Ghana’s fourth republican dispensation has so far seen a number of Speakers over the period. However, majority of these Speakers have only managed to serve a parliament.
The fourth republic, has thus recorded only one Speaker who had the opportunity of serving in two different parliaments. Thus, the first and second parliaments.
Meet Justice Daniel Annan – Speaker of parliament from 1993 through to 2001.
For more information click here
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa has announced that all 600 occupants of the newly commissioned North Tongu MP and Partners Safe Alternative Housing Projects will not be required to pay any rent.
The MP wrote on his facebook post saying, “Glad to announce that all 600 beloved occupants of our newly commissioned North Tongu MP & Partners Safe Alternative Housing Projects in Mepe & Aveyime will enjoy free rent & free utilities for the next three years.”
According to him, his vision is to convert both facilities into a Nursing Training Institute leveraging on the famous Battor Catholic Hospital after three years when it is hoped that all the VRA spillage victims would have been resettled permanently.
“May God bless our good intentions and recovery efforts. In this together, rising together”, he said.
Ghanamps.com
Citi News has gathered that Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the current Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, is to be replaced by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the current Deputy Majority Leader.
There is no immediate indication as to whether the Suame MP will keep his role in government as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
What is clear, however, is that he is likely to be named as the Chairman of the NPP’s 2024 Manifesto Committee.
Frank Annoh Dompreh, the present Majority Chief Whip and MP Nsawam-Adoagyiri will ascend to the role of Deputy Majority Leader, thereby creating space for Habib Iddrisu, the current First Deputy Chief Whip, to assume the position of Majority Chief Whip.
Sources indicate that Patricia Appiagyei, is likely to be named as the First Deputy Majority Chief Whip.
This vacancy comes after the incumbent, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, was recently nominated by President Nana Akuffo-Addo as Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation.
The position of Second Deputy Chief Whip, according to sources, is likely to be filled by Alex Tetteh Djornobuah, MP for Sefwi-Akontombra.
A key meeting of the NPP’s National Council is scheduled for Monday to carry out, among other things, a shakeup of the majority front bench, following President Akuffo-Addo’s Valentine’s Day Ministerial Reshuffle last week.
Meanwhile, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is expected to present his campaign team to the National Executive Committee and National Council of the party today, Monday, February 19, 2024.
Names of members of the campaign team are expected to be announced after this meeting.
According to Citi News sources within the party, the former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, is likely to be named as campaign manager for the 2024 general election.
Mr. Dan Botwe was part of the ministers who were relieved of their post last week in a reshuffle done by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East Kwesi Ameyaw- Cheremeh on Friday, 16 February 2024 was elected as Speaker to chair affairs of the day.
Ghana’s standing orders permit the House to elect another MP to preside over proceedings in the absence of the Speaker and his deputies.
MPs have been discussing business for next week. Per standing order 12(4), “whenever the Speaker, the first deputy and the second deputy speaker are unavoidably absent, the Clerk shall chair the sitting for the election of a Member to preside at that sitting.
Mr Cheremeh was nominated by Mr. Annoh Dompreh and seconded by minority chief whip Governs Agbodza.
As the House approved the nomination, Mr. Cheremeh proceeded to take the chair as the Member Presiding to start the day’s proceedings.
He’s the first MP in the 4th republic to preside for a day. A couple of MPs rose up to congratulate Mr. Cheremeh for his one-day ascension to the chair as Speaker for today’s sitting with some calling it ‘historic’ in Ghana’s parliamentary jurisprudence where an MP is made to chair proceedings in the Speaker’s absence.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Member of Parliament for Effutu on Thursday, 15 February 2024 arrested the third reading of the promotion of proper Sexual Right and Ghanaian Family value Bill 2021 popularly know as anti-gay bill 2021.
He raised concerns over the imprisonment of individuals for their sexual orientation under the Bill and called on the House to take a second consideration to enable him to move some amendments on the custodial sentencing.
The Bill proposes a six-month to three-year jail term for those caught in the act and three to five years jail for promoters and activists of LGBTQ.
Coming under Standing Order 1711, Afenyo-Markin advocated amendments that would see prison sentences replaced with community service.
While expressing support for the overall objectives of the bill, Afenyo-Markin argued that penalizing individuals with jail terms for their sexuality could undermine Ghanaian family values and human sexual rights rather than protect them.
He said, “Jailing a person for their sexuality is not the solution in maintaining the Ghanaian family values and ensuring proper human sexual rights.”
The third reading would have signified the passage of the anti-gay Bill by Parliament, which would then be submitted to the President for assent.
Hon disclosed that the government is on the verge of introducing a Community Sentencing Bill, which aims to offer non-custodial sentences as alternatives to imprisonment. He urged the House to consider this approach by amending the anti-gay bill to include community service options.
This measure, he said, will lead to a more compassionate and effective judicial system.
“I strongly hold the conviction that the integration of community service as an alternative to incarceration will substantially bolster the efficacy and compassion of our judicial system.”
“The essence of this motion is for the august body to thoroughly consider amendments proposed to the bill with a view of substituting community service for incarceration,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
The Deputy leader subsequently introduced 13 amendments after his motion for a second consideration stage was carried.
Ghanamps.com
Reacting to the news on the reshuffle made by President Nana Akufo-Addo on the floor of the House, Deputy Minority Leader Kofi Armah Buah has noted that the move is dead on arrival.
According to him the reshuffle was long awaited after seven years the good people of Ghana have called on President Nana Akufo-Addo when it became evident that some of his Ministers were not performing.
According to him, not even a call from section of the Majority members to the president even yielded any result when it was most needed.
“You do not wait until the boat capsizes. It is clear this has come a little too late, ten month left, what would the ministers do, they would not have the opportunity to make any impact”, he said.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
Majority Chief Whip Frank Annorh -Dompreh has taken a swipe at the Minority for saying the reshuffle is dead on arrival and too late in the day.
He was not pleased that the Minority thinks the President’s reshuffle should have done this long ago.
According to him his colleagues should rather help their presidential flag bearer to put a message together that would appeal to Ghanaians, “that is what you should be doing”.
“Your flag bearer was elected many months ahead of the NPP’s Dr. Bawumia and reshuffle of a cabinet ministers is in the bosom of the President so concentrate on your flag bearer’s message to Ghanaians and mind your own business”, he said.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
The only female on the Ghanaian delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Laadi Ayii Ayamba is advocating for the various member states national parliaments to ensure that they have enough female lawmakers which would then translate into increased female representatives in the sub-regional bloc.
This, he said would help ensure fair representation of females in the various Committees in the Community Parliament as such representations are really needed.
According to her the dominance of men is largely attributable to the very small percentage of women sent to the Community Parliament by the member states.
In an interview she pointed out that out of the one hundred and fifteen (115) lawmakers in the Community Parliament, there are only seventeen (17) women. Again, Nigeria with its population size and with thirty-five (35) slots has only two female representations in the fifth legislature.
Other member states like Ghana that has eight slots has one (1) female with other member states that has five (5) delegations also send a female each.
Hon Laadi Ayamba commended the Speaker of the fifth legislature of ECOWAS for championing the cause of female to the extent of the Parliament providing a budget for their activities.
In the year 2023 ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (Network) ECOFEPA was able to organize a summit in Abuja-Nigeria which brought together the largest gathering of females and youth around the sub-region to empower them and encourage them to take up leadership positions in the various member states.
She further commended, Sierra Leone which is hosting today’s summit for achieving the thirty percent representation in their national Assembly.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com/Sierra Leone
The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram who doubles as deputy ranking on Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Narttey George has stated clearly that, the Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful has no legal rights and power to sell AIRTEL/TIGO ( A.T ) Communication Network to any company without a Parliamentary approval.
He explained that, the laws of Ghana require that, all international agreements must have a Parliamentary approval to legalize such an agreement yet; the communication minister has not submitted anything of that kind to the House.
Mr Sam George further sound a word of caution to any foreign company that has interest in buying AIRTEL/TIGO to pull out since the NDC government would not consider such an agreement as the legal kind and would cancel it.
Ghanamps.com
The Minority leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has called on the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to immediately present a Bill to parliament to remove the said taxes he mentioned yesterday during his delivery off the books since he is still the chairman of the economic management team.
He explained that, the Vice President was in Parliament when the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta was presenting the Bill on E-levy, so he can’t say today that, he has no hands in it; therefore he would take it off when he becomes the President.
The leader further said, the General Secretary of the NPP and the minister for information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah sits in the cabinet meetings and all these people told Ghanaians that, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia played an instrumental role in preparing the E-levy Bill.
The Minority leader, who made the call today at a press conference in Parliament, believes Dr. Bawimia’s promise to take off the VAT on domestic electricity consumption and also scrap the E-Levy should not be postponed until 2025, and that the Vice President is in a good place now to ensure the removal of these taxes as he supervised their formulation.
Ghanamps.com
