he lamented.

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari at the 57th Ordinary session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Niger, said his country remained committed to the implementation of the single currency plan.

But the decision of the French speaking West African countries to ambush their Anglophone counterparts on the proposed currency, without meeting laid down criteria had further created disaffection and mistrust among member-states.

A statement by the Presidential Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said Buhari encouraged “UEMOA (French acronym for the West African Economic and Monetary Union) to return to the roadmap on the common currency in the sub-region.”

It also said the president urged all stakeholders to “bear in mind that those economic convergence criteria must be based on sound and sustainable macroeconomic fundamentals.”

He quoted the president as saying, “Foreign interference and so-called advice may not be in our best sub-regional interest”, reiterating the “need for UEMOA to return to the agreed roadmap of the ECOWAS single currency by complying with the established framework under the roadmap and cooperate with other member countries in achieving the objectives of the programme.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Rawlings receives Malian military leaders

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Former President of Ghana, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has urged the new military leadership in Mali to use the transition period in the country to exhibit exceptional leadership for the country and usher it into a prosperous era.
He made this call when a four-man delegation of the National Committee for the Salvation for the People (CNSP), led by its Chairman Colonel Assimi Goita called on him at his residence.

And further urged them to mobilise their people into taking up productive vision to boost the county’s development, empower and encourage the citizen to own their political climate in improving the quality of multi-party democracy, “the Western powers have hung around our necks”.

The level of corruption that has become an integral part of multi-party democracy has created a general climate of stress and tension that may destabilize some areas in the sub-region and added that its unfortunate that the world is being forced into multi-party democracy with corruption and violence rather than other forms of democratic practice with none or minimal corruption.

“Unfortunately, the West appears to favour corruptible political tendencies in order to continue to dominate our security and economy”, he lamented.

Former president Rawlings also noted that it was dutifully passing on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leadership’s concerns whiles sharing his own political experiences and observations.

The meeting took place after ECOWAS leaders held an Extraordinary meeting with the Malian military leadership at Peduase in Ghana, to discuss political development in Mali.

Colonel Assimi Goita was accompanied by Colonel Ismael Wague, Major Talibe Konte and captain Demba N’daw with Malian Ambassador to Ghana Abdoul Kade Toure in attendance.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

Challenges of refuse heaps in Ashaiman is a thing of the past now—MCE

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The Municipal Chief Executive of Ashaiman, Albert Boakye Okyere has said the challenges of having heaps of refuse in the Municipality is now a thing of the past.

According to him the general sanitation situation has improved tremendously and is as a result of residents of Ashiaman accepting education on the need to have good sanitation that has been role out.

In an interview as to what the Assembly has been doing to maintain good sanitation condition in the Municipality, he pointed out that, there has been a constant appeal to the residents to ensure that there is no information gap between the Assembly and the people.

“We again, appeal to them to use the various facilities that have been provided to stop defecating around, what we call free range, but the only challenge is we have when it comes to sanitation is littering around”.

Mr. Okyere was thankful the Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah when she paid a working visit to the Municipality to inspect progress of work on a sewage system being built.

He added that with the nature of settlement of the people of Ashiaman, there are lot of people staying within a small kilometer square and if they flash their toilets it would come to sewage system being built when completed.

“It’s a big relief because, in the past we had people queuing in other to access public toilet, but with the introduction of the household toilet now the challenge is how to dislodge the end product, hence building this sewage system is a big relief to the people of Ashiaman”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanadistricts.com

President Akufo-Addo elected ECOWAS Chair

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The President of Ghana H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo, on Monday, September 7, 2020 was elected   as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) at the 57th summit in Niamey, Niger.

This was at the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS summit held at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Center.Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

57th Ordinary Session of Authority of Heads of State and Government holds today

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs
The Authority of Heads of State and Government, of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) is scheduled to hold its 57th   Ordinary Session today September 7, 2020 in Niger.

Ahead of the Niamey meeting on Saturday, September 5, 2020, ECOWAS Council of Ministers met at their 84th Ordinary Session, at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre.

The Ministers meeting was in preparation for the 57th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Niamey, Niger today.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

ECOWAS Council of Ministers review political and security situations

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The 44th Ordinary meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mediation and Security Council has reviewed the political and security situation in the West African sub-region at the Ministerial level.

At the meeting held in Niamey Niger, last Friday September 4, 2020, and presided over by the Chairman of the Mediation and Security Council, Kalla Ankourao, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Niger, particular emphasis was placed on the political process in the Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

In attendance were, Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Honorable Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Dr. Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and Abdullah Bureima, President of the UEMOA Commission.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, reiterated the determination of the Commission to strengthen its working relations with member states, which he believes is important in articulating the interest of the citizens of the sub region.

He further commended the strong political will of the Heads of States and Governments in finding a lasting solution to the socio-political crisis in Mali, and thanked former president Goodluck Johnathan, ECOWAS Mediator in the crisis for his commitment to have the Malian situation resolved.

Chair of the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial level, Kalla Ankourao, recalled the challenges Covid-I9 has brought upon the sub region coupled with the breakdown in democratic governance in Mali.

In his address, he further noted that the electoral challenges ahead, indicated that the Community should take the necessary steps for the preparation and smooth conduct of the upcoming presidential elections in Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger.

Additionally, the chair stressed that special attention should be paid on the terrorist attack in the West African sub region, particularly in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

On  Gambia, the council was informed by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security that the political situation in the country is relatively calm and peaceful, but still remains unpredictable due to issues revolving around the constitutional review process, preparation by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in terms of the electoral process and conduct of the referendum in readiness for the 2021 presidential and parliamentary elections.

After a period of frank deliberations, the Council recommended that all stakeholders are carried along by the IEC in the ongoing electoral reforms and the outcome of the reform process are implemented scrupulously.

And the Council further recommended that the ECOWAS Commission seeks extension for the mandate of ECOMIG, which expired at the end of June this year, to enable the forces monitor the peaceful implementation of the TRRC hearings, as they may generate additional tensions in the country.

On Guinea Bissau, the Council recalled that the country was plunged into deeper political and institutional crisis immediately after the announcement of the results of the strongly contested presidential elections held 24th November and 29th December last year, in the first and second round respectively, which saw former Prime Minister, Umaro Sissoco Embalo emerged as a winner with 54 percent of the votes, but was unable to present the Government’s programs to the National Assembly as provided for by the constitution due to institutional standoff that persisted at the National Assembly.

The Council then urged the authorities of Guinea Bissau to ensure the formation of an inclusive government and participatory process, with all national stakeholders, in conformity with the provision of the country’s constitution.

And admonished the ECOWAS Commission to intensify its support to the new government in its efforts to consolidate the democracy and inclusive reforms agenda for a new constitution that may lead to national stability.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com