Month: April 2022

Parliament is expected to adjourn Sine Die on Tuesday, 5th April, 2022 to end the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

Presenting the Business Statement for the Eleventh Week ending Tuesday, 5th April, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, entreated all Members to continue to devote themselves to the scheduled business for the week under consideration to enable the House adjourn on the proposed date.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin used the opportunity to commend the Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Bagbin, the First and Second Deputy Speakers, Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu and Hon. Andrew Amoako Asiamah, respectively and all Members for their sacrifice and devotion to the business of the House during this First Meeting of the Second Session.

The House will sit on Monday and extend sitting to allow the House to finish other business and continue with the debate on the State of the Nation Address delivered by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday 30th March 2022.

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The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwesi Acquah is optimistic that the time is ripe for Ghana to focus on manufacturing and production. Contributing to debate on the floor on the President’s message of the State of the Nation Address delivered to the House, Mr Akwasi Acquah said the Ghanaian, giving the opportunity and the right environment would create jobs and opportunity for himself and others to reduce the public wage.

This, he noted is why it is important for us as a country to pay particular attention to the government’s flagship programme ‘one district, one factory’ (1d 1f). He said the president’s announcement that 278 1d1f projects are at various stages of completion in all 16 regions, and creating some 150, 975 direct and indirect jobs is welcoming and must be supported to even do more.

He chides his colleagues in the minority for criticizing the initiative because most off the listed companies long existed in this country. The Akim Oda MP argued that it not out of place for government to invest in companies that were doing so well but collapsed somewhere along the line, knowing such factories have the potential to meet the needs of the citizenry and create jobs.

He said the 1d1f initiative is well-thought through to offer various supports to businesses to thrive including providing tax incentives; waiver on duty and levies on imported plants, machineries, recruitment as well as raw materials; interest subsidies for loans granted to 1d1f companies by participating financial institutions; five year corporate tax holidays; technical assistance among others so if existing factories are helped to access these supports it would only go to accelerate our quest for industrialization and manufacturing.

Mr. Akwesi Acquah noted that through the 1d1f programme agro-processing is getting a boost in the country following the establishement of fFive medium-scale state of the art agro processing common user facilities at Dormaa West, Savelugu, Sefwi Akotombra, Sekyere Central, Tarkwa Nsuaem. These are owned by various groups of farmers with direct support from government. “But for these facilities these farmers would have had their produce going bad a recording high post-harvest losses”, he added.

He asserts that it takes a viable economy to attract such giant companies to come and establish companies in the country, and urged his colleagues to see the positive in the automobile companies that have moved to Ghana for business. He said the only reason these giant automobile companies are in Ghana assembling their vehicles is that the Country is ready for manufacturing and production; and from assembling they would upgrade to total production in the country.

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Deputy Minister of Finance Dr. John Ampotuah Kumah has said message of the State of the Nation Address delivered to the House by President Nana Akufo-Addo has given Ghanaians hope that the nation would not under any circumstances return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to impose any conditionality on the country.

According to him so far as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) remains in government, the country would not return to the IMF.

He argued that the last time the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government took the country to IMF, “we left by forming graduate unemployed association in Ghana”. But the president gave us hope that, Ghanaians would have access to good and quality health care under Agenda 111 and several others, and there was hope that the economy would re-bounce and our macro indicators would be positive soon, he said.

In his contribution to the debate on message of the State of Nation Address delivered by the president, he further noted that, there is hope that the country’s infrastructure gap would be reduced; more roads are being built hospitals and schools are being expanded and railways are being fixed.

“Our friends in the Minority think IMF is the only solution to the economic challenges Ghana is facing, they have suggested why don’t you go to the IMF, go to the IMF, we have shown we have the alternatives in building the economics of this county without resulting to conditionalities that would be imposed on this country, we are not going today, tomorrow, so far as NPP remains in power”.

Dr. Kumah in his debate further pointed out that, looking beyond the E-Levy, government is taking further steps to cushion Ghanaians as a result of the twin crises; COVID 19, Russia and Ukraine war. To this end fuel prices are supposed to go down by one cedi following engagement between the chamber of bulk oil distributors, Bank of Ghana, and the Ministry of finance.

Furthermore, government has cut down on expenditures up to thirty percent; fifty percent cut on fuel coupons for government appointees; imposing moratorium on importation of cars and several others.

And if anybody has the capacity to bring the nation back on its truck it’s President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and the NPP government; they have done it before in 2001 when the NDC took Ghana and left us in HIPC it was former President John Kuffour and the NPP government that built the country into a middle income.

Again, 2009 by the time they gave running of affairs of the country   back to them in 2017 when president Akufo-Addo came they have taken the country back to IMF, adding that it is the current president who took Ghana out of IMF and built the economy of the county consistency from 2017 to 2019 on a GDP growth of seven (7) percent.

 “In the days ahead Ghana would see restoration of economic indicators, commissioning of more projects like we did in Tamale inter change, stabilization of the Ghanaian cedis, so the message of the president was anchored on measures that have been taken in the past and those that are yet to be implemented”.

Additionally, the passage of E-Levy comes in to augment the revenue poll of government, stating that the contribution of 1.5 percent of momo transactions would go in to offer an area of unprecedented development of the county.

“This  year, government  intends to inject one billion Ghana cedis into ideas and business of young people through the YouStart programme and would continue for the next three years giving us,  three billion cedis, participation financial institutions are going to put in five billion cedis, and  development partners are expected to give in extra two billion cedis that gives Ghana ten billion ready to be invested in business ideas, innovations and creativities of young people and that would help create jobs in the  country”.

“It means the unemployed youth in Bawku, Nadowli, Walewale, Kasoa, Cape Coast, Ashaiman and several places in the country would now begin to have hope of getting a sustainable job in this country. They would earn incomes and use it in supporting their families. Just by this action, government on the YouStart programme would have effect on lives, just as we did with the free SHS programme, with the NABCO programme, planting for food and jobs, one district one factory and several others”.

Another challenge that the E-Levy would address is the road and digital infrastructure challenge. He said we have in our country contractors that are tired of waiting, the IPCs are not settled for years because there is lack of regular revenue flows, and E-Levy as passed is going to see aggressive construction of roads in the country and is also going to help with the fiscal consolidation efforts and reduce the debt levels of the country.

“Mr. Speaker, the president recognises that there is a general anxiety in the country at the moment. This admission by the president is a testament to the fact that he is in touch with the ordinary Ghanaian and does understand the times and seasons”.

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Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has told Parliament that boreholes have been drilled at Kpetoe in the Agotime-Ziope constituency to augment the supply of water during dry season when the Tordzie River which is a source of water usually dries causing little or no flow of water.

According to the Minister as part of addressing the water shortage facing the District capital, the Ministry through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency developed a proposal for a pilot Public-Private Partnership arrangement to rehabilitate the Kpetoe Water Supply System with support from GRUNDFOS A/S of DENMARK. The proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for action.

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency has had several engagements with the District Assembly and the Water and Sanitation Management Team on this arrangement and representatives of GRUNDFOS have been introduced to the stakeholders of the Kpetoe Water System.

“Mr. Speaker, the Five-Districts Water Supply Project with a total capacity of 5,000m3/day (1.1million gallons/day) has been constructed at Mafi Adidome in the Central Tongu District. To increase water supply coverage, Phase Ill of the project is being implemented to put in the distribution network that will bring the water to beneficiaries including 183 communities in Central Tongu, Adaklu and Agortime Ziope Districts in the Volta Region”.

In addition, to extend water to communities that are not currently benefitting under this project which include Kpetoe, President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced at the Phase Ill sod cutting ceremony that there will be Phase IV to cater for these communities. The Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, has started sourcing for funds to undertake Phase IV of the project.

This came to light on Friday, April 1, 2002 when Member of Parliament (MP) for Agotime-Ziope, Charles Agbeve asked the sector Minister what urgent measures she is taking to address the perennial water shortage facing the District capital, Kpetoe as a result of the drying up of the River Tordzie.

She further told the House, Kpetoe is served with good potable water from the Kpetoe Water System which was part of the Eastern and Volta Region Assistance Project (EVORAP), started in 1998 to assist the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to implement water supply systems in 29 selected small towns in the Volta and Eastern Region with funding from KfW of the German Government (under GTZ now GIZ)

The Kpetoe Water System which has a design capacity of 323m3/day, a high level tank (HLT) of 120m3 volume with 11km of transmission mains and 18km of distribution pipelines was completed and handed over to the Water and Sanitation Management Team (WSMT) in 2004 _ under the Community Management (COM) arrangements.

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The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, says he is optimistic that the Electronic Transaction levy (E-levy), will help the government rake in more revenue to finance its numerous social intervention programmes and projects.

According to him, the e-levy is expected to increase the country’s tax revenue by at least GHs 6.9 billion which will go a long way to help reduce the government’s budget deficit.

The Akufo-Addo led government is projecting to rake in tax revenue of about GHs 6.96 billion which is equivalent to US 1.1 billion in 2022 alone, and about GHs 26.90 billion (US 4.5 billion) from 2023 to 2025 after a successful approval of the E-levy bill.

Presenting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on the floor of Parliament last Wednesday, President Nana Akufo-Addo applauded members of August House for approving the E-levy, adding that revenue that will be generated from the E-levy will to make significant contribution to Ghana’s development.

“Mr. Speaker, despite the protracted and sometimes acrimonious nature of proceedings, I am happy that the House has, finally, found it possible to pass the E-levy Bill. I believe the levy is going to make a significant contribution to revenue mobilization and the management of the national economy, and I want to thank Members of the House for making this possible”, the President stated.

Meanwhile, contributing to a panel discussion on Original TV’s “Adwene Pa” morning show programme today, the MP noted that the government targeted the digital space to maximize its tax base after study had shown that most Ghanaians now prefer to conduct and do their businesses using various electronic platforms, especially mobile money.

He stated that the E-levy, which seeks to ensure a tax regime that reaches almost all citizens, will help the government generate enough revenue to finance its numerous projects without looking for external supports or funding.

He therefore called on all Ghanaians, especially his colleagues from the other political divide, to throw their weight behind the new levy in order to achieve its purpose.

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The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda in the Eastern Region, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has described Wednesday’s State Of The Nation address as a true reflection of the NPP-government’s proper management of the economy.

He said, although most of the world’s biggest economies went on their knees following the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Ghana is still surviving its ripple effect due to the government’s prudent financial management.

 

He cited the closure of land borders, compulsory quarantine and nationwide vaccination against the virus as some of the critical and painstaking decisions made by the government to help control the spread of the virus.

Although he admitted that the pandemic also exposed some shortcomings of the country’s health sector, the MP, who is also Chairman for the newly inaugurated Grains and Legumes Development Board was quick to add that, the Agenda 111 which seeks to ensure the construction of 111 regional and district hospitals in the country is born to address these challenges.

He thus commended the government for the initiative and expressed his full optimism that the initiative will help expand and bring quality health care to the doorsteps of the citizenry.

Meanwhile, work is said to have started on eighty-seven (87) of the one hundred and eleven (111) hospitals across the country and, on completion, some thirty-four thousand, three hundred (34,300) health workers are expected to gain full employment.

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