Category: General

Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul has confirmed to Parliament on Tuesday, December 14,2021 that, consultations are ongoing with Government, Parliament, Religious Bodies and Trade Unions on the purchase of Ghana Air Force and Ghana Navy aircrafts which would be their assets to enable the Ghana Armed forces efficiently defend the  Nation as expected.

He explained that, comments from the Communications Director at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin was right, when he told the public that, government has begun the processes of acquiring a new Presidential jet because consultations are part of the processes the Defence minister adopts before finally arriving at purchasing a jet for its outfit or Presidency.

Mr.  Nitiwul further said, Presidential jet are meant for government business and that the consultations would continue until the Defence minister is satisfied that, buying a ship or aircraft to do a government business must be something Ghana can afford and indeed, Ghana needs to buy them.

He concluded that, it is really paramount to get an aircraft that can do government business and also carries other government officials which includes members of Parliament in doing national assignments.

Mr. Dominic Nitiwul categorically stated that, members of Parliament are the most institution that uses the Presidential jet.

The Defence minister made these remarks when he was answering a question filed by MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa asking the minister whether government has begun the processes of purchasing a new Presidential jet for Ghana.

Ghanamps.com

The Minority Members of Parliament on the Communications Committee on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 morning arrested the processes of considering the budget estimate for the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation for the year 2022 until the annual audited National Communication Authority (NCA) report for three years is produced.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Bunkpurugu Abed-Nego Bandim raised initial objection as the Minister failed to comply with her own agency Act, section 23 of Act 739 which says, “annual report and other reports the board shall within one month after the receipt of the audit report submit an annual report to the Minister covering the operations of the year to which the report was laid and shall contain the report in the schedule Act. The Minister shall within one month after receiving the report submit it to Parliament in a statement that the Minister consider necessary”.

At a press conference addressed by the Deputy Rankin of the Committee Samuel George Nartey noted that the Ministry has not brought six years of annual audited report to the floor of the House and they find it contradictory.

And on that basis could not continue with the consideration of the estimate until the 2015, 2016 and the 2017 annual report was provided to be laid before the House.

Additionally, by Friday, December 17, 2021 the reports of 2018 and 2019 annual report should be provided while January of 2022 that of the report of 2020 should be complied with by NCA.

“We have issues with several agencies have not provided their annual audited report. NITA for a number of years and Data protection commission for instance”.

And added that, Mr. Speaker’s committee is poised to carry out their oversight responsibility without fear or favour; they would insist that the right things according to the law are done. If the reports do not come, they would not continue with the consideration of her estimates, when six years in running they have failed to account to the people of Ghana whose taxes, “we have been approving, if this was your business for your company, you would demand accountability”, he lamented.

During question time Ghanamps.com wanted to know if Members of the Minority especially the Ningo-Prampram lawmaker would come out with the same energy to play oversight role when his party finds itself in government.

He responded by saying when they were previously in government they comply with this annual report provision and briefed the Committee.

Again, they explained that they did not walk out of the committee, rather it was the chairperson who insisted that there should be suspension for one hour for an annual report to be provided when questioned if they walked out at the Committee meeting.

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The Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is among a total of eight Ministers expected to attend upon the House next week to respond to thirty four parliamentary questions in relations to the performance of their respective Ministries.

Prominent among them is the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul who will explain to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu), the nature of steps the Ministry has initiated to purchase a new Presidential Jet as announced by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin on 27th September, 2021 and the policy justification for the purchase.

He will similarly answer a question by Ernest Norgbey (MP, Ashaiman) on the outcome, so far, of the investigation into the killing of one Mr. Eric Ofosu by a military officer in March 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown in the Ashaiman Constituency.

Mr. Dominic Nitiwul will further furnish Isaac Ashai Odanten (Tema East) with administrative and economic programmes the Ministry has outlined to provide sustainable welfare support for Veterans in accordance with the responsibility of the State as outlined in the VAG Act and the admission requirement into the Veterans Administration – Ghana, as well as how the process engenders good service conduct.

These disclosures were made in Parliament on Friday, December 10, 2021 morning by the Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin when presenting the Business Statement of the House for the ensuing week ending Friday December 17, 2020.

The Effutu MP further indicated that the House will commence consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Monday 13th December 2021while the Appropriation Bill has been scheduled to be taken through the various stages on Friday, 17th December, 2021 in accordance with Order 119.

Other Ministers scheduled to attend to the House, according to the Deputy Leader, include sector Ministers from Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Energy, Communications, National Security, Trade and Industry as well as Gender, Children and Social Protection.

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The Majority caucus in Ghana’s Parliament has dismissed allegation on social media that it leaked the purported medical and travel records of the Rt. Hon speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.

In a statement issued on Thursday, December 9, 2021 the caucus pointed out that it has no interest in such an irresponsible deed and to protect the Speaker’s integrity, the chair and Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, they find the said publication unfortunate and unwarranted, “we condemn them accordingly”.

“However, if the persons behind the publications intend to set the Speaker and the Majority caucus in the Parliament of Ghana on a collision course, we would not hesitate to offer the appropriate response”.

As the Majority caucus further clarified, the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has not taken a dime from Parliament to seek or receive medical attention in Dubai. There is no scintilla of truth in the allegation, and should as such be disregarded entirely for its spuriousness and hopelessness.

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A Member of the Sierra Leone Parliamentary delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Sharka Musa Samato who observed the Gambia presidential election has said that he did not observe any violence or vote-rigging.

He was also part of the ECOWAS Commission’s Election Observation Mission (EOM) that was in Gambia.

According to the provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), His Excellency Jean Claude Kassie-Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission deployed an Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the presidential election as part of the ECOWAS support to the democratic process in the country of The Gambia with a core team of four experts, twelve long term observers, and sixty-two short term observers.

Explaining his observations of the presidential election in The Gambia, Sama said, he we can only report from the polling stations that I covered or  on the polling center where I was assigned, five polling centers.

“I only witnessed counting in the polling center which I visited. They are still using the marble system. I realized that it was very fast to count. I know and can testify that the counting was transparent and I did not see any sign of vote-rigging in those centers,” Sama said.

He added that none of his colleague observers also reported observing vote-rigging or malpractice in the process, or acts of violence, emphasizing that, “ when we had the debriefing session on the 5th December 2021, no observer reported  that there was violence or vote rigging.”

 In the observation of the ECOWAS Mission, we saw that the election was peaceful, but it is not for me to comment further on whether the elections were credible or not, that is the job of the Head of Observer Mission to give the final comment.

On the issue of acceptability of the outcome of the election that saw incumbent President Adama Barrow winning reelection and the disposition of the ECOWAS before, during, and after the elections, Hon. Sama said,   “ECOWAS did very well.”

He further said contrasting views are always going to emerge from election observations, noting that, when one looks  at a country’s population, you have politicians and leaders of political parties and the voters who belong to different political parties. Naturally, those whose political parties won will accept the outcome of the election, and those who lose, some of them will have questions to ask, that is natural.

Ghanamps.com

Newly elected executives and members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Female Parliamentary Association (ECOFEPA) on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 paid a courtesy call on   Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, President of the Senate, Chairman National Assembly Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Senators and the Ahmed Iddris Deputy Speaker House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Presenting the delegation, Senator Biodun Christine Olujimi (Nigeria) 1st Vice President-elect ECOFEPA and facilitator of the visit said that ECOFEPA went to pay a courtesy call on the Senate President despite the impromptu nature noting that they held their election the day before and the old Executives stepped out and a new one is to take over.

“We thought it fit to come to the National Assembly to see the owners of this country and especially our Parliament and of course, the Presiding Officer in the person of the Senate President, Sen. Dr. Lawan, and that is why we are here today,” she explained, adding that currently, only two women are representing Nigeria in the ECOWAS Parliament.

Madam Memunatu Ibrahima (Togo), Third Deputy Speaker ECOWAS Parliament in her presentation to the Senate President and Senators said that they were happy to inform the President and Senators that they are just coming out of a successful ECOFEPA election and that she was happy to note that the meeting was the first high-level engagement they have had while   appreciating the Senate President and Senators for agreeing to see them.

In addition, madam   Ibrahima said although the First elected President was unavoidably absent, the Bureau is excited and looking forward to the prospects of the new leadership that has been elected noting that it is of great advantage to the Bureau to have a Nigerian in the person of Sen. Olujimi. She said this means that Nigeria with its size, population, and importance in the sub-region and the continent is of great moment.

And with Senator Olujimi at the helm of affairs as 1st Vice President-elect in her new position, they believe “that it is going to take us to new heights.”

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Their first project is an ambitious one – they look forward to hosting a grand conference of female Parliamentarians within ECOWAS to see how we can explore ways for the development of women and corporation within Parliamentarians.

 She explained, adding that, certainly their next project would be to try to monitor and support female representation within Parliaments within the ECOWAS sub-region and above all for Nigeria,

“We are looking forward to seeing how we can encourage the participation and inclusion of more female parliamentarians within the National Assembly”.

Mrs Ibrahima noted that, thirdly, they would   also like to embark on projects that protect the girl child to be able to monitor them and track their progress to adulthood. “With that, we look to the Senate for support on all these three projects which we look forward to leaning on the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be heavily involved in these projects.”

She concluded by registering that the ECOWAS Commission has budgeted for all these projects; but noted that they look towards the Senate President to see how they would be able to render more support towards the realization of these projects.

She once more thanked the Senate President for receiving the ECOFEPA on a very short notice whilst anticipating a cordial working relationship in the pursuit of their aims and objectives.

In response, the Senate President Sen. Dr. Lawan on behalf of all the Senators welcomed the ECOFEPA delegation to the Senate of the National Assembly expressing that he was very pleased to have them.

Sen. Dr. Lawan said:  “I am very happy to receive you with my colleagues. I should congratulate you for the elections,” adding that he knows that Sen. Olujimi was also elected among the member of the new Bureau.

The Senate President said “this is a very good development for Nigeria and I want to congratulate the ECOWAS Parliamentarians for electing Sen. Olujimi, one of our very distinguished Senators. We are still trying to see if she remains fully and legislature because she moves in and then out.  She was here in the House of Representatives in 2003, then later became a Deputy Governor and now, she wants the whole and real thing but, whatever it would be, we pray for her and wish her the best of luck in whatever endeavor she chooses. But one clear thing is that the Nigeria Legislature needs people like her because she has the experience and given the kind of numbers, a very discourage a number of women in the Nigerian Parliament  or National Assembly, I believe we have to have more and more like her.”

He recalled serving also with Hon. Linda in the House of Representatives in 1999 adding that she also has a wealth of experience   which should be harnessed to have more women in the Nigeria National Assembly.

Sen. Dr. Lawan said that at the moment, Nigeria is reviewing its 1999 national constitution, noting that, “I know that there are some efforts that provide for more women’s representation. We hope that by the time the constitutional review is concluded, they would have provided a platform for more women to be at the National Assembly”.

Ghanamps.com

Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson has announced that the government of Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo is doing everything possible to overcome the yellow card warning issued to Ghana by the European Union (EU).

She explained that, the yellow card warning came as a result of some negative activities which have been happening on the Ghanaian sea by the fishermen, including light fishing and the use of chemical (Poisoning the fishes) and others.

And further said, government through her Ministry is seriously implementing all the measures which Ghana has been ordered to follow by the European Union (EU) in order not to attract any international sanctions.

Madam Koomson added that, government has given an approval for her Ministry to purchase patrol boats and research vessel to assist in patrolling on the sea and land to stop fishermen from such illegal fishing activities.

The Minister made this remarks on the floor of the House on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 in response to the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo Markin’s question on measures being put in place to overcome the yellow card warning issued by the E.U.

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Ministry of Fisheries and   Aquaculture Development has indicated that it would investigate shortage of premix fuel in Salaga South as reported by the lawmaker from that constituency, as asked by Zuwera Mohamed Ibrahimah.

According to the sector Minister Hawa Koomson the Ministry has not received reports of any shortage of premix fuel at landing beaches within the Salaga South Constituency.

She further told the House that, reports indicate that, the supply of premix fuel to the five (5) landing beach committees at Salaga South namely ‘Makango Main, Makango Lower, Kejewu Battor, Kafaba and Mataheko have been regular, adequate and without any major challenge so far this year.

The same persists at various landing beaches across the country. Some reforms introduced have denied unauthorized persons from assessing the subsidized product and diverting for other activities.

“We would however, direct the newly Constituted National Premix Fuel Committee to investigate the report”.

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Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hawa Koomson has told Parliament government through her Ministry is leading the campaign to wage war against operators engaged in illegal fishing practices including saiko through collaboration and engagements with stakeholders for voluntary compliance.

In addition, a new National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing (NPOA-IUU), (2021-2025) is being implemented.

Actions taken by the Ministry as part of implementing the NPOA include:

– Observers placed on all industrial vessels during fishing expeditions.

– Electronic monitoring of vessels at sea.

– Intensified at sea inspections and beach combing operations to strictly monitor compliance of fisheries laws and regulations.

– Arrests and prosecution of offenders for infractions.

When Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North asked the sector Minister steps being taken to end the illegal practice of trans-shipment at sea.

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A former Member of the Ghanaian delegation to the Community Parliament, Clement Kofi Humado has said the proposed January 1, 2022 reopening of all land boarders within the sub-region is achievable.

ECOWAS sectorial ministers, in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), took the decision at a virtual meeting coordinated from Abuja, Nigeria this week.

Among the factors informing the decision, the ministers took into consideration the fact that their economies lost $50 billion in value or 6.7 per cent of their cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2020 and 2021.

Also the report and recommendations of the meeting will be presented to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting, scheduled for Abuja, Nigeria, tomorrow and Friday and subsequently submitted to the Heads of State and Government, the highest decision-making body, for adoption.

A communiqué issued by ECOWAS after the meeting said more than 50 people took part in the meeting, including ECOWAS sectorial ministers in charge of the Interior, Health, Finance, Trade and Transport, alongside their experts.

In an interview, Clement Humado pointed out that the o original date for the opening of the land boarders was July, 31, 2021 which has passed and this is also another attempt to implement the decision that was taken earlier.

“Now almost every country has realised that their economies are going down people are not able to do business along the corridors from Lagos to Cote d’lvoire and has resulted in loss of income and livelihood for a lot of people”

Again, he pointed out that farmers are not able to send their produce across the brooders and thinks now there is compelling evidence that the boarders must be re- open.

Now that they have brought in West African Health Organisation (WAHO),  “if they provide the adequate funds of them they can coordinate the COVID-19 protocols implementation across the boarders and as I said some time ago WAHO needs money funding to be able to do this job and I hope the funds would be release by the Commission”.

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