Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

The MP for Ahafo Ano South Constituency, Hon. Francis Manu-Adabor has pledged his possible best to support widows and deprived persons in his constituency to make their lives comfortable.

Hon. Manu-Adabor explained that the gesture would be a way to show his gratitude to residents in his constituency after voting for him during the December 2012 elections.

He believes that widows were very vulnerable in every community and for him to offer them a helping hand was a right thing to do.

Additionally, the MP said he is interacting with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to help organize a durbar in the town with the aim of bringing the towns folks together to interact and find out problems confronting them and possible solutions.

The MP who made this known in an interaction with Ghanamps.gov.gh said he would also use the opportunity to make his vision known to his constituents.

Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Effutu Alex Afenyo-Markin has applauded President John Dramani Mahama’s lawyer Tony Lithur for his style of cross examining Dr. Bawumia over the evidence presented to the Supreme Court.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin said Tony Lithur performed creditably as a lawyer, in his three-day cross examination of the NPP’s key witness, Dr. Mahamudu Bawaumia at the ongoing hearing of the election petition by the Supreme Court.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam Thursday, the MP also commended Dr. Bawumia for the responses he gave to the questions posed to him, adding, he exhibited his in-depth knowledge in politics.

He however said he will be greatly disappointed if the returning officer in the December 2012 presidential elections, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the man at the centre of the controversy, does not mount the witness.

xyzonline.com

In a bid to solve the water problem in his constituency, Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central, George Kofi Arthur has provided eight (8) mechanized boreholes for affected communities.

The beneficiary villages include; Ankasie, Wratrem, Kwakuboa,Agona and Agyakamanso. The rest are Domenase, Bonsie and Nkwanta.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, Hon. George Kofi Arthur stated the provision of the boreholes have come as a great relief to the recipient villages, as they have for a long time faced a lot of discomfort due to lack of adequate water supply.

He noted that indiscriminate small scale mining activities were to blame for the worsening water problem as water bodies in the affected areas had all be polluted, denying the people of potable water.

Hon. Kofi Arthur added that he was spurred on to deliver the facility especially as humans could barely exist without the provision of potable water.

He further disclosed that he has managed to stabilize the erratic power supply to certain towns in his area after some engineering works were done on the Asawenso to Bogoso main lines.

Communities like Nuamakrom,Ankasie, Pokukrom, Nkwanta among others have seen improvement in power supply after installations and fittings on the main lines were changed, an exercise that has been warmly welcomed by the inhabitants.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Ayensuano in the Eastern Region, Ayeh-Paye Samuel has expressed worry about a development in the Otoase community which is creating a lot of insecurity in the area.

According to him, some faceless people who claim to have acquired mining concession from government to establish quarry site at Otoase community are trying to pull down houses belonging to residents to make way for the project without offering any alternative housing for those whose houses have been earmarked for demolishing.

He said Mountain Korang which is to be used for the quarry is where River Pra takes it source, and River Pra is the main source of water for the community, adding that any destruction to the mountain will have dire consequences for residents.

The MP indicated that about three months ago, some people including two Chinese and armed military men arrived in the community with bulldozers to commence operation by demolishing some houses. they were however restricted by angry residents who drew the attention of the Nsawam Police who came to arrest the Chinese and seized the bulldozers.

He said on the eve of Easter, a crime investigator from the Nsawam Police Station came to arrest the queen mother and other influential people in the community for their involvement in truncating progress of the project but he intervened and they had to report at a later date.

According to him, their check from the Minerals commission revealed that Mountain Korang had not been given out for quarry, while the Okyehene, the paramount Chief of the Abuakwa State also denied any knowledge of such concession indicating that no individual has the right to offer such concessions to any company or individual.

Mr. Ayeh-Paye is therfore calling on the Minerals Commision and government to come clean on the issue and more importantly calling on the police to ensure regular patrol and protection for residents gainst any intruder.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

The Salaga-Kpandai stretch in the Northern region might shortly be earmark for reshape this year as the Member of Parliament for Kpandai constituency, Matthew Nyindam is currently directing attention to help improve the status of the road.

In an interview with Ghanamps.gov.gh, the MP expressed worry on the deplorable state of the road which is about 60km and assured to assist push efforts to fix it for commuters by June this year.

The road is a major connection between the two districts, but is currently in a very bad condition, thus requiring urgent intervention to quickly enhance it and boost transportation for travelers.

Mr. Nyindam revealed that he was seeking to combine efforts with the Department of Feeder road and the Ghana Highway Authority in the district to reconstruct the road soon.

He maintained that the project yet to be considered was a capital intensive project and would require heavy funding to power it.

He however called on government to as a matter of urgency support with funding so the project could be carried out to improve the road infrastructure in the district.

Jonathan Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

A three day Workshop has been held for Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, in Koforidua to develop and refine an annual work-plan and budget for the Committee.

The workshop supported by Star-Ghana was on the theme: “Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Ghana,” and aimed at providing a forum for reflecting on and updating participants’ knowledge of their responsibilities as legislators, particularly in the context of local governance.

It also sought to familiarize the Members of Parliament (MPs) with initiatives, reforms and challenges of decentralisation and local governance in Ghana.

Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development,during the workshop, said over the last two decades, efforts at local governance and decentralisation had been key part of national policy.

“In 2009, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) embarked on a major drive to accelerate and deepen the drive towards local governance and decentralization,” he said.

He said that drive was part of the Ministry’s contribution towards the national effort at hastening the development efforts of the country by making it possible for the majority of the people to participate in the development process.

Local Governance: A reality

Mr Oppong-Fosu said, consequently, a number of initiatives were put in place to ensure that the drive to deepen local governance and decentralization was made a reality.

“In the past four years the Ministry has initiated a review of various pieces of legislation pertaining to local government and decentralization”.

He indicated that the purpose of those reviews was to provide the legal framework for deepening local government and decentralization.

“For instance LI 1961 has been put in place to give effect to agencies in the districts to become departments of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in furtherance of devolution at the district level,” Mr Oppong-Fosu.

“Also, LI 1967 has been passed to provide legal recognition to the sub-district governance structures, thereby giving meaning and effect to delegation as the third strand of the national decentralization policy”.

The Minister said government had also put in place various policies aimed at accelerating the pace of local governance and decentralization adding that in 2010, Cabinet gave approval to the National

Decentralization Policy Framework and its accompanying Action Plan designed and formulated by the Ministry.

He said the policy framework was adopted at a national consensus on the conceptual meaning of decentralization in Ghana.

Mr Oppong-Fosu said based on that consensus the policy framework reorganized the decentralization programme into coherent thematic areas that defined specific policies.

Some of the policies are: National Environment and Sanitation Policy, Local Economic Development Policy, Urban Development Policy, Street Naming and House Numbering Policy, and Public Private Partnership Policy Framework among others.

Mr Oppong-Fosu said the implementation of those policies required a bi-partisan approach from both sides of the House.

Mr Ibrahim Tanko Amidu, Programme Manager of Star-Ghana, said Parliament’s critical oversight and representation roles in Ghana’s governance arrangements could not be underscored.

He said the responsibility of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development in ensuring Ghana’s sustainable growth and equitable service delivery was important given that Ghana had chosen to address poverty through a decentralised management approach.

GNA

Member of Parliament for Bia East, Richard Acheampong has supported a Junior High School in his constituency with building materials.

He donated 10 bags of cement and 4 packets of roofing sheets to the Baamoa Junior High School to be used in rehabilitation of the school block.

Speaking to Ghanamps.gov.gh, Hon. Richard Acheampong stated that the block which has its roof ripped off is in a dilapidated state that serves as a death threat to the students who use the facility.

He bemoaned the current state of the school block which he contended was not conducive for effective learning and noted this could negatively affect the quality of education in the area.

Hon. pledged to do everything possible within his power to ensure that education in his constituency receive a major boost to enable children become competent professionals in the future.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Agona West Constituency in the Central Region, Hon. Charles Obeng-Inkoom has distributed dual and mono desks to some public and private basic schools to complement effort made to improve education in the area.

The MP, who disclosed this in an interview with GhanaMPs.gov.gh today, however confirmed that almost all public basic schools in the constituency had a fair share of the distribution, adding that some private schools also benefited from it.

He mentioned Catholic Junior High, Methodist and Presbyterian Primary Schools all located in Agona Abodom as some of the beneficiary schools.

Hon. Obeng-Inkoom however expressed confidence that the move will go a long way to improve teaching and learning and consequently raise education in the constituency to a preferred standard.

The legislator also used the opportunity to advise students in the various beneficiary schools to grab the advantage of what has been provided to them and focus much on their studies since they were the feature leaders of the country.

Meanwhile, the MP f added that the desks were procured with supports from the Ghana Education Trust fund (GETfund).

Emmanuel Frimpong Mensah/GhanaMPs.gov.gh

Member of Parliament for Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro, Hon. Bright Edward Kodzo has funded the registration of 400 aged and youth at Farna and Tomefe communities under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable them access quality and free healthcare.

The communities located on an island could only be accessed by crossing a lake and since they had no health facility, residents were compelled to cross the lake, in transit, to Garlelia or other neighboring towns in order to access health facilities.

“These communities are not reachable by road so getting access to registration centres were very difficult for them, that’s why I took this bold initiative to bring the registration to their doorsteps,” the MP hinted.

He intimated that most of these people were not ready to register so in order to get them involve, he had to use his own money from his coffers to do it for them.

According to Hon. Kodzo, it cost him more than GHs1,600 to finance the registration exercise.

In a related development, Hon. Kodzo is currently touring his constituent to familiarize himself as well as interact with the towns folks to have first hand information of problems confronting them and the way to solve the problems.

Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/Ghanamps.gov.gh