Category: Uncategorized

Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga has condemned the shooting that led to the killing of members of the security agencies in his constituency on Monday, April 3, 2023 with some getting injured in the process.

The MP in a statement described the development as most reprehensible and should not be repeated again; and called for investigation into the matter and perpetrators brought to book.

He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased security personnel and extends the constituency’s prayers to the wounded.

He further urged government to be proactive in advancing a lasting peace process in Bawku.

“On 3rd April, 2023, at about 2000hrs, three (3) immigration officers; Asst. Inspt. Philip Motey stationed at Missiga, Asst. Inspt. Lawrence Afari stationed at Kulungugu and Asst. Inspt. Eric Ayidiya of Pulimakom border post were shot at by unknown gun men in front of Bawku Police station. They were in their private car to town to buy food when the incident happened”.

They were rushed to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital but Philip Motey was confirmed dead whiles the other two sustained gun shots injuries and are in critical conditions.

Eric Ayidiya was transferred to Tamale Teaching Hospital yesterday but Lawrence Afari is still at Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Both officers are currently responding to treatment.

Meanwhile, the body of Philip Motey is still at Bawku Presbyterian Hospital.

Ghanamps.com

As Ghana Health Services moves into a different strategic approach in dealing with malaria, which is malaria elimination programmes, manager of Ghana National Malaria Control programme Dr. Keziah L. Malm has emphasised the need to get the needed funds to push the elimination agenda.

According to her the strategy the nation operated on from the year 2021 in the fight against malaria is being changed into malaria elimination.

In an interview with Ghanamps.com she noted that if one looks at the strategic plan previously they did not mobilize all the resources that they needed to implement that strategic plan; they had eighteen districts which were eligible for one of their key interventions which is indoor residual spraying.

“But, we did not have the resources to do that. Now with the support from Parliament, some funds have been allocated to two districts out of the eighteen, which means that there is a lot to be done. This intervention was one that was done in the Upper West Region and has brought malaria prevalence down quite well”.

Dr. Malm further pointed out that other interventions especially around education and getting people to understand the interventions and accept them is a lot more that they need to do.

And emphasised adequate resources when Ghanamps.com enquired if that would be a game changer.

According to her, they are hoping that as they improve on their work with Parliament Select Committee on health, “they would appreciate what needs to be done better and what resources are needed to do things better; and what and how they can help us in the fight against malaria in this elimination agenda”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Nanton, Mohammed Hardi Tuferi is reported to have been involved in an accident ahead of a crucial vote on the government’s revenue bills currently being considered by Parliament.

It is not immediately known how the whole thing occurred. But he was spotted near the male washroom.

Later a stretcher was moved up towards the male’s washroom but the Nantom MP did not go on it rather he was held by his colleagues into an ambulance that was packed at the entrance to Parliament.

The MP who is a member of the Majority Caucus was however sent to Parliament via an ambulance to report to the leadership of the House and later sent to the hospital.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu on Friday, March 31, 2023 took some Ghanaians in Diaspora who visited Parliament through the workings of the Ghanaian Parliament most especially governance.

According to him the system of parliamentary democracy Ghana has is the unicameral legislature made up of two hundred and seventy-five (275) lawmaker where as in the United States of America they have bicameral legislature which is made up of House of Representative and Congress.

And that Ghana’s Parliament is established under Article 93 of the 1992 Republican constitution mandated and responsible for legislation despite the fact that it can do other function other than legislation.

Haruna Iddrisu noted that beyond legislation, they exercise representative role and they also play an investigative role and unfortunately this parliament has not been up and doing in that direction, rather the parliament cover things up.

Unlike their counterpart in the United States, they have that role of investigative and gave an example of tick talk investigation that went on in the US and added that they play an oversight role as a parliament.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has said the current government under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo should be praised for reducing delay time of paying the National Health Insurance Scheme from twelve (12) months to five month (5).

According to him instead of the Ranking member on health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh criticizing government, government should rather be praised for adding some medical conditions which were previously not part of the health bill covered by the NHIS.

They have five months delay into the release of the fund this is at discretionary powers exercised by the minister of finance and not peculiar to this particular minister.

It was done by the former finance minister under the NDC and run through various governments; “our colleague should be fair to agree that regardless of the difficulty, you recall we have achieved some positives; childhood cancer has been added to the bill to be taken care of by NHIS, Sickle Cell and breast cancer which have not been part of it for a long time have been added; now they should be a bit considerate in their criticism”.

And further pointed out in reacting to the press conference held by the Ranking member on the Health Committee that they as Majority have taken it upon themselves that any time the formula is laid, leadership meets with them and there was a concern about ICT bill which a suggestion came from their side and the entire committee agreed to it that there should be some forensic audit for them to know what is happening as there may be a possibility of duplication of function.

“If someone reduced a delay from twelve months to five months our colleague cannot come and be using strong words like government is siphoning money; our colleague, the ranking should know better and this is the worst comment anybody can make. He tried this on the floor and the Speaker asked him to depart from that path; it’s no longer seven months delay in payment but five months”.

Again, there is regular price review of the medication; he is told more than a decade ago it’s done ones in a year, they have done these three times in their regime in a year what we should be talking about as a House is to reduce the discretionary powers of the finance minister, so that the funding which should be given to NHIA is given at the appropriate time and beyond that common fund has challenges in terms of release; we have made the necessary moves and the few months ahead of us there is going to be releases; the minority whip can bear me out this delays is not peculiar to this government, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliament has approved the appointment of six Ministerial nominees presented by the Appointment Committee in accordance with Article 79(1) of the 1992 Constitution. Out of the 275 Members of Parliament eligible to vote, three were absent while the remaining 272 Members successfully cast their ballots.

The approved Ministers include Hon. K.T Hammond as Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Bryan Acheampong as Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng as Minister of Religious Affairs and Chieftaincy, Hon. Mohammed Amin Adams as Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Osei Bonsu Amoah as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, and Hon. Stephen Amoah as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

The Appointments Committee presented their report on the nominees to Parliament, which was followed by a vote that occurred on March 24th, 2023. These appointments were made to fill vacancies that were created by the resignations of three previous Ministers.

Minority in Parliament has accused the government of siphoning about GH¢4 billion from the National Health Insurance Scheme fund since 2018.

According to the caucus, the government failed to make payment to the fund in the year 2022 despite taking about GH¢1.7 billion from the over GH¢3 billion accrued for the fund.

Speaking to journalists, the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said such moves by the government would collapse the Health Insurance Scheme if it persists.

“Last year, we realised that only about 6 percent of the amount collected was paid which was the worse in the history of the NHIS. In 2021, the government collected in excess of GH¢2 billion and paid about GH¢127 million and which constituted about 6 percent, and we raised such concern”.

“As though the issues we raised angered the government, the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government decided not to pay anything in 2022. Not even 1 cedi was paid. In the 2022 formula, it was estimated that the government collected about 3.6 billion cedis and the government took about 1.7 billion cedis.

“This is a dangerous trend and can collapse the NHIS. From the year 2018, the government took 197 million Ghana cedis from NHIS, in 2019 the government took 752 million cedis from the proceeds, in 2020 they took 277 million cedis. In 2021, they took 1.1 billion and in 2022, they took 1.7 billion cedis. So from 2018 till now the government has taken in excess of 4 billion Ghana cedis from NHIS.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ Ghanamps.com

 Member of Parliament for Kumawu Constituency Philip Basoah is dead, Ghanamps.com has gathered.
The late Philip Basoah died on Monday, March 27 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he has been on admission for a serious ailment.

He was one of the three MPs absent at last Friday’s voting on the ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.

His death was confirmed by the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, in a tweet on Tuesday morning.

Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Sissala East Chinnia Issahaku Amidu has visited the Wallembelle Holy Child Senior High School which was recently absorbed by government to donate some food items including rice, beans and oil for the feeding of the students.

The Sissala East MP further provided the school with street lights to help brighten the school environment so as to protect the students.

According to him they were denied boarding status because they couldn’t provide a hostel or boarding facility.

“I am going to collaborate with the community and other stakeholders for us to provide a hostel so that we can get boarding status in the next academic year; your support and prayers will help”, he said.

Ghanamps.com

Ranking member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Bernard Ahiafor has hinted that the anti-LGBTQ+ before the Committee which has gone through first reading would be laid before the House today, Friday, March 24, 2023.

According to him the bill was introduced as a private members bill; and after the first reading it was referred to the committee, they advertise the bill which generated so much concern that it generates two hundred memoranda from civil society organisations.

The Christian, traditional authorities, individual and academia they had to seat as a committee and give hearing to these people who present a memorandum to the committee they have done that pains taken, after which the committee resolved into consideration of the bill clause by clause and now they are at a stage that the committees report and the recommendations and amendments is ready.

He further noted that when the report is introduced on the floor it moves from the Committee level to the plenary for consideration. It would be for second reading after that it would move to the consideration stage, third reading then it is passed; then it would be moved to the president for assent. “Those who have issues against the bill, they should note that Ghana is a sovereign state; we have our culture and individual difference and recounted that he was in the Huge- the Netherlands, and he asked a rhetorical question that became a demonstration”.

He added that in Africa and Ghana, we are partly polygamous; would they by way of culture practice allow polygamy? They said it is a ‘criminal offense’ then why are you asking us to practice lesbianism and homosexuality and other behaviors?”

“We are a sovereign state so the responsibility of the committee was to ensure there is nothing in the bill that conflict with the 1992 constitution in Ghana; as we have a written constitution and the fundamental human right is dear to us such that a whole chapter in the constitution is dedicated to it”.

So, they looked at those provisions line by line as against the provision in the LGBTQ, and they have proposed all the necessary amendments to ensure that the bill is not repaginate to our constitution.

If, you look at the activities of the LGBTQI+, their activities are repaginating to our culture and the very being of our society. Ghana’s parliament has the right to make laws and that is what exactly we are doing. What we need to do is to ensure that the law does not trample upon anybody’s right, so no one can say we do not have the right to make that law, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com