Category: General

The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi has justified the need for the issuance of licenses to Small Scale Miners despite calls by well-meaning Ghanaians on the government to stop all forms of small-scale and illegal mining.

He gave the justification when he appeared before the Assurances Committee of Parliament to respond to his outfit’s role in the issuance of mining licenses to small-scale miners, the upsurge in illegal mining as well as measures geared towards curtailing the menace in the country.

Mr. Ayisi opined that a move to stop issuing licenses to small-scale miners would worsen the situation, adding that delayed license issuance has been a major contributing factor to the illegal mining crisis. He said, “When you don’t give them the licenses, what they would do is that they will go and do it illegally.” “To say we shouldn’t grant licenses that will be a problem,” he stressed.

Additionally, he stated that in 2018 when the government placed a complete ban on small-scale mining, Ghana recorded 48% of small-scale production in the history of the country where Ghana toppled South Africa.

He explained that, for one to obtain a license or authorization for small-scale mining, one must go through the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Forestry Commission among others, and stressed that failure to obtain licenses from any amounts to illegal mining.

He indicated that as a regulator, the Commission is mandated to conduct site inspections and report to the District Assemblies for the Regional Security Council to deploy security to arrest the illegal miners. “The solution to illegal mining is by investing millions of dollars into Geological Surveys Authority, the government explorers.”

He told the committee that anybody who mines in any river body, or forest reserves is engaged in criminal activity emphasizing that, the Commission will not issue a license to anybody to pollute and degrade the forest.

However, the Chairman of the Assurance Committee and MP for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa raised issues from an alleged report where a small-scale mining firm called Akonta Mines Limited has breached the mining law by destroying the Samraboi concession.

Ghanamps.com

This year’s African conference hosted by the school of politics, policy and Government has called for the reshaping of the political landscape in Nigeria and the African continent as well as giving future leaders superior supportive environment to acquire knowledge of governance.

Speaking at the conference in Abuja, with the theme “Good Governance in Africa: Leaders and Citizens Driving Systemic Change,” Founder, School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Obiageli Ezekwesili said the forum was put in place to change and upgrade the mindsets of future leaders in Africa.

“When governance whether at the local level, state or national level in your countries, you don’t govern for the population that you immediately see, you govern for Africa. We want you to immediately have that mindset of the Africa solution that will be exponential in impact as well as interconnected”.

He stated further that academic research findings show clearly that Africa’s development challenge is primarily because of the absence of good governance, and if research gives you evidence of what your malady is or the cause of your malady, what you must do as a sensible group of people is to address your malady.

“So, since poor governance is our malady as a people, as a continent, the research that I did then gives me an insight into how to address the malady. And the critical part of it is to begin the development of an entirely new political mindset and culture,” she said.

The keynote Speaker Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, called for more involvement of women and youth in politics, decision making and governance in Africa; adding that the time for sitting on the fence is over.

“People who felt that they have something to offer their countries must also consider that grassroot does not mean illiterate, grassroot does not mean not knowledgeable; that is the foundation of everything. And if you feel that you are too big to be at the grassroot level, that is what you will see at the end when other people you feel are not as enlightened as you are will decide who you subsequently have to choose as your leader because you have decided not to take part at the grassroot level of the primary choice of who your leaders should be,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer, School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Alero Ayida-Otobo said the barrier of development is absence of good governance, as such there was the need to develop entirely new political architecture that will bring in productive leaders.

The weight of this single mandate is enormous and it is on every single one of us because you came and you are hearing this; you are now going to be held accountable to deliver the future, she admonished.

“Many times, those that are value-driven, those that are disruptive in their thinking, they feel alone, and they feel there is no body around them. What we want to do is to build a platform that they can stand on, then connect them,” she concluded.

The 2024 Africa Conference, a prelude to the graduation ceremony of the fourth graduates of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance brought together value-oriented politicians from Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, Zimbabwe among other African countries to brainstorm on how to reposition the continent’s politics and governance.

Ghanamps.com

Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has served notice that the House will reconvene on October 15, 2024, for the fifth meeting of the fourth session of the 8th Parliament.

Pursuant to order 58 of the standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, the meeting shall take place at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre at 10:00am.

A visit by Ghanamps.com to the House last week Thursday, September 26, 2024, witnessed that works on the retrofitting of the chamber has stalled.

This is contrary to earlier indication from the House that the chamber will be ready in October 2024, by the time the Members of Parliament come back from recess.

Ghanamps.com

Second Rapporteur of the Community Parliament’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Budget, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has revealed that the three Sahel countries that gave notice of exiting the West African sub-regional bloc have stopped remitting their levies to the bloc.

According to him despite Guinea being under sanction for its military coup, same as the other three, Guinea continues to remite its levy to the bloc and cooperating to return the country back to democratic rule.

In a telephone interview with Ghanamps.com as he represents Ghana at the Community Parliament’s third Extraordinary Session ongoing in Lome -Togo, he pointed out that the shortfalls in the levy has affected salaries of ECOWAS staffs who have not seen increment, same with the allowance of MPs despite increment in goods, services and transport around the sub-region.

“When the Director of Finance and Administration in her presentation brought this to our attention, we noted that if we are not careful the Community institutions will collapse, as funds is the engine that is supposed to move the institutions in the Community”.

He further added that funds which are not forth coming as they should, will affect programs and projects, “Why will the three Sahel remit to ECOWAS their levies when they have served notice to sever ties with the bloc?

Because in their minds they are no longer members of the bloc. It is the reason ECOWAS institutions hit the wall each time they try to approach them, “they do not respond to any of our request, and we have up to January 2024 which will be the end of one year for their exit”.

Hon Bedzrah further pointed out that, the Speaker’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Budget had their meeting early before the third extraordinary meeting, to discuss the Community budget for 2025.

And the speaker formed an Ad Hoc Committee to prepare the budget of the parliament and as a member of that Ad Hoc Committee, the ECOWAS Commission has indicated that they should have a zero increment.

Which means, what was given to them as a budget in 2024, in 2025 they would not increase it, the Community leavy has not been coming, those doing their best to remit have reduced drastically, hence there is shortage in income, he disclosed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Community Parliament’s, Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. has called for a long awaited crucial meeting at the ongoing third Extra Ordinary Session in Lome – Togo per a document sighted by Ghanamps.com to update and deal with some political situations ongoing in member states in the sub-region.

Other members of the Committee are Hon. Salifou ISSA, Hon Awaji-Inombek-Dagomie Abiante, Hon Johnson Kwaku Adu, Hon Rosa Lopes Rocha, Hon Abdoulaye Keita, Hon Ireti Heebah Kingibe and Hon Abdoulaye Vilane.

The Committee will meet delegations from four countries in Lome -Togo on Friday, September 27, 2024, later in the day.

The sub-regional countries to meet the Committee are;

• A delegation from Ghana to update the Committee on preparation of Ghana ahead of its December 7, 2024, presidential and Parliamentary elections.

• Senegal – As a result of the political situation in country; that is the dissolution of their National Assembly;
• Guinea Bissau also due to the dissolution of their National Assembly.

• An update on the roadmap to return to constitutional rule in Guinea and the ongoing mission of the ECOWAS Commission in the Member State.

High on the agenda of the Committee meeting will also be an update on the withdrawal of the three Sahel Member States (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic) and their Alliance des du Sahel (AES) confederation.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

A former Supreme Court judge of the Republic of Ghana, Justice Dotse is advocating for Ghana to have either the Presidential system of Government where the president appoints all Ministers outside Parliament or Parliamentary system where all the Ministers are from Parliament.

According to him the current hybrid where the President of the Republic of Ghana appoints majority of his Ministers from Parliament is not helping as majority of the MPs on the Majority side will do everything they can to catch the eye of the President for appointment.

He said this in an interview at a stakeholders’ consultation meeting on the validation of the Constitutional Review Commissions report of the 1992 constitution of Ghana, which is on the theme: “building consensus and promoting ownership for the review of the 1992 constitution”.

He believes that when all the Ministers are appointed outside Parliament, it will give the lawmakers the complete attention to focus on their oversight functions, like we have in America and Britain, adding that in the current hybrid system, Ministers are mostly absent when they are needed to answer questions on the floor of parliament.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority through its ranking member on Defence and Interior committee who doubles as MP for Builsa North, Mr James Agalga has condemned the deployment of the military to enforce compliance of ban on cereals at the various borders of the country.

He explained that, it is a core mandate for immigration and customs to secure our borders with respect to goods moving both inside and outside the country; therefore, it is a misplaced priority to use the military for such operations, more also where the minister failed to indicate that the enforcement task is beyond the immigration and customs.

Mr Agalga further added that, the decision of government to use the military at the various borders is a strategy to prevent Ghanaians living outside Ghana from coming to vote during December 7 elections.

He indicated that, it is a plan of the government to use the military to threaten people from coming to vote on December 7, more especially as the minister for food and agriculture, Mr Bryan Acheampong has said, the NPP won’t hand over power to the NDC.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Majority women caucus in Ghana’s eighth Parliament has thrown its support for Lydia Seyram Alhassan in her pursuit seeking justice as she seeks redress in a case when Mr. John Dumelo accused her of somehow involvement in the death of her late husband.

Mr Dumelo made the vile and groundless claim during a recent debate organize by TV3 in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.

At a press conference addressed by the chair of the Majority Women caucus,Patricia Appiagyei, she noted that, “this outrageous and contemptible statement is not only a vicious attack on the MP but also an insult to all women who work tirelessly to serve their communities and the nation in position of leadership”.

“We encourage her to take this matter to a court of competent jurisdiction where Mr. John Dumelo will be compelled to prove his baseless and malicious allegations, this legal action should serve as a powerful warning to anyone who attempts to slander or defame women for political gain”

“And for a public figure to so callously and recklessly malign a woman who has endured the profound loss of her spouse is both deplorable and unforgivable”.

“Does his comment also mean same for the NDC MP for Shai Osudoku, Hon Linda Obenawaa Akweley Ocloo who also became MP when her husband sadly died?”

We urge all political actors and members of the public to conduct their discourse with respect, truthfulness and decency, refraining from personal attacks that undermine our democratic process. And the progress of our democracy depends on the ability of all participants to engage in meaningful debate on ideas and policies without descending into the gutters of unfounded and disrespectful allegations, she stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has revealed that a total of 1,125 houses are currently under construction for settlement of people who were displaced by the Akosombo dam spillage.

He explained that 115 houses are currently being constructed as another budget has also been approved for another 1,010 houses to get all affected people a permanent place to live.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Government Assurance Committee and MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa was not pleased with the responses from the minister since he believes, the victims of the spillage have not been treated fairly even though their issue was a national disaster.

All these comments came up when the Minister appeared before the committee to respond to questions about the spillage and what the government has done about it so far.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Hydrological Authority, Dr John Kissi has disclosed that the country needs five billion dollars ( $5 Billion Dollars) to address the flooding challenges in the country.

He explained that, an estimate conducted on the current flooding incidents in the country and the level of its impact, such an amount would be required to mitigate the challenge but only GHC 92 million cedis was allocated to the agency in addressing flooding for the entire country.

Also, the Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said, Ghana is far behind about 15 to 20 years with respect to the kind of resilience infrastructure to contain flooding or climate change.

These comments came up when the ministry appeared before government assurance Committee to answer questions of flood in general as well as measures put in place to dredge Kpeshie Lagoon, Keta Lagoon and others.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com