Category: General

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to appear before Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday March 13, 2019 in response to pertinent issues bothering the minds of some Members of Parliament.

This follows an order by the Speaker, Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye after the Minister failed to appear before the House to answer those pertinent questions standing in the name of some members of parliament on the financial sector.

Some four questions have been advertised severally on the Order Paper but the minister has not been appearing to answer those questions.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Krachi East, Michael Gyato wanted to know from the Minister the amount of money that is paid on every GHC100 transaction on mobile money transfer and whether the payment is made at the point of deposit, withdrawal or both.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo also wanted to find out how much has the government paid to GCB Bank for the takeover of selected assets and liabilities of UT and Capital Banks and provide the full details of terms and conditions of any instrument used for the payments.

The Bolgatanga Central MP also wanted to find out from the Minister why the GCB Bank has not filed its audited financial statements with the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Stock Exchange as at May 21, 2018.

The deputy minority leader, James Klutse Avedzi had complained bitterly about the failure of the Minister of Finance to appear again to answer those important questions.

He was not happy Ministers of Finance find time to present budget statements and sometimes comes to listen to debate on financial matters in the House but cannot find time to answer questions in parliament which is also very paramount.

The deputy majority leader, Sarah Adwoa Safo in explaining the absence of the Minister of Finances said there was a miscommunication between the leadership and the Minister and so the Minister tentatively wrote to the leadership and said that he would be available to answer those questions on March 13 because he has travelled out of the country on an official assignment.

The speaker therefore ordered that Minister must appear on the said date as communicated to the House.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Moustapha Cisse Lo has said the sub-regional legislative body would champion the pioneering of the adoption of the single currency project in 2020.

Ahead of the 2020 takeoff deadline, as work has been going on towards a common currency for the West African Monetary Zone to facilitate easy trading within the zone.

Mr. Moustapha Cisse Lo made this remarks in Dakar Senegal at the opening of a three day Parliamentary seminar on the theme, “the challenges and prospects of an ECOWAS single currency”.

Introduction of the single currency was first planned in 2003; postponed several times to 2005, 2010, and 2014 and now there is a 2020 deadline for the implementation. For the project to be implemented, there are ten convergence criteria set out by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI).

Furtherance to meeting of the criteria, there should be single digit inflation rate at the end of each year; fiscal deficit of not more than 4 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); a central bank deficit-financing of not more than 10 percent of the previous year’s tax revenue; and gross external reserves that can give import cover for a minimum of three months.

The Speaker further noted that the deadline set is very close but noted that people in the region were not well informed about the project and added that, “all of us are responsible in terms of achieving the objectives we have to careful to act now”.

In addition, he called on representatives of the people in the community Parliament to complement the efforts of the commission in implementing and monitoring of the roadmap of the single currency.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Members of a community advocacy group, Youth Parliament from some Districts in the Northern region have appealed to Ghana’s legislature to support the inclusivity of young people in the governance process at all levels of the country.

Leader of the Youth Parliamentarians, Jeremiah Kasalku Takal urged Parliament to advance policy formulation and implementation for national development.

The group also appealed to Parliament’s select committees on Local Government and Rural Development, and Youth, Sports and Culture to support the setting-up and mentoring of Youth Parliaments across the country.

Master Kaslku Takal who made the appeal when the group paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament also called for the promulgation of a Legislative Instrument (LI) to give effect to the National Youth Authority Act, (Act 939) and the National Youth Policy document.

The Youth Parliamentarians again urged Parliament to fast-track the passage of the Affirmative Action and Right to Information Bills as soon as possible.

The group constitutes a total of 175 Youth Parliamentarians from 25 communities in five districts of the Northern region of Ghana namely Sagnarigu, Yendi, Saboba, Nanumba South and Nanumba North and other youth advocates.

The community base Youth Parliament concept was started by the youth of Saboba and currently being implemented as an extended project by the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL).

The initiative is to provide a platform for young people to have engagements with decentralized duty bearers and find solutions to issues concerning community development.

The Youth Parliament received technical and financial support from the Star Ghana Foundation in its activities.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Aggrieved law students from the Ghana School of Law who stormed Parliament House Tuesday in protest against massive failures during examinations before being called to the Bar have expressed absolute confidence in Parliaments ability to investigate and resolve the challenge facing them.

Students Representative Council (SRC) President, of the school Emmanuel Kwabena Owusu-Amoah who spoke to the media after presenting a petition to the leadership of Parliament they believe Parliament is capable of meeting their demand to ensure sanity and forestall the future of legal education.

Mr Owusu-Amoah urged Parliament set up a Commission of Enquiry to establish the facts in order to safeguard the future of legal education by curbing the massive failures over the period.

“The results that students obtain at the Ghana School of Law are appalling. Last year, the pass rate was about 18% for the professional law course. For the post-course students, just 7 out of 33 passed.

This year, out of about 700 students, just 72 of our mates passed. We believe that this is a great issue of concern that the speaker of parliament needs to set up a commission of inquiry to inquire why there is such a huge failure rate,” he said.

The students said they will meet with the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee over the issue and also petition the President of the Republic for the overhaul of Legal Education in the country.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye has expressed concern about the attitude of informal sector businesses that fail to pay their taxes who he said are making life difficult for successive governments.

Addressing members of community based Youth Parliament from the Northern region who paid a courtesy call on him on what contributions young people make for national development, the Speaker urged the need for the tax net to be widen for the informal sector businesses to pay taxes.

“When you talk about expenditure, then you also talk about taxation and not only just increasing taxes, but widening the tax scope so that we can get more people to pay taxes.

As we sit in this country, one of our difficulties is that too few people are paying all the taxes that hold the country.

Those in the informal sector, they think they are getting away with paying taxes but they are rather making life difficult for successive government and in providing social services, it does not help anybody in the long run, you want something to be done and you also want to contribute to the ways and means of arriving at that particular goal” he said.

Statistics from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) indicates that only 1.5 million of the expected six million taxpayers honour their tax responsibilities to the state, with 200,000 being from the informal sector.

The informal sector constitutes 70 percent of the business arena – but just two percent of them pay their taxes.

The Speaker commended the youth Parliamentarians for being thematic in their discourse on National issues whiles encouraging them to continue to examine issues from a nationalistic point of view.

He challenged them to be research minded, inquisitive and be ready to burn the midnight candle so that they can meaningfully contribute to national development.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

In the wake of the Minority showing displeasure at the rate at which, Ministers in the current government are deliberately ignoring invitation to come to the floor to answer questions, Speaker of Parliament Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has call for an engagement between the Executive and the Legislature to deal with the issue is worrying.

“Our own rules order 60 (3) Minister should not take more than three weeks to responds to a question on the floor of the House, it should be mandatory to implement our standing orders we would all have to come to an understanding between the two arms of government”.

This issue came up as a result of the Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Muntaka Mubarak who did not take kindly to the Trade and Industry Minister postponing his appearance to the House three consecutive times to answer questions.

“The two leaders should engage, we cannot preside over the breach of our rules either, we should respect rules of the House”.

Order 60 (3) says, “A Minister shall not take more than three weeks to respond to a question from the House”, but this has been the case with the Trade and Industry Minister.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Health Service Administrator of Sene West District Hospital, Richard Kwadzodey has commended the Member of Parliament for Sene West for providing the district hospital with an ambulance.

According to the District Health Service Administrator, the ambulance would provide health service seven days a week on twenty four hours basis as it allows timely response to emergency cases.

He recounted an accident that occurred on the Metro Transport Bus, on the Kintampo road and being an eye witness, “I wished the hospital had ten ambulances that day”.

“Some of the victims needed timely interventions, government and community acted swiftly most of the victims survived having had additional ambulance to deal with the situation”.

He appealed to the District Chief Executive (DCE) and the Member of Parliament to help fix the poor nature of their roads, as the road cannot allow the ambulance to speed in case of emergency cases.

And further pointed out that staff of the District Hospital do not have quarters hence during emergency cases they are not around to help deal with them and appeal for support to put one up.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com