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The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo- Markin has disclosed that the earlier communicated date for the presentation of next year’s budget which was scheduled for November, 17, has been revised to November 15, 2021, as, MPs are to attend a post budget workshop on November 18, 2021.

He made the disclosure on Friday, November 5, 2021 when he presented the business statement for the ensuing week on the floor of the House.

He said, this would enable members of Parliament to equip themselves well in order to contribute meaningfully during the debate on the 2022 annual budget estimate which would begin on 22 of November, 2021.

Meanwhile, nine Ministers are supposed to come to the floor to answer forty-seven (47) questions of which there are nine (9) urgent questions and thirty-eight (38) oral questions.

Roads and Highways Minister is supposed to come to the House to answer ten (10) questions, Food and Agriculture eight (8) Education nine (9), while Energy and Finance are supposed to take six questions each.

The others are Attorney General and Justice Ministry two (2), Transport four (4) and Chieftaincy Religious Affairs one (1) as well as Tourism Arts and Culture one (1).

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Rapporteur of ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Mahama Ayariga is advocating for Speaker of the Parliament to consider getting the transitional government in both Mali and Guinea to get representatives to the Community Parliament as they work to revert back to constitutional government.

According to him it is a matter that the Speaker can decide on and “I would recommend that the Speaker finds ways of getting the government their representatives”.

“It’s better they are represented than they are not represented at all, I think that going back to my international law, we may as West Africa not recognise the military regime, but if the rest of the world does then they become lawful constituted authority of that country”, he said in an interview.

Mr. Ayariga said this in an interview when Ghanamps.com wanted to know what happens to both countries representation despite the coup in those countries the Community Parliament is going on with its activities.

According to him, he sympathizes with the military junta in Guinea Conakry because the transitional period given them by the Authority of Heads of States for them to move to constitutional rule is too short.

And advocate that, they should consider extending their time, “otherwise they would consider extending their time and ECOWAS would lose out morally on all grounds”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Techiman North Member of Parliament, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has asked the government to create enabling environment for the private sector to invest in the cashew industry particular with value addition, adding that the current practice of exporting the raw cashew is not generating enough returns compared to when the country add value to it.

The MP told the media after presenting a statement on the floor of the House on Thursday, November 4, 2021 on the Pricing of Cashew that the current low prices at which farmers sell their cashew is not motivating the farmers, to the extent that some farmers are compelled to leave the cashew on the farm to rot.

According to her, like cocoa, cashew is also a cash crop that can fetch the country huge sums of revenue when the sector is properly enhanced.
It also provides job opportunities to the people from which they earn their income. As such the attention that is given to the cocoa sector would have to be extended to the cashew sector.

She admitted that though in the last 10 years, cashew development has gone up in the country, pricing remains a difficult task; adding that unlike cocoa, there is no way the cashew farmers are able to know how much their cashew would be sold, “and so, it gets to a point where a kilo of cashew goes for one Ghana Cedis, and so what the farmers do is to leave the cashew in the farms to rot.”

“The issue of pricing is still a problem because till today, there is no general pricing or proper pricing of cashew in the country, hence there is always a fight between the cashew farmers, cashew buyers, cashew exporters and cashew processors.

We think the time has come for government to be strong on pricing of cashew like it does for cocoa, because they are all tree crops and are all exportable.”

The Techiman MP again indicated that it is laudable that government has gone a step further and ensured the passage of the Tree Crop Regulatory Act, 2019 (Act1010) which mandated the government to create a board for tree crops including cashew, and to have them in all the regions. But they are not present in all the regions as at yet.

Madam Ofosu-Adjare advised government to learn some best practices from the largest cashew producer in Africa, La Cote d’Ivoire which provides incentives for processing cashew in the country, where as raw exporters of the produce are made to pay some tax.

She also appealed to government to make the Tree Crops Development Authority available in all the regions to regulate the activities of cashew farmers, help institute measures to add value to the cashew, as well as work on better pricing for the commodity.

Ghanamps.com

A member of Ghana’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, is advocating for the review of how Country reports are presented in the Parliament.

According to him unless there is a review of how country reports are presented during Ordinary Sessions, “we would continue to have very jaundice report of the various member states which would make it very difficult for MPs to know what is actually happening in member states”.

In an interview, he further proposed that within a member state, if there are ten member delegations from a member state, with two dominant political parties and an independent, the opposition, ruling government and independent members should present their various reports to the Parliament.

“This is better than, they pretending to write a compromise report and present it to the Parliament. Sometimes the truth is buried and I think the reporting mechanisms should change for us to get the different perspectives of development in those countries for us to capture the full picture of the situation in the country.”

Then we can debate it and make the appropriate recommendations for action to be taken, and added that what he is seeing of reports being presented does not reflect what is happening in various member states.

 “That is why sometimes we are taken by surprises because the truth is buried; you cannot bury the truth forever it would come out one day”.

 He said in an interview with Ghanamps.com, when questioned about if his suggestion would not take too much time of the Parliament that has a lot to do, that the report should come way ahead of time and not when MPs are in plenary.

“We have been quite inefficient, it is just being efficient, we could get the reports quite well in advance before we meet in Abuja, it is a matter of giving all countries deadline that your report should come this or that date otherwise it would not be admitted then they would make sure the reports come each side would present reports and capture what they have to capture. It is up to you the individual MP to read the report”.

Again, the obligation is for the report to be presented and the individual MPs reading the report. “If you do not do that it is your own problem”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin has urged members of Parliament, especially those on the Minority side to stop all forms of comments that would escalate tension on the police and Madina MP, Mr. Francis Xavier Sosu in the media.

According to him, the media would always like to strive hard to get their stories but in order to maintain peace on the matter, members of Parliament should hold themselves from commenting on the matter.

Mr. Afenyo Markin further advised Mr. Sosu to hold himself well in order to cooperate with the appropriate authorities handling the matter in order to get to the bottom of the case since he is not the first person as an MP to have suffered such incident.

His comments came up when the deputy minority Chief Whip and MP for Banda, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim raised concerns about a press statement from the Majority caucus which was released on Thursday, November 5, 2021.

Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim noted that the Majority caucus’ release seems to implicate the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin for being a stumbling block in the way of the police when he refused to releasing the Madina MP, Mr. Sosu to the police to carry their investigations and others processes.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Garu, Albert Akuka Alalzuuga is advocating for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs) in the wake of the brouhaha that was wittiness at the confirmation of some MMDCEs.

According to him whether it would be on partisan or not, there should be a process of queuing to vote like it’s done for MPs and Presidents during general elections.

When they are elected, he said no one would go fighting around saying he or she deserves to be an MMDCE and the political propaganda would be curbed. “It is not the best for us to continue this way, nomination and confirmation, the confusion we witnessed”, he lamented in an interview.

The former DCE for Garu said what he witnessed in Garu was better as there was no violence despite the first confirmation of the DCE did not go through, but there was heavy presence of the police, “I told them we were heading towards a disaster, one day why should a confirmation of a DCE witness heavy presence of the police?”

Again, “why should someone coming to be an agent of development being a link between the districts, lobbying central government for projects, why should we have such difficulties?”

He recounted that in 2013 as a former DCE, he had only the police commander and the driver with two police personnel witnessing the whole process.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije said Assemblies in Greater Accra along the line lost focus on the role tricycles were to play in supplementing efforts in waste management.

According to him it was during his term in office that tricycles were introduced to support in the waste collection process, as they were supposed to be in the communities where they would pick up refuse and dump them at a central point.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com he pointed out that the bigger trucks were supposed to pick up the refuse at a central point from the community and send them to their final destinations as the tricycles were supposed to be registered by the waste management contractors and work hand in hand.

“To improve their services, along the line the Assemblies lost their handling of the tricycles, and I am glad the current Regional Minister is saying let us go back to the basics to do the right thing”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South and former Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije said the ongoing installation of CCTV camera project was an idea muted by the AMA in collaboration with the urban roads.

According to him whiles in office as Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the idea of how to manage the traffic situation came to mind, so as part of adopting the best practices himself inclusive they moved outside Ghana to learn from the best practices.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 he said he travelled together with a team to New York in the USA, Europe and China to look at their traffic management practices.

“One of the best practices we picked was the introduction of CCTV cameras in the capital city as part of managing the traffic flow in the city, so AMA adopted the practice and install cameras at various vantage points in the capital city”.

The Ablekuma South lawmaker further noted that the CCTV was to be backed with appropriate towing trucks and dispatch riders to keep the traffic of Accra flowing such that it could capture what happens on the N1 and major streets of Accra.

Again, “we could capture crime so that the police would use it”. It was as well meant to support the Transport Ministry in improving their works, he added.

This came in the wake of the National Security Minister coming to the floor of the House to update the House on the number of CCTV cameras so far installed in police stations across the country and commended those who brought up the idea of CCTV cameras.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The former executive secretary to the IGP, Lanchene Peter Toobu said the whole brouhaha surrounding the attempted arrest of Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis Xavier-Sosu, a colleague lawmaker by the police is an exercise in futility, adding that “the police and parliament must learn to work together for the national development”.

The Madina MP has escaped arrest by the Ghana Police Service following his involvement in the demonstration in part of his constituency to draw government’s attention to the bad road networks in the constituency. After the failed attempts, the police wrote to the Speaker of Parliament to release the MP for arrest, but the Speaker declined.

The Police have since charged the MP and he is due for court on November 8, 2021.

But Lanchene Peter Toobu cautioned that it should not be seen that there is competition between the Ghana Police Service and the Legislative arm of government as to who is superior, but rather they should be seen as complementing each other’s effort in building the country Ghana.

“If you think you can charge him and fly it on social media and for that matter the MP has been charged and should appear before court, the MP is not going to appear before court until he is release by the Speaker of Parliament, and the Speaker is saying, “we are very busy in parliament, I cannot release the MP”.

He further added that the former Speaker Professor Aaron Oquaye set the example that if you want an MP come to Parliament meet in the Speakers chambers to take a statement from the MP, “again if they think they have gotten enough information and want to charge him as they have done but the Speaker has responded that he would not release the Madina MP we have a lot to do”.

According to him, the power of the Speaker seems not be understood, “when the Speaker says the House is in Session and the MP represent his constituency and you say there is a criminal case he would have to come and answer, but a lawmaker has an immunity, “I know no one is above the law”.

The Wa West MP further pointed out that, there is a laid down procedure that should be followed and “we need to maintain our democracy and ensure we are growing we should go above some of these things”.

The former executive secretary to the IGP pointed out in an interview with journalists in Parliament when they go hit that the police administration had charge the Madina MP and he is supposed to appear before court on November 8, 2021, “the police have the responsibility to prevent crime and maintain law and order in addition prosecute those who offend the law”.

“The police knows that, as for charging him if they think that he has caused damage to public property, it is their right to charge him, they have the duty to prove within reasonable doubt and should have evidence to back their case that notwithstanding that, they would have to serve him properly, the fact that you find in the media that the police have charge him does not mean you would see him in court, you have to serve the MP through the Speaker”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Former Deputy Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng is calling for a rethink into the use of cocoa funds particular with the cocoa road project.

He said projects such as the Cocoa Road projects is contributing to the financial difficulties of COCOBOD and it is about time leaders define the core mandates of the Ghana Cocoa Board to save it from total collapse; adding that as members of parliament he would hope they would avert their minds to these matters.

Mr. Eric Opoku had accused the government for awarding more cocoa roads amounting to GHS 13.6 billion prior to the 2020 elections, having criticized the National Democratic Congress administration for doing same to the tune of GHS 5.1 billion.

But the Obuasi West insists that the political leadership of this country both past and present must make a clear decision what we want COCOBOD to do, otherwise, we risk destroying not just COCOBOD but ultimately, the industry that COCOBOD leads”.

Responding to comment from Mr. Eric Opoku about current financial position of the Ghana Cocoa Board in which he alluded to the debts the institution finds itself as per the 2020 Auditor General’s Report, and how COCOBOD is not giving the farmers some of the benefits due them as indicated by the finance Minister, Mr. Kwarteng said the reality is that “one of the challenges of COCOBOD which in my view is threatening the industry is the political unwillingness to review incentives we give to producers of cocoa even when the return we are getting as a country are inadequate.” “As such the assumption is that whatever it is cocoa farmers have votes so find money somewhere and make the cocoa farmers happy”.

He advised that motivation for cocoa farmers is very important, and we see in this statement, efforts by not just this administration but also previous regimes to help the cocoa farmer. What we have not critically analyzed is where we are getting the resources from in order to provide the incentives that Hon. Eric Opoku said is not inadequate.”

He said unless they sit down to review the workings of COCOBOD again, look at the finances of COCOBOD, we will continue doing politics with COCOBOD and in the end destroy the industry.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com