Month: November 2023

Ahead of the presentation of the 2024 budget statement, Member of Parliament for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu said the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta does not have any option than to embark on a difficult mission of expenditure cut.

According to him there would be no growth acceleration or growth being fast trucked, rather a huge expenditure cut as government would try to make debt sustainable.

Again, the biggest news from the finance minister would have been he telling Ghanaians he had reached an agreement with external creditors in other that he would be able to save some ten point five billion dollars out of the twenty nine billion US dollars external debt that will give him some fiscal space; “he is likely to say I am near conclusion with external creditors.”

And to bring a closure to the matter China and the Paris Club’s issues need to be addressed as the IMF sees that as a requirement we need the six hundred million dollars badly before the end of November other than that the cedi would crash; “but he would not be able to say he has achieved agreement with creditors.”

Again there is the need for fiscal discipline and we have to work toward fiscal consolidation and Ghanaians should look for answers as to how to deal with the depreciation of the cedi. We need to work to export and work to preserve foreign exchange in the country, he added.

“We need to arrest the depreciation of the cedi if not the Ghanaian economy would not see any growth; there would be lack of fiscal space.”

Touching on the Central Bank, he opined that there has been a breach of the Act; saying ”many of you did not appreciate it, today you are making it a major issue; when it came to printing of money, we have to find ways to deal with it, how do we work to save the economy, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram has described the expected budget of 2024 to be presented by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 as International Monetary Fund austerity budget.

According to him the finance minister is only coming to read what the IMF has written for him as he has no control over the budget hence there is not substance in the budget.

“We should expect that they would tell government to cut down on expenditure; government would have to cut down on road, hospitals that we need; do not expect the government to cut down on their travel expenditure”.

He further pointed out that government will cut down what benefits the public; they would not cut down on what benefits the president and his appointees.

So we should not expect them to function properly, stating that in 2022 a whole Ministry of Information goods and services got less than a million cedis out of ten million that was approved by parliament for them; it’s a budget of austerity, he emphasised.

“This one it is not only nurses who are suffering, doctors are also suffering students, nursing trainees free SHS is suffering, everything that this government has promised is suffering, even the second lady’s hand bag is suffering”, he mocked.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Former Minister for Energy under the John Mahama administration Emmauel Kofi Armah Buah has taken a swipe at the ruling New Patriotic Party government as the energy minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh announced government has signed two new power purchase agreements (PPA) to shore up the country’s power generation by 720 megawatts.

According to him the agreement with AKSA Energy Company Limited for a 370 megawatts (MW) thermal plant in Tema and another 350MW thermal plant in Kumasi is part of the government’s strategy to stabilise and enhance power reliability across the country and encourage power exports.

The Deputy Minority Leader at a media engagement with members of the parliamentary press corps noted that this is a clear vindication and a confirmation of a wise decision by the NDC led by former President John Dramani Mahama.

“It, clearly shows he was a visionary and the decision he made when Ghana found itself in dumsor was a wise decision. The reason why Ghana went into dumsor was the eight years that NPP was in power they failed to properly plan by adding power additions on annual bases”.

This country’s economy was increasing so you can see on annual basis there was the need for two hundred megawatts, NPP for eight years failed to address that so by the time NDC came to power this deficit among other things the drying up of the Akosombo dam then we had to be in crises, he said.

Again, it took us a lot to do, so president Mahama decided that we have to address this problem and we took a systematic step to increase the power generation capacity and increasing it. We took steps by bringing Ghana to the gas era by establishing the Atuabu plant. ENI was to address that but as soon as NPP took over instead of thanking President Mahama for the last seven years all they have done is to paint a picture of a government that was reckless in adding more power.

He stated that the NPP said PPA was over subscribed that is the reason why we are in debt. Today, NPP says we need to increase the power capacity; the Energy Minister announced seven hundred and twenty megawatt PPA have been signed. “Have they just gotten up from their slumber. Why is it that all of sudden they have woken up from their slumber? It’s important we understand we take decisions in the national interest”.

According to him, A country like ours needs power as we are calling for industrialisation, but NPP was throwing slogans about big industries, “where are you going to get the power? In the last seven years they cannot point to one power addition, now they are panicking to have power additions.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minister for Trade and Industry K. T. Hammond has noted that cabinet has taken a clear decision for the La General Hospital which was demolished because the structure was weak to be reconstructed.

He made this remarks in an interview with members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on Friday, November 10, 2023, as business was on going on the floor of the House.

He was compelled to speak to the issue following agitations from some youth in the a La area who are up in arms demanding that the La General Hospital should be reconstructed.

According to him nurses, doctors and patients were not comfortable with the poor condition of the structure.

In addition, he noted that there have been some issues with the financing so the matter has protracted. “You might have heard about agenda 111”, hence the president and his cabinet have taken a very clear decision on this that it was going to be reconstructed in its original design after it was demolished. The contractor made another design from India, it has been agreed that that design is what is going to be put up in the same place. They started yesterday”, he said.

According to him, the finance minister is committed to raising money for the structure to be put up in its original design, adding that it would be as beautiful as it was.

He said government came to the floor and parliament approved some loans but there were difficulties and the loan did not come in time that is why the project has delayed. “Finally a new financing arrangement has been put in place.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South Samuel Atta Akyea ahead of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s flag bearer election on Saturday, November 4, 2023 said any of the presidential aspirant who loses and leaves the party is not a good candidate.

According to him there are rules of engagement and no one can come and deceive the party, go into an election and break away to give semblance of disunity in the party.

In an interview with members of the Parliamentary Press Corps just after adjournment, he point that that if you sign an undertaking not to leave the party after the contest it adds up to one’s integrity.

“You think you can just go and do anything just as you like in this world if you do not want to come under laws and rules you are a lawless person, people should fear you”.

As to what message he has for the delegates ahead of the Saturday’s election, he pointed out “this is not the first time such an exercise is being undertaken in the NPP. It has been done before, the current President Nana Akufo-Addo went through it, same with Professor Adu Boahen and they all displayed maturity.”

Again, if the system says this is the one we should endorse, that is the end of the matter. It is upon you to team up with the winner to generate the result the common enemy in the NDC not ourselves. If you do not understand what we are about doing, then you do not love your party.

In addition the big fight in 2024 is not an individual matter; it is a whole party matter, the one who wins becomes the next president of Ghana.

On the issue of the Majority whip saying ninety-five percent of the lawmakers are supporting Dr. Bawumia, he noted that, it’s the truth and a huge statement because the endorsement is overwhelming. These are not ordinary people and not everybody is under any governmental control.

When they say that someone is being remote control, that is not the reflection on the ground, rather it is what the ground is saying. The same thing that he is one who should be the flag bearer that should minister to everybody that this man is very strong and has the support of those of us at the grassroot that is all you need as leader; and a leader is the one who has the support of all the serious people at the background.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com