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Author: Kwaku GhanaMPs

Parliament goes on recess on Tuesday, July 30, 2024

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After a lengthy debate as to when the House would go on recess on Friday, July 26, 2024, after Leader of Government Business Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin presented the Business Statement around 10:00pm, the Rt. Hon. Speaker in adopting the Business Statement indicated that the House would go on recess Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Leader of Government Business Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin indicated to the Rt. Hon Speaker that he has been a Majority Leader before and knows how hot the seat is and it has been given to his son at this critical moment.
“I am going to engage the Minority; sometimes the Minority Leader will quit as if he does not know issues playing out and send his attackers on me; the door should not be closed Mr. Speaker”.

Chairman of the Constitutional Committee indicated to the House that in view of the House wanting to rise on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the constitutional Amendment Bill has been on the Order paper since 2021 and has not been dealt with. This, the Speaker, assured that it would be taken on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Deputy Minority Leader Emmauel Kofi Armah Buah drew the attention of Leader of Government Business that, the Tuesday, July 30, 2024, for the House rising is not negotiable; the more reason why the House had to seat late into the day and adjourn on Friday, July 26, 2024, around 11:04pm.

Because the House was supposed to sit on Saturday, July 27, 2024, but the Minority NDC had a campaign launch activity in Tamale on Saturday the following day, hence the House could not seat.

Minority Leader Ato Forson further pointed out that there should not be time wasting on the matter; a decision has been made and they would not engage the Majority Leader on the issue of when the House should rise; there is no room for any engagement and discussion on the matter.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minority whip can’t exclusively decide when House should go on recess—Majority Leader

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In the wake of the brouhaha over when the House should go on recess with the Minority whip Govern Kwame Agbodza pushing for the House to rise on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin says the Business Committee programmed Friday, August 2, 2024.

According to the Majority Leader it is not acceptable that unilaterally the Minority decides that the House goes on recess Tuesday, July 30, 2024, rather there should be consensus building around the day; the House should go on recess as this is a democracy.

“This House would not sit beyond Tuesday, is that what you are telling the people of Ghana? The speaker gave an indication; do not put words in his mouth, you are taking the liberty of opposition to far, when we were in opposition we did your government business for you, I was on the left of Mr. Speaker”, he added.

The Majority leader asserts that there is a way to solve a problem, saying “in my dealings, I do not believe in surprises and I have reservation in some aspects of views expressed by my colleagues on the other side, and Hon Kofi Buah I am not aware of any decision for rising on Tuesday, July 30, 2024; the Speaker gives indications and we in leadership guide those indications.

And I have no indication from colleagues that we should rise on a particular date of which indication I agree, and I am at this point making a turnaround.

“If I agree and turn back on it in the future it would turn against me, I will not do that. At the business committee there was no such indications from your colleagues who were there, I would have approached things differently and I have reached out to colleagues opposite me:, he pointed out.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“It’s not fair for the Majority to be using Minority to do government business” — Agbodza

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Minority chief whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza has lamented over a practice where the Members of Parliament on the Majority side of the House do not attend to the House in their numbers, but the Minority do and are the ones in their numbers to do government business on the floor.

On Friday, July 26, 2024, as at 10:04pm, twenty-seven (27) lawmakers from the Minority side were on the floor of the House working whiles only thirteen (13) from the Majority side of the House.

Mr. Governs Agbodza indicated to Leader of Government Business, Alexander Afenyo-Markin that the House cannot work beyond Tuesday, July 31, 2024 otherwise his side has to get all the one hundred and thirty- eight (138) members to come and take decision on every business on the floor of the House.

“I mean look at what we are doing to ourselves, count the people behind you Majority Leader; you are using us to do your business; that is not fair. You told the people of this country you are majority yet you would not even bring your people to do your own business. Why are you doing this to us? It is as if someone told you when you started this meeting you should not bring the bills”.

He said the Minority was not happy about this and added that the reason why they are still doing business as late at 10:00pm was because Tuesday, July 31,2024 they would not go beyond mid-day and rise for recess and nothing can stop that.

“Whatever you will do let them confirm it; all those lobbying around that someone would return from a trip that we can stay up to Friday we are not staying up to Friday, we are rising on Tuesday, get it right in your mind and stop threatening. You would recall us after seven days, recall and you would see the faces that would come back”, he affirmed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Garu NPP PC inaugurates loyal ladies group to rally support for Bawumia and herself

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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Garu, Lardi Azumah Georgina has inaugurated a loyal ladies group to rally support for her candidature and that of the presidential candidate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

In her speech, she highlighted two key initiatives aimed at driving development and creating opportunities. These are creating vocational school for the youth and recognizing the need for practical skills education.

She recognized that some youth are currently not in school and pledge to provide a vocational school, which would provide them with valuable skills and training for a better future.

She further pledged to ensure a shea butter processing center which would speed up economic development, provide jobs, and boost the local economy for women in the constituency as a way of harnessing the regions natural resources.

“I want to be remembered for the marks of progress and development when I become your MP,” she stated with conviction.

Her dedication to the constituency is not just about promises; but building a foundation for sustained growth and opportunity.

And her commitment to the empowerment of women and youth, coupled with her clear vision for economic development, positions her as a candidate with the potential to bring significant positive change to Garu.

As the 2024 elections approach, the energy and optimism surrounding the NPP PC of Garu and the Loyal Ladies are set to inspire many within the constituency.

Ghanamps.com

Adongo slams government for missing six IMF performance targets

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Ranking member on the Finance Committee of parliament Isaac Adongo has slammed the government over its performance with regards to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Opening comments on the 2024 budget review and economic policy presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic planning Dr. Mohamed Amin Adams on Thursday, July 25, 2024, Mr Adongo revealed that two years into the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Ghana is undertaking, the government has already missed out on six (6) performance targets.

He added that in Ghana’s previous IMF programme, performance on wage bill and international reserve was missed, and the current government run to the IMF to allow it to borrow and never concluded on the programme.

“Today, we are getting back to the same thing; government has spent four point five billion Ghana cedis on accumulation of arrears despite they said we should not do that whiles with the programme. They were supposed to have cabinet approval for Bank of Ghana Act as at now no such amendment has been presented”.

We were supposed to see change in our international reserves, we missed it in March and June of this year, we miss it and we are looking at September of this year; we were supposed to have a social spending, we have missed expenditure on that we are heading towards the same situation in 2019”.

According to him, the government has always blamed COVID-19 for the current situation we find ourselves, but the Bank of Ghana issue a statement as at the time we exited the programme in May 2019, five months later raising concerns about the fiscal environment and disclosed that we were likely to end with huge fiscal deficit.

He asserted that the Finance Minister in his presentation of the mid-year budget review for 2024 did not provide any hope to the people of Ghana, adding that there was no single message to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians.

He said by the time the minister left the floor, dollar was almost fifteen cedis and “we were buying diesel fifteen cedis a litter and they have mismanaged the economy to register depreciation in the cedis about fifty-four percent in 2022”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Abena Osei Asare insists economy is on the path of recovery

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Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Abena Osei-Asare contributing to the 2024 mid-year budget review said the Ghanaian economy is on the path of recovery, with the policy being put in place despite being under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

According to her in the first quarter of 2024 growth moved around 4.7percent, this is way higher than what we saw in 2023 same year which was around 3.1 percent.

The most exciting thing she noted is that it is industry that is driving this growth rate. Industry went up by 6.8 percent followed by agriculture by 4.1 percent and services 3.1 percent. “This should tell you that the economy is on the path of recovery and we are happy with the policy we are putting in place to ensure the economy gets back on track”.

“Mr. Speaker, we all saw inflation going up by 54.1 percent in December 2022, currently this year June inflation has fallen to 22.8 percent due to policy put in place and the Bank of Ghana monetary policy exchange rate being moderated.

We want to bring it to a level that works for all of us. Gross International Reserves is improving compared to 2023 it was around two point five months of import but as we speak its 3.1 months import at the end of June.

Trade balance and all our external balance are trending in the positive so this should tell you we are making some recovery and it is the structure reforms we have put in place to get to where we are.

We never derailed the IMF programme prior to 2022, we were on truck and completed fully prior to 2020; and again currently we just received our third tranche of three hundred and sixty million dollars bringing the total to one point five billion dollars. We are bent on living within the IMF programme, she affirmed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Security Recruitment: 2021/2022 applicants to go through free recruitment exercise

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Recruitment for 2021/2022 applicants into the security services would be free ; this is according to a joint statement by leadership of both the Majority and Minority to throw light on earlier allegations of secret recruitment by government.

Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson explained that, a consensus has been reached that, such recruitment must be published for every Ghanaian who went through recruitment exercise for 2021 and 2022 but was denied access to reapply without paying any fee.

Adding her voice, the deputy majority leader, Patricia Appiagyei said, it would be proper for both sides of the House to engage each other for better understanding on anything before putting it out in order not to send wrong signal to the citizenry and that, she is happy to see both sides coming together to address the media.

Finally, the Interior Minister, Henry Quartey added that, even though the recruitment exercise would be free, people should understand that, government do not control the aspect of medicals, so qualified persons must be prepared to pay for their medicals when they sail through to that point of the recruitment.

Ghanamps.com

Minority challenges Dr. Bawumia to a debate on the floor of Parliament

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The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has challenged the flag bearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia to a debate on the floor of the House.

According to them instead of calling on the flag bearer of the opposition John Dramani Mahama for a debate he should rather come to the floor of the House for that debate.

On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at a press conference addressed by the first Deputy Whip Ahmed Ibrahim expressed worry that for quite some time unusual of the Vice President he no longer comes to the floor of the House during presentations of supplementary and mid-year budget review.

Rather surprising, instead of the Vice President, the Attorney General was rather on the floor of the House when the mid-year budget review was being presented and was sitting in the chair usually occupied by the vice president.

And they the Minority are throwing a challenge to him for a debate on the floor of the House where people with all shape of opinions and expertise on the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy would be present, unlike his usual lecture series he organizes.

“When was the last time you heard Dr. Bawumia on his usual lectures? On the floor we have mixture of people with expertise and people representing Ghanaians where you cannot go and lie, you would be found out. He should come to the floor for debate and stop calling for debate”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliament to start debate on 2024 mid-year budget review today

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Parliament would today, Thursday, July 25, 2024, start debating this year’s budget review which was presented on the floor of the House on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam presented the Budget review on behalf of the President of the Republic Nana Akufo-Addo on the floor of the House.

And as the standing orders require debate on it shall start after twenty-four hours when it is presented on the floor of the House.

Meanwhile parliamentarians have been urged to prepare and participate fully in the debate.

Ghanamps.com

Taa Wongbe admonishes ECOWAS to remain neutral as Parliament considers call for special tribunal in the Gambia

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Hon. Taa Wongbe, a representative of Liberia at the ECOWAS Parliament has advised ECOWAS to remain neutral in their efforts at bringing justice to people who suffered under the former regime the Gambia in order not to lose the confidence and trust of member states.

This follows intensified call for the setting up of a special tribunal in the Gambia by the ECOWAS heads of state for the trial of perpetrators of heinous crimes in the country during the tenure of former President Yahya Jammeh.

He gave the charge at the sidelines of the ECOWAS Parliamentary session on Thursday, 4th July 2024, while speaking to newsmen on his perspective on the issue.

He said that the regional body must not be seen or perceived to be taking sides or aligning with any of the parties, as such action will not only erode the confidence of member states but will also bring to question the credibility of the body as an independent organization responsible for maintaining regional peace and the advancement of economic development in the West African sub-region, as well as setting a bad precedent.

Mr. Wongbe maintained that while it is legally justified and acceptable to punish those who have committed crimes against humanity in The Gambia, to serve as a deterrent to others in future, the institution of the ECOWAS should not be the vehicle to achieving that, in order not to set a bad precedence.

He, however, advised that The Gambia may explore the option of setting up the Tribunal as an independent state or approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has jurisdiction to try suspects that took part in the atrocities.

The representative criticized the role some member states played in the civil war in his home state, Liberia, by deploying troops in support of one party, saying that if ECOWAS had taken sides  directly, Liberia would not have been comfortable to continue to be a member of the sub-regional body.

He explained that from the experience of civil war in Liberia, which led him to seek refuge in Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire as an internally displaced person, with the attendant human rights violations and the economic as well as social dislocation of the country, no perpetrator of such crime should be allowed to go unpunished.

It will be recalled that the ECOWAS heads of state had proposed to the Parliament for the setting up of a special tribunal for the trial of suspects who took part in the criminalities in The Gambia.

However, in a unanimous resolution, the ECOWAS Parliament rejected the proposal on the ground that it will present the West African sub-regional body as being biased. It therefore advised The Gambia government to take whatever decision it deemed as an independent state.

Ghanamps.com