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MP commissions two health facilities in the Tolon District

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tolon Constituency and Deputy Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, AlhajiHabibIddrisu, as part of his three days tour within his constituency on Sunday January 22, 2023, commissioned two health facilities in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.

The facilities include a fully furnished maternity ward for the Yoggu Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, and one at Tali. The facilities both had a delivery room, staff offices, a store room, and other auxiliary facilities with essential medical equipment.

Each facility is expected to serve residents and non-residents within and outside the communities.

The project, an initiative of the MP was fully funded through his share of the MP’s National Health Insurance Fund, and is aimed at improving access to health care delivery in the area.

The two CHPS compounds, since its establishment years back, had been without a decent maternity ward and this has affected maternal health services in the communities.

During the commissioning, Mr. Habib Iddrisu, said pregnant women in these communities have been facing difficulties during labor due to the lack of maternity ward at the facilities hence the provision of maternity ward at Tali and Yoggu CHPS compound.

He thanked the chiefs and people of the communities for keeping faith in him and his party, and admonished the pregnant women within the communities to patronize the services of the facilities.

On his part, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tolon, FuseiniSalifu Moshi, who received the facilities on behalf of the district health directorate, thanked the MP for the gesture and urged the community members to take proper care of the facilities.

Meanwhile, the chief and people of the two communities also expressed their appreciation to the MP for the facilities.

The MP was joined by the DCE of TolonFuseiniSalifu Moshi, Regional and constituency executives of NPP, and other dignitaries to officially commission the 2 separate facilities in the 2 communities.

Ghanamps.com

Muntaka refutes claims of Ato Forson having fruitful discussions with Haruna

Former Minority chief whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka has refuted claims by the embattled new Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson that he has had fruitful discussion with the Tamale South lawmaker Haruna Iddrisu.

According to him the former Minority Leader has not recognised the new proposed leadership appointed by the National Party Executives and impressions should not be created as if the Tamale South lawmaker has given his blessing to the proposed new leadership.

He was responding the media on Thursday, January 27, 2023 in the afternoon, after the Minority caucus met after the morning press conference organised by Dr. Ato Forson, which has seen a huge section of the Minority caucus on a war path with the Party’s National Executive decision to impose new leadership on them.

“Haruna, he asked them to do one or two thing and that has not been done, they should not be in a hurry if this caucus wants a change and want to have them as leaders they can count on our support. Just, as they have supported us, if this caucus meets and take a decision that we want to change our leaders”.

He again pointed out that he had enjoyed a lot of support from his colleagues and one can see that each time they are required, “I am able to marshal them because they trusted in me, why would I not give them same support if the caucus decides to change a whip and bring another person. Why would I not respect that and give that same person the support?”

“We need to do it properly; we do not just wake up and do anything. As to the next line of action, let us wait for the outcome of the petition, we would advise ourselves”, he said.

He further emphasized that in terms of changing the leadership there is nothing before the Minority caucus and usually its consultation with the caucus and the party that produces leadership for the caucus.

He said he will not want to give full details of the “so called fruitful discussion” adding that their press conference is not to create a banter with the proposed Minority caucus Leadership, but noted that Haruna Iddrisu met with them at their caucus and gave details and it is not for him to give details but there was nothing fruitful about their discussion.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker of Community Parliament urges member states to institute measures to grow economy

Speaker of the Community Parliament, Dr Sidie Mohamed Tunis has tasked member States to carry out policies that will kick start economic growth of the sub-region in order to reduce the economy dependency on the foreign countries.

Dr Tunis made this known at the closing ceremony of the first 2023 parliamentary seminar on Sequencing ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Towards Single Currency underway in Guinea Bissau.

Dr Tunis who was represented by the Fourth Deputy Speaker: Adja Satu Camara Pinto, stated the need for cooperation within the ECOWAS region for harmonisation.

“There is need for monetary policy in the sub-region, now that we have realised the economy growth in our country that is very important. Member States also need to take actions that will require payment systems, harmonisation, integration and necessary infrastructure for our sub-region. I believe that all of us will agree to work together towards achieving our objectives. We also need to sensitize our communities on the single Currency”.

In his remarks, Hon Califa Seidi from Guinea Bissau, urged member States to look more inward on making the ECOWAS economy stronger than issue of single Currency.

He said, “As far as the mechanism is concerned, nothing has been achieved when you come to the issue of single Currency, the population of National sovereignty is very vital, our leaders have a very big role to play by sensitising the populace”.

According to him, we should not only be talking about the single Currency now, stating that for him, the introduction is not successful. “We should be looking at a strong economy. We do not produce despite the fact that we have a lot of raw materials”.

Ghanamps.com

Former ECOWAS A-G calls for collaboration of Sub-regional Central Bank

Former Auditor-General of ECOWAS Institutions, Dr Alfred Braimah has urged Central Bank of all member States to collaborate towards the efficient functioning of the ECOWAS Payment and Settlement System (EPSS) in the region.

Dr Braimah made this known at his paper presentation, titled “The missing Sequence Towards ECOWAS Single Currency” during the First 2023 Parliamentary Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Bissau, Guinea Bissau.

He explained that the safety and efficiency of an EPSS are relevant to market participants and public officials in view of their important roles in trade and resource flows and in financial sector management and development.

According to him, Every Central Bank of a member state must be ready to collaborate towards the efficient functioning of the EPSS by signing on to a well-founded legal basis under all relevant jurisdictions of member States.

And must clearly define procedures for managing credit and liquidity risks, specifying the respective responsibilities of the system operator and the participants, and providing appropriate incentives to manage and contain those risks.

“Rules and procedures that would enable participants to have a clear understanding of its impact on each financial risk incurred through participation in it”.

Speaking on the benefits of EPSS, Braimah said that, “with the use of EPSS across Member States, it would be easier to pursue open Economic and Trade policies, since domestic and international payments would flow more seamlessly easily”.

He said Capital and Investment move freely and beneficially, and gains of intra-Regional Trade and economic integration would be more pronounced when supported with an EPSS in the region.

An efficient EPSS would also expedite trade by improving the timeliness and transparency of customs processes and government revenue collection process through the emerged on-line payment transaction and efficient regional payments and settlement system usually plays a key role in the day to day operations of the Foreign exchange market, which involves payments for currency exchange across international borders.

In another paper presentation, Director, Economic Strategy and Research, Ministry of Finance, Ghana, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, listed key problems and challenges of ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme (EMCP).

One of the problems and challenges of the EMCP is endogenous shocks such as pandemics, drought, insecurity, epidemics (ebola) and exogenous shocks like, global financial crisis, food and fuel crisis, crash in international commodity prices, weigh heavily on member states macroeconomic performance.

Member States challenges in achieving the convergence criteria on a sustainable basis (continuous for 3 years) as enshrined in the stability and convergence pact continue to delay the launching of the single Currency.

The balance between national economic development priorities and the attainment of zonal macroeconomic convergence targets is often very difficult to determine.

Ghanamps.com

“I have held fruitful and positive conversations with Haruna”—Ato Forson

In the wake of the mix reaction that welcomed changes made to the leadership of the Minority in Parliament by the Party leadership, Minority Leader Dr. Ato Forson has said he has had fruitful and positive conversation with the immediate past Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.

He commended him for his admirable stewardship when he was granted the opportunity by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to lead them.

At an emergency press conference on Thursday morning addressing the media in Parliament, he thanked the Minority caucus for their profound support and solidarity.

“As leader, it will be my duty to represent our collective goals with unwavering dedication and high integrity”, he said.

He was supported by the Minority chief whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza and first deputy whip of the Minority Ahmed Ibrahim.

Dr. Ato further noted that with the support of the entire Minority he believes they shall succeed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“Our first responsibility is to unite the Minority caucus”— New Minority Leader

The New Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson said the number one priority of the new leadership of the Minority caucus is to unite as changes made by the party to the front role on the Minority has been welcomed with mix reaction from Members of Parliament and some party supporters.

According to him in February of 2023 the Minority will be tackling three things and sending a caution to President Nana Akufo-Addo government.

First, he pointed out that Ghanaians are calling on the NPP government to down size government to reflect the mood of the country.

“Again, you are asking people to forgo their interest; you are asking the ordinary Ghanaian to forgo his or her pay out, but the president intends to reshuffle his government. Let it be known that we in the NDC will not accept attempts to increase the size of government if the size increases by one”.

At a press conference on Thursday, January 26, 2023, he assured the people of Ghana that as part of their engagement with the finance and health committee “we have agreed to do public hearing on the audit of the COVID-19 expenditure starting from February 7, 2023. At that point we will pay due diligence to the duties given to us as the people of Ghana”.

Furthermore, the Minority would embark on a road show where they would point out to Ghanaians the meaning of what the economic crises Ghanaians are going through really means and its implications on their livelihoods.

On the issue of the mix reaction that greeted the leadership changes among the Minority Caucus, he pointed out that the new leadership are not new to the House, “I have been in this House for fourteen years and I know the capability of all of our colleagues; some I met, some came to meet me”.

Additionally, he has worked closely with most of their colleagues and assured that together if they work as a team, they shall succeed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Atiwa East MP drills 20 boreholes in various communities

A number of communities in the Atiwa East Constituency in the Eastern Region have the benefit of improved access to potable water through the efforts of the Member of Parliament for the area.

The Member of Parliament, Abena Osei-Asare drilled 20 boreholes district wide as part of efforts to improve accessibility to potable water.

Among the beneficiary communities are Anyinam Zongo, Anyinam Ayigbe Town,Vanderpuye, Frimpongso, Abekwase, New Jejeti, Tiewesu, Kabraso, Kwame Detor, Ehiawoaenwo.

The District Chief Executive for Atiwa East, Kwabena Panyin Nkansah who revealed this to Ghanamps.com said the MP is doing a lot to improve the socio-economic lives of the people particularly when the district is new and barely five years.

He expressed hope that the MPs quest to positively affect the lives of the people will ensure accelerated development of the area.

Ghanamps.com

Shake up in the Minority front in Parliament

There is a major shakeup in the leadership of the Minority in parliament.

The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has been replaced by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Esiam, while Mr. James Kluste Avedzi, the Member of Parliament for Ketu North who until this announcement was the Deputy Minority Leader has been replaced with Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah, the Member of Parliament for Ellembele.

The new Minority Chief Whip is Kwame Agbodza, the Member of Parliament for Adaklu; replacing Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka MP for Asawase.

Meanwhile, the Ahmed Ibrahim and Confort Doyo Ghanasah retained their positions as First Deputy Minority Second Deputy Whips respectively.

The changes which were contained in a letter sent to the Speaker of Parliament and signed by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey also charged the new leadership to recommend consequential changes in the Ranking Membership to the party headquarters for approval.

Ghanamps.com

Minority to foster deeper understanding of the DDE programme to Ghanaians

The Minority in Parliament has served notice it will carry out a nationwide road shows to educate Ghanaians on the current Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme which is causing a lot of agitation among the investor community in Ghana.

“We wish to take this opportunity to indicate our intention to embark on nationwide road shows to foster deeper understanding of this matter and rally Ghanaians to demand a more favourable resolution of the unprecedented economic crisis the Bawumia-led economic management team has plunged us into”.

This was after the Minority held a press conference on Monday, addressed by its Leader, Haruna Iddrisu calling on the government to immediately suspend the Domestic Debt Exchange programme and engage in more comprehensive consultation on the matter with all stakeholders and the Ghanaian people.

“We call on all stakeholders for a national dialogue on the state of our economy and debt exchange prgramme with the view to achieving the most workable and least punitive steps that protect Ghanaians and households from the disastrous effects of the domestic debt exchange program as currently designed”.

Meanwhile, government on Monday extended the deadline for domestic bondholders to sign onto the DDE programme to January 31st, 2023 and constituted a joint technical committee to look into concerns raised by individual bondholders ahead of the rollout DDE programme.

Ghanamps.com

We are not against prophecies, but the mode of communication – IGP

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has clarified that there is no ban on prophecy in the country as many have come to believe.

According to him, what they are against is the mode of communication of such prophecies through public pronouncements by way of showmanship.

According to him, people should “go ahead and prophecy but when God speaks to you, carry it in a manner that would ensure the sanctity of our nation called Ghana.”

Responding to a question asked by Mr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, Member of Parliament for the Offinso South constituency at the Public Account Committee hearing on Thursday when the Ministry of Interior appeared before PAC, the IGP said as a Christian and someone who also believes in prophecies and by extension a prophet in his own right, because as a son of God, God will always have the opportunity to have an engagement with you and tell you things in the future if only you are ready to listen; but all the issues they (Police) have been putting across as an institution is to prove to everybody that they are not against prophecies, “we are talking about communication of such prophecies that will end up creating fear and panic in our society which is unwarranted”, he stated.

“Honourable Chair, it is a simple matter; and it is a very simple matter; and truly it is a very simple matter. And what is it? Honourable Chair, before I became IGP nobody prophesized about me, now I’m IGP and everybody is prophesying about me; I have no problem about it because I’m a public figure. But why should it be such that you found something; God has revealed to you and you want to share with me, you have to make it a showmanship and tell the whole country that I’m about to die?”

He said such pronouncements do not only affect the individuals in person but also all those around them including family and friends, and it lives with them for the rest of their lives.

HE queried why God Himself decided not to tell us when we will die, stating that “it means a lot. And even when you have a prophecy about somebody dying, you have to even have a way in our typical Ghanaianess environment, put it even in proverbs for the person to decipher it, but don’t put fear and panic in the person, in the person’s immediate family in the person’s extended family and in the whole country”.

He said unlike parliamentarians who have been elected by our votes and therefore have been empowered by the constitution to make some proclamations which is acceptable; who elected the prophets over our lives to just get up and make pronouncements over our lives when we do not belong to their family or congregation.

He assured that they (Police) would not allow anybody to use God to create a mess and confusion because God is not a God of confusion and God is not a God of disorderliness.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com