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Author: Fred GhanaMPs

ECOWAS gender mainstreaming in energy featured highly at third ESIF forum

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
The third Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Sustainable Energy Forum held in Ghana featured highly investment opportunities in women-led energy business in the sub-region.

Mr. Mike Salawou, Divisional Manger, Infrastructure and Partnership Division of the African Development Bank (AfDB) moderated the well attended session in Accra.

Ms. Monica Maduekwe, Coordinator of ECOWAS Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access,   in an interview noted that the session is for women led business opportunity tied to the ECOWAS policy on gender mainstreaming and energy access, a policy adopted by ECOWAS heads of states in June 2017.

One of the aim of the policy is to increase the number of women in the private sector running energy policy tied to the regional policy because the sector is male dominated. “We know there are women who are interested in participating in the sectors business and investments.

Women need the requisite technical capacity and understanding of the sector. Somehow it does not favor women that is why we came out with this policy to recognise the challenges and close the gap; create an opportunity for men and women who are interested in the sector.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Mion MP contemplating revisiting petition against CJ removal

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Mion, Abdul-Aziz Mohamed has said he is contemplating re-filing a question that had expired after one session, on whether the Attorney General is aware of a petition to remove the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Sophia Akufo.

According to the Mion lawmaker, when he raised the issue on the floor of the House on Friday, the Majority Leader used technicality to dismiss it and directed that since the question was filed a year ago, it has expired and the Mion MP should re-file his question.

In an interview with journalists in Parliament after adjournment on Friday, Abdul-Aziz pointed out that in the case of the former Electoral Commission chair Shallot Osei, “We were told that the President was only a conveyer belt, he had no option than to referrer the petition to the necessary authority to look into it. I want to know if the President is still conveyer belt?”

“And the CJ would be retiring in December, I do not understand why I have filed a question for a year and it has not been programmed for answering. Time is of relevance to our questions we ask”.

When you file a question and it takes more than a year to answer, it would affect the relevance of the question, he indicated.

Mr. Abdul-Aziz lamented over the practice where Parliament is not playing by its own rules and regulations; Ministers have to answer questions with twenty-one days.

As to whether he thinks what had happened is deliberate, he said; “sometimes that is what they do, they ignore your questions for it to die a natural death, it is not good for our parliamentary and its oversight role it plays, leadership of the House should assist us to use question time to hold the Executive arm of government accountable”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

AfDB pushes for women to tap into investment opportunities in energy Sector

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

 

As part of measures to bridge the dominance of male in the energy sector in West Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is giving opportunity to six Women to participate in the African investment forum in South Africa next month.

According to the Coordinator of ECOWAS on Gender Mainstreaming in the energy sector with ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Monica Maduekwe, last year was a huge success.

She said in an interview that Women in the West African sub-region who would want to venture in energy business on a larger scale, would be taken to where the capital is so that they can tap into it.

In addition, ahead of March 2020 energy forum being organized by the United Arab Emirate (UAE) to gather investors and prepare them to pump funds into the energy sector in West Africa, Monica Maduekwe pointed out that women would be taken along to get investors ready to sponsor projects in the sector.

“Since ECREEE started its program, a lot of women had gone into more ambitious business in the energy sector. Formerly you turn to see women in smaller business in the sector what their own money can do for them”.

The Coordinator at ECREEE noted that the process has been a learning one for them to understand why women hold back from going for a large scale projects in the energy sector, “we are helping them to break that barrier, that kind of fear not wanting to commit themselves to projects that require huge amount of investment and getting access to capital”.

She underscored the need for more women to run more ambitious business but noted that there are some kind of restrain since the sector is new to women. “You need a good amount of equity, we have had women who are shy to branch to more capital businesses”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

KNUST SRC should be held directly responsible for the rumpus—Muntaka

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Asawase and Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has said the leadership of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) should be held responsible for the rumpus on campus.

According to the Asawase legislator, when students started converging and were holding sticks, what were they going to do with that, “in a peaceful demonstration”?

He recounted that during his days as a student at KNUST when they were embarking on a demonstration, the tall ones among them were ask to guide the demonstration so that no one goes away from the designated route.

“If anyone was going to stop vehicles, those guiding would say master stop that, we corrected those who wanted to go wayward. What did they do there are video footages any single student whose face is shown holding anything, the car smashing should be made to face the law”, he lamented.

Mr. Mubarak in an interview pointed out that the rumpus by the students is criminal and called for a stop to politicking with the whole incident and going ahead to say the Vice chancellor was appointed by former President John Mahama.

Again the dissolved council was not chaired by the Vice chancellor, he was implementing decisions by the council, “you had the SRC representatives there as well as the post graduate representative”.

In a democracy you do not always get things go your way, you can speak against things you disagree with and hold peaceful demonstration to show your displeasure but not to run riot and destroy properties, he said.

And lamented, “if care is not taken, as a nation we would grow some “monsters and set bad precedence’ that might come to hunt us in the future.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

No report, no foreign travel for MPs and clerks-Speaker Oquaye warns

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has given serious indications to deny any committee in Parliament future traveling opportunities if they do not present reports on their previous travels.

According to Speaker Oquaye, no committee of the House has served the House with any report on conferences attended since the beginning of the year.

Addressing Members of Parliament after the House resumed sitting Tuesday for the third meeting of the third session of the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic, he said it is mandatory for committees to present a detailed report of events that took place at all conferences for evaluation.

“Delegations are reminded that reports are required of them after participation in these trips,” he said.
The reports, which he described as the property of Parliament is to be presented to the House before a deadline of December 2019.

“We require both hard and soft copies are presented to the house”, he said.

The Speaker revealed that his office has not been served with any such report since January 2017.
”I must add that this is also the responsibility of the chairmen of committees,” he stated.

Professor Oquaye stated that all committees who fail to comply with the directive would face a sanction of not having other possible future travel opportunities.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

Six Ministers to take 16 questions on the floor of the House

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in presenting business statement on the floor of the House on Friday 25th of October, 2019 indicated to the House that six Ministers would have to answer sixteen questions this week.

Minister for Roads and Highways would take five questions; Energy Minister four questions whiles the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development would take three questions.

Others like the Interior Minister would take two questions; with Minister for Special Development Initiative and Attorney General and Minister for Justice, a question each.

Committees with referrals have been urged to identify those that are urgent and deal with them speedily as the third meeting would be devoted to consideration of the Financial Policy of Government and related business.

The House is supposed to receive the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta to present next year’s budget second week in November.

Business committee has urged the Standing Order Committee to endeavor to round up its work on the review of the standing orders by the close of the week under consideration and present a report for determination by the House as soon as possible.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

Abuja to host 4th edition of ESEF 2020 – ECREEE

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Executive Director for ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Mahama Kappiah, at the just ended third edition of the forum in Ghana announced that Nigeria is the next country to host the fourth edition.

The ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum, an annual event hosted by ECREEE is used to address the challenges facing renewable energy in West Africa and celebrate successes chalked within the industry.

In an interview with the Executive Director of Rural Electrification Fund Nigeria, Dr. Sanusi Ohiare pointed out that preparations start the very day Nigeria was selected to host the 4th edition, adding it is a world class event that needed all the seriousness it deserves.

“You know Nigeria when we do things we do things big, the Executive Director of ECREEE would be in my country next month to meet with the sector Minister and other people for preparation of the event; we welcome you all to Abuja next year”, he added.

As to what Nigeria would be doing differently, as it was announcement that Nigeria should not do worse than what Senegal and Ghana has already done, he said, “I would live that as a surprise so that when Ghanamps.com attends you would tell the world”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

GFA elections: “We hope it ends internal wrangling and marks a new birth”—Minority

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The Minority on the Youth and Sports Committee of parliament has congratulated the new President of the Ghana Football Association Kurt E. S Okraku for his election as President.

According to the Minority on the committee it is their hope that the elections ends any internal wrangling and marks the new rebirth of a united football family under one great leadership of football in Ghana.

In a statement issued by the ranking member of the committee, Kobena Mensah Woyome noted that with a united Ghana football, Ghanaians would be the ultimate beneficiary.

He further pointed out in the statement that the Minority members of the committee looks forward to working with the new President supporting and guiding him to ensure that Ghana football moves beyond its current predicament.

At the extra ordinary congress on Friday October 25, 2019 the football people had spoken emphatically and elected their president, for the association after three rounds of voting.

After months of internal clean-up under the supervision of a FIFA appointed Normalization Committee, the football people have spoken, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

 

Anomena Ventures grabs award at ESEF 19 forum

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

At the just ended ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum (ESEF 19) in Accra – Ghana, a Ghanaian based company, Anomena Ventures grabbed an award as champion in gender mainstreaming on energy issues.

Dr. Sabina Anokye  Mensah, owner of Anomena Ventures, producers of LP Gas stove based in Tema, said her organization aside the their core production also focuses on mainstreaming gender issues in the energy sector.

“We encourage women to move away from the use of fire woods in cooking, as mainstream gender energy champion”.

As to whether being presented with the award would propel her to do more, she said, “I am challenged to do more since I have been awarded, I have no choice than to work harder”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Exhibitors at third ECREEE forum impress with opportunity

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

 

Exhibitors at the third ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) have expressed satisfaction at the opportunity afforded them to be part of the forum as it has opened them up for new customers.

Interviews conducted by Ghanamps.com at the final and third day of the forum witnessed a lot of participants at the forum visiting the various stands.

Most of the exhibitors who have their headquarters in Europe and Asia indicated their intention of expanding their reach to the West African sub-region as most of them are already based in Nigeria, Togo and Ivory Coast.

The third and final day witnessed a lot of networking and question asking at the exhibition centre as most of the participation and owners of businesses who were interested in renewable energy took advantage of the opportunity.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com