Category: General

Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has exercised Order 42(3) by recalling all the 275 legislators back from recess to consider “urgent business”.

Order 42(3) “Mr. Speaker may, if he thinks fit, call a sitting of the House before the date or time to which it has been adjourned or at any time after the house has been adjourned sine die”.

The House will sit from Thursday 26th to Friday 27th April 2018 at ten o’clock in the forenoon each day to consider some urgent Parliamentary business.

In a statement, the Acting Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo noted that the principal purpose of the urgent recall is for the consideration of and ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

She further noted that Ghana is hoping to host the Secretariat of the Africa Free Trade Organization as other agreements will be considered.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

After public hearing of the, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the Northern Sector touching on Pre-tertiary Institutions, Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies and Poly technical Universities, PAC has started the South Sector of the Auditor General’s report of 2015/2016 in the Western Region which would also deal with the Central Region.

Chairman of the Public Account Committee and Deputy Minority leader, Dr. James Klutse Avedzi indicated that the committee would be in the Western Region for a week looking at five reports of the Auditor General.

Technical Universities would appear before the committee, Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and pre-tertiary institutions.

The Committee is expected back in Accra next week and would be going to the Volta and Eastern Regions as it looks at the Auditor General’s report from 2015/2016.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has not taken any money as rent advance, the Public Affairs unit of Parliament has dismissed media reports suggesting that despite official accommodation provided to the Speaker.

The Acting Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo in a statement pointed out that at the beginning of every term, Members of Parliament are paid some allowance towards their rent, however, the Speaker by his position is not, “entitled to such allowance and was therefore not paid any such advance”.

And added that the Speaker has been allocated an official residence which he uses for official purpose and yet to move into his residence since renovation is yet to be completed in May.

As a result of the situation, the Speaker was only given a monthly stipend for rent while he awaits his official residence.

Parliament therefore wants the media to crosscheck with its offices before publication, saying it takes a strong exception to the reportage in sections of the media which seeks not only to bring the Speaker’s name, but the entire institution into disrepute.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Parliamentary select Committee on Lands and Forestry is currently holding a stakeholders forum on the proposed Land Bill, 2018 which is before Parliament.

Chairman of the Committee, Francis Manu- Adabor who is also the Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South East said the meeting is aimed at discussing views and perspectives of Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders.

According to him, everybody is a stakeholder in the land administration system of the country hence the need to show keen interest in the process.

He urged participants to express their candid opinions on what should be added or removed from the proposed Bill.

Ranking Member of the Committee, Collins Dauda urged all to bring their rich expertise to bear in drafting a law that will stand the test of time to address the land administration challenges of the country which has become a canker.

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu in March, 2018 introduced the Land Bill, 2018 to Parliament and was subsequently referred to the Committee on Lands and Forestry by the Speaker of Parliament.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

A thirteen (13) member team of volunteers from the e-Ghana Volunteers Academy have arrived in Jirandongo, a farming community within the Kpandai District of the Northern region with the sole aim to impact schools pupils with Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills from Monday, 9 to 13th April, 2018.

The exercise dubbed “e-Ghana project camp for Junior High Pupils is on the theme: “Bridging the technology gab between rural an urban communities” will be held at the Jirandogo Junior High School.

On arrival in the community, the team held an entrance meeting with the Chief and elders of the community on the purpose.

The co-originator of the e-Ghana academy volunteers academy concept, Daniel Ashaiman said the initiative is aimed at empowering the rural child with basic ICT skills to become competitive with their urban folks and more useful to themselves, their communities and the nation as whole.

Mr Daniel Ashaiman who is also the honorable Member of Parliament for the Buem constituency pledged the team’s resolve to move round the country to impact ICT knowledge positively to rural young people irrespective of their geographical location.

He assured of the teams determination to leave a lasting imprint on the lives of beneficiary students in the Jirandogo community over the five day period.

The Chief of the community who was filled with gratitude for the initiative said he and his people have been praying for such an opportunity.

He prayed for God’s guidance for the team during their stay in the area.

The e-Ghana volunteers academy was attracted to intervene in bridging the ICT gab in the Jirandogo community following a news item carried out by an Accra based Joy news TV in November, 2017 which echoed the disadvantaged nature of the Jirandongo Junior High Schools as far as ICT knowledge is concerned.

e-Ghana volunteers academy is organizing the five day ICT basic proficiency camp in collaboration with the Kpandai District Education Directorate.

Christian Kpesese/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea Huni-Valley of the Western Region, Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi has donated valuable items to widows and disabled in her constituency.

In a colourful event at her hometown in Huni-Valley, over 320 widows from her constituency were picked for such donation.

The MP had dinner with them and gave each of the widows half piece of cloth from GTP, as well as free health screening, with assistance from nurses from Aboso Clinic.

The widows were mostly from five electoral areas in the Huni-Valley, Aboso, Wassa Nkran, Pieso, Huni-Shaft, Nzemafokrom and its environs.

The MP, who is also Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, later met the Disabled Association in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal and donated 10 wheel chairs as part of her support to seeing to the welfare of all her constituents.

Earlier on, the MP visited Easter Conventions by churches in her constituencies and delivered her Easter messages to the congregations and her people. The Church of Pentecost and other churches all welcomed the MP warmly.

Two women who received the donation thanked Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi profusely and prayed for her to succeed in her endeavours as a legislator.

The top personalities who accompanied the MP include Hon. Mozart K. Owuh, the MCE for the area, Chairman Abiam Kutu Danso of the rulling New Patriotic Party, Chairman Anokye, Chairman Kwesi Arthur, Maa Azumi, Big Ofoe, Alhaji Amuda, Samuel Blay, Yaw Owusu who are all Constituency Executives of the NPP in Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency.

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Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has said governments’ flagship programme free Senior High School is the main tool to eradicate poverty in Ghana.

According to the Minister, poverty is not for Ghanaians but rather a disease to Ghanaians which needs to be treated.

“We can do it we need to do one thing at a time, we are going to move away from the hand outs to the add up”.

The Minister noted that as Ghanaians we should dream of owning our own homes, if you wear used cloths, dream of wearing new cloths that is a Ghana we must dream of building.

Free SHS will help us educate our children so that they take their destiny into their own hands to save ourselves from extreme poverty.

She was addressing the three Regional Ministers from the north in Tamale.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Osei Kennedy Nyarko, has assured Members of Parliament that districts that need warehouse will be provided with warehouse before the term of the current President Nana Akuffo-Addo’s four year mandate ends.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry is aware that there are warehouses across the country that needs re-habilitation including the 45 that the Ministry is considering constructing in the wake of the “Planting for foods and Job”.

He further revealed to MPs that rehabilitating work on some warehouses have even started to store food product as the nation expect bumper harvest with the introduction of “planting for food and Job”.

Chairman on the committee on Food Agriculture and cocoa affairs and MP for Nsuta/Kwamang/Beposo, Kwame Asafu-Adjei wanted to know if his district will benefit from the construction of the warehouse. This the Minister noted is the duty of the district where there is food basket and the need arise for storage of food, they should be provided enough warehouse facilities.

“If the need be that we put a warehouse as a Ministry we will do it”.

When the ranking member on the committee on Food, Agriculture and cocoa affairs, Eric Opoku, wanted to know what will happen to the President’s promise of getting each district a warehouse as part of the “Planting for food and Job”, Mr. Osei Kennedy Nyarko noted that at the end of the four year, districts that need warehouse will get it, adding the process of getting each district that producers food in large quantities is ongoing.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Deputy Majority Leader and Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has given assurance to MPs that the seventh Parliament will produce a code of conduct for members before the life span of the current Parliament expires.

She further noted that the dignity and integrity of the House and members will be reinforced when work of the code of conduct is completed and submitted to the plenary for approval.

She was responding to the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu Ras Mubarak who wanted to know what is delaying the approval and implementation of code of conduct for MPs which was started in 2014 in the sixth Parliament.

The Dome/Kwabenya lawmaker further assured Parliament confidence will be restored in Parliament as an Institution and further added that the document which has been finalized is before the privileges committee and will come back to the plenary for approval.

“This will be a comprehensive document that will stand the test of time, our constituent voted us here to represent them on the floor of the House”.

MP for Adaklu Kwame Agbodza wanted timelines given when the document will become a working document; and the Deputy Majority Leader who answered this question on behalf of the Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu assured the House that within the shortest possible time the code of conduct will be before the House for approval.

She further gave assurance that the MPs will have input into the final document to ensure that they own it, when the MP for North Tongu Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa wanted to know if there will be a window of opportunity for MPs who are not members of the committee looking at the code of conduct make their input.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com