Author: Kwaku GhanaMPs

The Ofankor-Nsawam Dual Carriageway project is expected to be completed fully by the next 12 to 15 months (that is between May and August 2026) barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The project is currently 74% complete. The contract sum for the project being carried out by Maripoma Enterprise Ltd is $ 347 million.

Chief Resident Engineer of the project Mr Kwabena Bimpong made this known when the Committee on Roads and Transport of Parliament inspected the project. The committee also inspected the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange and the Kasoa – WInneba Rehabilitation and Upgrading project.

Engineer Kwabena Bimpong said 76 out of the 328 properties or assets which were affected within the Ofankor-Nsawam Dual Carriageway project are qualified for compensation and payments have already been made for 40 of the affected projects.

He said court cases in relation to some affected properties and the need for relocation of some utility facilities are affecting the pace of work of the project.

Chairman of the Committee on Roads and Transport of Parliament and MP for Wassa East Isaac Adjei Mensah commended the contractors of the three projects for the good job done so far and urged them to continue to work hard for the completion of the project.

The Minority Ranking Member of the Committee on Roads and Transport and MP for Akim Swedru Kennedy Nyarko Osei also expressed satisfaction about the work done on the three projects but expressed worry about the additional cost that will arise due to delay in completing the Ofankor -Nsawam Road project. He also commended the NPP government for awarding the contracts for the three projects which he said will have a positive impact on the economic development of the country.

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has urged Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to reconsider their decision and return to the regional bloc.

The three Sahel countries officially left ECOWAS earlier this year, citing the organization’s deviation from its founding principles and what they perceived as an overreach in imposing sanctions following military takeovers.

In a bid to mend ties and foster unity, the ECOWAS Parliament pointed out the importance of regional integration and cooperation, highlighting the potential consequences of the withdrawal on the socio-economic well-being of citizens in the Sahel region.

The Chairman of the Joint Committee on Delocalized Meeting in Banjul, Gambia, Sen. Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr., while briefing the media at the closing ceremony of a five-day meeting, expressed the parliament’s desire to see the withdrawn countries return to the community.

He said, “We want you back. Let us come together as a team. No matter what, we agree to disagree,” he said.

Sen. Snowe also requested the media to refrain from premature reporting on sensitive matters, saying, “We don’t want premature reportage. So, the meeting’s resolution is going to leave from us to the bureau. The bureau will review it and it goes to the plenary.”

The Chairman thanked the media for their presence and cooperation, stating, “We want to thank you members of the press for being here, for taking time of your business schedule.”

The meeting discussed the political, social, economic, and humanitarian impact of the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the ECOWAS Parliament.

Sen. Snowe noted that the community has been together for 50 years and that the withdrawal of these countries has been a challenging experience.

He emphasized the importance of teamwork in the parliament, stating that “the work we do here, there’s no good parliamentarian without all of good staff.

“You can be well-educated, all of the education, you have it. But if you don’t have good staff, you don’t have good team; you will not be a good parliamentarian.” He said.

Also, the Chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Women in Parliament, and Oppressions with Disability, Hon. Veronica Seecay, appealed to the withdrawn countries to put aside their differences and work together with the community.

“We need you people, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali. We are a bloc; we should be working together,” she said.

The Chairperson highlighted the importance of unity and cooperation among member states, citing the example of ECOWAS’s intervention in Liberia and Sierra Leone during times of conflict.

“We’ve been helping each other. Like for us, who faced the war in Liberia and Sierra Leone. We appreciated the cause that was done by ECOWAS in their intervention to help us coil down the situation in Sierra Leone,” she said.

She also emphasized the impact of conflict on women and children, saying, “When there is a problem, who faced the bulk of it? It’s women and children.” She appealed to the withdrawn countries to consider the impact of their decision on these vulnerable groups.

The Committee Member, Hon. Zainab Gimba in her closing remarks, expressed gratitude to the authorities and people of The Gambia for their warm reception and hospitality.

“We were deeply touched by the warm, fraternal, and gracious reception accorded to us by the authorities and the people of the Republic of The Gambia.

“We hold in high regard the invaluable and decisive role that the Republic of The Gambia continues to play in advancing regional integration and development within ECOWAS institutions, and the ECOWAS Parliament in particular.”

She paid tribute to President Adama Barrow for his commitment to democratic principles and good governance in The Gambia.

She also expressed appreciation to the National Assembly of The Gambia, the Speaker, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, and the Gambian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, led by Hon. Billay G. Tunkara, for their exceptional hospitality.

She commended the distinguished resource persons and participants for their valuable contributions, which enriched the discussions and enhanced understanding of the subject matter.

“We also appreciated the administrative and support staff for their tireless efforts, which ensured the smooth conduct of the meeting.”

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Minority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament and 3rd deputy speaker of the Community Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, in a compelling address that echoed the aspirations of emerging economies across Africa, the Arab world, Latin America, and Asia, called on parliamentarians of the Global South to embrace parliamentary diplomacy and interregional dialogue as urgent and vital levers for peace, security, and shared development.

Delivering the keynote speech at the Third Edition of the South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum, held at the headquarters of the Moroccan House of Councilors, Hon. Afenyo-Markin stressed the importance of regional collaboration in addressing new and interconnected global challenges.

The forum, convened under the theme “Interregional and Intercontinental Dialogues in the Global South: A Vital Lever to Address New Challenges of International Cooperation and Achieve Peace, Security, Stability, and Shared Development,” brought together parliamentary leaders from across continents to explore frameworks for joint legislative action and development partnerships.

“Trust is built when we begin to speak the language of our people, address their concerns, and reconcile perceptions with facts.

Dialogue is the foundation for peace,” the Ghanaian lawmaker declared, urging nations of the South to close ranks in pursuit of inclusive development.

Representing the ECOWAS Parliament at the high-level forum, Hon. Afenyo-Markin used the platform to champion the need for a reimagined parliamentary role – one that transcends borders and engages actively in shaping global economic, security, and migration policies from a Southern perspective.

Key Points from the Address:

* He identified interregional dialogue as an indispensable tool for tackling issues such as rising trade protectionism, inflationary pressures, youth unemployment, terrorism, and migration.

* He warned that failure to prioritize structured cooperation could lead to deeper economic instability, noting that rising global tariffs and shrinking supply chains will disproportionately harm Global South economies.

* Hon. Afenyo-Markin passionately called for the institutionalisation of South-South parliamentary cooperation, proposing that forums like ASSECAA be used to “dispel misunderstandings, foster solidarity, and transform people’s aspirations into legislative action.”

* He paid tribute to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his leadership in making interregional integration the cornerstone of Morocco’s foreign policy, noting the strategic importance of Morocco’s role in shaping the architecture of Global South cooperation.

Also present at the opening session were Mr. Mohamed Ould Errachid, President of the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco; Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami, Speaker of the House of Representatives; and Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The forum, jointly organised by the House of Councillors and the Association of Senates, Shura and Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA), runs from April 28–29, 2025.

The ECOWAS Parliament’s presence at the forum underscores its commitment to deepening inter-parliamentary collaboration and shaping global dialogue on peace and development from a West African standpoint.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Ghana’s Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment George Opare Addo is advocating for the youthful energies of the sub-regional population to be turned into a positive development by equipping the youth with the needed skills and capacity building.

According to him the African continent and especially the West Africa sub-region have a youthful population hence the need to build their capacity because their energy, that can be a weapon to use in developing the sub-region.

In an interview with journalists at the ongoing two days youth conference that drew one hundred and twenty youth to Accra, he said, “If we do not do that it rather becomes a threat to our democracy and so any initiative that seeks to develop the human capital is welcomed; and the government of Ghana has taken the lead to ensure the energies of the youth are directed rightly”.

On Monday, April 28, 2025 the John Dramani Mahama led government, launched the “Adwuma wura” programme; that is young Ghanaians who want to venture into entrepreneurship. Again, tomorrow we are launching the national apprenticeship programme which support youth with various skills”.

Again, the government of Ghana earlier launched the one million coders programme to support the young people within the ICT space. “Government knows how important the energies of the young people are and we need to turn it around positively; and that is what ECOWAS is also championing to see to it that young people are given the needed skills so that they can also contribute meaningful to development”.

He further added that Ghana cannot be an island as it operates within the sub-regional space, “so whatever Ghana’s vision is, it should align within the protocols and vision of ECOWAS, AfCFTA; we should all take advantage of it, every agenda and plans should seat within the ECOWAS and AU; we are not an island”.

Ghana alone is too small for us to leverage on our skills alone, we need each other as a sub-region; we should not do programme that are only focused on Ghana. Whatever we do, we should have an eye on the sub-region, he added.

Government sees the importance of our youth; they form 38.2 percent and no government would joke with this number and the NDC government would not do that and would not joke with that.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has paid a working visit to inspect the Integrated Recycling Compost Plant (IRECOP) in Dambai and Ho in the Oti and Volta Regions respectively to assess the progress of work in these regions.

The committee was of the view that with the help of IRECOP it will help to reduce the waste the various towns and cities generate.

They also observed that, the IRECOP is economically viable and create jobs for the youth.

The Jospong Group of Companies also made a request to Government for the payment of their arrears to enable them works effectively.

Ghanamps.com

The Minority caucus on the Gender, Children and Social Welfare Committee of Parliament expresses profound sorrow and dismay at the recent killing of a woman and her four children by unknown gunmen in Benguri, a suburb in the Binduri District in the Upper East Region.

This tragic incident, reportedly linked to the protracted Bawku conflict underscores the devastating spillover effects of the violence on surrounding communities.

In a statement the Caucus extends its condolences to the bereaved family and the affected community and stands in solidarity with all those who continue to suffer the consequences of the protracted Bawku conflict and its spillover into surrounding communities.

The Minority unequivocally condemns this heinous act, which constitutes not only a gross violation of the rights to life, safety, and dignity, but also a direct assault on women and children—the most vulnerable members of our society. The intentional targeting and murder of a mother and her children reflect a deepening crisis of insecurity and a grave breakdown of law and order in parts of the Upper East Region.

Most disturbing is the continued failure of the Government to exercise its constitutional mandate to protect lives and maintain peace in these conflict-prone areas. This attack is not an isolated occurrence; it is the latest in a disturbing pattern of unchecked violence that has gone unaddressed by the Government.

The Government’s persistent inaction and the absence of comprehensive and gender-responsive security response strategy constitute a serious infraction of its obligations to safeguard the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

Also this failure flies in the face of Ghana’s commitments under international frameworks such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (GHANAP II).

Minority Caucus notes with concern that, despite ample evidence of the deteriorating security situation in Bawku and its environs, the Government has failed to intervene decisively to de-escalate the conflict, provide adequate protection to civilians, particularly women and children, and initiate targeted support mechanisms for victims and displaced families.

Hence the Minority Caucus on the Gender, Children and Social Welfare Committee, therefore demand:
(i) The deployment of specialized protection units trained in civilian and child protection, particularly in conflict-prone areas.

(ii) The establishment of a humanitarian relief framework to support women and children affected by the ongoing violence.

And is the duty of the Government to act not with platitudes, but with urgency, intentionality, and sustained commitment to safeguarding human lives. The lives lost in Binduri are a painful reminder of what happens when leadership fails in its most basic responsibility of protecting its people.

Ghanamps.com