Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah has told Parliament government’s focus is to create employment that is national in character but not to focus on one constituency.
According to him when the jobs are created all the two seventy-five (275) constituencies would benefit from them, as government cannot discriminate to create job to benefit specific constituency.
This was the minister’s response on Thursday, November 18, 2021 to the Member of Parliament for Madina, Frances-Xavier Kojo Sosu’s question on the number of employments created for the youth in his constituency.
“Mr. Speaker, the job created is designed to benefit all constituencies like that of Medina. To address the increasing rate of unemployment in the Madina constituency, government would undertake the following measures:
Government would collaborate with the Assembly in Madina to register job seekers within the constituency and match them with employment available within the catchment area the constituency and outside it.
Again, there would be collaboration with TVIT to develop their employability and entrepreneur skills of the job seekers.
“We would facilitate the job seekers into various models of the YEA programme and other youth employment programme which government would draw up, as our Ministry would collaborate with other Ministries which has job creation programme to expand their services to the Madina constituency”.
Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri Frank Annoh-Dompreh is advocating for the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) to institute an annual memorial lecture on peacekeeping in honor of the former late Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan.
According to him it is to immortalise the peaceful approach and diplomatic skills of the former UN chief while at the same time encourage peaceful coexistence in international relations among nations.
Again, given the rich content of the activities in conflict resolution engineered by Kofi Annan, the lectures will package those experiences for assimilation by younger diplomats and international actors in today’s global politics.
Furthermore, the identification of some distinct elements which make up the peace model of Kofi Annan are being proposed to be incorporated into the annual lectures, and they are fashioned in Kofi Annan’s inherent traits to; see a possibility where one may not be apparent.
Directly involve oneself in peace negotiations to mediate and bring about amicable compromises whiles taking responsibility for one’s own role in working towards world peace and stability.
Mr. Speaker, specifically, the importance of leadership cannot be overemphasised in characterizing Kofi Annan’s approach. It is also apparent that the Kofi Annan’s peace model recognises the fact that institutions are made up of people and whichever systems or practices have come out as a result of the operation of an institution, or group of institutions still cedes the possibility of change to be dependent on decisions of the people.
This is also why Kofi Annan had a style of directly interacting with heads-of-state, to bring about peaceful resolutions as opposed to interacting with the institutions they find themselves in. These are some of the elements of his peace model that create the distinction and resulting success and many of such idiosyncratic approaches are bound to be realised in these memorial lectures.
In a statement on the floor of the House, he noted that Peace Talks, is a similar peace instituted initiative that showcases the inspirational stories of people who are making extraordinary contributions to peace and co-founded by the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Kofi Annan
The Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, and Inter-peace, has progressed the work envisioned by Kofi Annan since its commencement in 2013. Though this specifically expands the dialogue on peace building and conflict resolution, an annual memorial lecture has the potential to be fashioned into the academic curricular of students for which credits will be obtained to further encourage the utility of Kofi Annan’s peace model.
And, this endeavor will follow a well-defined organisational plan with relevant local actors and specified target audiences in academia, corporate institutions, public servants and government officials.
It will include a host of activities that ensure the impartation of knowledge and the birth and promotion of individual ideas to support the peace model that will live on in the heart of the African continent from which it originated in Kofi Annan.
“I therefore make this call to all from this honourable House, to take steps to institute memorial lectures on the peace model of Kofi Annan”.
In his memoir, Kofi Annan reflected on his roles at the UN on the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Although he was not Secretary General at the time, this was one of the significant events that dented the UN’s peacekeeping reputation. Kofi Annan reported on how he lobbied for 100 governments – and made personal calls to others – to assist with the passage of the Security Council Resolution (918) where page 2 of the resolution sought to enable the UN dispatch about 5,500 troops to the country
Subsequently, the 1999 independent investigation into what had happened categorically concluded that the UN had failed to prevent and stop the genocide in Rwanda. As Secretary-General during the investigation, Kofi Annan most importantly accepted responsibility for the turn of events and poised himself to ensure the prevention and reoccurrence of such a dreadful event.
He sought to do this by reforming the UN to be mandated and equipped for the kind of forceful action needed to prevent a genocide.
In his words, he said “I realised after the genocide that there was more that I could and should have done to sound the alarm, and rally support. This painful memory, along with that of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has influenced much of my thinking, and many of my actions, as secretary-general”.
His support and validation of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was a key act which one could say Kofi Annan had at heart. The R2P was an interventionist protocol out of which a clarion call for peace and conflict resolution is made to help protect war & conflict prone regions, principally to protect the people of the state.
Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Akoto Afriyie has given assurance to Parliament that his Ministry is taking steps to ensure that there are fertilizers available for farmers in the 2022 crop season.
According to him the COVID-19 pandemic has affected global economic activities resulting in high prices of goods and the supply chain as no sector has been left out on the international market.
And there has been increase in the prices as a result of inadequate supply of fertilizers to farmers around the globe including Ghana.
Dr. Afriyie further told the House recognizing the threat and its implication to governments flagship programme, planting for food and job, and its impact on food security, the Ministry has taken steps to ensure the product is supplied during the 2022 crop season.
“We are collaborating with companies that import fertilizers to Ghana to buy early enough and in touch with the Finance Ministry to make prompt payment of outstanding debts to the various companies”.
This was when Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Dr. Kingsley Nyarko sought to know steps being taken by the Ministry to address the complaint of farmers about the unavailability and high prices of fertilizers and how the ministry can ensure its availability in the next crop season.
The Majority Leader, Osei- Kyei -Mensah- Bonsu has explained that, the Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako Atta’s action to suspend road toll collection across the country was to save lives and property.
He explained that, upon intelligence gathered by the minister, there were a lot of chaos and misunderstanding between drivers and people collecting the toll fees as soon as they heard the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta announcing free tolls on our roads.
Mr. Kyei Mensah said, in order not to allow the situation to escalate throughout the country, the roads minister immediately issued the statement to bring the situation under control.
And further told the House he agrees with the Minority Leader that the budget for 2022 has not been approved and even the debate has not yet started: that matter has not been concluded and Parliament has to conclude the matter for the minister to come with the directive.
And further pointed out that the Minister did not suspend the law but all he did was to save a situation as they picked up intelligence of a confusion that was about to erupt.
In addition, he noted that if the House has questions to ask the Minister could be invited to give better particulars about his directives on the various toll collections.
Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said Ghana’s finance minister Ken Ofori Atta would go down the Guineas book of record under the fourth Republic of Ghana as the most borrowing Minister of finance when he seconded motion for adjournment on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
According to him with the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented by the sector Minister, Ghanaians would not be able to bear the hardship they are already enduring. “The system is hot and it’s only Ofori Atta who ironically reduces hardship and suffering by imposing taxes”, he said.
Again, the one point seven (1.7) momo and electronic tax targeted at raising fifteen (15) billion Ghana cedis would worsen the already hardship of the people. More importantly, he said the e-transaction levy would reverse the gains of financial inclusion.
“Mr. Speaker we are not in a hast to debate him, when you project revenue from 53 billion to 80 billion within one year, the market and Ghanaians have listen to you, this budget does not end any suffering of Ghanaians”.
As government introduces electronic levy tax in the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy as presented by sector Minister Ken Ofori Atta, Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Isaac Adongo said if Ghanaians spend their money electronically, Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia would be there to take his share.
According to him it would be double taxation because as Ghanaians pay tax on their income, they have to pay another tax on money they want to send to their parents electronically unless they go to the bank physically to withdraw the money.
“I cannot imagine this level of insensitivity, and we are doing this at a time that we are saying COVID has affected our people. You recounted when the Vice President said when the economy is not performing and you decide to raise money by imposing taxes you would go into a downward cyclical and we were growing our economy during our time at 3.4, and you said the same thing about us; now you are growing at 0.4. These people, any time NPP is bringing a bitter pill for you to swallow they find sweetener”.
In his engagement with the media just after the finance minister had presented his budget, he recounted that just after Nana Akufo-Addo led government came into power in 2017, they said they were moving away from taxation to production.
“In this budget, we have seen nineteen (19) taxes. They further said good work budget, we rather saw unemployed Ghanaians; they said year of roads, we witnessed only two billion cedis devoted to roads”.
In a related development John Abdulai Jinapor on his part pointed out that, road tolls have been abolished but what government has not told Ghanaians is that they would go to the DVLA to pay same amount they were paying as road taxes.
“We would do whatever it is to ensure that the impoverished Ghanaians, who are suffering under excruciating inflation would not be affected, we would do everything possible to ensure that happens”.
Ahead of Wednesday, November 17,2021 presentation of the 2022 budget by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr. Stephen Amoah said any attempt by government to reduce taxes should not tickle Ghanaians to be happy and laugh.
According to him the effect would be too bad for us as Ghanaians, and in the same vain burdening the citizenry with too many taxes would also make Ghanaians swallow bitter pills in the short to medium term. However, the long term benefit would be enormous for the country.
In an engagement with the media, he noted that this message should be communicated very well by government communicators to Ghanaians to understand the reasons behind government’s decisions on the management of the economy.
Dr. Amoah, however, called for the cutting down on expenditure that do not impact the Ghanaians economy that much, adding that government would have to take steps to create jobs for the youth and promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He further went on by saying that the Minority would make political capital out of the budget presentation and the state of the economy, stating that they would have done the same if they were in opposition, “but it is time NPP and NDC have a common platform and stop politicking and have the interest of Ghana at heart”.
“Even vessels that bring goods to Ghana, they have increased their charges to two hundred percent and let us not force government to make decision that would affect the country in the long term, let us leave the economy in the hands of this government, I think this budget would provide medium to long term solutions”, he asserted.
A member of the Finance Committee and Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu John Abdulai Jinapor said the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta should cushion Ghanaians and not impoverish them with the 2022 Annual Budget Estimate he would present today, Wednesday, November 17, 2021 to the parliament of Ghana.
According to him petrol prices are very high getting to almost seven cedis a litter, one of the highest in the West African sub-region, with inflation currently about ten point six per cent (10.6) double digit inflation.
Again, wages and salaries have been increased just by four percent in this year with so many taxes measures like energy sector recovery levy, sanitation levy, financial sector recovery levy with increase in VAT and NHIL by one percent.
“Food prices have seen a huge increment; the Minister should cut cost and reduce expenditure especially those that do not have economic growth on the country, and a lot of rationalization. If more taxes are introduced the Minority would not be part of the further burdening of the Ghanaian”, he stated.
Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on his expectation of today’s budget presentation, he noted that revenues are up from crude oil and we have a windfall of about six hundred million dollars ($600, 000,000).
In addition, cocoa volumes have gone up by over one million dollars and there is a lot of revenue coming in, as last month the GRA in the Eastern Region told the Finance Committee, they are meeting their revenue target and getting more revenue, “why burden Ghanaians again?”, he quizzed.
“If it is the issue of debt management, then government must sit up to manage the money it borrows and not to burden Ghanaians further, by breaking their backs, we in the Minority understand that we are in a COVID era, we are not insensitive”.
However, he was quick to point out that countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Nigeria are all our peers but their deficit for 2020, they did between five to six percent but Ghana alone did fifteen-point seven percent (15.7%).
“It means, we over spent what we got, how come all those countries are not introducing those taxes, I think it is a legitimate question we are ready for tomorrow and we would do what is needful”, he concluded.
Tempers went high between the Majority and Minority sides of the house on Friday when the Majority addressed the press on the tidal waves disaster in the Volta Region last Sunday.
The Majority caucus at the press briefing blamed the activities of sand winning by the people in the affected areas as aiding the havoc visited on the people by the tidal waves.
They contend that, while government may be taking steps to address the situation through the sea defence wall construction, the people who are beneficiaries must also act responsibly and desist from activities, like sand winning that makes it easy for the sea to reach people’s homes.
The Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central Region, Alexander Afenyo-Markin who addressed the press blamed the tidal waves destruction on sand winning, and rise in sea level and climate change.
The Deputy Majority Leader advised his colleague MPs in the Volta Region, particularly those from the affected areas to take interest in the sand winning activities, speak against it, and help halt it entirely.
He wondered why the MPs failed to touch on that issue in their earlier press briefing, and asked if they fear speaking against it would cause them politically.
However, the press briefing that was going on smoothly suddenly turned chaotic when some Minority MPs challenged the picture that the Majority was brandishing around as prove of sand winning in the Keta area.
Mr. Nelson Dafeamekpor, MP for South Dayi, and Mr. Armah Kofi Buah challenged the Majority to stop deceiving the public because the picture was nowhere near the scene of the Volta Coastal line.
The heated moment witnessed some exchange of unprintable words from the MPs, but somehow the situation was successfully brought under control
Mr Dafeamekpor contended that sand winning does not cause tidal waves to pound coast lines; rather the phenomenon is as a result of rise in the sea level. “And he has come here to bring a picture that clearly is not reflective of the coastline of Keta, or Aflao, or Anloga, or Woe, where I come from; our coastlines have no forests, our coastlines from Aflao to Anyanui through Anloga is full if pristine sand and has nothing like the forested beach-line he has introduced to you as being representative in terms of photography of the coastline of Keta”.
He said he is not trying to underrate the relevance of denigrating our coastlines as a result of sand winning, “but to say that the lives of the over four thousand people were caused or destroyed by tidal waves as a result of sand winning is with all due respect to him unacceptable”.
He condemned the lukewarm attitude of the government towards the problem happening in Ketu South, Keta, and Anlo as unfortunate, adding that the response of the government to the plight of the people in affected areas is appalling, compared to other areas in the country in which the government responded with alacrity to support the people.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) has been advised to as a matter of urgency in line with their corporate social responsibility assist in providing relief items to the People of the Volta Coast line affected by the tidal waves.
The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Nelson Dafeamekpor who made the call at a press briefing in parliament said while GHAPOHA is looking for the money to construct the Keta Port, it is important to safeguard the lives of the people in the area other than that, by the time the port project is completed, there would be nobody to use the facility.
“GHAPOHA just said through the Ministry of transport that they need six hundred million dollars to build the port of Keta and I want to tell GHAPOHA that if you to spend six hundred million dollars to build a sea port at Keta, you must go in and help the people of Keta, otherwise by the time you’re ready to build six hundred million sea port there would be nobody to use the sea port that you intend to construct.”
Mr. Dafeamekpor who chides the government through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) failed to respond to the needs of the tidal waves victims in the three Constituencies along the coast of the Volta Region also called on well-meaning Ghanaians and corporate organisations to come to the aid of the thousands of residents displaced by the disaster.
