Month: November 2023

Minority Leader Dr. Ato Cessile Baah Forson has accused the Majority in Parliament of not having the numbers to approve their own budget on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, despite the fact that the Minority NDC were ready to vote against the budget for good reasons.

According to him they had early during the conclusion of the budget remarks given reasons why they cannot allow the budget to go through with its current state because the ordinary Ghanaian would be the one who would suffer.
He affirmed that the only reason for the Majority NPP shamefully staging a walk out was because they sensed the danger of defeat knowing too well that a number of their members including the deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs who was not in town, John Kumah, and Ken Agyepong were all not around.

The speaker has adjourned the house, we would not stop there, and we would do whatever we have to do, so that our motion is still in place. We are challenging the voice vote, the Speaker has ruled and the NPP is aware, he stated at the media briefing.

“When a Speaker makes a ruling, they can challenge that through substantive motion and order 98 is very clear on the matter. As we speak, “the budget has not been approved. Let everyone be aware and let the NPP MPs get it that they have lost it; they have lost the mandate to do business in this House”.

If they have the men, they should come and let us vote. You can challenge the Speaker’s ruling under order 98, it is head count and that is what we should go for, no one can challenge the Speakers ruling, the Minority Leader stated.
“As it stands now the budget has not been approved, we have worn the day and we would win tomorrow.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda has revealed that his constituency has been a beneficiary of the government’s year of roads initiative including 20 kilometer asphalt overlay on the principal streets of Oda.

Additionally, a major bridge leading to Oda that has problem is also being worked on while a number of road projects have been awarded on contract including 10 kilometers of Oda Town Roads.This notwithstanding, he said, a greater part of the constituency is yet to be given out for contract.

However, the MP had to bring his resourcefulness to bear with the release of one million Ghana Cedis to facilitate works on the 10 kilometer town roads in recent times.

This, he said, was necessitated by the delays in completing the project due to lack of funds as explained by the contractor who had left site for the past 2-3years.

“We’ve been chasing for his payments; I’ve been putting in all efforts to ensure he gets paid but it is a bit difficult and so I spoke with him and he said that if we could mobilize some money for him he could come to site. So I felt I’m a resourceful person, I could tap into some funding and let him come back to site and start working”, the MP stated.

And true to his words, the contractor is back on site with the release of the one million Ghana Cedis from the MP and currently working on roads around residency, mobil (Central Business Area) leading to the Presby Church and beyond.
He asserts that that effort has awoken government and there are efforts to get the contractor paid so he can have enough resources to finish up the roads he started three years ago.

STREET LIGHTENING

Coupled with the ongoing road construction is a street lightening system project aimed at improving visibility in the municipality especially at night.

With the absence of electric poles to hang the streetlights in some areas like the Hecta School through Aboabo, the MP had to procure these poles for the purpose and currently work is progressing in this regard.

Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the national Open Government Steering Committee, Yaw Osafo Maafo has expressed delight that his Member of Parliament for Akim Oda Alexander Akwasi Aquah is part of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) caucus in Parliament which was launched on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 by the Speaker at the Speaker’s conference Hall in Parliament.

According to him this would ensure that he is re-elected to come back to the next Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.

He further pointed out that he is happy the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Kingsford Sumana Bagbin is committed to getting the OGP work, and it is in the interest of Ghana to promote transparency adding that when Parliament takes the OGP seriously it would help the whole Country.

“We joined the OGP in 2011; we have developed four points action plan; we are in the process of developing the fifth one which should be outdoored by December this year”, he said.

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a global effort to make governments better. it helps governments work with civil society to create action plans with concrete reforms. This model helps ensure citizens play a role in shaping and overseeing government.

The steering Committee chairman who was speaking a the launch further disclosed that  OGP has a global membership of 77 with Africa having ten including Ghana. And in Ghana there are six metropolitan, municipal and district Assemblies who are members including Secondi Takoradi Metropolitan, Shama East, Ketu South, Anloga among others.

Again, Ghana’s OGP is governed by a twenty-member national steering committee, with membership drawn from relevant ministries, departments, agencies, civil society organizations and parliament with MPs who are party – Hon Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah and Ama Pomah Boateng.

The steering Committee which was commissioned in August 2012 is currently chaired by Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo and co-chaired by CSO representatives Ghana Integrity Initiative, and they meet quarterly to look at how they can improve transparency in many things, hence the launch of the caucus is an accomplishment which should be applauded by all.

Mr. Osafo Maafo disclosed that Ghana has been selected among seven countries in Africa to benefit from European support in the promotion of the OGP, and “this would earn us a little bit inflows to support our own activities, which we need badly”.

He assured that the establishment of the OGP caucus in Parliament would create space for political dialogue and open governance to better place parliament to play its oversight role.

“The National OGP Committee and the oversight role of Parliament is important for this Country; somebody should be overlooking the system and it is parliament that the constitution charges to do that; we are comfortable when you get involved, he added.

Meanwhile, the 10-member caucus includes;
1. Chairman Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah

2. Vice Chair Ama pomaa Boateng

3. Naa Momo Agnes Lartey –Member

4. Naa Odoley Rita Sowah—Member

5. Newman Dako –Member

6. Etse Kwame Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor -Member

7. Dr. Kingsley Nyarko-Member

8. Alexander Akwasi Acquah —Member

9. Professor Hamza Adam –Member

10. Adamu Suleman Sanid–Member

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Ghana’s Parliament, Peter Nortsu Kotoe has revealed that the Ministry of Education has distributed about five thousand metric tons of maggot infested rice to Senior High Schools across the country to feed students.

According to the Akatsi North lawmaker, a rice by name LAMENS from India which was imported to Ghana in 2021 as the importer failed to pay the duty was stored in a warehouse and in a process, it has been secretly removed and distributed to these schools.

The MP made this known when he took his turn to debate the 2024 budget statement presented on the floor of the House by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

And further revealed that lands that belongs to schools most especially senior high schools are being sold; an example is the West African Secondary School. The worst of all he said government had land for UNESCO Ghana, yet the land has been sold and that is the only place for them to have their office situated. “We demand to know who sold the land and who benefited?”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Dr. Stephen Amoah has taken a swipe at the Minority for the cancellation of allowances for poor teachers and nursing trainees even though they are social democrats.

The lawmaker noted that the NDC always deceive Ghanaians by saying that the NPP has borrowed so much yet they borrowed one billion dollars quietly under former President John Dramani Mahama; and “with the agreement that they were not paying until 2028/2029 which means that the current debt of Ghana is included in that one billion dollars the NDC left”.

Again, how many of the Minority MPs would want their children to ride commercial motorbike after school and it is their flagship program for Ghanaians; “yes we know there is hardship but it’s global.”

Mr Stephen when he took his turn to debate the 2024 budget also noted that anywhere in the world budget statements focus on fiscal space and it was after 2022 that we saw the impact of post COVID-19 growth to GDP was around 258 percent but he stands to be corrected.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Dr. Freda Akosua Prempeh has urged colleagues in the House to support the 2024 Economic Policy of the Nana Akufo-Addo government for her ministry to continue addressing very important and basic needs of Ghanaians.

According to her government has provided fifty thousand house hold toilets in low income communities in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi.

In an interview with members of the parliamentary press corps just after she took her turn to debate the budget on the floor on Thursday, November 23, 2023 she further noted that she was in Kumasi recently to commission thirty-eight toilets at various basic schools and Junior High Schools (JHS) and the ministry would continue.

She was positive on the fight to end open defecation with support from government and the World Bank.

Dr. Akosua Prempeh further explained that government has provided water facilities in some communities in the Country.

And other issue of concern to her that she put across was the illegal mining and sand wining in the country that is destroying the water bodies, saying “water security and safety is very important, and we need to work so hard to stop the illegal mining and sand wining, and this should be a thing of the past”.

The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister again, pointed out that the issue of WASH cannot be talked about without its health implications; “we want to take the WASH project from the health implication point of view if you do not have access to good drinking water.

If your hygiene facilities are not good you are prone to all kinds of diseases cholera and all that, we were in this country when in 2016 some people lost their lives because of cholera but this days you do not hear of it because we have put certain measures in place in terms of the provision of the wash facilities.

“I want the House to support the budget for government to support the ministry support from the World Bank the GAMA project for us to be able to support more institutional facilities to provide more water delivery in our various communities across the country.”

According to her, all that is being talked about are already in motion; we have started a program, with the World Bank in 2022, we are rolling them in faces, we have done phase one and two we are about rolling out the third phase, he said.

The Asafo sewage is part, we would not only rely on the budget but our donor partners and World Bank, I urge my colleagues to support because at the end of the day water is essential life and it’s what our life revolves around, she emphasised.

“I believe today we have all visited the washroom; you cannot keep fecal in your stomach. Water cuts across all the sectors of this country, health and agriculture is water, we are supporting educational facilities with water”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson has expressed worry over the intention of government to introduce export and import (restrictions on Importation of selected strategic products) regulations, 2023 bill.

According to him the introduction of this Bill would create injustice against importers who are not on the side of government by denying them the license to import, especially where a committee is to be set up by the Minister at the Trade and Industry Ministry to interview and grant permits.

Dr. Ato used the opportunity to call on government to reconsider its decision on the new L.I since it wouldn’t serve any better purpose to Ghanaians at a media briefing with members of the parliamentary press Corps (PPC).

He hinted that the Minority would not do anything to stop government from introducing the bill since the constitution mandates it.

Again if this Legislative Instrument goes through, Ghanaians should blame the president and vice president directly and it is not a parliament matter. If you look at the constitution it’s the president who can withdraw it, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor has set the record straight on the brouhaha on sales of State lands particularly the residence of the Clark of Parliament.

He said the claim by the NDC Minority that the residence of Clark of Parliament was sold in 2019 was not true.

Mr. Abdulai Jinapor made it known that, the said residence was sold in 2015 under the administration of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) under former President John Dramani Mahama by the Minister for Works and Housing to a Private developer.

Also, the minister further gave a clarity to the issues on the sale of UNESCO land situated close to Ghana Police headquarters which he said the land belonging to UNESCO has not been sold as Minority are trying to put out there and that, the organization is still occupying their residence as at today.

He made this known when it got to his turn to debate the 2024 Economic Policy of the Nana Akufo-Addo led government, on Thursday, November 24, 2023.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Leader of Government Business in the Parliament of Ghana, Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu has admonished his colleagues from the Minority side to refrain from linking him to campaigning for the running mate position in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to him anytime his colleagues from the opposite side of the House get up to debate the 2024 budget they want to link him to competing for the running mate slot of the NPP.

He drew the attention of the Speaker to the former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu linking him up to this when he had the opportunity to address an issue on the floor of the House on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.

And the Minority whip Governs Kwame Agbodza repeated same on Thursday, November 23, 2024 when it got to his turn to debate the 2024 budget statement on the floor of the House.

“Let me make it emphatically clear, I am not involved in campaigning for running mate position, and it should be loud and clear; my colleague should not involve himself in conjectures he said. I probably voted for the vice president in my constituency and it has nothing to do with the budget”.

And further backed his point with order 93 clause 3 by saying relevance and conduct of the Member of Parliament, his colleague should stay away from that comment.

“I know you are capable in debating do not involve yourself in extraneous matters not related to the budget” and the speaker confirmed that the Majority Leader is right his name was mention and he is not in contest and the issue of relevance is important.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com