India has asked for Ghana’s support in her bid for the chairmanship of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

The request was made through Ghana’s First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, in Vienna, Austria, where the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held.

This was during a meeting between the two parliamentary delegations on the sides of the conference.  Osei-Owusu had met with a number of parliamentary delegations from different countries as part of the side events of Ghana’s delegation to the conference, and the delegation from India was one such.

His Excellency Harivansh Narayan Singh, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which is the Upper House of Indian’s Parliament, led his team to the meeting with Ghana. He spoke about the long-standing relations between Ghana and India in the area of capacity building for the civil service as well as the military and suggested that the two countries should consider extending that relation into other areas.

International parliamentary work is clearly one area that India will want partnership with Ghana, hence his request for Ghana to support India’s bid for the chairmanship of the CPA. Currently, Ghana’s Majority Leader, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu is the Acting Deputy Chair of the CPA.

Mr.  Osei-Owusu traced the strong relations between Ghana and India to the pre-independence era, when President Nkrumah and President Nehru, both former presidents of Ghana and India respectively had a close collaboration.

He said Ghana was home to a lot of Indians, who are engaged in various businesses and vocations, particularly in Accra and Kumasi. The Jubilee House, which is Ghana’s seat of government, he said, epitomizes the Ghana-Indian relations, given that India built it for Ghana almost as a gift.

And Osei-Owusu pledged that Ghana’s Parliament will discuss Indian’s interest in the CPA chairmanship and determine how the two countries can continue to collaborate within the CPA.

Mr. Cyril Nsiah, the Clerk to Parliament, who was a member of Ghana’s delegation to the conference in Vienna, said Ghana’s Parliament had benefited immensely from capacity building from the Indian Government. At the onset of Ghana’s Fourth Republic, most of the training and re-training of the staff of the Parliamentary Service was done with the support of India, adding that he looked forward to more collaborations with India in other areas.

H.E. Harivansh was accompanied by Mr. R. Tiwari, a Joint Secretary at the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Gjanveer Singh, First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Vienna, and L. V. Ramana, a Senior Official of Indian’s Parliament.

The Ghanaian parliamentary delegation, which has since returned home, had earlier met with delegations from Zimbabwe and Hungary.

Ghanamps.com

The two Leaders of the House, Majority Leader, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu led a parliamentary delegation to Walewale to join the Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia for the burial rites of his late mother, Hajia Mariama who passed away recently.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin earlier expressed his condolences to the Vice President and wished for strength and comfort for him in these trying times.

Ghanamps.com

The ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy and Research, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku has expressed his condolence to Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia for the demise of his mother.

“I have learned with a heavy heart the news of the passing away of your beloved mother, I wish to express my condolences to you, your wife, and all members of your family, may she rest in perfect peace”.

The former Offinso North Member of Parliament’s (MP) expression was contained in a statement.

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The Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy and Research at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku has expressed worry about the African continent have more resources than any other continent in the world yet its people its citizens are impoverished.

According to him, destiny beckons on us to move faster with confidence and to look into the future, and this should be the beginning of breaking from the past and moving into the future.

He made these remarks in Accra where the ECOWAS Commission held a three-day meeting for planning exerts of member states to validate the final draft report of ECOWAS Vision 2050 which ended on Sunday, September 12, 2021.

 

“ECOWAS would be as good as you all wish it to be, we represent the aspiration and hope of our region, we want to be an ECOWAS of people where people lead in dignity and confidence of the future, in the final analysis within our capacity to do that the world is moving on. We cannot be left behind”.

Dr. Apraku said, “every step we take, we seem to take two more steps backward”, adding that we have to reflect deeply on our responsibility to each other, and to our countries, and to the future generations, and make this work. No one is going to do this for us”, he emphasized.

In a speech on behalf of the Vice President of the Commission, Her Excellency Madam Finda Koroma, he noted that the meeting is a key step towards the finalization and adoption of the ECOWAS vision 2050 document.

And stated that the decision to develop this 2050 vision document was with a strong conviction on the need to appreciate the current and emerging opportunities as well as challenges that confront the region in these contemporary times.

It is to build resilience and deliver sustainable development for our people and countries to achieve five phases road map: preparatory stage, assessment stage, formulation and framing, review and revision of 2050, and validation and adoption, recommended by the Council of Ministers had been adhered to.

He indicated that having completed the four-phased of the roadmaps, the expectations of this meeting is to further strengthen the quality and relevance of the draft vision document and to take steps closer to its adoption by the Authority of Heads of States and Government, as a result of your review and validation in this meeting.

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First-year into the second term of President Nana Akufo-Addo administration, names of who is likely to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the 2024 presidential election has started coming up.

But in the view of Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Trade and Industry Minister under the John Kufour administration, it is important that the current Akufo-Addo led government is supported to perform and succeed first, before the issue of who leads the party into the 2024 presidential election to break the eight (8) years cycle is discussed.

As to whether he could contest the flagbearer ship of the NPP when the time comes, he said: “I cannot confirm, we have a lot of time and programme that have been provided by our leadership at the party level and requires us to curtail any outward ambitions and activities that may disrupt or disorient policies that are being pursued by our own government”.

And further pointed out that, the NPP just went through a very difficult elections in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, and had not learnt lessons yet; “all of a sudden everybody seems to be interested in the future leadership of our party, let us consolidate this leadership first”, he stressed.

Again, he added that the current government should succeed so that Ghanaians become proud of a government that has the capacity to deliver, then when one runs as a presidential candidate of the NPP, it has the prospect of winning. “You should not just run because you want to be president lose or win”.

“I believe the NPP provide the best prospect for Ghana’s development, but we have to put our house in order and strengthen our structures and learn what went wrong in the 2020 elections and look forward to a united party, and should not be a party that is already fighting each other; it is too early for that”.

As to if the ECOWAS Commissioner for macroeconomics policy and research would be appealing to NPP delegates if he decides to run in NPP primaries when the time comes, he pointed out that it is too early, but however, pointed out that he had contested before and delegates would give one opportunity when one campaign. “We run to win not run to fight, let us build our party to be strong enough so that whoever is selected would have the greater chance to win”.

When questioned on his thought about breaking the eight-year cycle in power, he noted that Ghanaians seems to believe that every eight years they have to change government and even in the most advanced democracies like the United States of America when they started there were no term limits, “you go as long as the people want you to stay in power; we have jumped it and made it mandatory, but eight years is not enough to build sustainable development and should not be taken as if it’s the order of things. Governments should be examined carefully; I use the word advisedly

Dr. Konadu Apraku noted that it takes time to build a stable economy; and in the issues of economic development in recent times, it is always the case that governments that had been stable for a long time have been most successful.

“We need to be careful before we make a change, we should not do that in anger, sometimes we get frustrated we want to change the government, but we need to look at the long-term agenda programme that is being put in place. Economics is not like other things where you grow food and in three months it is supposed to bear fruits, it takes a long time, you have to be patient and very deliberate”, he noted.

He advised Ghanaians not to allow the opponents of the NPP to give them sweet words, and believe the NPP should be given the mandate that they deserve. “If we do well, we should be allowed to continue, it is the same the other way round, and the prospect of Ghana’s development rest with the NPP; I have no doubt at all in my mind”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Firth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which is the world’s largest gathering of the highest level of parliamentary representation, has officially opened in Vienna, Austria. It is being organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Austrian Parliament with the United Nations (UN) as partners.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, said the solution to a world reeling from COVID-19, climate change, inequality and conflicts is solidarity. Without that, recovery is impossible.

He expressed support for the efforts by countries who, in the current pandemic, are striving to put people first and provide stronger social protections and safety nets. He spoke about the importance of universal health coverage, decent basic income, access to education for all and increased support for girls and women, who have suffered disproportionately from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We need to put women at the center of the recovery and at the center of parliaments. Only three countries have 50 per cent or more women in parliament.  Many have no women at all.  We urge countries and political parties to achieve true gender parity in the halls of power — including through gender quotas”, he said.

In reference to the theme for the conference, “Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and the planet”, the UN Secretary-General said “people acting in the common interest: that is what the multilateral system does on the global stage; and it is what parliaments seek to do at the national level. Parliaments bridge the global and local”.

He pointed out that parliament is central to advancing human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and told the global parliamentary community that “we are counting on you. There is no time for delay and no room for excuses. The solutions to the global challenges are clear”.

Antonio Guterres identified a commitment to net-zero emissions by mid-century, more ambitious climate plans, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and delivering credible adaptation support to developing countries backed by adequate climate finance as part of solutions.

Ghana’s delegation to the conference is led by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu and includes the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah. A number of bilateral meetings with sister parliaments have been scheduled by Ghana as part of the events of the conference.

Ghanamps.com

The office of the Speaker of Parliament has dismissed publications circulating on social media that, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has hanged portrait of former President John Mahama in his office instead of current President, Nana Akufo-Addo.

“We place on record that the publication under reference in spurious, malicious and unsubstantiated, at no point in time has the portrait of Ex-president John Mahama been hanged in the office of the Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin Speaker of Parliament”.

A statement issued by the Public Affairs directorate of Parliament described the publication as clear fabrication, obviously intended to court hatred and spite for the speaker by creating public disaffection for him, and implored all right-thinking and discerning Ghanaians to disregard the publication.

The directorate has however, admonished persons engaged in such fabrications to desist from the hate-inspired publication on social media which have become the order of the day.

“It serves nobody’s interest to set institutions or individuals against each other, these tendencies only serve to hold back our development and progress as a nation and something we can ill-afford at this point in time in our efforts at national development”, it added.

Ghanamps.com

The first Ghanaian Deputy Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Michael Teye Nyaunu has said citizens of the Community would only feel the institution’s full impact, when its lawmakers are elected to make laws that would be binding on the West African subregion.

Mr Nyaunu who lamented over the ineffectiveness of the parliament because MPs are not elected to the parliament but rather nominated by National parliaments of member states, said it is precisely the quest to make the community parliament more impactful that during their time in the third Community parliament, they initiated the process of electing lawmakers.

“We are saying for the impact of the Parliament, we should zone the countries in the sub region for elections to be conducted, so that ECOWAS MPs come as full time MPs and whatever we do would be binding on our respective member states. For now, the parliament is advisory despite its powers being enhanced, whatever they do is not binding on member states”, he said in an interview.

Again, he pointed out that within the sub region there are military take overs and confusion and some of these things can be stopped when Community laws are passed for it to be binding on member states.

And added that, subregional member states would be more serious and cannot be disobeying laws and the subregion would be like the European Union (EU).

“Just to take you back with the common currency ECO, then candidate Akufo-Addo said he would let it work, I told myself you alone cannot make it work it is just a propaganda, the ECO should evolve through all the member states”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Jomoro Municipal Assembly, Ernest Kofie in receiving petition from demonstrators on Thursday, September 2, 2021 which called on government to put in place the necessary safety protocols and open the land borders of the country, told demonstrators that the issue of the re-opening and closure of the Elubo border is a preserve of the President Nana Akufo-Addo.

As such, he assured the demonstrators that the petition received would be delivered to the president and whatever decision he needs to take would be taken, not only in the interest of the people of Jomoro but in the interest of the people of Ghana the whole exercise was conducted.

He commended the demonstrators for the peaceful and orderly manner the whole exercise was conducted.

Below is the petition presented to the MCE:

PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, TO CAUSE TO REOPEN GHANA’S LAND BORDERS NOW.

Your Excellency, we the Concerned Youth of Jomoro Municipality, humbly present you with this petition asking for your kind consideration to reopen our (Ghana’s) land borders.

Your Excellency, our petition is as follows:

1. That, the prolonged closure of our land borders has caused businesses to collapse because all businesses in our border towns are rooted in these borders.
2. That businessmen and businesswomen in Elubo are not able to repay their loans due to drastically reduced patronage of goods and expired goods.
3. That, Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers whose farms are on Ivorian soil are no longer able to work on their farms thereby causing a huge financial loss to both farmers and government.
4. That, most affected parents are not able to fend for their wards’ education owing to the prolonged border closure in Elubo. Some tertiary students whose parents are now unable to fend for their tertiary education are now school dropouts.
5. That, the closure of our land borders especially that of Elubo, is instead detrimental to the very human health we are protecting. Your excellency, people troop in and out of Ghana through unapproved routes without getting tested for COVID-19. This defeats the purpose for which the borders were closed.
6. That, crime is on the increase in our border areas. The youth whose day-to-day economic activities depended on the border now look to crime and other social vices as alternatives to making ends meet.

Your Excellency, we humbly make the following demands/seek the following reliefs:

• That, Antigen testing regime be instituted at our land borders just as instituted at the Kotoka International Airport to allow free movement of persons. Your Excellency, the traffic flow at the KIA far outweighs that of our land borders.
• That, our land borders be opened for free movement of persons just as our neighbouring countries, Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso have done with respect to the decision made at the 58^th Meeting of the ECOWAS Heads of States on the 23^rd of January, 2021 which was chaired by Your Excellency.

We pray Your Excellency kindheartedly consider our petition and help return life to our border communities by reopening our land borders.

Long live Your Excellency

Long live Jomoro

Long live Mother Ghana

Thank You.

Conveners:

Nana Frendoh Bosso Kwasi

Assembly Member Elubo West Electoral Area

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All is set for today, Thursday, September 2, 2021 demonstration by the people of Jomoro in the Western Region against the closure of the land borders in Ghana due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Member of Parliament for Jomoro Dorcas Affo Toffey is scheduled to lead her constituents in this morning’s demonstration to call on the Ghanaian government to open its land border with Cote d’lvoire which has been more than a year, resulting in economic hardship being faced by her constituents around the Elubo border. 

On Friday, August 27, the MP for Ketu South Constituency in the Volta Region, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, led her constituents and other well-meaning Ghanaians to stage a similar demonstration against the closure of their borders.

Dubbed ‘Open Our Land Borders Now!’, the demonstration is scheduled to begin from Eagle Junction to Elubo Border at 7am today.

The aim of these demonstrations is to put pressure on the government to re-open the land borders which were closed in March, 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com