Month: February 2021

Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to be vetted today by the Appointment Committee of Ghana’s Parliament.

A group known as, the Dynamic Youth Movement of Ghana (DYMOG) has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin, against the former Finance Minister’s re-appointment.

The petition, signed by the Executive Convener of DYMOG, Edward Tuttor, on February 6, 2021, was hinged on grounds that “Ken Ofori-Atta, while being the Minister responsible for finance in the preceding Government, was found by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to have occupied a private office of emolument, being the office of a director in Ventures and Acquisition Limited (a private company)”.

According to the petition, Ken Ofori-Atta occupied the private office “without the due permission of the then-Right Honorable Speaker of Parliament”.

The petition also noted that Ofori-Atta was found by CHRAJ “to have superintended the issuance of 95% of government of Ghana sovereign bonds to a company (Franklin Templeton Investment Ltd) in which his business and close relation by name Trevor Trefgarne was a director, without making the said bond transaction open to the investor-public for competitive bidding”.

The group also mentioned in the petition, the Finance Minister-designate’s failure and refusal “to declare his shareholding in Data Bank Financial Services Limited, Data Bank Brokerage Limited, and Data Bank Financial Holdings Limited, to the Auditor-General before taking office” in the immediate past government, contrary to Article 286(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.

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Deficiency in language is making it difficult for Ghanaians to jet jobs in the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWA) institutions, Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botwe told the Appointment Committee of Parliament.

According to her Ghana is the second largest in terms of paying the ECOWAS levy after Nigeria and he who pays the piper calls the tune.

“We are not seeing that many employees in ECOWAS and ECOWAS is currently going through a process of confirmation, we would make sure Ghanaians are confirmed”.

She further revealed that countries are given quota, and Ghana has not exhausted hers, “we would ensure that we get as many Ghanaians”.

This remark was made on Thursday, February 11, 2021 when the Minority Leader wanted to know what efforts the Minister-designate would put in to get more Ghanaians into ECOWAS institutions.

In a related development, the Tamale South Member of Parliament again, sought to know from the Minister as to why it has become difficult for Ghanaians nationals abroad to get visa home in recent times.

 The Minister-designate noted that, it has to do with the current novel coronavirus pandemic, staff strength at the various missions had to be scaled down and staff are to be protected, “but when we have emergency cases that calls for travels, our officers ensure that they provide the needed services”.

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As the West African sub-region makes efforts to secure vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana’s Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botwe has said efforts by ECOWAS would help secure the vaccine either first or second quarter of this year.

According to her, she does not have power to put time frame as to how fast the vaccine can be secured for the West African sub-region.

She made this remarks on Thursday, February 11, 2021 when she appeared before Ghana’s Appointment Committee and was asked a question by the Minority Leader as to how fast the sub-region can procure the new found vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

.Again, Ghana’s Ministry of Health is putting in efforts to procure two hundred and forty million vaccines. And further noted that if countries with funds cannot find the vaccine to buy then the diplomatic channel of engagement can be explored and she is aware Ghana has already made efforts with countries manufacturing the vaccine and has to engage at the Foreign Ministers level to ensure that Ghana also get access to the vaccines.

 “I know for a fact that the president at his level is also engaging to ensure that we get the vaccine and I can assure the Committee that it would not be long before we get it, like others have been able to secure some amount, we would do that but it would not be enough to cover everybody”.

Also, she further explained that when Ghana secures the vaccine it would be given in phases; the frontline workers first.

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Ghana’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister designate, Shirley Ayorkor Botwe has said she is a firm believer in ensuring and seeing to it that lawmakers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament are elected under the universal adult surfer rage.

According to her as a former Community lawmaker it was something that she was pushing for, as at the time she was there they were pushing for an enhancement of their powers.

 “It is not right that member states are funding the Parliament, yet the Parliament only exists as an advisory body and yet budget for the Commission of ECOWAS institutions are not touched by the MPs”.

She further pointed out that, in every democratic dispensation funds given to institutions should be scrutinized.

The former Community lawmaker made this known on Thursday, February 11, 2021 when she appeared before the Appointment Committee of Ghana’s Parliament.

Mr. Mahama Ayariga who is a member of the Committee and also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, wanted to know the role she would play as Ghana’s President is the chair of the Authority of Heads of States and Government with the Minister designate being chair of Council of Foreign Ministers.

Madam Ayorkor Botwe further assured the Committee that if given the nod she would engage her colleague Council of Ministers on the issues of direct election of MPs to the
Community Parliament.

Again, “I would like to work with the Parliament, and I am very open to discussion and engagement on the subject matter”, he assured the Committee.

Meanwhile on a sub-regional related question, the Bawku Central lawmaker wanted to know from the nominee if there can be measures put in place for COVID-19 testing to ensure that the land borders are opened as its being done at the airports that allow COVID-19 testing on arrival. This, he noted would help since his constituency shares border with neighboring Burkina Faso.

The Minister designate noted that Ghana is not the only country that has closed its borders, if there is the need to open the land borders there should be an effort by all the ECOWAS countries because, “we have porous borders and we cannot control the land borders properly”..

And further added that it would be difficult to control all the long stretches of borders that are not marked, therefore, it should be left for the authorities that are in charge to come up with the appropriate way to do it.

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Parliament’s Appointment Committee would on Thursday vet nominee-designate for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul and the Minister designate for Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.

The activities of the Committee have not been affected by the 3-weeks shutdown of Parliament as announced by the Speaker following the surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the House, with 17 MPs and 151 staff being victims.

Due to the observance of COVID-19 protocols, media houses apart from the state broadcaster will not be allowed to cover the event.

The vetting process began yesterday with the nominees for the Health and National Security portfolios, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu and Albert Kan Dapaah respectively. And today’s vetting has been moved to the chamber.

The President nominated 46 persons in all to fill various ministerial portfolios.

The persons scheduled for vetting tomorrow are the Parliamentary Affairs Minister-nominee, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; the Minister of Justice-nominee, Godfred Dame and the Interior Minister-nominee, Ambrose Dery.

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Minister-designate for National Security, Kan Dapaah has indicated that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has been instructed to investigate the military invasion of Parliament during the inauguration of the 8th parliament.

He made this known when he appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

Mr. Dapaah told the committee that those involved in the scuffle will be sanctioned if it is established that their actions were unprofessional.

“I know that orders have been given to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to investigate the military invasion of Parliament and to take the appropriate action, if he also comes to the conclusion that what happened on 7th January was totally unprofessional,” he said.

More than a dozen armed military personnel invaded the parliamentary chamber on the dawn of January 7 during the election of a new Speaker that had already been marred by scuffles between legislators from the NDC and the New Patriotic Party.

For hours, the scuffles broke out, led by the NDC legislators’ Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, who tried to make sure his opposing Whip was not interfering in the secret ballot.

The armed military and police personnel then stormed Ghana’s Parliament to confront the NDC.

The security personnel eventually left after about 10 minutes whilst being hooted at by the NDC MPs.

Although the Speaker of Parliament condemned the invasion by the military, he, however, failed to order for an investigation as asked by some Ghanaians.

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Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah, Minister-designate for National Security has justified the increased military protection for certain individuals in the country.

Responding to a query from Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, Mr. Kan Dapaah said the decision to rely on soldiers instead of police is based on intelligence and expert assessments.

“Anywhere you have seen soldiers having to protect a particular individual; it is because, in our assessment and assessment of security experts, there is the need for such support to be given to that particular person.”

“This is a decision normally taken by the security agencies. For instance, when we have a report that a particular individual has a problem and people are after his life, and we think there is a danger, we come in to provide support.”

He also said such security support was not limited to ministers and other high profile members of society.

“I do know of a journalist that we continue to provide security cover and security support to,” Mr. Kan Dapaah added.

When asked why police could not be relied on to offer such security support, the nominee said it was a question of resources.

“Clearly, the Ghana Police Service and the other security agencies; in terms of equipment, in terms of men, they, have never had the full complement of what it takes to provide the most effective policing.”

Though no individual was cited in the Minority Leader’s line of questioning, he has previously complained about the use of military personnel as bodyguards for state officials.

“We find it very despicable that men and women in uniform particularly in the Ghana Armed Forces will now be reduced to holding bags of key public officials. We want him to restore the dignity and honour of the Ghana Armed Forces,” Mr. Iddrisu said in a plea to the President.

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