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The New Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson said the number one priority of the new leadership of the Minority caucus is to unite as changes made by the party to the front role on the Minority has been welcomed with mix reaction from Members of Parliament and some party supporters.

According to him in February of 2023 the Minority will be tackling three things and sending a caution to President Nana Akufo-Addo government.

First, he pointed out that Ghanaians are calling on the NPP government to down size government to reflect the mood of the country.

“Again, you are asking people to forgo their interest; you are asking the ordinary Ghanaian to forgo his or her pay out, but the president intends to reshuffle his government. Let it be known that we in the NDC will not accept attempts to increase the size of government if the size increases by one”.

At a press conference on Thursday, January 26, 2023, he assured the people of Ghana that as part of their engagement with the finance and health committee “we have agreed to do public hearing on the audit of the COVID-19 expenditure starting from February 7, 2023. At that point we will pay due diligence to the duties given to us as the people of Ghana”.

Furthermore, the Minority would embark on a road show where they would point out to Ghanaians the meaning of what the economic crises Ghanaians are going through really means and its implications on their livelihoods.

On the issue of the mix reaction that greeted the leadership changes among the Minority Caucus, he pointed out that the new leadership are not new to the House, “I have been in this House for fourteen years and I know the capability of all of our colleagues; some I met, some came to meet me”.

Additionally, he has worked closely with most of their colleagues and assured that together if they work as a team, they shall succeed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

A number of communities in the Atiwa East Constituency in the Eastern Region have the benefit of improved access to potable water through the efforts of the Member of Parliament for the area.

The Member of Parliament, Abena Osei-Asare drilled 20 boreholes district wide as part of efforts to improve accessibility to potable water.

Among the beneficiary communities are Anyinam Zongo, Anyinam Ayigbe Town,Vanderpuye, Frimpongso, Abekwase, New Jejeti, Tiewesu, Kabraso, Kwame Detor, Ehiawoaenwo.

The District Chief Executive for Atiwa East, Kwabena Panyin Nkansah who revealed this to Ghanamps.com said the MP is doing a lot to improve the socio-economic lives of the people particularly when the district is new and barely five years.

He expressed hope that the MPs quest to positively affect the lives of the people will ensure accelerated development of the area.

Ghanamps.com

As the Public Account Committee (PAC) enters its day two of Public hearing chairman of the Committee Dr. James Klutse Avedzi has passionately appealed to the Auditor-General to help the Committee by separating some infractions cited against related Ministries for easy identification and clarification.

The Chairman of the Committee made this appeal when he realised that some infractions cited against Ministry of Food and Agriculture had been merged with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

At the second sitting of the Committees Public hearing on Tuesday, the Committee considered Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana Ministries, Departments and Other Agencies (MDAs) for the year ended 31st December, 2020.

The Ministries that appeared before the Committee were Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

The Controller and Accountant-General, Mr. Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem and the Commissioner General of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah also led officials from their respective institutions to respond to queries cited in the reports.

The Committee is expected to meet the Ministry of Health at their next public hearing.

Ghanamps.com

The Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson said the reason government is facing the push back in its debt exchange programme is because it failed to follow best practice.

He said the best practice is for government to have engaged stakeholders before embarking on the programme.

Responding to a question on what next if government fails to engage and get the buy-in of stakeholders for the Domestic Debt Exchange programme at the Minority press conference Dr. Ato Forson said “they may postpone until Jesus comes; if they fail to engage they will continue to postpone. There are best practices and the best practice is that you engage before you such a thing”.

Putting things in perspective, he said “the banks are not stupid; they have sixty billion plus of their money in government bonds; the insurance companies have 10 billion plus of their money in government bonds; the two put together is 70 billion. On the average they will be earning 20 percent coupon for 2023. This 20 percent coupon of 70 billion translates into GHC14 billion that they would lose in the year 2023. If you put their profitability for the year 2023 together they will not even get 50 percent of this as profitability.”

He stated that with the above problem the banks will collapse and projected that a minimum of five banks will collapse if the programme goes on.

Additionally, banks would also be forced to lay off staffs and close some branches.

He opined that the monies that the banks have invested belongs to depositors hence there would be liquidity issues, such that people will not be able to get their monies when they visit the banks, and the banks are not stupid to allow this.

He said about individuals, 13.1 billion of individuals’ money would be affected, and their interest will be denied them, hence they will ask questions.

The Ranking Member also noted that abouy6.5 million households as a result of this arrangement will move from the middle class to a poor status, “so let’s be careful about the way they are going; and it is important that they engage; and if they engage obviously there may be a chance that some may give something away. Until they engage we will crush”, he emphasized.

Ghanamps.com

A sod-cutting ceremony has been held to hand over an abandoned twenty-four year old 3-storey block for the Birim Central Municipal Assembly to a new contractor.

The Member of Parliament for the area, Alexander Akwesi Acquah successfully lobbied the District Assembly Common Fund to intervene to fund and complete the project.

Speaking at the event, the MP asserts that the municipality went through a whole lot last year and “we pray this very year goes our way”, he said.

He said “an MP’s work is to go and plead for developmental projects to come into his constituency; thus urged the MCE and her people to take over from there. This, he noted is the reason why an MP and his MCE should have a good rapport.

He promised that the Akim Oda Market project will start and complete in his tenure as MP, while assuring that roads and hospital are also in the pipeline.

He advised the assembly that, this ultramodern infrastructure will be equipped with the necessary office stationery and called for proper handling when the time comes.

The MP also called on the contractor to put up a good work for quality delivery while ensuring accelerated completion of the project.

The Municipal Chief Executive for the Area Mrs. Victoria Adu commended the Member of Parliament for making this dream come through.

Ghanamps.com

As Parliament is on recess, Member of Parliament (MP) for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) Samuel Atta-Mills is using the opportunity to engage and interact with his constituents.

The exercise which is dubbed “Time with your MP” the Elmina zone had their turn where very critical issues were raised and discussed and suggestions were offered on the way forward for the constituency.

Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Parliament has reacted to the action taken by the Ghana Educational Service (GES) for dismissing eight Senior High School (SHS) students for insulting the President Nana Akufo-Addo.

According to the Minority in this age and time when there is increased advocacy and renewed focus on increasing access to education any decision that takes a child away from the classroom can only be seen as an absolute drawback to this renewed focus and objective.

“It is therefore, regrettable to learn of the decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to dismiss the eight female students of the Chiana SHS in the Kassena Nankana West District of the Upper East region for insulting the President of the Republic some months ago”.

In a statement issued by the Ranking member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, he said “whereas the, Minority is against the misconduct of the eight students, and condemns same, we wish to state that the decision by the GES to dismiss them is harsh and retrogressive, we believe the eight students like every other Ghanaian child deserve to be in school in line with Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and also Goal(4) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”.

It is in view of this that we wish to call on the Ghana Education Service to review its decision and to ensure that the education of the victims is not truncated in this manner, he stated.

The statement urged GES to proffer an alternative but corrective punishment to the eight students.
This, they believe would be in the best interest of our collective goal to ensuring that every Ghanaian child has access to formal education.

“The Minority wishes to appeal to His Excellency the President, to use his good offices to pardon these students as he did in 2020, when a group of some students misconducted themselves towards him”.

Ghanamps.com

The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda Constituency, Alexander Akwasi Acquah has disclosed that his greatest joy in recent time has been the publication for Invitation for Tender towards the construction of the Akim Oda Central Market Complex.

According to Mr. Akwasi Acquah, the Invitation for Tender as published in the Daily Graphic indicated that “the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in collaboration with the Member of Parliament for the Birim Central Constituency (Akim Oda Constituency) has secured financial support from the District Assembly Common Fund under its Emergency Support Programme (ESP) to cover eligible payments under a contract for the execution of the project indicated below. The Eastern Regional Coordinating Council now invites sealed bids from eligible tenderers for the execution of the project described below”.

The scope of the project he affirmed would include remodeling and reconstruction of the central market complex at Akim Oda.

Speaking to his constituents through a radio broadcast on Community 103.3 FM to account to his constituents to mark two years in office as their representative in parliament, the MP revealed that the original plan of government was to rebuild the market to the existing size, but his (MP) vision is to ensure they have something bigger and modern to meet the growing number of the constituency to help accommodate more interested persons since they have the land.

This, he noted led to the visit by the Common Fund Administrator, Naa Torshie to inspect and ascertain the need for a bigger market. And after the visit, she admitted that there was a need for a bigger market; as such there was a need to vary the design to meet the new plan.

According to him, the nature of the market, as it has become a disaster zone has been a major worry to him, and to have finally seen the tender invitation is most refreshing.

He assured that every effort required to ensure the project see the light of day he would be involved indicating that they have already prepared the cite and all other relevant institutions including the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) are doing their work to ensure the project takes off smoothly.

Mr. Akwasi Acquah announced that soon a billboard displaying the plan that has been accepted by government for the market complex would be erected for the public to be abreast of what is being done, to be followed by sod-cutting ceremony.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Oda Alexander Akwasi Acquah through a radio broadcast has accounted to his constituents works he has done within two years since he became their representative in the Legislature.

The lawmaker thanked his constituent for the opportunity given him to serve and recounted that in the 2020 Parliamentary elections he had the highest vote over seventy percent (70) and he does not take that for granted.

Mr. Alexander noted that to work effectively as a lawmaker and meet the expectations of the constituents, he inaugurated some committees to assist him in his work since he cannot be in the constituency every day.

These include the Finance Committee which would take care of financial matters that need to be addressed in the constituency.

Education Committee which would look after educational issues and further noted, he had a call from a member of the Committee pointing out to the fact that the number of calls they have coming through were in huge volumes.

He asserts that constituents would have complained that the MP was hard to access particularly during school placement processes but it was easy to access them (constituents) when he wanted to the elected as MP. But thanks to the Education Committee it was easy for constituents to have the needed support in this regard.

Health Committee is another one tasked to oversee the health needs of the constituents; then, Social Welfare and Employment Committees to address the needs of constituents.

He said as an MP, it behoves on him to lobby for projects in his constituency hence the Project and Infrastructure Committee. Others include Institutional and Public Relations Committee billed to showcase what the MP is doing.

These Committees, he noted have so far done well to meet the aspirations of the people and would continue to put in more efforts to ensure development is equitably distributed among the various communities in the constituency.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The New Patriotic Party (MP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akyem Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has urged reporters to be circumspect in their reportage by publishing only the truth to keep themselves and their establishments from trouble.
He also enjoined them to offer constructive criticisms against public office heads including politicians so as to put them on their toes.

Mr Acquah, who is also a professional journalist, made the call at an end-of-year reception he organised for media practitioners in his constituency at Oda last weekend.

He called on the journalists to help him develop the constituency, through positive reportage, to build a just society.

The MP stressed that since politics had become his career and he had decided to be a politician for a long time, he would never do anything to incur the displeasure of his constituents or media practitioners.

He stressed the need for more females to enter journalism practice in the constituency to ensure gender balance.

He advised media practitioners not to use their influential position to antagonise people but instead utilise it to transform society positively.

Commitment

Touching on his achievements since he became a legislator two years ago, Mr Acquah said he had personally granted soft loans of GH¢300,000 to some traders at the Oda central market to expand their activities.

He added that he had invested heavily in the reconstruction of the Oda Sports Stadium to relocate Kotoku Royals, the only premier soccer league club in the Eastern Region, from its adopted Cape Coast Sports Stadium to Oda as the team’s home ground in the ongoing betPawa league.

The Oda constituency chairman of the NPP, Kwadwo Amparbeng, who chaired the function, commended the media practitioners for contributing immensely towards the development of the area and urged them not relent in their efforts.

He gave an assurance that the NPP government would continue to give media practitioners the needed practical support to enhance their work.

Samuel Kyei-Boateng/Grapiconline.com