Category: General

As part of the integration process, President Nana Akufo-Addo has called on leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demonstrate strong political will to make the community attain economic and political success.

According to the Ghanaian President, to make the process real it is important for the welfare of the three hundred and fifty million citizens of West Africa to be cared for.

He made this remarks at the Annual International Conference of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, on Monday, 21st October, 2019.

The President noted that the principal reason for the creation of ECOWAS was to enhance inter-regional commerce and co-operation.

And further explained that there was a clear recognition that the countries of West Africa would be a more effective economic bloc and have a stronger political voice if they came together.

“Subsequently, provision was also made for solving inter-state conflicts, as well as grave intra-state ones too. Today, however, while the EU is central to the lives of Europeans, ECOWAS is, still, somewhat peripheral to the lives of most West Africans. And it is not for the lack of plans or even rules and regulations. It is simply that the political will to make integration real has been less evident than in Europe,” he said.

Describing the problem as a lack of leadership, President Akufo-Addo stated that West Africa cannot make the bold transforming changes it needs to make without visionary political leadership.

“We need leadership that is focused on the region, and not on individual countries. The European Union took off because the political leadership of France and Germany decided to make it work. Once the political will is evident, we can then work together to make ECOWAS a true regional community,” the President noted.

“Since the Court has exclusive responsibility for the interpretation and application of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, Courts of Member States must be encouraged to refer questions of interpretation of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty and other community texts, in cases before them involving questions of the Treaty and community texts, to the ECOWAS Court of Justice, in order to ensure uniformity in the interpretation of the Treaty and the texts”, he added.

The President stressed that importance of Member States complying with judgments of the Court, explaining that “the ECOWAS Revised Treaty provides that judgments of the Court are binding on all Member States, institutions, corporate bodies and individuals.”

He continued, “What makes ECOWAS better will make each of our individual countries better and more prosperous. It is time for those who believe in regional integration to give enthusiastic support to Community decisions and inspire confidence and integrity in the structural organs of ECOWAS, such as the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Our people deserve no less, and the dream of prosperity will be within our grasp”.

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Macro-economic Policy and Economic Research, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku has said, the sub-regional body remains the most dynamic regional economic community bloc in Africa, “Despite the numerous challenges confronting the regional integration programme ECOWAS is pursuing”.

According to Dr. Apraku, in other to make the regional integration process more relevant to the needs and aspiration of citizens within the community, the Commission has adopted vision 2020 in June 2007.

He added that, basic objective of transforming from ECOWAS of states to ECOWAS of people, where citizens would be actively involved in the regional integration process with its people becoming the ultimate beneficiaries.

Dr. Konadu Apraku commended the collaboration between the ECOWAS Commission and Court of Justice, in an open remark on a four day conference organized by the court of Justice in Accra.

Speaking on behalf of the Commission, President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, further noted that the regional integration present the most cost effective and broad base  economic development way, to overcome the limitations of smaller internal markets and also increase, “our bargaining power to reduce negotiation, cost and ultimately reduce high rate”.

The region has recorded a lot of achievements in the areas of peace, security, economic integration, and development as significant progress has been made to sustain peace and security, through preventive diplomacy, he indicated.

“ECOWAS region has become relatively stable with occasional conflicts arising from terrorism, in the area of democracy and a good governance initiative by ECOWAS has yielded tangible results and consolidation of democratic institutions”.

Again, there has been monitoring of conduct of elections in various countries in member states in the region with considerable progress made.

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Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye is advocating for African Presidents who attempt to elongate their stay in power to be ostracized from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West Africans (ECOWAS).

According to Speaker Oquaye, an issue like “he is the Chairman of AU or ECOWAS and it is his turn”, should be done away with and rather the focus should be on democratic principles; “we should have standards”, he added.

“Some parts of Africa people ruling today have no limitation of turner, they undermine democracy; when the European Union (EU) started Spain and Portugal apply to join despite being Europeans they were refused because their democratic credentials were not strong enough. In Africa everybody feels they have national flag and should be member of AU and ECOWAS”.

Professor Aaron Oquaye emphasised that African leaders who insist they would go their own way should be ostracized out of the Union otherwise they would pollute the Union, “ground rules should be established”.

He made this remarks when the Speaker of Gambia’s Parliament Rt. Honorable Mariam Jack-Denton called on him, as part of a study tour of Ghana’s Parliament.

“We have the West African Court of Appeals, West African Examination Council”, but lamented over the absence of West Africa Cocoa Research Institute, and queried how can ECOWAS be strong and relevant when we don’t have blocks?

According to him, the biggest form of instability on the African continent has to do with elections, and wondered why can’t we sit together, have measures in place so that no Ghanaian can register in Togo and the other way round.

“Electronic means we should have a common electoral register so that it is not possible to have your name in Togo or Ghana register,  no good citizen would want to vote in two countries, we should be meeting more and learn from each other’.

Also we have not finished learning, we have had our difficult times as a nation and we are still working hard to deepen our democracy and exchange in this regard we consider to be very useful.

“Democracy is facing much difficulties otherwise you would not see what is taking place in the United States of America, though out my life I have not seen the Supreme Count of England being called to make and interpretation of political matter, even those we learn from are complaining this are the realities”.

We should learn the dynamics of disagreeing to agree and know that no one country has what I call the best model to be adopted, we continue to learn, he said.

“We are lucky our military interruptions did not end up in wars, we manage our situation to get us off crisis that others have gone through and we are going through constitutional reforms and we trust the fourth Republican constitution would be the last”

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The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Sulemana Mahama has called on the, Licensed Surveyors Association of Ghana (LISAG) to address disproportionate representation on the Lands Commission across the regions.

According to the Executive Secretary almost all the surveyors are based in Accra, Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions at the neglect of the rural areas where most of the agriculture activities take place.

“You are virtually absent any time we are reconstituting the Lands Commission in the Upper East and West Regions, we find it difficult to reconstitute, as we get your representation from Accra, with your complain being it is less rewarding financially being in the other regions apart from the key ones”.

He made this remarks when he addressed the maiden general meeting and seminar in Accra on the theme, “Land Ownership and Registration: the role of the licensed surveyor”.

Mr. Sulemana Mahama pointed out that the relationship between LISAG and the Lands Commission has huge potentials going into the future, looking at the assistance giving in designing a social policy framework before cabinet.
“We have embarked on a supply city redevelopment programme across the country and we are doing that in consultation with you, trying to see the development of our urban states by 2030, but we should not neglect the rural areas otherwise we would continue to see migration to the neglect of our food production areas and distort the country’s economic development paradigm”.

In addition, leases of government land made before 1969 ended 22nd August, 2019, and were all reverted back to Government. However, identifying them by Lands Commission is a very herculean task, LISAG can provide us with your assistance renewing these with attractive rate with our goodwill towards you, he said.

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The Colombian Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Claudia Turbay Quintero has called on the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye.

To assist the Speaker to receive the Colombia Ambassador was chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Frank Annoh Dompreh and his ranking Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The media was allowed to take pictures there after they moved into an in-camera meeting where the media had to leave for them to have closed door meeting, at the request of the Ambassador on Friday the 11th of October 2019.

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Speaker of the National Assembly of the Gambia, Rt. Honorable Marian Jack-Denton has called on his Ghanaian counterpart Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye on Monday 7th October 2019 as she tours to learn from the experience of Ghana.

She was accompanied by Majority Leader Kebba K. Barrow, Minority Leader Samba Jallow,  Muhamed Magassy and Fatumatta Njai both lawmakers, all members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.

Others are Clerk Momodou A. Sise, Human Resources Rabiatou Jallow, Sally Secka principal accountant, Kalipha MM Mbye director table office Gibairu Janneh director of protocol and Kelepha Nyassi senior protocol officer.

Rt. Honorable Marian Jack-Denton first female lawyer of the Gambia left the shores of Ghana forty-three years ago as student of University of Ghana and had been speaker for two and half years.

“Gambia has come from a very difficult past; we have had twenty-two years of dictatorship nothing worked as Parliament was an extension of the Executive arm of Government that had no independence. Always taking instructions from the Executive, in 2016 things changed and was not business as usual there is a lot to be done”, she told speaker Oquaye.

The visiting Gambia speaker further noted that Ghana has had its difficult moment but had transformed over the years, and are in to learn from experienced lawmakers in Ghana as she would want to leave legacy in Gambia.

They visited the Ghanaian chamber and would be holding meetings with head of research and budget office, to discuss financial and administrative independence, learn from the experience of the Parliamentary Service Board in the coming days.

“We have had good working relation with Ghana where as a lawyer we have had Ghana’s Court of Appeal judges come to work in the Gambia, even at the High Court’s they came there as   judges they help to enrich our jurisprudence”.

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The Accra Central Commander of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Anderson Fosu-Anckaah has called for the formulation and strategies to enforce policies and institutional coordination to deal with road crashes.

According to the MTTD Assistant Commander there is the need to understand the magnitude of traffic deaths, injuries and crashes as well as road user.

He further added that there is the need to think about the geographical areas, risk factors contributing to the crashes in a particular space, time and institutional structures necessary to address the road traffic problems.

ACP Anderson Fosu-Anckaah who was speaking at at the launch of he report .also noted that “All road safety stakeholders must adopt the findings of the report in order to improve road safety outcomes in Accra”, he said.

A representative of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr. Sarah Nana Yeboah said the hospital has created an emergency society chapter aimed at sharing best practices in solving emergency health cases across the city.

“Serious injuries and death on the roads are not random accidents they are preventable, and the detailed analysis in this report shows where and for whom prevention affords need to be targeted so that fewer Accra dwellers die on the roads”.

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The Minority in Parliament have challenged President Nana Akufo-Addo to declare his stands on, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), issues that some developed countries want to force on Ghana.

According to the Minority in a press conference addressed on Friday October 4, 2019,  by Haruna Iddrisu noted that,  all former Presidents of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, John Kuffor, late John Mills and John Dramani Mahama have made their stands known.

“They have given their clear stands against this satanic foreign inspired and sponsored agenda, we know where the Speaker Professor Oquaye stand on this issue Mr. President please where do you stand?”

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu noted that the move to introduce a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), at the basic level in Ghana is being desperately championed by the LGBT community.

“It is most shocking that a President who carries himself outwardly as a pious builder of the Lord’s Cathedral for which he is pulling down many pre-existing structures including bungalows for judges and passport office will expose his duplicitous character by embarking on such a terrible assault on the morals of our children”, he lamented.

He further explained that if the CSE is allowed to stand, the President can expect the current generation of children to grow and blasphemously turn his cathedral into a stinking brothel of sodomy.

The despicable conduct of the Akufo-Addo administration in signing Ghana up as the lead nation in a group of six African countries which includes Eswatinin former Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe which are being descript by UNESCO as program acceleration countries is the most, “betrayal of the Ghanaian people in recent history”.

“We are deeply concern that at a time many countries are prioritizing the teaching of maths, science, coding, artificial intelligence and climate change, our government’s focus in on Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the service of an evil LGBT agenda”.

The Minority has taken judicial notice of the pathetic attempt by the Minister of Education Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh 1st of October 2019 at a press conference, to deny government’s complicity and active implementation of the CSE agenda.

This initiative is being funded by the Swedish government and so far twenty-two million dollars ($22m) has so far been committed, with government giving assurance to her international partners that they would do everything politically possible to, “overcome social resistance and operational constraints”.

“All funds collected in addition to manuals, guidelines, teachers’ resources packs and curriculum should be returned to the external promoters”.

The Minority urged Ghanaians to remain vigilant, resolute and be determined to collectively resist any sinister and evil force on the prowl in Ghana as the battle has not yet been won.

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Parliament has set the record straight pointing out to the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu that it has not done anything in any way to sabotage and obstruct its work concerning the prosecution of a former Minister in the John Mahama led administration.

According to a statement signed by the Acting Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, Kate Addo, Parliament has collaborated with any law enforcement agency including Office of the Special Prosecutor.

“Mr. Amidu requested the release the release of Mahama Ayariga to be arranged before the High court in Accra on 4th June 2019, a meeting was to dialogue with your office as to how your office and court could be availed of Ayariga before court. With regards to his privileges presumption of innocence and in a manner in which would enable him to continue to efficiently perform his Parliamentary duties”.

The statement further noted that in a meeting with SP, his attention was drawn to Article 117 118 (1) and 122 of the 1992 constitution which provides that, “117 civil or criminal process coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on or executed in relation to Speaker or a Member or the Clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to attending at or returning from any proceedings of Parliament”.

It is clear from the onset that the Special Prosecutor knew the purpose of the meeting and he elected to come and was accompanied by an official from his outfit at an open meeting in the Speakers conference Room, with the Speaker, the statement added.

The Majority and Minority Leaders, Ranking members of the constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Clerk to Parliament were part.

“To suggest therefore that the Speaker had a private meeting to get him to approach the prosecution wrongfully in unfounded, Speaker emphasised that MPs are not above the law. However there was the need to respect their privileges as in the 1992 constitution, the SP differed however with this viewpoint and the meeting ended”.

A letter of appreciation was sent to the SP and reference made to his differing viewpoint on the matter.

It was suggested to the SP that the long three month vacation was coming August to October 2019  and the MP could be tried day to day, certainly the SP did not see the benefit of the suggestion to use the vacation time in Parliament to do the trial.

“The time is almost gone and the Special Prosecutor has done nothing, Parliament wants to state categorically that it co-operated with SP during the investigation stages of the case in question. Indeed, Parliament has in the past collaborated with other law enforcement agencies in similar matters.

As a law making arm of government, Parliament will under no circumstances attempt to break the Laws of Ghana, “the Special Prosecutor should not draw Parliament into his own issues at all”.

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