Month: May 2021

Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central, Tangombu Sampson Chiragia has revealed that the Kassena Nankana Municipal Assembly is not functioning, because the District Chief Executive (DCE) is currently only a caretaker.

According to him the DCE does not know if he would be re-appointed, or not and as a lawmaker going to him, he cannot take any better decision on the ground, neither can the coordinating director take any decision whiles the DCE is there for now.

The MP who was responding to questions in an interview, when Ghanamps.com wanted to know his level of involvement with the Assembly as a first term MP thus called on the President to fast truck his decision of appointing MMDCEs for the various assemblies.

“I hope the President would make his appointment soon, as the caretakers DCEs are not prepared to do anything because they do not know their faith, because their own colleagues who they do not expect to contest them are now contesting them”.

He further noted that, as a first time MP, he does not have a Common Fund and does not know when it would come. “When you go to DCEs, they say they cannot do anything, they are caretakers. The Assembly does not exist”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Appointment Committee of Parliament is expected to start vetting of deputy ministerial nominees of the Akufo-Addo government on June 2, 2021.

The president has in all nominated thirty-nine (39) deputies to fill twenty-four (24) portfolios.

A member of the 8^th Parliament Appointment Committee on the Minority side, and Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu in an interview indicated that the Committee has met virtually to decide on the date.

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The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu has backed the new Special Prosecutor nominee to succeed in his new position when given the nod by parliament.

He noted that the appointment of the SP is a welcoming news, adding that it is normal for people to have dissenting views when appointments are made, stating that “once we remain human and you aim at serving public office, you cannot take yourself out of criticism, you cannot be a star without a scar.”

He indicated that the nominee has distinguished himself in his professional practice, and hopes he brings his experience to bare on his new role.

“He is an impeccable lawyer with an impeccable record as a professional, and there is always a first time for everybody, so it is not enough to say that he doesn’t have anti-corruption record, he doesn’t need to have anti-corruption record, all he needs is professional integrity to be able to do well as a special prosecutor.

The MP who is also a member of the Appointment Committee, however, cautioned that for the SP to succeed, he must work without fear or favour, “his fidelity must be to the rule of law, and to the Constitution of Ghana than to the appointing authority. If he can do that I’m sure he would excel as a Special Prosecutor. His goal would be to investigate any form of corruption either in government or outside government, whether in his party or outside his party, and if he is able to do that, I can assure you that he would succeed as a Special Prosecutor.

He assured that the Appointment Committee would do its work to the best of their knowledge. “We would investigate him, go through his archives to see what he has done, and what he’s not done, we would interrogate his professional integrity, we interrogate his role in Agyeapa if he ever had one because people are alleging that he had one, his relationship with Gabby Okyere-Darko if he really has one, whatever we need to interrogate we would do that”.

Mr. Sosu also indicated that they would not allow those things to change their professional judgement of who he is and what he can do.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Students numbering over 500 in the junior high school (JSH) and senior high school (SHS) in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency are benefiting from extra classes, sponsored by their MP, Frank Annoh Dompreh.

Mr. Dompreh started this initiative during his first term and has been scaling up the number following good results obtained from the earlier beneficiaries.

The former President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has been using his personal funds to motivate brilliant university students in his constituency and also visits some deprived communities in the constituency to impart knowledge on the youth.

Impact of his initiative is already being felt by his constituents who place first and third respectively in the Eastern Region and National raking, in last year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination.

According to him the aim of the agenda on the BECE is to ensure that the constituency retains its position as the best in the Region, and take over the top position in the country.

“To improve reading culture in the constituency, I have purchased books for some schools in the constituency which lack reading materials”.

He further pointed out that, modernised libraries are also being built in the constituency to ensure easy access to books by students in other to imbibe the reading culture in the people.

“I am hopeful that this project would shape the future of the young ones in the constituency, that is my mission and vision for education in my constituency which is to see a very good results and prepare the youth for the future”, the MP opined.

Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije brought joy and delight to the people of Chorkor and Shiabu in his constituency when he fixed the only bridge that links the two communities.

The action undertaken by the MP brought joy to the resident of Chorkor and Shiabu when the bridge was commissioned for their use.

Ghanamps.com

As part of recognising the hard work of women in her constituency,  Member of Parliament for North Dayi Joycelyn Tetteh  made a cash donation and some items  to Anfoega market women as part of today’s Mother’s day celebration.

According to her it’s part of celebrating the outstanding efforts of mother’s and women who trade in various commodities and serving the people of Anfoega and beyond.

The MP took the opportunity to inspect progress on an ongoing renovation the market at Anfoega.

As part of contributing her quota to address the economic hardship faced by the market women, she presented public address system and a number of plastic chairs to them.

She further implored members of the community to hire chairs and public address system from the women, which would generate income for them to address their minor economic issues.

Traders at Anfoega market were elated with the lawmaker’s donation; they couldn’t express their joy enough just as the lawmaker couldn’t express her gratitude to them for being one of the food hubs for the constituency.

 The MP encouraged the women to continue to take good care of their wards for they are the future of not just the constituency but Ghana and the world.

Kids around Anfoega market were not left out of Saturday, May 8, 2021 donation as the lawmaker shared food items such as Yoghurt and biscuits to them,  “Children are the foremost beneficiaries of motherly love”, she said.

Madam Tettey further encouraged them to continue being responsible constituents by observing the COVID-19 safety protocols.

She stated “let’s continue abiding by the COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure we maintain the healthy living conditions in our constituency, we can’t afford to lose anyone to the virus”.

Constituency and branch executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) accompanied the MP as she made her donations.

Ghanamps.com

Introduction

According to William Shakespeare, “No legacy is so rich as honesty”. Honesty, openness and accountability are building blocks for successful governance. Indeed, corruption is inspired by untruths and political propaganda.

We must constantly remind ourselves of our duty to be honest and open as core values of leadership that is sensitive to the plight of his people. In the midst of the #FIXTHECOUNTRY outrage, where the youth have complained of various issues of hardship, unemployment, high cost of living, high taxes, poor roads, lack of national plan, corruption and general economic mismanagement, and many broken promises, one would think that any sensitive government would admit its limitations and pledge itself to do more. Sadly this government is not being honest with the people of Ghana.

I was deeply saddened after I felt great sadness as a Ghanaian as I watched President Akufo Addo’s interview with CNN’s Zain Asher on Ghana’s economic future and prospects for business growth. The President being satisfied about his fight against corruption and indicating that it has reflected in Ghana’s growing position on the rankings of corruption in the world smacks of a President who is mostly unaware, misinformed and unperturbed about improving the quality of life of Ghanaians. The interview simply showed a President who has either lost touch with the people or dishonest about the true state of the country especially on corruption and the Ghana beyond aid agenda.

 FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

The President specifically said he was proud of his fight against corruption. This is sad and reflects a mindset of mediocrity for President Akufo Addo to be proud of his fight against corruption. The statement by the President during his response on whether he has been satisfied with his Administration’s fight against Corruption is reflective of the dishonest and insensitive leadership and governance Ghanaians have been served with in the past fifty-two moths and still counting.

 Just pause and look at this statistics. Between 2013 to 2016, Ghana obtained scores of 46, 48, 47 and 43 with ranks of 63/180, 61/180, 56/180, and 70/180 in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). This resulted in an average score of 46 during the four year period of the Mahama Administration. However, between 2017 and 2020, under this President, Ghana obtained scores of 40, 41, 41 and 43 with ranks of 81/180, 78/180, 80/180, and 75/180. This represented an average score of 41.25. The difference between the former administration and this administration is 4.75. In other words, Ghana has sunk deeper into corruption in the last four years.

This also indicates that the NDC’s worst score of 43 on the CPI is equivalent to the NPP’s best score of 43. It therefore came as no surprise when co-founder and Executive Director of Afrobarometer, Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, questioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s commitment to fighting corruption, following the forced retirement of immediate-past Auditor General, Daniel Yao Domelevo. Mr. Gyimah-Boadi said the recent development involving Mr. Domelevo only exposes the President’s lack of credibility in fighting corruption. “As for the President’s credibility in terms of anti-corruption, I am afraid to say it is in tatters. It has been in tatters for a while but this puts a nail in the coffin. I see Domelevo as a victim of well-orchestrated actions by individuals who are [government] officials and by state institutions,” he said.

The extent of corruption in the Akufo Addo-led Administration became more revealing when Ghana’s first ever Special Prosecutor, Martin A.B.K. Amidu, resigned from office, describing the President who set up his office as a “mother serpent of corruption”. This was after Ghana’s widely respected and highly praised Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Domelovo, who was well known and revered for his fight against corruption was asked to proceed on a 142days accumulated leave, and subsequent attacks against his person and nationality to the extent of forced retirement for daring to fight against corruption. All this have occurred under a President who promised to use the “Anas Principle”, a modus operandi by renowned investigative journalist, Anas Aremayaw Anas, in his fight against corruption. Till date, hardly any appointee of the Akufo Addo-led Administration has been prosecuted for corruption and corruption-related offenses despite the numerous corruption scandals that have occurred under the his watch. Some of which include Contracts for Sale, 500 Missing Excavators, Galamsey Fraud Scandal, Cash for Seat, among others.

According to a recent Afro-barometer survey, 53% of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country has risen over the past year, with 80% of Ghanaians of the view that either some, most, or all of the President and officials in his office are involved in corruption. According to the 2019 Auditor General’s Report, unaccounted funds from 2017 to 2019 for Public Boards, Corporations, and other Statutory Institutions amounted to GHS20 billion. Also, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) could not account for GHS50.4 million from 2017 to 2019. All these have and continue to occur under a President who promised to protect the public purse, contributing to Ghana’s decline in the ease of doing business ranking from 108^th in 2016 to 118^th in 2020.  According to the World Bank, this was attributable to the introduction of five percent straight levy in 2018, comprising the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) straight levies at 2.5% each, thus, making the payment of taxes more complicated and more costly as they became a cost to businesses.

In spite of the above, the Akufo Addo-led Government introduced seven new taxes in the 2021 budget, further exacerbating the cost of doing business particularly in a post Covid-19 recovery era. This was reaffirmed by the indices of economic freedom, where Ghana obtained an average score of 57.28 between 2017 and 2020 as compared to 78.63 between 2013 to 2016, representing a decline of 21.35 and percentage change of 27.15%, and indicating a decline in investor confidence in the Ghanaian economy as opposed to the President’s suggestion of creating a level playing field for businesses, whether foreign or domestic, as a way of attracting investments into the country.

GHANA BEYOND AID TO GHANA IN DEBT DISTRESS

Again during the interview, President Akufo Addo stressed the need for Africans to look within and not depend on the generosity of foreign nationals and their tax payers for Africa’s economic prosperity, thus, reinforcing the central theme of his governance of achieving “Ghana beyond Aid”.

President Nana Akufo-Addo
Despite the President’s re-emphasis which has today been confirmed to be mere rhetoric, it is sad to observe that Ghana’s debt stock has ballooned from GHS122billion as at December 2016 to GHS291.6billion as at December 2020, according to the 2021 budget statement, an increase of 139 percent excluding the financial sector bailout. This represents about 76.1% of GDP including financial sector bailout, with domestic debt obligations comprising 39.1% of GDP, and external obligations 37% of GDP at a period of “Ghana beyond Aid” – This is very disappointing as the World Bank predicts that Ghana’s debt to GDP will reach 81% by 2023. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) report issued in April 2021, Ghana is hardly able to ensure prudent debt servicing through prompt payment of maturing principals accruing from official credit facilities, thus, leaving the country in a position which can be described as highly debt distressed.

The dire situation Ghana faces today was exacerbated by the President’s apparent refusal and lack of leadership, amid reasonable counsel from well-meaning Ghanaians especially Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), to constitute a Post Covid-19 Economic Recovery Team to facilitate the development of medium to long term growth and recovery strategies; empower the Manufacturing sector by boosting health supply chain; and ensure reduction in size and expenditure of Government with the objective of lessening the financial impact on the economy.

All these and more in light of the responses by the President shows a Commander-in-Chief who is weak in fighting corruption and lacks the know how in administering a country towards the path of self-sustained economic growth. We must constantly remind ourselves of our duty to be honest and open minded: These are core leadership values that show our sensitivity to the plight of the people.

CONCLUSION  

In conclusion, In the heat of the #FixTheCountry campaign where many young people especially, took to social media to express outrage about a number of issues confronting the country, one would have thought government would have assuaged the anger and fears of citizens by admitting its shortcomings and limitations and reaffirm its commitment to improve their lot. Instead, government sadly chose to lie to the people. it is time for political leadership to be sincere, open and accountable to the people.

Also, the security concerns arising out of the culture of silence, social media uproar in the hashtag #FIXTHE COUNTRY are all sufficient notice for political leaders to show good faith with the people they lead. For now the man in charge is His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo, who must provide sincere leadership than create the impression that he does not know the true state of affairs in Ghana today. Legitimacy of leaders thrives on honesty, honor, sacredness of obligations, faithful protection and unselfish performance. Without these you cannot lead. The President must be sincere in the fight against corruption or lose his legitimacy as President of the republic.

As the voice of ordinary Ghanaians living in Madina, my duty is to hold government and for that matter the president to his high oath of office and to his social contract with the people and to that I commit myself.

Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu is a private legal practitioner, human rights activist, Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, member of the Appointments Committee, and Deputy Ranking Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament. The writer can be contacted via: francisxavier.sosu@gmail.com www.madinamp.com

Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Committee on Health, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye has hinted that as part of their oversight role, they would visit the Kotoka International Airport to familiarize themselves with operations, on testing against the novel coronavirus.

According to him this trip would happen when the House returns from recess on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 and there are other trips lined up to undertake oversight.

In an interview on Thursday, May 6, he noted that he is in Parliament to meet the clerk to the Committee to go through programmes they have drawn up.

“We have heard the Minority raise issues on the antigen test against COVID-19 on going at the airport, so we have to embark on this trip to see things for ourselves as a Committee”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu, Alhassan Bashir Fuseini has served notice that the Minority would not accept Kissi Agyebeng’s appointment as the next Special Prosecutor both on the Appointment Committee and at the plenary.

This follows the president’s acceptance of the nomination of Mr. Kissi Agyebeng and subsequent referral to the Appointment Committee of Parliament for vetting.

Mr. A.B.A Fuseini noted that; “Even before he becomes the SP, he is involved in a huge controversy; this is coming from the members of the ruling government, Kennedy Agyapong, as this SP nominee was handpicked by Gabby Asare Okyere Darko”.

The Sagnarigu MP alleged that the SP nominee has his feet and hands deep in the criminal Agyapa deal, and one of the people who put together and defended the Agyapa deal, and a “puddle of Nana Akufo-Addo”. “How can this guy be a Special prosecutor?” He queried.

Speaking in an interview, he pointed out that, the SP should be an independent person, and if the president would make appointment it should be on merit, and the President, “cannot find people of merit than Kissi Agyebeng?”

“There are so many people with merit who can do this work as SP, high court judges and personalities who have shown commitment to fight corruption, “we know them, they are plenty in the system, Kissi should not be tie to the apron of the NPP”.

“Martin Amidu, was on the verge of investigating Ken Ofori Atta and all the wrong things that happened. By accepting this, the president has indicated to us that he wants a subservient puddle”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com