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Minority Chief Whip accuses Finance Minister of breaching the law in delaying statutory payments

Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh Dompreh has taken a swipe at the Finance Minister Dr. Atto Forson for breaching the law for delaying statutory payments until June 2025.

He further criticized the John Dramani Mahama administration for taking undue advantage of the goodwill Ghanaians have shown the government.

According to him he has been in the chamber together with his colleagues in the Minority when forty-two motions were taken, and they have been very instrumental patriotic citizens of the county in approving this year’s budget.

The government stands in breach of Act 936 of the Local governance Act; the whole of the year nothing has been paid in terms of common fund in the budget. Page 72, there you find an explicit provision that was made in item 388, he stated.

“Mr. Speaker, we have allocated an amount of 7.51billion to the District Assemblies Common fund, it’s surprising that almost six months out of the allocation of 7.7billion not a penny has gone to the Assemblies”

He said the finance minister has solely decided to pay the common fund next month; but questioned if the government collected the taxes due it. “Yes, they have been collected. Aside that there is a health fund and it is to address our health needs – NHIA fund some 9.92billion cedis was allocated.

“My checks tell me no amount has been paid; GETfund there is a 4.1 billion allocation, nothing has been paid; second quarter that has to come to Parliament has not been paid, before this press conference I checked and nothing has been paid”

He said the issue has to be addressed because the Assemblies are been denied the oxygen they need to survive and no reason can be assigned as defense; “these funds are statutory, they are backed by law”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Get the DACF Administrator busy; he is sitting ideal in his office — Annoh Dompreh

The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has urged the Finance Minister, Dr. Atto Forson to honour statutory payments to government agencies to help them function properly.

The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh pointed out that his visit to the Districts Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) revealed that the Administrator was idle with no work to do because funds have not been disbursed to them.

According to him contractors are complaining and all those affected are blaming the Finance Minister Dr. Atto Forson.
At a press conference on Thursday, May 22, 2025, Mr. Annoh Dompreh questioned, “why is it that no one wants to talk but the statutory funds have been taken and are not been paid and everybody is frustrated”, he lamented.

Again, he stated that even when the government promised to send eighty percent of the common fund straight, they have reneged on that one too. “Then in opposition, they had a lot to say; they are now in government five months down the line they are doing worse”.

“Tuesday when parliament resumes, we would be asking all these questions and I hope they would be able to give us answers; and the finance Minister needs to give us good reasons”, he added.

He disclosed that he has been to the finance ministry several times and the minister has made promises to pay but that never happened adding that these funds affect many people – these funds go to persons with disability, scholarship for needy students, health issues, and social investment funds.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chereponi MP calls for collaboration between MPs and MMDCEs for development

Development of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should not be reserved for the Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Chief Executives (MMDCEs) neither should it be for the Members of Parliament (MPs).

According to the Member of Parliament for Chereponi Seidu Alhassan Alajor, they are lawmakers but their role is diverse, stating that as representatives of the people, it should not only be about lawmaking, but they must also contribute in whatever way they can to bring bout development to their constituents.

“I am here in Accra, my chief cannot come to Accra to knock at the doors of the Minister for Roads and Highways, we, as MPs are development agents in so many ways, I do not know other districts, but development should not be left with the MP alone”, he said in an interview.

He further noted that he works hand in hand with his District Chief Executive and did the same during the recess when he was on his thank you tour.

“So, we need to work together to bring the needed and desired development”.

When questioned on a situation where the MP is in opposition and the MMDCE is from the ruling government, he stated that whatever the case may be, it is imperative to work together in the interest of the people, adding, “I have witnessed times when we have opposition MPs in this constituency and the MP had projects he worked on during that time and the Assembly had their projects, when the Assembly was commissioning its projects the MP was invited”.

“It is a shared responsibility; it should not be the MP alone and should not be the DCE alone.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Komenda Sugar factory must work before the end of JM’s tenure — Chereponi MP

A member of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Seidu Alhassan Alajor said before the end of the tenure of President John Dramani Mahama, the Komenda sugar factory must work.

According to him the factory is dear to the heart of the President same with the sector minister and his committee chair has talked about it that the factory must be running before the end of the four-year mandate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“Do not forget this was a factory established by JM’s first term, something that he started; I do not think he would forget about it, something that we would progressively work on to revive the factory and give employment to the people”.

“We are not going to make noise like the NPP, we are not noise makers, we deliver on our promises; when we said we were going to form Goldbod we did it; we repealed E-Levy in just three months; we do not talk, we do it for the betterment of the country”.

Again, John Mahama’s administration would not let Komenda factory to rot leaving Ghanaian youth stranded and looking for job; we must fix it to ensure that we provide the needed employment for the people and reduce the importation of sugar in Ghana.

He assured that the operationalization of the sugar factory is something that would be done stating that the sector minister is keen on achieving that.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Committee on Chieftaincy, Culture and Religious Affairs engages key institutions

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Chieftaincy, Cultural and Religious Affairs has embarked on a familiarization visit to some key institutions, namely the Ministry of Local Government, Christian Council, and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts.

The purpose of the visit was to gain insight into their roles, challenges and to explore how the committee can best offer its support.

In his remarks, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, emphasized that a major issue being addressed is the resolution of chieftaincy disputes.

He highlighted that, the government is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness. A notable achievement, he noted, was the decision to ensure that a ruling party member does not chair the committee—a move aimed at avoiding partisan decisions and ensuring fairness in resolving chieftaincy disputes. According to him “Mr. Chairman, we will put our political affiliations aside to confront these matters in a neutral, impartial, and transparent manner; once we do that, we will be able to resolve most of our chieftaincy issues.”

He highlighted sanitation as one of the core municipal functions under his Ministry and urged the Committee to work closely with the Government to help sustain the National Sanitation Day exercise across the various MMDAs.

During the committee’s visit to the Christian Council of Ghana, the Chairman, Rt. Rev. Dr. Hillard D. Dogbe, stated that although the Council has established standards and entry requirements for membership, it does not have absolute control over rogue pastors, a major challenge that could bring the image of the institution into disrepute.

He therefore called for self-regulation within the religious community and urged parliamentarians to refrain from endorsing rogue pastors; as such endorsements give them the zeal to continue operating with the impression that they have official support.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts Hon. Dzifa Abla Gomashie, urged Ghanaians to celebrate, support and protect our culture, as it not only generates income but also sets us apart from the rest of the world, giving visitors a reason to return. “Our uniqueness is reflected in our food, clothing, fashion, and heritage “she noted.

The Minister expressed hope that the Ministry will be supported in its efforts to secure the recognition and resources it deserves to be able to do more.

The Chairman of the Committee, Fred Kyei Asamoah, commended the institutions for the good work done and gave the assurance that the committee would not be an armchair body, but rather an action-oriented one and would work closely to achieve results for the betterment of the country.

Ghanamps.com

Minority kicks against further utility tariff increases

Following the uproar that greeted the recent utility tariff increases on utility bills, the Minority has come to the defence of the public calling for an end to such increases.

The Minority at a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025 kicked against upward adjustment of utility tariffs stating that recent developments in the economy particularly the strong performance of the dollar and reductions in petroleum products do not support such increases.

Alex Adomanko Mensah, the Deputy Ranking on the Energy Committee responding to questions on the increases said they rather expected reduction in the tariffs now that the factors that inform tariff adjustments are improving, so Ghanaians should equally benefit from the strong performance of the cedi as well as reductions in fuel prices.

“We, the Minority Caucus, firmly believe that any increase in tariffs must be accompanied by enhanced service delivery. We cannot accept poor performance while paying exorbitant prices. The spectre of returning to the dark days of ‘dumsor’ is unacceptable”.

As to whether the tariff adjustment was not part of the IMF conditionality entered in by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, he stated that the condition was not for upward adjustment only, adding that it is the reason they are calling on the government to rather reduce the tariffs to reflect the current positive performance of the cedi and reduction in fuel prices.

They expressed hope that the next window of tariff adjustment would be downwards to give the citizenry the needed economic respite.

Ghanamps.com

Minority ready to support initiatives to bring efficiency to ECG

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament has pledged its support to any move by the Energy Minister to bring efficiency to the sector.

According to the Minority at a press conference on Monday, the Minister admitted to them that he has a major challenge with government agencies honouring their payment obligations to the Electricity Company of Ghana as they always accuse the Finance Ministry’s delays in releasing funds to them.

Deputy ranking on the Finance Committee and Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Alex Adomanko Mensah recalled an earlier program to connect all MMDAs to prepaid meters to curtail the phenomenon which never materialized.

However, he was confident that reintroduction and implementation of the program will cure the menace.

“I think that is one of the solutions that the Minority will insist or will support any idea to ensure that there are prepaid meters in all the MMDAS to ensure that you consume what you buy, so that they don’t pile up debts for the government”.

He urged the finance minister to be forthcoming with releases to government agencies to ensure they (agencies) honour their payments to ECG since all these are budgeted for.

“So our approach is that we’ll support the Minister to push for prepaid meters in all these institutions to ensure that payments are forthcoming” except those critical areas that require different approach including hospitals, security agencies, theaters among others.

On the government’s move to bring in private participation in the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana, the deputy ranking noted that the NPP is not opposed to the idea as it was part of their manifesto for the 2024 elections.

What they will not allow is a complete privatization of ECG which would not be in the interest of the state.

“I think as a Minority, we’re not against any effort to bring in efficiency in the collection of bills; we don’t have any problem with that. But we’re not for private privatization of ECG, that we are not for. We don’t think that ECG as a strategic asset should be handed over entirely to a private individual. But if efforts are to be put in place to ensure that at the retail end we are able to be efficient in our collection, the Minority is not against that”, he added.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Stop the public pronouncements and act – Minority lashes at Energy Minister

The Minority in Parliament has criticized the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor for his continuous unfavourable public comments on the energy sector.

They argued that not only has his statements instilled fear among Ghanaians but also sent troubling signals to the business community.

As such they charged him to prioritize implementing tangible actions that will resolve the ongoing issues plaguing the power sector over rhetoric.

At a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, and addressed by George Kwame Aboagye, Ranking Member on the Energy Committee and Member of Parliament for Asene- Manso Akroso, he noted that such remarks create an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability, which is detrimental to investor confidence.

“The Minister’s recent claim that Ghana has only “2.6 days of fuel left” was not just baseless, but economically damaging. Such remarks create an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability, which is detrimental to investor confidence”.

While acknowledging the financial challenges in the sector, the Minority charged the Minister to:

1- stop the fear-mongering and focus on fixing supply issues for IPPs;

2- Engage stakeholders to renegotiate burdensome take-or-pay contracts;

  1. Strategically set KPIs for ECG and NEDCO to reduce operational and distribution losses and improve revenue collection;
  2. Address challenges of the Cash Water Fall mechanism and enforce it;
  3. Diversify the Energy Mix with renewables and Gas optimization (maximize Jubilee and TEN fields to reduce reliance on imported fuels;
  4. Encourage off-peak consumption by industries to flatten demand curve;
  5. Accelerate the roll-out of smart metering to curb theft and increase revenue mobilization;

Ghanamps.com

Chereponi: Bad roads and water problems would be addressed by the NDC — MP assures

Over the years, the Chereponi constituency roads and water situation have been nothing to write home about, but the Member of Parliament (MP) Seidu Alhassan Alajor said the situation would be improved.

In an interview, he admitted that it is a major problem that there is no motorable road in the constituency and it is the reason the constituents voted for John Dramani Mahama and himself, knowing they can come and fix the bad nature of roads.

“Roads were awarded to contractors, but were abandoned after the 2016 elections. Today some of the contractors are back to site especially Yendi-Chereponi roads; they are on sit now working hard to fix the bad roads, so that during the rainy season it is motorable for my constituents.

He said the conditions of the roads give him sleepless night, as such he has done some follow ups to the Roads and Highways, so many times and the sector minister has visited the place to asses’ things for himself and he has given me assurance that he would help me fix it.

Meanwhile, the water situation is also very bad, stating that just to get a gallon of water to drink, one would be surprised of the ordeal in achieving that. “Every community has that problem and this is something that we are working on to address and like you said the John Mahama government is young, just four months old”.

Speaking on his work at the committee level, he stated that as a member of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee, they have had a lot of interactions including visiting Runner Motors’ main warehouse and interacted with the engineers to see the work they are doing for mother Ghana.

The Leadership and committee members were impressed, “this is what Ghana needs. They are building the Ghana we want. The facilities are no different from what you find in the US and the UK; the car models they are fixing in Ghana is of high quality compared to the ones they ship to Ghana for us to purchase and the price is also affordable; I think they are doing a very great job”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“My stay in the constituency for a whole month is the first of its kind” — Chereponi MP

The Member of Parliament for Chereponi Seidu Alhassan Alajor has disclosed that spending a whole month in his constituency since the House went on recess has been a fulfilling experience as he had time to visit every community and interacted with the people.

According to him it is the first of its kind as the constituents came to him and indicated that this is the first time an MP has stayed with them for a full four weeks without traveling to Yendi, Bawku, Tamale or Accra.

I interacted with them, played with them and share with them things that happened on the floor of the House before we went on recess, he said in an interview.

“Why I am doing that is that, I want to bring the position of the MPs to the door steps of the people, because over the years I have seen that there is a gap between the people and the MP, sometimes the
MP comes in for one or two days dash out to Accra and this has been the norm over the years?”

He stressed that there is the need to keep in touch with the people and discuss with them the things they go through day and night, so that we can better serve them, adding that the more time you spend with them the better appreciation you get of their needs and aspirations.

“Again, I use the opportunity to tour every community in the constituency over two hundred and something communities in the constituency through the one month I visited every single community to thank them and show appreciation for electing me to represent them”.

More importantly, he noted that for electing John Mahama as the president of the Country, the people wants a lot of things including good roads, health facility education good water among others to better their lives.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com