Month: March 2021

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu on Wednesday, March 9, 2021 commended the President Nana Akufo-Addo for fulfilling a constitutional requirement under Article 67 of by giving a Message of the State of the Nation address at the start of every Session.

According to him “Nana is back and controversial Agyapa is back”, as the President gave indication that the deal would be back despite being suspended last year with the controversy that surrounded it last year.

Seconding the motion for adjournment after the President’s address  he express worry of the inability of the President to comment on LGBTQ, issues popping in recent times when they had an office opened in Ghana that was met with public disapproval which led to the office being closed down. .

 Again, no comments on the non-investigated December 7, 2020 killings, “we would continue in the debate to remind the president that we would seek justice for Tarjudin Alhassan, Mr. Speaker we would debate this state of the nation, and the presidents record”.

Mr. Iddrisu further added that the president was silent of the country’s national debate as four years ago he said, “I inherited this debate what is the state of our nation’

“President Akufo-Addo said he has contributed to the replies of the criminal libel law but under his watch freedom of the media has been wretched and hampered there has been closure of radio stations  who supports NDC.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis believes giving support to women within the West African sub-region would go a long way in ensuring development, peace and security.

According to him women are very good when it comes to promoting peace and it is the more reason why they need a lot of support.

He said this in an interview on Monday, March 8, 2021 when the Community Parliament marked World International Women day in Abuja.

As what can be done to push more women to take their place at the ECOWAS Parliament, he noted that Parliament as an institution has been very supportive of the affirmative action to ensure a minimum of thirty percent quota for females.

“Unfortunately, I understand people did not know about it. Some institutions did not know about it and we did not have that especially with the Nigerian delegation. You find out that in most delegations for the ECOWAS Parliament, we have for example in Sierra Leone where all the delegations came with a female Member of Parliament, that goes for, Ghana, all of these places to ensure that we try to get a minimum thirty percent”.

And with the females having an association in the Parliament ECOFEPA, funds are being provided for them to ensure that they carry out their programmes.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Rt. Hon Speaker Sidie Mohammed said there is hope for having a female Speaker of the West African sub-regional Community Parliament after twenty years of existence.

According to him considering inauguration of the fifth legislature in Niger, there was a stroke of luck as two females were in competition for the position of third deputy speaker.

“There was a very serious competition for the position of a third deputy speaker, so there is hope if we continue to give support to women and we continue to encourage women to participate in politics. You never know the sixth legislature can produce a woman to serve as a speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament”, he said in an interview.

He also indicated that in the current parliament, his vision has been to bring parliament close to the ECOWAS citizens and in delocalised meetings to the various member states, “we bring women to the forefront and I continue to engage national Assemblies across the sub-region to give us more women”.

And added that he was in Togo, had three meetings with their Speaker of National Assembly to encourage her to give the Community Parliament at least two additional women to make up for the gaps currently in the parliament.

Again, he pointed out that there would be efforts as much as possible to bring to light the reason why they need more women in politics.

“We plan to change the narrative, we would ensure that we bring the parliament to the people, we ensure that we hold governments accountable for democracy, human rights and other things.  We no longer as a parliament be a rubber stamp parliament, where we see things going wrong and will not say anything. We go out there because we have the mandate to do so, and we need partnership with the media, the fourth estate and with your support I believe we can succeed”.

 Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

In what has been a move that is geared towards revamping the economy of Sierra Leone, Kingho Mining Company Limited can confirm that its mines in Tonkolili and the railway and port of its co-subsidiary in Pepel Town has started full operation on Saturday 6th March 2021.

This landmark move by the company comes since acquiring large scale mining license in 2020 to operate the New Tonkolili Iron Ore Mines and took over of the site from Government of Sierra Leone on 23rd September 2020.

It also comes just about two months since the signing of the 192 kilometer railway and port lease agreement by Kingho Railway and Port Company and the GoSL that will ensure the company utilizes the infrastructure for their iron ore transportation out of the country.

Already, as a way of reawakening the awareness of the people in the rail corridor communities, the company is putting safety modalities in place to ensure that residents along the railway are protected while its train operations are ongoing.

According to management, it is believed that motor bike /vehicle pass along the rail must use the legal level crossings, before one passes the level crossing stop, listen and look for trains.  Pedestrians, they say, must maintain a 3 meter distance away from the railway on both sides. Communities along the railway, it was sensitised, should look after their school children, educate them not to put anything on the rail or climb up the wagons, etc, whilst communities should look after their domestic animals like goats and cattle etc.

Reaffirming its commitment to safety in the communities, Kingho companies have also over the past weeks engaged communities along the railway and recruited over 200 level crossing flagmen directly from the villages close to railway.

The first set of locomotive departs from Pepel Town today at 6:00 am for the mining site in Tonkolili, where also full scale iron ore mining has also started.

Abdul Malik Bangura/Ghanamps.com

In the wake of attack against leadership of the Minority in Parliament, and against Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin for passing and not rejecting some Ministers-designate of the Nana Akufo-Addo’s government by communication officer of the opposition party Sammy Gyamfi, Member of Parliament for KEEA has called for patience from the rank and file of the party as issues raised by some officers of the party can be resolved behind close doors.

According to him the party went into the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections but things did not go their way and they went to the Supreme Court, despite the fact that even a five year old Ghanaian knew the Supreme Court would rule against them.

“So when it came to the vetting, I understand the party peoples’ expectation that we should fail all the nominees. All I want to say is that there should be some calmness among us, I understand the feelings of Sammy Gyamfi”.

In an interview, he was quick to point out that the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, he knows what he is going through, “this is a situation where on Wednesday our people voted for the NPP Ministers-designate”.

And added that, there is a reason why everybody votes the way they should, and called for calmness, in finding ways and means to address issues that the party people have against their MPs in Parliament.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

Ahead of President Nana Akufo-Addo exercising his constitutional mandate to address Parliament on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Member of Parliament for Komenda/Eguafo/Abirem Samuel Atta Mills in an interview has said he does not have any expectation from the President’s address to the nation.

“The President told us in four years he was going to make Accra the cleanest in Africa, has that happened, same person told us he was going to build a Cathedral where is it, and government would not be spending any money on the Cathedral, but workings of the Appointment Committee it has been revealed that twenty five million dollars has been spent?”

Mr. Mills questioned, what again would the president say that would be truthful. “All the loans taken by this government, more than the era of Nkrumah, what do we see, is it for family and friends? “these people close to the President that are the ones whose pocket are good”.

According to him, the vetting of Ministers-designate has sent a lot of signals, and urged that Ghanaians should wait and see when the vetting process is concluded, and they would see that the current government is disorganized, and take note of which of the promises made by government has been achieved.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has condemned the political violence that occurred in several towns in the Republic of Senegal, which has led to deaths, injuries and destruction of properties.

According to a communiqué issued on the political situation in Senegal it noted that the Commission is closely following the situation unfolding in that country.

The Commission has called on all parties to exercise restraint and remain calm, and call on authorities to take the necessary measures to ease tensions and guarantee the freedom to demonstrate peacefully, in conformity with the laws in force.

Clashes followed a court ruling that Ousmane Sonko the opposition leader, be held in custody.

The Minister of the Interior, Antoine Felix Adboulaye Diome gave a speech calling for a return to order after police fired tear gas in clashes with supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Former Twifo Atti Morkwa Member of Parliament (MP) Abraham Dwuma Odoom is on board to assist the Akyem Oda MP’s dream of improved rice production as well as establishing a rice processing factory in the constituency under the ‘One District, One Factory (IDIF)” policy.

He would be serving on the Special Committee on accountant of his profession, and reminded the people Akyem Oda of being the one who inverted the Cocoa High Technology used in Ghana, and has been to Ivory Coast to introduce such technology that gives them high yield.

And on rice production, he has been to Liberia and Nigeria to help them plant their own rice which has led to reduction in their importation in rice.

“I pledge to help Akyem Oda plant rice, I started as an Assemblyman ended up as Deputy Local Government and Health Minister in addition as a consultant, the lord has used me in the field of agriculture I sue to follow my father to the farm to plant rice”.

Mr. Odoom urged constituents of Akyem Oda to be patient with their leaders especially their MP to help achieve his campaign promise, and noted that setting up of committees to assist the MP is the first of its kind in Ghana.

He gave example of how hardworking leaders can transform the lives of their subjects, citing his own experience when he was the former District Chief Executive of Twifo Atti Morkwa, where according to him, some funds allocated to the district for projects remained, and he wrote to then President Kufuor to add additional funds for other projects.

“My people said I was stupid because we did not share the remaining funds, but through that we benefited from a new secondary school building which was being built by former President Kufuor, and the old secondary school building was razed down and a new nursing training school built at the site”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah has inaugurated six committees to aid him fulfill his campaign promise to his constituents, as a way of being effective in Parliament and addressing challenges at the constituency.

According to him knowing the promise he gave his constituents that led to him being elected as the MP, he cannot renege on his promises. But having covered Parliament previously, he knew the task ahead, and he is prepared to tackle them within the four years mandate given him.

The MPs working committees inaugurated on Friday, March 5, 2021 at the four court of the Birim Central Municipal Assembly include Health, Educational, Finance, Employment and Social Welfare, Infrastructure and projects, Institutional and Public Relations and Special Committee.

He further assured the constituents that he quest to establishing a rice factory under the ‘One District One Factory (IDIF)’ as promised during the run-up to the 2020 elections is still very much alive, and would be achieved before the end of the four year term.

In addition, he has gotten on board former MP for Twifo Atti Morkwa, Abraham Dwuma Odoom, who has vast experience in rice production to assist in setting up a rice factory in the constituency.

Another campaign promise was to get the youth work and pay taxi which by the close of this year thirty taxis would be procured. “I cannot leave parliament and be in the constituency to supervise this, the finance committee would watch over that for me”.

Again, he promised delegates who elected him at his primaries a comprehensive insurance, and that would be supervised by the committee on health.

On ways of helping people economically, the MP said; “I promised that half of my salary every month would be put into a fund to help my constituents, I have received my January and February salaries, waiting for March then I would give the funds to a committee that would assist those who want to set up small businesses”.

MPs common fund he noted that would be shared among the Assemblymen and coordinators who would represent him in all the electoral areas, and the funds would be used to tackle developmental projects.  The infrastructure committee on the other hand would also see to it that projects needed in all the committees with the constituency are addressed.

Employment and Social Welfare would put together names of people who would placement in the security service vet them and forward them to the MP to assist in getting employment for them and other sectors to.

The Akyem Oda MP reminded the committee members that their role would be to serve the constituents, but not for them to be served. As such he charged them to be humble in the discharge of their work as his representative and his humility should reflect in their work and his willingness to serve his constituent should be their guiding principles and any misconduct on their part would affect him.

And promise to set up MPs office for his constituents to visit and put across their issues, as it would not be an NPP office to allow all who voted for or against him to freely visit that office to put their issues across.

“I did not come to serve only supporters of the New Patriotic Party, those who voted against me if you have an idea that would help the constituency visit the MPs office too”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

President Nana Akufo-Addo would on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 deliver the State of the Nation address at 2:00pm a change in time from the original time of 8:30am.

This follows changes made by the Business Committee of the House which was announced on the floor of the House on Friday, March 6, 2021.

Article 67 of the 1992 constitution provides that, “the President shall at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before a dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message of the State of the Nation”.

A statement from the Public Affairs Department of the House apologized to invited guests of the House for any inconveniences the change of time might have caused them.

The event would be held at the Dome on the precincts of Parliament, attendance to and coverage of the event is strictly by invitation or accreditation as protocols of COVID-19 would be strictly followed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com