Month: April 2022

Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 visited two constituencies in the Greater Accra Region; Weija-Gbawe and Anyaa Sowutuom to ascertain the state of the road network and drainage works ongoing as well as Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro.

After about five hours tour, the sector Minister told journalists that some works have gone on whiles others are ongoing, but there is certainly more works to be done and assured that the government of President Nana Akufo-Addo is going to do exactly that.

The Minister who was accompanied by Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Naa Ayeley Gifty Tina Mensah, Anyaa Sowutuom MP, Dr. Adomako Dickson Kissi as well as Municipal Chief Executives for both Assemblies charged engineers from the Highways Authority who accompanied him to spend some time at the various places and communities visited to do real studies and take proper inventories. He further assured the residence of government’s commitment to address their road networks.

“I am sorry to say this, but there are few indiscipline people who are building in water ways leading to the suffering of Ghanaians in the constituency, despite good layout and beautiful house. Again, nobody takes delight in demolishing exercise because any structure that comes up resources would have gone into it”.

He asserts that it is a very painful duty to bring any structure down but if it has to be done to bring relief and comfort to Ghanaians, it would be done, because, “we would not allow any individual interest to override that of a whole community. If a place gets flooded depending on the intensity of the rainfall we all know the dangers; it can wash cars away with passengers in them”.

As such this practice cannot be allowed to go on, as there is the need to protect life and property as well as those who even build on the water ways and no one should compel the Ministry to do the unpleasant thing.

“If people force us to that point, we would have courage to do it; there are two structures in water at Anyaa Sowutuom that I have asked the MCEs to take steps to bring them down just to save and protect the roads”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Gambia’s 6th Legislature on Monday, April 25, 2022 considered and adopted a report on the selection of nominations for the various parliamentary committees, International parliamentary delegations, and Friendship Groups.

Five (5) new MPs were nominated to represent the Gambia at the Community Parliament. However, they don’t include three of MPs who are currently serving in the Community Parliament and were re-elected: Hon Fatoumata Njai, Hon Kebba K Barrow and Hon Samba Jallow.

Rather they have reassigned the former Leader of the delegation Hon Kebba K. Barrow  as leader to the parliamentary Union of the OIC; Hon Fatoumata Njai now a member of the Pan African Parliament; whiles Hon samba Jallow is also a member of the ACP-EU joint Parliamentary Assembly.

The five new MPs are:

Hon Billay G Tunkara-Majority Leader and Head of Delegation

Hon Alhagie S. Darboe- Minority Leader and Member

Hon Maimuna Darboe Ceesay- Member

Hon Amadou Camara- Member

Hon. Sheriff S. Sarr- Member

Ghanamps.com

180 elderly women and men have received pieces of GTP wax prints from the Member of Parliament of Akyem Oda, Hon Alexander Akwasi Acquah.

The gesture which was to crown the Easter celebrations in the constituency was the first of its kind. The beneficiaries who were drawn from all the 18 electoral areas of the constituencies were full of praise and thanked the MP.
Hon. Akwasi Acquah in a short speech before handing the gifts to the elderlies, promised to make this an annual affair, adding that another set will benefit in December during the Christmas celebrations.

The MP said he is encouraged by the enthusiasm displayed by the elderlies during elections and their readiness to exercise their franchise.

Hon Akwasi Acquah thanked them for their continuous support and prayers and called on them not to delay in drawing his attention to issues of importance in the constituency.

Ghanamps.com

Personal aid to the Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Nana Dubin Kwapong has assured that her boss, Sarah Adwoa Safo would avail herself when the Privileges Committee of Ghana’s Parliament extends invitation to her.

As to whether he had spoken to her about the Speaker, Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin referring her and two other lawmakers to the privileges Committee, he said “I would not want to speaker to her on that, but when invited she would honor it”.

“And whatever has kept her away from her parliamentary duties would be shared with the Committee, then we would take it from there”.

As to whether they are in touch with the Majority Leadership in Parliament, Nana Dubin confirmed in an interview that he is in touch with the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and he had apologized to the Dome/Kwabenya MP for comments made by the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu,  where certain comments were passed about my boss during an interview with a radio station in Kumasi, where he alleged that the Dome/Kwabenya MP had told the Majority Leader not to send message to her and not to call her.

“I was with the Majority Leader because I was sent by Sarah Adwoa Safo to him, Majority Leader apologized and said he has not made such a comment to Joseph Osei- Owusu for him to go on radio to make such a comment. So if she was not in touch with him I am not sure I would be asked to go to him for us to have some discussion regarding her absence from Parliament”, Nana Dubin Kwapong stated.

According to him, her boss is in touch with the Majority Leader, but cannot speak to the entire leadership. “She is in touch with the Majority Leader, but the entire leadership, I do not know, but so far as the Majority Leader is concerned I know she is in touch with him, there is communications”.

When questioned on the MPs message to constituents who are worried about her absence, he noted that they should expect her soon adding she has not left them alone as is being portrayed. “As a woman it is not necessary everything that can be put out there in the public domain but in good time just as she has natured a relationship with them over the past two terms and in her third term as an MP she would be back and that relationship would continue”.

And again, together they can find solutions to the many teething problems confronting them in the constituency but it is something “very germane that has kept her away for so long but she would be back to continue with her work as their MP”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

In the wake of the brouhaha surrounding the absence of the Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo from parliament  and some agitation calling for a bye-election whiles others, saying because she does not have intentions of coming back hence her conduct.

Mr. Nana Dubin Kwapong, Personal aid to the Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya, Sarah Adowa Safo said the call for a bye-election at the constituency is unnecessary because her boss is still at post and in touch with the constituents.

 According to her, the MP Sarah Adwoa Safo is very much at post and performing her duties to her constituents though physically absent due to ill-health, adding that the constituents of Dome-Kwabenya are not tired of her good work to them yet.

Reacting to calls for a bye-election to be conducted to replace the current MP due to her long absence from parliament, he confirmed that he has heard of the talk for a bye-election and had an NDC Constituency Executive informed him that some of his own party people met them to push and set the agenda for a bye-election in the constituency.

“It’s part of the thorny issues and the politics that is going on in this constituency and an agenda from the Oquaye Junior; I would not mince words on that, he feels the MPs absence is something that he can ride on to push himself to become an MP. This is not something that constituents in their entirety support; some people want to take undue advantage, when it comes we would deal with it, she is still a loyal member of the NPP. This is a party she has labored for and sacrificed so much for, she would still continue to support the party in whichever way and capacity”, he emphasised.

He indicated that the MP has not thought of a bye election; “she remains a Member of Parliament for the constituency until in the next primaries she remains the MP and committed to the work that has been given to her by the good people of this constituency”.

And should she make up her mind to contest again in the primaries, and her closest competitor Oquaye Junior decides to come, she would defeat him and be the New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for 2024, he said in an interview.

“For that I can assure you, but for now she has not made her intentions clear, and her absence is also not because she has made up her mind not to contest again,  far from that,  it is a few issues and when she comes and want to put out those issues  she would do that. The people would want her to contest again”.

Again, he pointed out that it would interest Ghanamps.com to know that the very recent polling station elections that was held regardless of her absence there was so much interest from the people because, he can tell  that the party tilted the process against her, yet in her absence people had  much confidence and trust in her. “They have fought and are fighting and ensuring that the right things are done. She has not told me what her decisions are but from the little that I have witnessed on the ground, it tells me that, they are not tired of her”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Nsawam/Adoagyiri Frank Annoh-Dompreh in the company of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Isaac Kwadwo Buabeng has cut the sod for the construction of classroom blocks at four communities in his constituency to be financed by the Ghana Education Trust fund (GETFund).

According to the MP he was the one who lobbied for the projects from GETFund and has followed the project for long with the MCE supporting, and it is the vision of the president, Nana Akufo-Addo for every child to get a good school to attend.

“When you come to this constituency we have not witnessed such a magnitude of projects; we thank the president, GETFund administrator and the MCE for the good work going on, we also expect that the contractors would fast truck the project because wherever we send a project we notice that they need the schools”.

He further pointed out that in some of the communities they have to cross the road and in the process most of the children have met their untimely death; and added that they would do a follow up to ensure that quality work is done.

The 6-unit classroom block has a toilet facility, a borehole; and it is a modern facility being witnessed under the President Nana Akufo-Addo administration.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Director of Legal Service of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Brigadier General Benjamin Amoah-Boakye has said in his twenty-five (25) years of service he has never prosecuted anybody for any offense that requires the imposition of death penalty.

He further pointed out at a stakeholders’ engagement in Parliament that Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has officially opposed the death penalty in all circumstances, declaring its support to any move to abolish capital punishment in the country.

Making the declaration on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, he said the use of the death penalty as a criminal punishment infringes on the inviolability and dignity of the person.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement on a proposed bill to amend the Criminal Offences Act (Act 29) and the Armed Forces Act (Act 105) to end the practice, Brigadier General Amoah-Boakye disclosed that already the Armed Forces Regulation Board had begun working to amend some of the provisions in the Armed Forces Act, including the death penalty.

“I have been a prosecutor for about 25 years in GAF, and I have never prosecuted anybody for any offence that requires the imposition of the death penalty. We find it in our books alright, but as most of you have said, it is just on paper. We don’t implement them, and so, I also want to ask the question: why the need for them?

“My board is recommending for the abolishing of death penalty. By way of procedure, we are reviewing all the regulations, some dating back to the 60s, and because it is quite heavy, it is taking quite a long time. So, if we have this process that has been initiated, that will single out those provisions in the Armed Forces Act to be dealt separately, we will gladly support that. I must say that I have the backing of the Chief of the Defence Staff to make this statement that I have made,” he stressed.

And added, “We are all for it, and whatever support that is required, just as we’ve done today, you can count on us, and we will be there to support.”

Brigadier General Amoah-Boakye said the GAF’s regulations are subject to the constitution, adding, “We are subject to two systems of law. So technically speaking, if the constitution says this is the law, we have no option but to amend our laws to suit that.”

The MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, who is sponsoring the private member’s bill, said the consultation was meant for the stakeholders to share their views on the proposed amendment of the Criminal and Other Offences Act and the Armed Forces Act, with the view of achieving up to about 95% abolishing of the death penalty from the country’s statute’s books.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah has handed over furniture to heads of Tesano Cluster of Schools for distribution to all basic and junior high schools within the Constituency.

According to him during a visit to the schools within the constituency, he notice that in some of the schools, students were seating three on a desk and he appealed to the Educational Minister Dr. Adutwum who came to their aid.

The items presented includes; upper primary dual desk 90, lower primary dual desk  90, teachers’ desk 15, head teachers’ desk 15 pieces, head teachers’ table 11 pieces, library tables 8, library chairs, 48 pieces, librarian table 1 piece, book shelves – 9 pieces, visitors chairs 4 pieces, file drawer cabinet 1 piece, notice board 2 pieces.

Ghanamps.com