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Month: June 2024

Minority to hit the street if locked-up medical supplies are not cleared within two weeks

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Ranking member on the Health Committee of Parliament Kwabena Minta Akando has given indications that the Minority side would hit the street to demonstrate if medications locked-up at the port are not totally cleared.

According to him the Minority reasonable enough and would adhere to the two weeks request by the Health Minister to do the needful.

Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on Thursday, June 20, 2024, he pointed out that the Minority will not relent on its effort to ensure medications locked up at the port are totally cleared.

“We have heard the pleading of the Minister of Health that we should give him two weeks; it does not make sense for the Minister to ask for two weeks, for medical commodities that have been at the port for one year”.

Again, within the two weeks’ timeline, all containers containing the commodities should be cleared from the port; not some as they have been doing; clear few and go and sleep, we would not tolerate that, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Gov’t in the process of selecting entity to complete Saglemi project—Minister

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has noted that government is in the process of selecting an entity or individual to complete the much-talked-about abandoned housing project and operationalize it.

According to him the government took a loan of two hundred million dollars initially to build five thousand housing unit, thousand five hundred and six were partially completed, and that is what you see at Saglemi.

In a media briefing on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, he said three components were missing – water, electricity, and sewage work when the Ghana Institute of surveyors did their assessment.

”We needed hundred million dollars to complete this thousand five hundred and six. Then government took a decision that within the financial difficult constraints it is very difficult to find that money after two hundred million have been spent. Cabinet took a decision that we should start a process of selecting a private developer, consortium or private developers let them make investment in it and operationalize it.”

According to him, a month ago a proposal was issued and ten companies, private and international had expressed interest having pick up forms and were taken to the project site. They had the opportunity to inspect work. These companies, he said are putting together their work proposal according to the plan put together by 8th July, 2024.

We are hoping to receive the final proposal, we would hand the bide to a private entity and it would be opened which will give us evaluation report and based on that government would go ahead to select one of the bidders – single or consortium of entities when done, and the necessary cabinet approval will be gotten and sign a deal and hand over Saglemi to this entity to complete and operationalize that project.

Currently ten entities have expressed interest and going through the process. We are going through the process of selecting this independent organization; we would be going before PPA to get one selected. We are committed in completing this project, the Minister said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

File question on current power situation and I will avail myself—Energy Minister

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Minister of energy Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has admonished his colleagues to file an urgent question on the current power situation in the country when they were not satisfied on his answer on an urgent question on whether there is load shedding with the current outages.

According to the Minister, as at the time the question was asked there was no load shedding as at March of 2024.

He further pointed out that the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) does not fall under his ministry when a member wanted to know his opinion on the disagreement between the ECG and the PURC.

Whiles the ECG said there was no load shedding the PURC disagreed that there was load shedding.

But the response of the Minister did not go down well with some members on the Minority side, especially Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman Thomas Nyarko Ampem who pointed out that Ghanaians want to know if there is load shedding ongoing today. He said the Minister should not depend on a question filed two months ago that is currently being answered but respond based on current happenings.

The Minister noted, “I take my parliament seriously; I have been here three times to answer the urgent question and all the three times the questioner was absent. Come formerly with question on the current power situation in the Country, I will come to the House and answer question on the floor. I do understand my colleagues want to ask questions; if there is current load shedding. There has not been load shedding in the last one week; I can say there is no record that is not the way this House works. I am available to answer any urgent questions”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

No load shedding – Minister tells Parliament House

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Minister for Energy Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has told Parliament that as at the time an urgent question was filed to question if the country was going through load shedding, there was no load shedding as indicated by the Electricity Company of Ghana.

According to him he has been on the floor of the House on three occasions to answer the urgent question filed in the name of the Member of Parliament for Tamale North.

He further pointed out that per the reasons given by the ECG, there were outages due to a number of reasons and they were mostly localized outages.

He pointed out a perfect example to be East Legon which is a residential area but has some industries in the vicinity, leading to over loaded lines and transformers being over loaded, thus, transformers needed to be upgraded to contain the overload.

“There are power leakages which cause complete power shutdown, plan maintenance on Amandi power plant ongoing at the same time GRICo also requested a shutdown.

ECG said they were not load shedding because those outages were not planned so they could not have come out to say they were load shedding”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

First female Deputy Majority Leader

Posted on by Enestina GhanaMPs

Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo Member of Parliament for Dome/Kwabenya is the first female to ascend to the number 2 position as Deputy Majority Leader under the Fourth Republic in Ghana and was in the 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana.

Sarah Adwoa Safo, a lawyer by profession, born on December 28, 1981 is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. She is the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament (2013–2024) for the Dome Kwabenya Constituency of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

She obtained an L.L.B from the University of Ghana, B.L from the Ghana Law School and an L.L.M from George Washington University U.S.A.

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Minority caucus endorses ‘hands off our hotel’ demonstration

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has endorsed Tuesday’s June 18, 2024, demonstration dabbed “hands off our hotels”.

According to the Minority, the demonstration has been called to protest against the Akufo-Addo/Dr. Bawumia led government’s shady sale of state-owned hotels to a cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

In a statement signed by the Minority chief whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza pointed out that the deal which is a transfer of a profitable state-owned hotel to a cabinet minister further confirms the cronyism, official corruption and state capture which have become the hallmark of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

This adds to the long list of questionable arrangements which make Ghanaians wonder whether members of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government are committed to improving the lot of the people or only see political power as an avenue to enrich themselves by grabbing state-owned businesses and strategic state assets for themselves.

“We therefore want to use this opportunity to indicate the Minority’s strong opposition to the sale of these hotels to the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Bryan Acheampong, and urge the public to join Tuesday’s ‘Hands Off Our Hotels’ demonstration to send a strong signal to the government that the people of Ghana take exception to this shady deal, the Minority emphasized.

Ghanamps.com

Dompreh encourages Minority whip to encourage his colleagues to rally support for Agenda 111 project

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Majority chief whip Frank Annoh Dompreh has commended his colleague the Minority chief whip Governs Kwame Agbodza for believing in Agenda 111 when he said the funds used for digging a big hole purported for the national cathedral could have been used for Agenda 111 policy of the NPP government to build one hundred and elven hospitals.

According to him it’s refreshing; and he urged him to convince his other colleagues to come on board in support of the Agenda 111 policy, since the policy is indeed practicable and it’s a critical project that would affect the health infrastructure of this country.

He further pointed out that the call for investigation into the ‘big hole’ dug for the national cathedral by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is a call in the right direction and the Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin should consider it.

He was however quick to point out that currently there is no motion before the floor of the House on the issue concerning the national cathedral and the Adaklu MP who is in support of the issues raised by his colleague is a member of the Business Committee and knows what to do.

“You either fill a question or you make your point as a member of the Business Committee so that this issue would be considered. But for now you are on your own; it’s not officially before the House. How do we investigate a matter that is not before us?” He queried.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minority whip calls for investigation into NHIA ICT budget

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Minority chief whip Governs Kwame Agbodza is advocating that Parliament set up a committee to investigate budget allocated to the National Health Insurance Authority on its ICT since the amount allocated is more than a budget for a lot of ministries.

According to him the NHIA ICT budget has always been in the hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis; and it is like the ICT infrastructure is replaced every year. Sometimes it is three hundred million Ghana cedis; other times two hundred million Ghana cedis.

“So, we should set up a committee to look into it; why NHIA spends so much of that amount, how can we justify that and ensure that money is not being wasted? The presiding chair indicated that it was viable proposal as a condition precedent. We were going to set up a committee since then we’ve not heard the leader setting up the committee”, Agbodza stated.

“Again, looking at the budget line since I have been in the House since 2013, members have had cause to complain about the budget size of the NHIA on ICT.”

Responding to the Minority chief whip as he presented the business statement on the floor of the House and the issue came up, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin pointed out that the day the matter in question came up on the floor of the House he referred it to the chair presiding and he indicated that the matter was not properly before the House and that if a call is being made for an investigation, “we know what to do. It is not for me to act in a matter that is being described, let our colleagues use the proper channel and we will all support it”, he pointed out.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker Bagbin Launches Democracy Cup to Celebrate 30 Years of Ghana’s Democracy

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has launched the Democracy Cup, a historic initiative marking three decades of parliamentary democracy in Ghana.

In his keynote address, Speaker Bagbin celebrated the journey of Ghana’s parliament, highlighting its role in promoting democracy, accountability and unity, while overcoming challenges.

He emphasized that the significance of the Democracy Cup will bridge the gap between Parliament and the people and enhances a collective celebration of Ghana’s democracy.

The Democracy Cup will feature a football match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak. This is to symbolize unity and sportsmanship ahead of the December elections.

Speaker Bagbin further urged the Electoral Commission to ensure a free, fair, and credible electoral process and used the occasion to invite everyone to attend the match and support the teams.

Ghanamps.com

30-years celebration affords Parliament to assess itself through the lenses of the citizens –Deputy Clerk

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Parliament of Ghana as part of its thirty years celebration of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy has launched a Democracy Cup to celebrate smooth practice of parliamentary democracy without interruption under the fourth Republican constitution.

In his welcome address on Thursday, June 13, 2024 to the launch of the democracy cup on the theme, “Thirty years of the practice of parliamentary democracy – the journey so far”, deputy clerk, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror pointed out that in recognizing the role citizens have played in sustaining parliament under the fourth republican parliamentary democracy, the anniversary planning committee under the leadership of the Speaker organized a lot of activities including public forum, mock parliamentary sitting, football matches in various part of the country to commemorate the anniversary.

HE affirmed that the celebration has not only afforded parliament to assess itself through the lenses of the citizens but also created the opportunity for parliament to update and create awareness of what it does as an arm of government.

Article 1 clause 1 of the 1992 constitution says, “The Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution. As such, democracy is the project of the Ghanaian people and therefore they must own this celebration, he stated.

He said it was so exciting to see Ghanaians fully participating in the celebration and “we are using football which unites the nation together to celebrate the thirty-years and this is to also help identify young talents across the two hundred and seventy-five constituencies and this will be held annually to get the youth with talent into our national team.”

Present at the launch of Democracy Cup are, Steven Appiah, John Mensah John Pentsil, Agyeman Badu, Fatawu Dauda, Tony Baffour, and Sam Johnson.

Ghanamps.com