Category: General

Parliament has approved the sum of Five Billion, Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Million, Three Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty-Six Ghana Cedis (GHC 5,295,359,626.00) for the activities of the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the financial year ending 31st December, 2023.

The House acknowledged roles the Sector plays by delivering efficient road transportation system in Ghana.

The House again acknowledged The Ministry’s mandate of providing a road transport system that is responsive to the needs of society, supporting growth and reducing poverty while establishing and maintaining Ghana as the transportation hub of West Africa can be realised if the Ministry is adequately resourced.

For the projects earmarked for the year under review the ministry intends to continue the following projects nationwide:

Construction of Ofankor – Nsawam Road (14.1km), construction of Accra – Kumasi Road: Osino Bypass (11.5km); Construction of Accra – Kumasi Road: Anyinam Bypass (6.10km); Construction of Accra – Kumasi Road: Enyirisi Bypass (9.10km) and Construction of Accra – Kumasi Road: Konongo Bypass (13.6km).

The year will also witness the continuation of the construction of Adidome – Asikuma Junction (39.2km) and Asutsuare-Aveyime (23.9km) including 2No. interchanges at Dufor Adidome and   Asikuma Junction.

The rest are:
Kasoa-Cape Coast Dualisation (116km),, Takoradi (PTC) – Daboase (38km); Dualization of Sekondi and Adiembra Roads (30km); Peduase-Mamfe-Koforidua (40.5km); Takoradi-Agona-Nkwata -Apemanim; and Kumasi Outer Ring Road.

Construction of Interchanges includes Ahodwo (as part of the completion of Kumasi Inner Ring Road); Santasi (as part of the completion of Kumasi Inner Ring Road); Kumasi Airport Roundabout (as part of the completion of Kumasi Inner Ring Road); and Oforikrom Roundabout (as part of the completion of Kumasi Inner Ring Road).

In the area of Bridges here are selected few contained in the Committee before, the approval: Construction of Bridge over the Volta River at Volivo; Buipe, Yapei and Daboya Bridges; Adawso-Ekyi Amanfrom Bridge; and Dikpe, Iture and Ankobra Bridges.

Under the Sinohydro Projects The Ministry informed the Committee that contract works under the Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) with Sinohydro Corporation Limited were at the different stages of completion.

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The Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has confirmed that he has demanded to be briefed by the Electoral Commission (EC) on a Constitutional  Instrument (C I) to be laid on the floor of the House.

First deputy whip of the Minority Ahmed Ibrahim brought the issue up on Friday, December 9, 2022 when the Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin presented the business statement on the floor of the House.

According to the Speaker the response given by the deputy Majority Leader as to whether official communication in this regard has been sent to the EC was right, and he would have to find out if that official communication was actually done.

The Rt. Hon Speaker asserts that he made the request based on order 160 rule (2) – “It shall be the function of the committee subject to order 53 (Order of Business) to determine the business of each sitting and the order in which it shall be taken; provided that the powers of the committee shall be without prejudice to the power of Mr. Speaker to determine which matters may properly be introduce into the House”.

And if what is being alleged is anything to go by, the EC is being given notice because they know they cannot go on the offensive against an arm of government. “We are not just a state institution, we are not just an administrative body, this is an arm of government, if they talk of independence of arm of government neither arm; not the Judiciary or the Executive control the other arm of government”, he stated.

Speaker Bagbin pointed out that, the legislature does not control the Executive or the Judiciary that is all the separation of powers is all about, hence the need to work together because they lead the country.

So there is no way, that a subsidiary body can be on an offensive, they pass the law to create the EC, it was simply guarantee in the constitution, they had to pass a law to establish it, he added.

“I hope this is enough notice, I should be given a brief before I can exercise my authority to allow the business to be provided and presented to the House; I will crosscheck to ensure the official communication has been given”

He further emphasized that he does not take the peace of this country for granted and he will not do anything to endanger it, “I mean what I say”, he said whiles presiding.

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Chairman of the Committee on Macro-Economic Policy and Economic Research of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Kebba K. Barrow, has bemoaned the lack of coordination when it comes to the collection of the Community levy.

According to him there is again, lack of information flow from the Ministry of Finance to the Central Bank and various central banks of the various member states.

And as a budget meeting with the ongoing second ordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja Nigeria, “transfer collection of levies is becoming problematic and from the discussions and views of lawmakers, colleagues from Cape Verde collection has been done but transfer is problematic”.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com, he noted that the issue of delay in payment of the Community levy can be addressed with effective coordination and member states should not default to let their levies accumulate as it becomes difficult to pay.

Hence most of the member states having issues with regard to payment of their community levies should go into agreement with the Community, if they can come out with a payment plan.

Hon Barrow further noted that when it comes to preparation of Country report where the issue of payment of Community levies would come out, country representatives should be able to have their status report from their Finance Ministries.

“Again, the whole thing is how sure are we that the deduction are done, and if they are not done if the funds are there why is it being difficult for you to do any transfer?” He asked.

As to whether Community lawmakers should get involve with this whole process of payment of the Community levies as it comes up twice in a year when Ordinary Sessions are being held in Abuja Nigeria, he noted that it’s very important parliament get involved, as part of their oversight role to take up these issue and it’s the same budget they need to undertake their oversight trips and embark on sensitization programmes.|

In addition, the former Majority Leader pointed out that Gambia is one of the few countries that do not owe Community levy, any time as a delegation when they get back to their country they check to ensure that the funds are transferred to ECOWAS.

And for ECOWAS citizens to know what the institution is doing there is the need for this levies to be paid, as in the case of the Community Parliament, in the immediate past Parliament, they were very visible at the various borders of member states.

“We saw the integration process going on, but the fact is people need to know what we are doing; we can only do that when we have time with the regional integration ministries to be able to highlight their programme. Now that, the budget is with us we need to do an annual conference in our respective countries to give a rundown of some of the activities going to be held in 2023”, he stated.

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The embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has told Ghanaians he did nothing wrong as he is being chased by the Minority from office.

Taking his turn during the debate on the Censure motion brought before him by the Minority, he said the ground and allegations brought before him “excluding a few of them, I humbly say that I have done nothing amiss”.

He admits that the Censure has done some good to advancing our democracy as in the hope that such censures will have some thoroughness and less politically motivated.

He said he has really anything to say after everything he has said at the committee meeting.

“But I tell you Mr. Speaker, that even if I said I am innocent, they will not believe me, and if I asked for evidence, proof, they would not be able to answer that; I have committed no crime”.

He chastised and queried the Minority about what happened before they run to the IMF in 2015 in the absence of external factors like COVID, Russia/Ukraine war, as the Minority continue to echo issues about recklessness, mismanagement, and conflict of interest as their basis for the Censure.

The debate was based on the 8-membee ad hoc Committee report constituted by the Speaker to look into the Censure motion brought before the House by the Minority.

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The Majority Caucus in parliament staged a walkout just after debate on the report on the Censure motion brought before the House against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta was concluded.

The Majority Leader, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, after having his bit on the debate as the final contributor announced that his side would not be part of the ballot process and that they have washed their hands from the rest of the process.

Subsequently, members of the majority caucus walked out leaving only the Minority group to continue with the balloting.

The House debated the 8-member ad hoc committee report presented to the House on the Censure motion and during the process each side did their best to affirm their position with the Minority insisting that the finance Minister has outlived his usefulness at the ministry having mismanaged and brought the economy to its knees.

The Majority on the other hand argued that the basis for the Censure was not well grounded.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General was also given the floor to present his legal opinion on the matter since it wa the first time such a motion was being carried out.

Ghanamps.com

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta survives the threat of being booted out of office.

The Minority group that brought the Censure motion against the finance Minister though fully represented in the House with their entire 136 members and took part in the vote, they could not achieve their goal to get the finance minister out of office.

The failure however, was due to the fact that the Majority group staged a walk out just after the conclusion of the debate.

The motion needed two-third majority to pass, unfortunately only 136 members voted for the motion which was short of the required two-third majority.

Haruna Iddrisu, the leader of the Minority group after their failed censure said posterity will judge his side as standing with the suffering masses who have to endure under the hardships created by the bad policies of the finance minister.

Ghanamps.com

Lawmakers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament tasked to go on a fact finding mission, in the wake of a male lawmaker in the Senegal National Assembly attacking a colleague female lawmaker, Hon Amy Ndiaye have arrived in Senegal to undertake their mission.

The team comprises of the third deputy Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima, the fourth deputy Speaker Adja Satu Camara Pinto and Hon Fatoumatta Njie from the Gambia National Assembly.

They have visited the National Assembly of Senegal and Amy Ndiaye at the hospital.

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The Ad-Hoc Committee set up to consider the censure motion moved against the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisuhas been tabler before the House.

The report is thus expected to be considered by the House today, Thursday, December 8, 2022.

It is anticipated that a full-blown debate and the long awaited vote pursuant to Article 82 of the 1992 constitution will commence today.

Ghanamp.com

The family of the late first former President of the Gambia H. E. sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara has dedicated the honorary award of eminent persons for his leadership and immense contribution to the promotion and restoration of peace in the sub-region and in the world to Gambians.

As they receive the award on behalf of Gambians irrespective of their political persuasion, at a dinner hosted by the High Commissioner of the Gambia, extraordinary and permanent representative to ECOWAS H. E. Mohamadou Musa Njie at his residence in Abuja.

Son of the late President, Dawda Jawara Jr. who spoke on behalf of the family notes that the award given by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the citation was very wonderful.

And one of the reasons that the award is special is that it comes almost three decades after the recipient last held office and comes most five years after he passed away and that to him signals an enduring legacy.

Also what his father left behind has long to run; and history has made a pronouncement on his achievement. “My father’s award brings a little bit of regrets there is an admission of something that could have been done when the recipient was alive but the significant of its is that he has been awarded this time”, he spoke softly.

Again, it goes to prove how enduring his legacy in terms of the brooder significance the ward was made, his peace keeping and conflict resolution came out that started before ECOWAS. He was very active in that before the establishment of ECOWAS. It is an opportunity to congratulate the current leadership of ECOWAS, he said.

Mr. Dawda Jawara Junior underscored the importance of the current leadership of ECOWAS looking back into history and taking a look at the achievement and experience of those that have gone before them shows the wiliness to learn lessons from our immediate history and how his father conducted himself.

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The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has asked the public to continue to have faith and trust in the Minority in exacting accountability and in standing strong with them.

Reacting to the adoption of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government on Tuesday, 6th December, 2023, Mr. Haruna said they only approved the policy principles of the budget, adding that the approval process of the 2023 budget is not over yet.

“Yesterday’s decision; yes you are justified to be critical of parliament and to be critical of the Minority, but the consequences of not approving yesterday’s policy principles are even more graver than not approving it at all. And therefore, you need to appreciate what we would subject the 2023 entire budget approval process to”.

He was emphatic that the Minority Caucus is not for the 2.5 percent VAT increase, debt exchange/debt restructuring, because it is not consistent with contractual law and obligations and “we are for expenditure cut”.

The Minority assured the public to rest assured that the Minority will be critical at the budget estimate and the appropriation stages.

The Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, Dr. Ato Forson in allaying the fear of the public said “yesterday’s approval of the Budget Statement does not constitute approval of the budget. So for the record, the budget has not been approved yet”.

“It should be noted that we in the Minority have indicated that going forward we have zeroed in into certain things we believe is wrong and therefore we would not support it approval”.

Among these issues include a number of tax measures that have introduced. “Government requested parliament to approve 23 tax measures; and we have noticed that out of the 23 measures 2 of them are measures that we cannot support – VAT, and E-levy threshold exemptions”.

He asserts that the National Democratic Congress as a Social Democratic party believes in progressive taxes, and being the government that introduced the VAT, they think “this is not the time to increase VAT at a tie inflation has imposed inflation tax on certain goods and services to the extent that prices of goods and services have sometimes double in some cases tripled. So we are asking the government to hold on to that policy until the future”.

Ghanamps.com