Category: General

Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, has praised staff of the Parliament for their hard working efforts in getting the institution moving during the peak of the novel coronavirus pandemic when movement within the sub-region was difficult and continue to do same currently.

According to him, but for the efforts of his staff who were very supportive and started going out to work when the COVID-19 pandemic was severe and all ECOWAS institutions were almost reluctant to hit the ground running, things would have been very difficult.

“That is when, ECOWAS institutions started working including the judiciary, the parliament leads and the others follow; I am very serious about this, the higher authorities in ECOWAS told me they have to copy us because we see the parliament moving around”.

Dr. Tunis assured members of the parliamentary staff that under his leadership they would continue to lead.

And further thanked the Leader of the Ghanaian delegation for hosting the Community Parliament in Winneba – Ghana, at its second Extraordinary Session and seminar.

Leader of the Ghanaian delegation to the Community Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin on behalf of his colleagues presented a sculpture of the Speaker as a gift, when he hosted them to a dinner at the end of the extraordinary meeting held in Winneba, Ghana.

In response Dr. Tunis said, “I feel honored,  humbled and  I appreciate this gift which would be put in the office of the Speaker but in 2024, I am taking it to Freetown this particular thing I am not going to leave it in the office and it would be in my next office”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Rapporteur on the Public Account Committee (PAC) of ECOWAS Parliament, Clarence Kortu Momolu Massaquoi said the Committee would start looking at the Auditor General’s report before the end of next month.

According to him the Committee is looking at AG’s report and to see how they can contribute to the correction of wrongs and introduce new financial policies. There would also be a Committee meeting which is unprecedented.

“It is not in our work programme, but because of the importance the Speaker attaches to the work of PAC, we would be meeting in November to look at the audit report “.

In an interview to find out what the new Committee which is one of the flagships of the Speaker is doing, he noted that it takes time for the Auditor General to get its report when they requested for it.

He further noted that the AG for ECOWAS was conducting its work and because they cannot take the report from him, they had to wait. “Our activities got interrupted by COVID-19, we could not meet for one year, we have met in Benin after COVID came, and it’s not only our Committee but the entire parliament committees”.

Mr. Kortu Momolu Massaquoi further indicated that they have had an in-person meeting in Sierra Leone and it is going to be a continuous process.

Again, he added that he would not want to put out any wrong information on financial uses and procedure; how people who are given finance use it and how they report. “Today, we are in court as a parliament, one of the staff who used money and did not submit proof on being on a mission even as he claimed, and there are traces that he went on the said mission but the accounting position. When you go on a mission, you should be able to report on your boarding pass to authenticate that you actually went on the mission, “he did not do any of those, now he is leaving, there is a requirement he is given a retirement package, that package is not going to be given because parliament has it that he owes because he was not able to submit documentation”.

Again, audit is done on a paper trail; there are some missing trails. He further stressed that when one uses the Community’s money, it is just responsible to be accountable.

“Our job is to ensure there is value for money of the Community money. The Commission has about three million dollars budget annually, the expenditure be transparent, our intervention is post expenditure”.

In addition, we would be having a couple of meetings with ECOWAS institutions and also going to look at examples in East Africa

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority members on the Committee of Local Government and Rural Development have served notice that they would drag the police commander and presiding member of the Sekyere/Kumawu District to the privileges committee of parliament.

It has to do with abhorrent behaviour and the use of security personnel to intimidate the process of approving the president’s nominee for the position of the district chief executive for the Assembly.

At a press conference addressed by the Ranking Member of the Committee, Edwin Nii Lamptey Vanderpuye on Tuesday, October 19,2021 he noted that on Friday, October 15 2021 the Member of Parliament for Sekyere  Kumawu  Philip Basuah and some Assembly members were prevented from entering the Assembly hall to vote for the presidents nominee.

The president’s nominee on two occasions failed to secure the needed votes but was re-nominated by the president.

Responding to what they as parliament can do about the development, he said “those people would appear before the privileges committee of which I am a member; the MP wanted to exercise his constitutional mandate and was obstructed, the constitution and standing orders frown on that”.

“If it happened to our colleague with the ruling party Basuah and some Assembly members, it can happen to us tomorrow”.

Instead of using legitimate and expected lobbying and compel negotiation to secure vote, rather brute force and machoism was deployed to get a botched approval, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

In the wake of the Community’s Parliament holding its Extraordinary Session and Seminar outside the capital Accra, Ghana and sending it to the Central Region, Winneba, some lawmakers have applauded the decision.

A member of the Gambia delegation Magassy Muhamed  said in his opinion in which he is entitle to there is no better arrangement than Winneba,  where the second Extraordinary Session was brought.

According to him, the Community lawmakers need to remember that the office they hold, they were put there by the people from the various regions or states and not only citizens in the member states capital.

“For those in the regions also cast their votes for us, so if they did not discriminate against us during voting time as to who should follow me and who should not, it is important for them to also see you in their community. And for me, to bring the Session here is one best decision that was taken and I give tombs up for this decision”.

In an interview on his view on the second Extraordinary Session,  he said he wished the Community Parliament could continue in the way by not concentrating its meetings only in the capitals of the member states.

“It is important that we are visible in the regions and this should widen if we move to communities where literacy, so that they can feel us, see us, touch us, and know that is an ECOWAS institution and our meetings can come to the door steps of the ECOWAS citizens”.

And further added that he would appreciate it if the Parliament can hold its meetings in the very remote places in the member states, “then we get to know what people are feeling so that the decisions we make as lawmakers would be in the interest of the citizens”.

 Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com/Winneba

The Minority in parliament is unhappy about government’s indebtedness to the District Assemblies Common Fund; and called for urgent steps to determine the monies due the DACF within a maximum of one month after the end of each quarter and accordingly release same to the DACF.

At a press briefing on Thursday, October 21, 2021, the minority on the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development said “the Ministry of Finance is very heavily indebted to the DACF to the tune of about billion Ghana Cedis (GHS2,000,000.00+)”

They bemoaned the mal-functional status of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) and the suspected misapplication of the constitutionally created fund by the government. “the monies due to the Fund have not been given to the Fund to enable it to carry out its mandate as abundantly outlined by the Constitution and the relevant Act.”

According to the Minority, the reasons for the mal-functional status of the DACF include;

• Underfunding of the DACF.

Government they said has persistently done everything possible to deprive the DACF of the needed funds for the discharge of its constitutionally mandated duties, stating that amounts due to the Fund were under-provided and owed to the Fund for 2017 and 2018. These debts were only partly settled in 2020 with an amount of GHS144million with monies borrowed during the COVID-19 intervention period.

They said even before this, the government had earlier introduced the “Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act” under which the DACF was listed as those funds that should be capped so as to retain funds for the Central Government spending.

More so, the Ministry of Finance has refused to comply with the 2019 ruling of the apex court in the case of “Benjamin Kpodo and Richard Quashigah VS Attorney General” which ruled that as a constitutional creation, the DACF could not be capped, and that the receipts from petroleum sources should be included in the total revenues when computing funds due to the DACF. Instead, the Finance Ministry deducts certain amounts from the total revenue ceded to GNPC and GRA before computing the 5% of the balance.

According to the Minority, the practice is unconstitutional and a ploy to reduce the amounts due to the DACF. They therefore asked the Ministry of Finance to “provide the constitutional 5% of total revenue to the DACF before making budgetary allocations to MMDAs.

• Timing of the Determination of Amount Due to the DACF.
  They said even though the amounts due to the DACF are based on the total revenue generated within the relevant period, the Ministry has over the years refused to make known to the public and the DACF how much is generated for each period. This makes it difficult for anybody to determine the base figure upon which the 5% is computed.
• Non-payment of Monies to DACF in quarterly Installments
  Article 252(2) mandatorily requires that monies for the DACF shall be paid by quarterly installments. However, the Finance Ministry has arbitrarily determined that the amount due to the DACF for one quarter of the year is not due until after the end of the next quarter. The finance Ministry has failed to release funds to the DACF for several quarters over 2020 – 2021, a clear violation of the 1992 Constitution, Article 252(2).
  The Finance Ministry is heavily indebted to the DACF to the tune of over 2billion Ghana Cedis (GHS2,000,000.00+) as follows:

2019 – GHS700m (per the Auditor–General’s report)
2020 – GHS587M
2021             –     GHS 884M (Estimated for only 1^st and 2^nd quarters).

Additionally, “a release letter issued by the Ministry of Finance indicated an amount of GHS434,587,416.00 for the fourth quarter of 2020; this amount was lower by GHS210,301,339 than the amount computed by the same Ministry of Finance by which the allocation should have been GHS644,888,755.00.”

The Chief Director of the Finance Ministry in reconciliations explained that the Ministry did not release the full amount because that would have exceeded the legally appropriated allocation to the DACF. “We realize that that position is not acceptable because if even the correct amount were fully released that would amount to GHS1,822,795,315.00, still lower than the appropriated amount of GHS2,312,706,550.00 for the 2020 year.”

The Minority described as undermining development at the local level when for the whole of 2021, not even a pesewa has been paid to the DACF. “We have been informed that a release letter was issued for the first quarter for an amount of GHS434, 291,958.21, but no money has been paid to the DACF as of today”, the Minority lamented.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

The Minority caucus in the Committee on Local Government and Decentralization has served notice they would be compelled to head to court once again if the government through the Finance Minister fails to release monies owed the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) for onward disbursement to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Addressing the parliamentary press corps on Thursday, October 21, 2021, they noted that not only is the government owing the DACF Secretariat over 2billion Ghana cedis but sadly, “for the whole of 2021, not even a pesewa has been paid to the DACF. We have been informed that a release letter was issued for the first quarter for an amount of GHS434,291, 958.21. But no money has been paid to the DACF as of today. Therefore, areas have piled up for 2019, 2020, and 2021.”

The Minority indicated that the effect of government’s inability to release funds to the DACF secretariat is that “the DACF is unable to release funds to the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for one complete year for their operations”.

They called on the government to determine the monies due the DACF within a maximum of one month after the end of each quarter and accordingly release same to the DACF.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

The Speaker of ECOWAS parliament, Rt. Hon Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis has called on all member states to remain committed to Democracy and Good Governance, and cast off all threats to the success and progress of the region.

Dr. Tunis made the remarks at the end of a Parliamentary Seminar which focused on the Two decades of Democratic Elections in ECOWAS Member States.

“ECOWAS has been working tirelessly to promote democratic systems, political pluralism, representative institutions, free and democratic participation in Member States”.

The seminar provided insights that are expected to lead to forward-thinking actions and put member states in an informed position on the electoral systems, also monitor the processes for democratic consolidation and good governance in the sub-region.

“In the last three decades, ECOWAS has been working tirelessly to further promote democratic systems, political pluralism, representative institutions, free and democratic participation in Member States In addition, it remains committed to ensure neutrality or independence of the structures in charge of elections, transparency and reliability of the electoral register, transparency in the organisation, conduct and declaration of election results, as well as credibility in the handling of electoral disputes”.

The Speaker further explained that although there are shortcomings in the electoral systems, those shortcomings can be remedied by adopting best practices.

“We still believe that one of the best yardsticks for measuring democracy is the conduct of periodic elections that are considered credible through meeting best international practices. Furthermore, elections should necessarily provide good and inclusive governance.

As a community, we have strong faith in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and urge Member States to incorporate its relevant provisions into national legislations”.

He however urged leaders to create a sustainable environment for democracy to flourish in the sub-region.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, has recommended the revision of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance to prohibit all forms of political maneuvering to hold on to power beyond constitutional limits.

The Parliament made the recommendation at the end of its High-level Seminar on “Two decades of Democratic Elections in ECOWAS Member States: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward” on Friday, October 15, 2021 in Winneba, Ghana.

The recommendation was contained in the communique on the outcome of the Seminar which was read by Mr. Zargo Stephen, a Member of Parliament from Liberia.

The recommendation for a revised protocol to prohibit tenure elongation is coming after the phenomenon has been seen to be the leading cause of the disruption of democratic rule in Mali and Guinea.

Members of parliament and experts also recommend that for the consolidation of Democracy and Good Governance, the process of the election of Members of the community Parliament should be by Direct Universal Suffrage.

To ensure consolidation of Democracy and Good Governance, they also recommended that “a study be conducted for the adoption of regional standards to govern electoral processes. Such as “an effective independence of election management agencies, the partiality of courts that sits on electoral disputes, regulation of electoral campaigns, computerization of electoral registers and use of voters’ card.”

There should also be compliance with the quota or gender equality system to enhance women’s representation in decision-making bodies, including the ECOWAS Parliament.

On the role of civil society and non-state actors in elections, they cautioned civil societies, political parties and electoral candidates against disclosure of results before the body mandated to do so.

“There should be an adoption of mechanisms to ensure adequate participation of Civil Society in democratic process; such as the protection of the members of civil society organisations, transparent financing, regular cooperation and consultation of civil society and the promotion of its mediation role between communities and political actors.”

They also recognized the critical role of media during elections, with recommendations on how, and what they should do to ensure the conduct of credible elections.

They stressed the need for greater monitoring of social media during electoral periods and the repression of their abusive use in order to prevent any media misstep due to disinformation and the spread of fake news.

Other recommendations include:

• Equal access to official media and public services by all electoral candidates to enable them know their programs and views to the electorates.

• Adoption of legal frameworks to guarantee press freedom and to compel media professionals to strict adherence of their ethics, capacity building for media professionals, sensitization of the populace.

• Taking cognizance of the role of security services, the recommended that measures be adopted to guarantee the independence and neutrality of security services and their involvement as stake holders in the security process.

• There should be provision of adequate material, human and financial resources to security services and their capacity building.

• Promotion of cooperation and collaboration among security services of ECOWAS Member States to share best practices in electoral security”.

On the role of the judiciary, they recommended the consolidation of the independence and impartiality of the justice system by national parliaments through adequate legislations.

On the role of political parties, it was recommended that ECOWAS Member States institute a national dialogue framework to help unite political actors, democratic governance of political parties.

They said it is important that there is transparency in party financing, and separation of their resources and activities from that of government.

They also recommended the strengthening and consolidation of election observation systems before, during and after elections. This, they said can be achieved by improving the deployment strategies of observers, cooperation of various international and local observer missions and the quality of expertise of members of observer missions.

The outcome of the Seminar contained inputs from Members of Parliaments, the ECOWAS Commission, Experts and Stakeholders across relevant sectors.

Ghanamps.com

Mr. Malcom Joseph, Executive Director, Center for Media Studies and Peace building, Liberia has called on Journalists in ECOWAS Countries to set the agenda for credible elections in their countries.

Joseph made this known while delivering a paper on “The role of the media in elections in the region” during the just ended High-level seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Winneba, Ghana.

He said that the media plays a critical role to the continuation of democracy in the ECOWAS sub-region and should live by their mandate as agenda setters. The media should be the agenda setter in the electioneering process of the region.

“The media is extremely pivotal to the continuation of democracy in West Africa. That is a fact that cannot be contradicted,” Joseph said.

And further said that the media over the years have successfully carried out its functions as watchdog, overseeing and monitoring electoral processes pre-election, during elections and post-election.

He said that during elections, the media is very much present and visible at polling units, covering activities, and monitoring of the ballot until the final point.

Mr. Joseph however noted that media in West African countries still face very real internal and external challenges in performing its role of ensuring that democracy is preserved in the country.

He listed some of the challenges to include; interference from authorities of power, inadequate funding to be independent, being aligned to a particular political interest amongst others.

He explained that media house in opposition most times bear the brunt, as they are sometimes denied registration or have their licenses revoked on flimsy grounds.

Though the media in the sub-region has done a lot to highlight the challenges that democracy faces, the strong arm of governments in various countries have made the work quite difficult.

In Nigeria, several journalists have been harassed and imprisoned by the government in recent years.

In the Republic of Guinea, the situation was not better with the media outlets either closed or threatened with closure in the lead up to the controversial elections of 2020.

“In Togo, media houses were closed, and the Supreme Court upheld their closure, even though there were claims that the decision was spurious and politically motivated,”.

Mr. Joseph however, urged Journalists not to relent, stating that it is their responsibility to shine a torch on indiscretions and corruptions that occur in the electoral process.

Ghanamps.com

Lawmakers representing Nigeria at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have commended the sustained democratic rule in Nigeria which should be an example to other countries in the sub-region.

The lawmakers made this known on Sunday in an interview with journalists following the High-level Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Winneba, Ghana.

The lawmakers called for more powers to be vested in ECOWAS institutions, parliament, commission and court to take firm actions on situations in member states.

Mr. Awaji-Inombek Abiante representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, Rivers said that Nigeria’s democracy has recorded huge successes, a model ECOWAS could use as a guide to other countries in the sub-region.

“In Nigeria for the past twenty years, we have been able to sustain civilian rule, democracy and I think that is what we should celebrate first. Hoping that all hands will be on deck to turn the tides and ensure that the very pedestal demands and challenges are overcome”.

ECOWAS as a body of State can help to encourage each other by doing what we are doing exactly; peer review essentially, to copy the best practices from other persons, improve upon what we are doing.

There is a saying that no matter how bad democracy is, it is still better than other forms of governments, and that more powers should be given to ECOWAS as it does not have that strength in terms of the legal instruments to take firm actions.

At best we have today, it still remains persuasive, even if we make the laws, how many countries are willing to surrender their sovereignty into this and say come in and do whatever you want to, he stated.

“As at today, the status does not give those guarantee that anybody can say ECOWAS will come in. All ECOWAS could do was to advise, work with the regime and demand expectations within timelines. And if, they do not comply, the best you can do is suspend them from the body and that does not solve the problem”.

Ghanamps.com