Author: Enestina GhanaMPs

Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza has accused the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration of fleecing Ghanaians with the E-gate initiative at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

He said that whereas it took the previous Mahama administration $250 million to build the entire Terminal 3 at the KIA, the Akufo-Addo administration spent $147 million to provide just the E-gate alone.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, December 18, he said “The Vice President went to the airport attempting to launch something called e-gate. The truth is that the thing has been part of Terminal 3 at KIA. The debate was how it would be activated. The news of the activation of the gate should have been welcoming news; but the disaster and the embarrassment it cost. It is basically a new create, loot and share which the Vice President should have known better”.

“President Mahama spent $250 million to build the entire Terminal 3 at KIA but Vice President Bawumia actually looked on when an entity in this country proposed that the e-gate alone would be $200 million dollars. That amount has been revised to $150 million and today we are told it is still around $147million. What will be the justification for this? The Ministry of Finance and Ghana Immigration Service are in a rush to activate this and allow a private entity to fleece the people of this country.”

The E-gate system was expected to grant smooth and easy passage for passengers on arrival at the airport. It was thus expected to improve turnaround time for passengers on arrival. It is also expected to help check and deal with miscreants who may want to enter the country illegally.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

On Wednesday, December 18, 2024 in the hours of 10:00am two suspects namely Wisdom Ahlie, forty-two and Christopher Okyere, thirty-three were apprehended by the police in Parliament House for vandalizing windscreens and side glasses of parked vehicles in Parliament House.

In all five vehicles were involved; two Toyota Land cruisers belonging to Members of Parliament, a Toyota Rav 4, and two Toyota Camry belonging to staff of the parliamentary service.

A statement released by the director of media relations noted that an axe head was used in that operation, meanwhile the motive behind their action remain unknown.

The perpetrators have been handed over to the police service of Parliamentary unit to carry out further investigations into the matter.

Parliament has assured the public that there were no casualties; and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

Ghanamps.com

The Parliament of Ghana has appointed Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror as its new Clerk of Parliament after going through a fierce competition with two others.

He succeeds the current Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah who will be attaining the compulsory retirement age of sixty years on February 2, 2025.
The decision to settle on Mr. Djietror was by the Board of the Parliamentary Service at its extra ordinary meeting held in November 2024.

Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror is an experienced lawyer by profession and one of the longest serving procedural clerks. In addition to serving as the Clerk at the Table of the legislature, he has in the past served as the clerk to various committees of Parliament including the committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Business Committee, Committee on Judiciary as well as Committee on Foreign Affairs of Parliament.

A statement released by the Parliamentary Service on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, revealed that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has already issued an appointment letter to the incoming Clerk.

This is to enable him to commence work from January 1, 2025 following a directive from the Speaker to Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah to proceed on his due annual leave.

Swearing-in of new MPs

One of the visibly main tasks that will welcome the newly appointed Clerk to Parliament is to Chair and oversee the swearing-in of newly elected Members of Parliament and the Speaker for the 9th Parliament on January 7, 2025.

The incoming Clerk to Parliament is expected to conduct proceedings of the House without any difficulty.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin is expected to formally announce to the House about the appointment of the new Clerk to honourable Members of Parliament before the House rises Sine Die for the Christmas holidays.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority members of Parliament are opposing tall order of business when the Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin presented business statement on the floor of the House on Monday, December 16, 2024 and indicated that the House should not seat beyond Friday, December 20, 2024.

According to the Majority Leader the government businesses presented are not new to the House since some of the businesses have been on the order paper since 2022, others as far back as May, 2024.

The whole of Monday, December 16, 2024 was wasted on agreeing to adopt the business statement on the floor of the House as the Minority indicated that the Majority should not commit the incoming administration with financial burdens.

The most contentious item was the thirty-third report of the Appointment Committee of the eighth Parliament on the approval of the nominees for the Supreme Court as vetted by the Appointment Committee.

The Effutu MP noted that a bad example should not be set because some members disagree with some portions of the business statement, so they want to vote against the business statement.

A business statement is presented, just express your opinion, if your opinion carries the day on a subject matter that is fine, but you do not say the entire report should be rejected, he said.

In the wake of the heated debate on the floor of the House, the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin intervened pointing out that the House has been confronted with the subject matter they are looking at (approving judges when the lifespan of a parliament is just about terminating), and stated that when on the Committee of Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs which Nana Akufo-Addo now President then Ranking member of the Committee raised serious objection to the approval of judges when the lifespan of a parliament was few weeks to terminating, the then government had to drop those nominees; reasons given by the president who was MP at that time was that there was not time to do a thorough job.

The Speaker further added that, the Majority Leader should rather be pointing out ways of improving the issue that had previously confronted them.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Without any hint of who becomes the Speaker of the 9th Parliament of the fourth Republic which kicks start on January 7, 2025, Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin suggests that whoever may be decided on should come from within parliament.

He did not hide his desire to see the new government under John Mahama to allow the current Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin to continue in his current position.

According to him because the current Speaker is a former lawmaker, he was able to guide workings of the House with his experience. “We do not know if a new person is going to be appointed. Will they sack you with all you have done for them?” He queried.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin who was delivering his welcome message on the floor, the first meeting post the December 7, general elections noted that the NDC Minority cannot be predicted, and “if they decide to retain you, it will be the happiness of this House.
But if the new government decides to bring a new Speaker, the person should be from parliament; “we do not want an outsider, we want someone from within who understands the workings of the House”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The First Deputy Speaker of the eighth Parliament of the Republic of Ghana Joseph Osei Owusu has admonished the media in Ghana to desist from creating needless controversies in Ghana.

According to him the Supreme Court has already ruled that the four persons in the eighth parliament, whose seats were declared vacant at a point, would have their tenure terminated in the next few weeks, hence parliament is no more confronted with that issue.

He was responding to the media prior to Monday, December 16, 2024 sitting when journalist wanted an idea of how far both sides have gone to resolve the controversy about which side is in the Majority and Minority.

The Majority Leader led by Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin and his colleagues occupies the right hand side of the Speaker with the Minority at the left side of the Speaker, he said.

“And if anyone insists that those four persons are no longer Members of Parliament let that person be bold about it, Cynthia Morrison is an MP so we are going to seat where we were since 2021 till date”.

On the issue of expectations on MPs attending to the House, he noted that some have lost elections, “you do not expect everybody to be here. Those who lost are demoralized; Parliament will not have full complement of the House”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliament will reconvene today, Monday, December 16, 2024 after the Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s failed request to have parliament reconvened ahead of the Saturday, December 7, 2024 general elections.

Pursuant to order 58 of the Standing Orders of Parliament of Ghana, the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin gave notice that the seventh meeting of the fourth Session of the eighth parliament of the fourth Republic shall commence on Monday, the 16th of December 2024.

The Speaker’s rejection of recalling parliament earlier was simply that given the closeness of the elections barely 11 days, recalling members of Parliament would interrupt with their campaigns and that would not serve national interest.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

As announced by the Parliamentary board through the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin earlier that due to breaks in the wiring of the chamber and the need to reconfigure the chamber, the grand arena of the Accra International Conference center has to be used for the meeting place of the House.

The seventh meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament is currently underway at the grand arena with the main focus to prepare three months budget, for the smooth running of government before the new administration headed by the former president and now president-elect John Dramani Mahama takes over from the current New Patriotic Party led by Nana Akufo-Addo.

A visit by Ghanamps.com to the chamber block on Tuesday, December 16, 2024 witnessed very progressive work done to welcome the 9th Parliament with 276 members of Parliament.

The camber has been nicely painted, cables well laid awaiting fixing of microphones and chairs, which should be concluded by close of this week.

Workers were seen in the chamber working hard to finish up what is expected of them this week.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary museum has been completed adjacent the parliamentary press gallery and awaiting commissioning by the speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament elect for Ho West Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has thanked his constituents for returning him back to the 9th Parliament which starts on Tuesday, December 7, 2024 which is his fifth term.

According to him he was given close to eighty-four percent (84%) votes, saying it shows that his people love him and he is not taking it for granted, rather he is humbled.

In an interview in Parliament on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, he noted that Saturday, December 7, 2024 election is a verdict on the current administration’s performance in the sense that they have not done well at all; adding that in everything one does, “you take stock and you are given a verdict. The bible says a time is coming we will give account of the things we have done either good or bad”.
“If a Parliament of 276 and all you can do is getting less than one third of the MPs, it shows you have been rejected”.

When asked why it appears as though Ghanaian politicians do not learn from the mistake of others because in 2016 the mistakes of the NDC were the same mistakes committed by the NPP in 2024, he said “we are from the same breed, every politician; it is assumed that we are from the same mother. It is for us to learn, I have tasted power when I came to this House 2009. I have seen power twice and also endured opposition for two terms and I have seen a change of power again to my party, it is for us to learn from these mistakes”.

Again, the arrogance of power came to play and NPP should eat their own humble pie, wherever we have gone wrong we should let the people know that; it is the only way Ghanaians will forgive us.

And the promises we give we should be able to fulfill them, the major one being the 24hour economy. It is my expectation that this verdict given, we learn not to commit the same mistakes, even as we lose power in 2016 it did not go this way, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

A visit by Ghanamps.com to the chamber of Ghana’s Parliament, on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, witnessed workers finishing up work in the chamber, the laying of cables has been completed with work on the carpet ongoing.

Per investigation done by Ghanamps.com work will progress through the night to ensure early completion for Monday’s sitting.

Minority chief whip Governs Kwame Agbodza on his part indicated that he cannot tell whether the chamber or Dome will be used, as it is too early to tell but more would be known by the close of the week.

Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin gave indication earlier that pursuant to Order 58 of the standing Orders of Ghana’s Parliament, the House would reconvene on Monday, December 16, 2024.

“The seventh meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament of the fourth Republic shall commence on Monday, December 16, 2024”, a statement from the Speaker indicated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com