Category: General

Minister for Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu has told Parliament the Tempane District Hospital has been captured under the Agenda 111 and to herald the commencement of the works on the project sod was cut on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.

According to him sod was cut at Atwima Kwanwoma District in the Ashanti Region for works to begin on all district hospitals including Tempane.

He mentioned this on the floor of the House on Tuesday, February 2, 2022 when Member of Parliament for Tempane, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba wanted to know when the construction of the District Hospital would commence.

He said all preparatory works towards commencement of works have been completed and currently zonal consultant and contractors are finalizing mobilization activities to site for works to commence shortly.

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Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has bemoaned the low turnout for the COVID-19 booster jab exercise ongoing in Parliament despite the caution given by the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Bagbin that Members of Parliament, staff and auxiliary staff would be required to show prove of the jab before entering the precinct of Parliament.

According to Mr. Osei-Kyei only eighty-nine (89) out of the 275 members have gone for the booster jab which he indicated is not encouraging, hence the appeal to those undertaking the vaccination to extend it to Friday, January 28, 2022.

The exercise which started January 22, 2022 was supposed to end on Thursday, 27, 2022 but the worrying participation has forced leadership to extend it to a day more as only one half of the staff members have summited themselves to the exercise.

“Mr. Speaker directive for MPs, staff, and auxiliary staff showing certificate of taking the booster jab before one would be permitted to enter Parliament would be difficult to enforce if the trend remain the same. I urge MPs, staff, and the media persons to submit themselves”, he advised.

He further added that it should be the resolve of everyone for us to protect each other.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu on his part pleaded that with the information on the low participation, the extension duration should be extend to two days instead of the one day being asked by his colleague the Majority Leader.

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The Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afiriyie Akoto has told parliament that government has approved a compensation package for farmers whose farms were affected by the bird flu and had to be destroyed as measures to curb the spread of the disease.

According to him nearly forty-four million Ghana cedis has been budgeted for an approved and assured the House that the exercise would be carried out transparently to ensure justice of all.

And to prevent the disease and other trans-border diseases government has finalised the Animal Health Bill for the consideration of the House; its passage would ensure effective regulation of live stocks and the poultry industry.

The ministry would be empowered to ensure the veterinary service enforce management standards in all animal farms in the country with a new legal framework and sanctions would be apply to farms by closing their farms to serve as a deterrent.

“When successful, Mr. Speaker this would ensure that we cub the outbreak of diseases for us to build robust and resilient animal sector”.

Member of Parliament for Dormaa East Paul Apreku Twum-Barimah asked the sector Minister steps being taken to assist poultry farmers who were severely affected by the bird flu outbreak and measures to prevent the recurrence of the adversity.

As a follow up question he asked if compensation would be paid to farms who suffered same fate in 2015.

The Minister who was a former ranking member of the Committee on Food Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs when the said issue occurred noted that others were paid whiles others were not paid, they had few petitions at the time and the records are in the ministry.

“There was an outstanding amount of two million Ghana cedis we intend to settle that amount by the 2022 budget that has been approved by cabinet for this exercise”, he said.

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 Minister for Defence Dominic Nitiwul has told Parliament the high security risk within the enclave of Atebubu/Amantin is the reason why the military have kept their presence in the constituency.

According to him in December 2019 the Ghana Armed Forces deployed troops to African Plantation for Sustainable Development Ghana Limited.

The Member of Parliament for Atebubu/Amantin Sanja Nanja asking an urgent question on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 wanted to know when the military personnel would be withdrawn since their presence is brewing serious tension among the inhabitants in the area.

The defence Minister told the House the military personnel were withdrawn in April 2020 after a successful operation. However, in view of the security risk in the area in general the troops were brought back same year in September 2020 to maintain law and order.

And added that the Defense and National Security Ministries constantly conduct security risk assessment of the area after which assessment is made on the need to withdraw or maintain the troops.

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As part of controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus and ensure that workings in Parliament goes on without interference looking at the tall order of business in Ghana’s parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin has given indications that without the current ongoing booster jab certificate, MPs, staff, and auxiliaries would not be able to enter the precinct of the House.

According to him Members of Parliament (MPs), staff and auxiliary staff would be required to show certificate of taking the booster jab. The exercise which started last week Saturday, January 22, 2022 would end on Thursday, January 27, 2022 and the above persons with their household should take advantage of the exercise.

“Anyone who fails to take the jab would be denied access to parliament, those who say it is illegal can go to the Supreme Court, as far as I am concerned you are aware some members were affected with the virus last year. I should give names your leaders know, I am just being frank we got calls and followed up we know the numbers infected”.

Booster vaccination is compulsory the Speaker said, but did not go down well with some MPs who were expressing their displeasure on the floor for everyone working within the precinct of Parliament.

He further added that there is a good reason for adding the dependents of those who have business to offer in the House otherwise the exercise would be a waste,  and it is for their own safety and protection and wellbeing if you do not take advantage of it countries are now insisting on booster jabs.

He also reminded the MPs that without the booster jab, countries are refusing people entry, as well as visa, adding that without the jab, the MPs would not have the opportunity of representing the country outside.

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Parliament has constituted a 4-member ad hoc committee to recommend for appointment by parliament an auditor to audit and report on the account of the office of the Auditor General.

The motion as moved by the Majority leader and leader of the House was adopted. Subsequently, he mentioned the members of the committee as follows;

1-         James Klutse Avedzi (Chairman)

2-         Dr. Festus Awuah Kwofie

3-         Dr. Stephen Amoah

4-         Sampson Tangombu Chiragia

The Speaker, Alban Bagbin indicated that the move is in line with Article 187 (15)  of the 1992 Constitution; adding that the establishment of the committee sets in motion the process towards processing and appointing the auditor to audit the account of the Auditor General.

According to him, this is long overdue …“we haven’t done that for some time now, therefore we have some areas, and we think it is an urgent matter that we have to do to appoint an auditor to audit the account of the office of the Auditor General” .

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Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has called for consensus building in the 8^th Parliament in the wake of fight that ensued on the floor of the House last year December 20, 2021 that led to Ghanaian condemning the conduct of lawmakers.

According to him as the House went on recess he believes there has been a considerable reflection on the issues that happened last year December.

“A major stakeholder like the Christian Community has met us; we have pledged to build consensus, reconciliation, given the circumstances of our time, we need to carry all on board”.

He, however, pointed out a sad development before the House reconvene on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 of some MPs going on air to say that what happened on December 20, 2021 was something small and Parliament of Ghana is going to witness greater atrocities; “if we have to kill people in the House we would do that.” It is outrageous for someone who calls himself MP in this House Mr. Speaker, he added.

And said he agrees with the Minority Leader that the two documents that should guide the House are the Standing Order and the Constitution as alluded to previously by late J. H. Mensah.

Again, he further pointed out that other Parliament from the African continent have come to under-study  the Ghanaian parliamentary system as they see Ghana as the beacon of hope and shining example.

“What play out there on December 20, 2021 does not put Ghana in a good light and we have to do something about it Mr. Speaker”.

“Voting rights to Speakers in jurisdiction where MPs are speakers,  they are all accorded voting rights except in cases they are not giving original voting right,  they are granted casting vote provisional legislature of Canada,  Australia,  Malaysia, US and South Africa and  India are granting voting rights we cannot be oblivious of this”.

This meeting is likely to travel to 8^th of April, 2022 we should provide ourselves with enough space to do considerable work, we have tall order of business and let us get yourself set  for the business, he said on the floor.

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The Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful has stated on the floor of parliament that, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has no mandate in law to register SIM cards.

This, is in response  to a submission made by MP for Tamale South , Haruna Iddrisu, who claimed that per the letter from NIA  office, the ongoing sim card registration is meaningless since the rightfully  mandated  institution that has to carry the exercise has been denied of it.

Setting the record straight however, the minister said, NIA’s mandated is to collect biometric data for the purpose of National identification Cards to serve as a data base for the country, so therefore, the NIA does not have a hand in the SIM card registration, but rather the work of TELCOS.

The Minister concluded that, her ministry is working seriously to taken out illegal SIM cards from the country, and restricted her comment pointing out that there is a law suit on the subject matter but wanted to correct the wrong impression being created.

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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to wear more traditional dresses to Parliament instead of Suit and tie or other foreign attires.

According him   the ceremonial dress for Speakers of Parliament were not meant for daily usage but for occasional purposes and that, the British who introduced such form of dresses has long abandoned theirs, so why is  Ghana  still using them,  he therefore called on MPs to eat Ghana, wear Ghana, grow Ghana and more.

Mr. Bagbin made this call on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 in his welcome address to members of Parliament from their recess.

He further rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the various forms of chaos and riot which happened in Parliament last year and promised that, such incidents would never happen again in Parliament and that, he the Speaker and his two deputies would make sure that all members of Parliament would use a decent language on the floor of Parliament in order to maintain discipline in the House.

The media, Parliamentary watchers and the public were anxiously waiting for the re-introduction of the electronic transaction levy, on Tuesday when Parliament resumed sitting. It turned out however that, the Rt. Hon. Speaker’s outfit rather got everybody talking. Speaker Alban Bagbin ditched his usual ceremonial outfit for a more indigenous wear from the Volta Region.

It would be recalled that before the House was adjourned for the Christmas Holidays, the Speaker announced that he would only be using the Speaker’s cloak for ceremonial occasions this year as part of his commitment to change the dress code and code of conduct of MPs. True to his words, at the commencement of proceedings today, the Speaker entered the chamber, clad in kente cloth over a white lace shirt and a black and gold crown and gold necklace.

In his official welcome to the House, the Speaker urged the Members to take a cue from his outfit and dress in traditional wear just like the first President of the nation, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. “From now on I want to see our members appear in parliament decently adorned in traditional dress,” he said.

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The controversial Electronic Transfer Levy Bill 2021 which has generated a lot of heated debate on the floor of the House last year would be considered in the second week of the first meeting of the second session of the 8^th Parliament.

This came to light when the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah Bonsu presented the Business Statement of the Business Committee for the first week of the first meeting of the second session on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.

According to him the Business Committee is unable to programme the Bill in the first meeting due to indications from the sponsoring Minister, Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta who would engage members of the public and stakeholders in an engagement to address their concerns on the subject matter.

Members of Parliament were encouraged to participate in the conclusion of the process that would lead to the passage of the Bill.

Currently, there are four public bills before committees and five private members bill before the House.

The business committee urged the committees with referrals before them to speedily consider them for the House to work on them at the plenary.

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