Author: Kwaku GhanaMPs

Residents of Weija Gbawe constituency in the Greater Accra Region made up of traditional leaders and mainly teaming jobless youth on Thursday, September 29, 2022 appealed to the President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene for the only cement factory in the constituency to start operation after two years when it was commissioned under the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative.
At a press conference organised at the premises of the company and addressed by president of the residents association Mr. Kwaku Danso pointed out that early on a handful of residents staying at McCarthy Hill and form an association missed informed members of the general public that the operation of the company would cause pollution in the area.
According to them the Chines and Ghanaian partnership cement factory, Empire Cement has a high technology and ecofriendly system which would create thirteen thousand direct jobs for the youth in the constituency and would benefit the Ghanaian economy at large.
“This appeal has been necessitated by the fact that thirty-five million United States dollars has been injected into the company and it’s important that it does not go down the drain as it would serve as a disincentive to prospective investors both local and foreign”.
He further pointed out that the company which was registered at the Registrar General Department for the sole purpose of manufacturing and bagging cement and subsequently registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Center and 1D1F secretariat at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, “is ready for operation for the past five months yet has not started work because of some unseen hands”.
Some of the unemployed youth who spoke to Ghanamps.com appealled to government to intervene and as a matter of urgency ensure that within a month, the factory would start operations for them to start working since they cannot afford to go round stealing, as they are jobless.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has urged his colleagues politicians to have a mind renewal of thinking of how to address challenges that confront Ghana and address them than thinking of the next elections.

According to him everything in the country has been made partisan; “we are unable to confront boldly the challenges that face our nation, so galamsey is destroying us, people are dying of cancer and people die without knowing why they die”. The Effutu lawmaker who is board chair of Ghana Water Company Limited, (GWCL) noted that the water that Ghanaians drink, is not safe hence the need to join hands to confront illegal mining known popularly as ‘galamsey’.

I call on my colleague politicians from CPP, NDC, NPP, let us come together and build a consensus on the key national issues that would benefit our people”.  And added that in the long term that is what the Europeans and Americans have done, and “we all want to go there. If we continue with this and this type of parochial politics, trust me our country would go nowhere”.

Commissioning a three unit classroom block in Sankor in his constituency, he expressed worry over another bad practice that has found its way into the Ghanaian politics where party members take loan under regimes of the past president in Ghana and do not pay back those loans.

“Where is the loan we took under former president Rawlings, we took it and said we are NDC members and did not pay back, same under President Kuffour, we said we are NPP members and did not pay back, where is the Loan we took under former President John Mills and John Mahama?” And further pointed out that someone was given twenty million Ghana cedis, ten million Ghana cedis; some were ask to use the money to open factories, Guinea fowl but they did not pay back.

President Akufo Addo is president now, “ myself, even if I do not know, apart from MASLOC that people got, when we had COVID-19, I personally led people who got momo” and recounted years back where he worked with the bauxite industry and went to court. “If I get my money and I do not look after it well can I give someone to spend, if government gives you money and you do not look after it well and someone looks after it well and the person becomes well to do then you jealous the person, jealously is killing you and you go about bad mouthing ?”,he added..

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central Region, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo- Markin continues to positively impact his constituents as he commissioned and handed over a fully furnished 3-unit classroom block for Sankor African Christian Mission School (ACM) in his constituency – Winneba East.

Aside the newly built classroom block, he is also building another 3-unit block for the Junior High School (J HS) all in the spirit of providing conducive environment for teaching and learning.

Addressing the gathering, the MP said it is their duty to preserve and uphold the dream that the founders of the African Christian Mission had for the community particularly in establishing the school.

According to him, while they work hard to improve the infrastructure for the school, parents would have to do more to keep their children in check from going wayward and ensure they focus on their education so that the investment being made in them would inure to their benefit in future and keep the Effutu dream alive.

To this end, he has directed the Municipal Chief Executive,  Alhaji Zubeiru Kasim to as a matter of urgency pull down all building projects that have encroached on the school land in order to protect it for future expansion. He asked all individuals who have encroached on the school land to provide their permits.

He said actions like that (demolishing) are important, saying “If we did not do that, like Kojo Badu, we would not have built a hospital there and the library”.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin also promised to build a library for the school and was hopeful that before the school goes on Christmas break, he would commission the library and the ongoing junior high school block.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive for Effutu, Alhaji Zubeiru Kasim on his part also refurbished and handed over 3-unit classroom block which was falling apart close to the newly built block.

The headmaster of the school who appealed for measures to be taken to protect the school land and other properties called for fencing of the school since according to him, people have been performing rituals in the school which doesn’t augur well for the school.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Dominic Shiriemori/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has given assurance to his constituents that, he would serve them without any discrimination no matter the political party any of them belongs to, be it the Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) or the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to him they are all one people and one Effutu; “every one of you would benefit in one way or the other but let me add that everything cannot be done one day, today would be yours, tomorrow would be another person.

And assured them that he is going to make them proud in Parliament when the Effutu name is mentioned in Parliament, “you would be proud that your ‘do the do’ is representing you in Parliament”.

The Deputy Majority Leader recounted that since his childhood, he has been part of the Effutu Community, and since he was born they gave him the opportunity to serve as an Assemblyman, the youngest presiding member and again as a Member of Parliament.

“The Lord I serve be my guide, I shall never turn my back on you, I would work day and night, rain or shine, in poverty and riches, whether I have or not I would be honest with you, work with you for us to transform this community. There shall not be turning back in good and bad times in good health and in poor health; I am committed to serve you”.

Commissioning and handing over a fully furnished three unit classroom block at Sankor, for the African Christian Mission (A.C.M) basic school, a project he fully funded, the MP noted that he is going to be a leader who would focus on the next generation and not the next election.

Again, he stated that “I am going to be very strict on those of you who are taking advantage of opportunities, trust me the days of pampering are over, we are going to be strict to ensure that when you get financial support you work hard” adding that the developed counties that people are struggling to secure visa and visit are not lazy people, and they have done well to develop their place to make it attractive.

According to him, this is the time for us to change and he is not going to spare anybody, especially those young people he is preparing as private sector pioneers, “that I am calling the entrepreneur of Effutu, let me assure you if it’s all about the next elections, I am sorry I am going to be strict on you and ensure that there is value for money”, he stated.

The MP also warned the young entrepreneurs to show dedication to work with integrity stating that he would not allow them to use monies meant for projects to be diverted into executing private works at the expense of the general public; “we would not allow you anymore, those days are over, first work hard and earn your genuine money”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Domini Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Vice chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said Association’s member states in the West Africa sub-region are doing well in parliamentary practice hence attracting countries within the sub-region from the Francophone stock.

According to him tremendous strides are being made despite the fact that occasionally there are bumps on the way, even within the Executive presidency that has been adopted.

He noted in an interview that at the just ended 65^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) hosted by Canada in Halifax the good example that obtains in the sub-region is engendering a  development where now the  Francophones’  are now joining the Commonwealth.

In Halifax the Republic of Togo was there, the newest member of the Commonwealth fraternity. Gabon was there, “do not forget Rwanda has already joined not Anglophone or ruled by Britain in the pre-independence era, Mozambique has also joined”.

And the signals are that other Francophones’ want to join; and further added that the bond has to do with good governance that the Countries in CPA are offering and the good parliamentary practice that obtains in the Anglophones or Commonwealth countries.

“This is becoming a shining example to the rest of Africa in my view, which is one of the principal reasons they want to join to learn from best practice to improve their own governance”,

The Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament who is aluminous of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliament pointed out that in the sub-region there are three countries that are very strong in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) including Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria, adding that Gambia is the fourth country.

As to whether being member of the CPA sub-regional parliaments are learning best practices not to amend their constitutions to elongate the tenure at the presidency, he noted that, unfortunately Gambia is not a good story to tell in the immediate post-independence era.

Also there was an occasion in Ghana when a president tried to prolong his stay in power thereafter, the first Republic, Ghana had really lifted up its game with respect to the prolongation to the term of presidents under constitutional rule.

“So Ghana has distanced itself from that kind of arrangement; Gambia did and had to leave the Commonwealth after those events, they have now come back to the Commonwealth fraternity”.

  Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Parliament has cautioned the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ministry of Communications to refrain from the act of blocking people’s SIMs since that infringes on the right to communication.

According to the Minority, the action by the Ministry of Communication and the National Communications Authority is self-serving, adding that Ghanaians cannot be forced to suffer for administrative and institutional failures. At a press briefing on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, addressed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, he stated that the Minority take strong exception to the ongoing blockage of SIM cards; and advised that the government should focus on ensuring easy access to the Ghana Card, which the government has made a prerequisite to registering one’s SIM.

“The frustrations in registration of SIMs with telecom companies through third-party private entities and the NIA with a different mandate can only be attributed to the repressive tendencies of this government. In the conduct of the SIM re-registration exercise, basic rights have been overlooked. Communication is a right and opportunity must be given to every citizen to procure communication services”.

“Today, digitalization and ICT are directly tied to key Fundamental Rights including the Right to privacy and communication “as no person’’ should be subjected to interference with the privacy of his communication’’. (Article 18 supra). It is the view of the minority that the NCA is acting ultra vires in curtailing the exercise and enjoyment of the Right to privacy of communication. The government is proceeding erroneously as if every Ghanaian has a Ghana card. This is simply not true, it is not the case.

The ministry and the NCA is simply ignoring the legitimate concerns of Ghanaians who are crying and saying ’we do not have the Ghana card, help us access this public goods”. Mr. Haruna Iddrisu describes as backward the decision to cut telecommunication services to subscribers. “The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) actually places premium on Emergency Telecommunication.

To completely cut telecommunication services to subscribers for no other reason than to limit usage by citizens is the lowest point in a nation’s telecommunications development. It is a backward regulatory/policy prescription to follow in any regime. Too much reliance of rules/regulations exposes a communications system as immature”. They have called on the Ministry of Communications and the National Communications Authority to desist from treating the Communications Sector as personal fiefdoms at the peril of the country’s development.

“We expect more professional and insightful approach to the management of the sector to avoid further worsening of the sector. The present level of competition leaves much to be desired. A return to the monopoly days, or any operation of pseudo-competitive environment or duopoly will be an unpardonable indictment”, Haruna emphasized.

Ghanamps.com