Woyongo clarifies issues on equipment

Centre spread, Tuesday Feb 24, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
THE Minister designate for the Upper East Region, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, made his third appearance before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday and was finally discharged after he had clarified issues relating to his importation of radio equipment into the country and the issue of his voter registration.
When he appeared before the committee the first time, the nominee had been asked to appear at another date, since, according to the committee, he was ill-prepared and confused.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, told the committee that he had received correspondence from the Electoral Commission that the nominee was a registered voter who had his vote permanently transferred to the Upper East Region in the run-up to the December polls.
The chairman referred to a letter signed by the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Operations, Mr Safo Kantanka, but the Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the committee, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said there were still issues relating to the nominee’s voter registration that needed to be addressed.
He said the committee should not just limit itself to the letter from Mr Kantanka but go further to verify the claims that had been made.
The minister designate stated that he had not appeared before any committee of enquiry on his importation of radio equipment into the country and explained that he had explained issues to the Bureau of National Investigation, as well as the National Security.
He said he had been duly exempted from the payment of tax after seeking due clearance from the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
He said when given the nod, he would work towards empowering the committees of the regional house of chiefs to ensure that they effectively resolved chieftaincy disputes there.
After Mr Woyongo was discharged, the Minister designate for Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, appeared and told the committee that the modernisation of agriculture would be a top priority if his nomination was approved by Parliament.
The minister, who spent close to three hours before the committee, said the modernisation of agriculture would ensure a significant increase in agricultural production and re-orient local farmers to become modern farmers.
The minister designate, who is a former board chairman of the Mim Timber Company and Cash Pro, underlined the importance of using a hi-tech approach in agricultural production and said the new administration was determined to use that approach to increase cocoa production.
He said using the hi-tech approach, which included the effective application of fertiliser, it was possible to increase, by 2012, the tonnage of cocoa beans produced in the country from 700,000 to one million and said that would not necessarily imply increasing the size under cultivation.
“By the hi-tech approach, we can increase the yield of cocoa on the same piece of land,” he stated.
Mr Ahwoi also expressed the commitment of the government to increase agricultural production in other sectors, such as the rice sector.
When asked by the MP for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to comment on the statement made by the President in his State of the Nation Address that the government would revive the Aveyime Rice Project, the minister designate stated that the President probably meant that the project would be expedited.
He stated that if given the nod, his administration would also continue with plans initiated by the previous government to irrigate the Accra Plains to boost agricultural production.
He said the Accra and Afram plains, if properly irrigated and cultivated, could serve as the bread basket of the country, stressing that it was time for the country to minimise its dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
Mr Ahwoi also articulated the commitment of the new administration to encourage the youth into agriculture, explaining that it should not be just a case of the youth going into agriculture but ensuring that the appropriate resources were made available to maximise yield.
The minister designate emphasised the need to bring practical meaning to agricultural education in schools, adding that practical agricultural education in school should be mechanised to help provide students with the right foundation.
Mr Ahwoi also underlined the importance of linking agricultural communities with good roads and advocated the responsible use of roads to ensure that they lasted longer.
The Minister designate for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, and the Minister designate for the Presidency, Mr Azong Alhassan, also appeared before the committee to answer various questions.