Spread, Jan 30, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Appointments Committee of Parliament is to commence vetting of presidential nominees for various ministerial positions next Friday, February 6, 2009.
All 35 nominations so far made by the President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, have already been referred to the Appointments Committee and after the days allowed for the public to submit memoranda on the nominees elapse on Monday, February 2, the nominees will appear before the committee chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, for vetting.
Those expected to be vetted include Mr Iddrisu Haruna, Communication; Mr Mike Hammah, Transport; Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Education; Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Women & Children's Affairs; Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Tourism; Alhaji Collins Dauda, Lands and Natural Resources; Dr Oteng Agyei, Energy, and Ms Sherry Ayittey, Environment, Science and Technology.
The rest are Mr Mamoud Khalid, Upper West; Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong Ahafo; Nii Armah Ashitey, Greater Accra; Mr Ofosu Ampofo, Eastern Region; Ms Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Central Region, and Mr Kofi Opoku Manu, Ashanti Region.
The remaining 19 nominations were announced last Tuesday and are also expected to be vetted soon. They include Mrs Zita Okai Kwei, Ministry of Information; Mrs Halutie Dubie Alhassan, Minister at the Presidency; Dr Kwabena Duffour, Ministry of Finance; Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Lt. Gen. J.H. Smith (retd), Ministry of Defence; Cletus Avoka, Ministry of the Interior; Dr George Yankey, Ministry of Health.
Others are, Mr Stephen Kwao Amoanor, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare; Mr Moses Asaga, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, Ministry of Youth and Sports; Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture; Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Mr Joe Gidisu, Ministry of Roads and Highways, and Azong Alhassan, Minister at the Presidency.
The rest are Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Region; Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Region; Mr S. S. Nanyina, Northern Region, and Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Region.
A number of the ministerial appointees who spoke to the Daily Graphic expressed their appreciation to the President for recognising their potential for the achievement of objectives set out in the NDC’s campaign manifesto.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Extend equity to developing nations- Second Deputy Speaker urges Prez Obama
Page 9, Jan 30, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Second Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has called on the new American President, Mr Barack Obama, to help extend equity to the developing nations by ensuring a new world economic order.
“We don’t expect magic just because he is African. But a new equity can assist our rice farmers and help our poultry industry to thrive”, he said.
Prof. Oquaye made the call in a statement on the floor of Parliament to congratulate President Obama on the feat.
He noted that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has too many inhibitive technicalities to benefit Africa and called for its revision.
Prof. Oquaye said President Obama’s victory was a victory for both the Black and White races in America since those who voted him to power were both Blacks and Whites.
He called for lessons to be learnt from Obama’s victory by Ghanaians explaining that if ethnocentrism continued to deepen, it might have unprecedented consequences in the country.
“We should learn to open up and vote on issues and principles devoid of tribal considerations”, he said.
Prof. Oquaye called for the holding of elections in early November with the President assuming office in January just as is done in the USA.
He said that would be beneficial since it would give enough time for an inauguration for all Ghanaians and that electoral disputes could also be properly resolved.
Contributing to the statement, the NDC MP for Asawase, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, said the victory of President Obama, his age notwithstanding, should be a lesson to Ghanaians.
He said it was unfortunate that references are made to the age of young people seeking political and public offices and called on Ghanaians to look for what people could offer rather than branding them as inexperienced on account of their age.
For her part, the NPP MP for Evalue-Gwira, Mrs Cathrine Afeku, commended President Obama for appointing his former political opponent, Mrs Hillary Clinton, as the Secretary of State.
She therefore called on politicians to learn a lesson from that example and reconcile with their opponents once elections are over in order to unite for the common good of the people who voted them to power.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Second Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has called on the new American President, Mr Barack Obama, to help extend equity to the developing nations by ensuring a new world economic order.
“We don’t expect magic just because he is African. But a new equity can assist our rice farmers and help our poultry industry to thrive”, he said.
Prof. Oquaye made the call in a statement on the floor of Parliament to congratulate President Obama on the feat.
He noted that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has too many inhibitive technicalities to benefit Africa and called for its revision.
Prof. Oquaye said President Obama’s victory was a victory for both the Black and White races in America since those who voted him to power were both Blacks and Whites.
He called for lessons to be learnt from Obama’s victory by Ghanaians explaining that if ethnocentrism continued to deepen, it might have unprecedented consequences in the country.
“We should learn to open up and vote on issues and principles devoid of tribal considerations”, he said.
Prof. Oquaye called for the holding of elections in early November with the President assuming office in January just as is done in the USA.
He said that would be beneficial since it would give enough time for an inauguration for all Ghanaians and that electoral disputes could also be properly resolved.
Contributing to the statement, the NDC MP for Asawase, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, said the victory of President Obama, his age notwithstanding, should be a lesson to Ghanaians.
He said it was unfortunate that references are made to the age of young people seeking political and public offices and called on Ghanaians to look for what people could offer rather than branding them as inexperienced on account of their age.
For her part, the NPP MP for Evalue-Gwira, Mrs Cathrine Afeku, commended President Obama for appointing his former political opponent, Mrs Hillary Clinton, as the Secretary of State.
She therefore called on politicians to learn a lesson from that example and reconcile with their opponents once elections are over in order to unite for the common good of the people who voted them to power.
Leadership agree on composition of Parliament
Page 10, Jan 30, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
IT has now been established that the Majority side of Parliament is made up of 117 members as against 111 members on the Minority side.
The Majority Caucus comprises 114 members from the ruling National Democratic Congress, the two MPs from the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Wulensi.
The Minority Caucus, on the other hand, comprises 107 NPP MPs and three Independent MPs representing Bosome-Freho, Bekwai and Nkawkaw.
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) MP for Jomoro, Samia Nkrumah, who did not want to align herself with any of the caucuses was, however, constrained to belong to the Minority for the purpose of the composition of the various committees, delegations and other groups in the House.
Parliament has, therefore, adopted 51 per cent for the Majority and 49 per cent for the Minority in the composition of the membership of committees, parliamentary delegations and other groupings to reflect the respective strengths of the various caucuses.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, presented the report of the leadership on the Formula for the Composition of Membership of Committees, Delegations and other Parliamentary Groupings and Associations to the House and moved the motion for its adoption yesterday (Tuesday).
His motion was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
IT has now been established that the Majority side of Parliament is made up of 117 members as against 111 members on the Minority side.
The Majority Caucus comprises 114 members from the ruling National Democratic Congress, the two MPs from the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Wulensi.
The Minority Caucus, on the other hand, comprises 107 NPP MPs and three Independent MPs representing Bosome-Freho, Bekwai and Nkawkaw.
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) MP for Jomoro, Samia Nkrumah, who did not want to align herself with any of the caucuses was, however, constrained to belong to the Minority for the purpose of the composition of the various committees, delegations and other groups in the House.
Parliament has, therefore, adopted 51 per cent for the Majority and 49 per cent for the Minority in the composition of the membership of committees, parliamentary delegations and other groupings to reflect the respective strengths of the various caucuses.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, presented the report of the leadership on the Formula for the Composition of Membership of Committees, Delegations and other Parliamentary Groupings and Associations to the House and moved the motion for its adoption yesterday (Tuesday).
His motion was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery.
Task force to ensure safety in Parliament
Page 10, Jan 30, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, has tasked the leadership of Parliament to constitute a three-member fact-finding committee to establish circumstances leading to the tampering of the seat of the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
The committee is also to make recommendations for measures to be put in place to ensure the safety of Members of Parliament (MPs) at the premises of Parliament.
The directive followed a statement made by Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on the need to strengthen security in Parliament.
In the statement he asserted that on January 7, he complained openly about the uncomfortable nature of his seat which drew the attention of the Estate Officer.
He said when the office called for the replacement of the seat, it came to light that the seat he had been sitting on in the chamber had been tampered with, with the holding system being replaced with some rather crude lead fabrication.
The Minority Leader stated that out of the 230 seats in the chamber, it was only his seat that had been ‘refitted’ but the estate officer insisted that it was not his department that did that job.
The Minority Leader said as if that was not enough, on Friday January 16, it was also discovered that the seat in his office had also been tampered with in the same manner as the one in the Chamber.
He said enquiries from the manufacturers of the chair established the perpetrators had taken not less than three days for the refitting of the chair.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu questioned the intention of the person or persons who did that and asked “How did the person or persons who effected or caused the tampering to be effected gain access to the Chamber and my office?”
Contributing to the statement, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said the issue bordered on security and suggested that a fact-finding committee should be established to get to the bottom of the matter.
“This matter should not be taken lightly since it borders on the security of all of us, he stated”.
For his part, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, also supported calls for a committee to be established to go into the matter, adding that the seat of one of the MPs on the Majority side had been smeared with oil one morning when the MPs got to the Chamber.
Meanwhile, the MP for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has been sworn in by the Speaker to enable him take up his seat in the House.
Mr Agyapong was said to have travelled out of the country on January 7, 2009 when the MPs were sworn in after the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, has tasked the leadership of Parliament to constitute a three-member fact-finding committee to establish circumstances leading to the tampering of the seat of the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
The committee is also to make recommendations for measures to be put in place to ensure the safety of Members of Parliament (MPs) at the premises of Parliament.
The directive followed a statement made by Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on the need to strengthen security in Parliament.
In the statement he asserted that on January 7, he complained openly about the uncomfortable nature of his seat which drew the attention of the Estate Officer.
He said when the office called for the replacement of the seat, it came to light that the seat he had been sitting on in the chamber had been tampered with, with the holding system being replaced with some rather crude lead fabrication.
The Minority Leader stated that out of the 230 seats in the chamber, it was only his seat that had been ‘refitted’ but the estate officer insisted that it was not his department that did that job.
The Minority Leader said as if that was not enough, on Friday January 16, it was also discovered that the seat in his office had also been tampered with in the same manner as the one in the Chamber.
He said enquiries from the manufacturers of the chair established the perpetrators had taken not less than three days for the refitting of the chair.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu questioned the intention of the person or persons who did that and asked “How did the person or persons who effected or caused the tampering to be effected gain access to the Chamber and my office?”
Contributing to the statement, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said the issue bordered on security and suggested that a fact-finding committee should be established to get to the bottom of the matter.
“This matter should not be taken lightly since it borders on the security of all of us, he stated”.
For his part, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, also supported calls for a committee to be established to go into the matter, adding that the seat of one of the MPs on the Majority side had been smeared with oil one morning when the MPs got to the Chamber.
Meanwhile, the MP for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has been sworn in by the Speaker to enable him take up his seat in the House.
Mr Agyapong was said to have travelled out of the country on January 7, 2009 when the MPs were sworn in after the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Speaker refers nominations to Appointments Committee
Spread, Thursday, Jan 29, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo yesterday referred the names of 19 persons who have been nominated by the President for various ministerial positions to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report.
They are Mrs Zita Okai Kwei, Ministry of Information; Mrs Halutie Dabie Alhassan, Minister at The Presidency; Dr Kwabena Duffour, Ministry of Finance; Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Lt. Gen. J.H. Smith (retd) Ministry of Defence; Mr Cletus Avoka, Ministry of the Interior; Dr George Yankey, Ministry of Health; Stephen Kwao Amoanor, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare; Moses Asaga, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, Ministry of Youth and Sports; Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture; Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Ministry of local Government and Rural Development; Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Mr Joe Gidisu, Ministry of Roads and Highways and Mr Azong Alhassan, Minister at The Presidency, .
Others whose nominations have been referred to the committee as regional ministers-designate are, Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Region; Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Region; Mr S.S. Nanyina, Northern Region, and Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Region.
The number brings to 35, persons nominated by the President for various ministerial appointments.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo yesterday referred the names of 19 persons who have been nominated by the President for various ministerial positions to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report.
They are Mrs Zita Okai Kwei, Ministry of Information; Mrs Halutie Dabie Alhassan, Minister at The Presidency; Dr Kwabena Duffour, Ministry of Finance; Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Lt. Gen. J.H. Smith (retd) Ministry of Defence; Mr Cletus Avoka, Ministry of the Interior; Dr George Yankey, Ministry of Health; Stephen Kwao Amoanor, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare; Moses Asaga, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, Ministry of Youth and Sports; Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture; Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Ministry of local Government and Rural Development; Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Mr Joe Gidisu, Ministry of Roads and Highways and Mr Azong Alhassan, Minister at The Presidency, .
Others whose nominations have been referred to the committee as regional ministers-designate are, Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Region; Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Region; Mr S.S. Nanyina, Northern Region, and Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Region.
The number brings to 35, persons nominated by the President for various ministerial appointments.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
MPs laud President Mills for quality nominations
Page 17, Wed Jan 28, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
SOME Members of Parliament (MPs) have lauded President John Evans Atta Mills for what they termed the “quality of his nominations” for ministerial positions.
They also contended that the inclusion of six women in the first batch of nominees was an indication of how the President was poised to fulfil his campaign promises.
The Speaker of the House, Mrs Joyce Bamford Addo, was expected to read the communication from the President on the nomination of the 16 people when the House resumes from its two-week break yesterday.
The nominations would then be referred to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report after which it would publish the nominations of the 15 people in the media and invite memoranda from the general public.
The House is expected to also break after sitting for four days to enable the MPs to be taken through a one-week orientation course at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MP for Ketu North, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, said “all the nominees are solid and they can assist the President to implement the party’s manifesto”.
He said Ghanaians were eager to see the next batch of ministerial nominations by the President, adding that “so far, we are satisfied”.
The NDC MP for Odododiodioo, Mr Jonathan Tackie-Commie, said that women in the country were grateful to the President for not paying a lip-service to their empowerment.
He said the nomination of the first female Speaker of Parliament, coupled with the President’s determination to give 40 per cent of his ministerial appointments to women, were commendable.
“It is good that women are now being given a high-profile ministerial appointment.”
In another development, a former Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahene, has stated that all the 15 nominees by the President were people who had been faithful to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), even in the party’s difficult times.
“It is good that the President has now recognised that the party is in power.”
Nana Boahene said nomination of these dedicated corps of the NDC should be a lesson to other political parties in order to keep their members intact, even in times of difficulties.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
SOME Members of Parliament (MPs) have lauded President John Evans Atta Mills for what they termed the “quality of his nominations” for ministerial positions.
They also contended that the inclusion of six women in the first batch of nominees was an indication of how the President was poised to fulfil his campaign promises.
The Speaker of the House, Mrs Joyce Bamford Addo, was expected to read the communication from the President on the nomination of the 16 people when the House resumes from its two-week break yesterday.
The nominations would then be referred to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report after which it would publish the nominations of the 15 people in the media and invite memoranda from the general public.
The House is expected to also break after sitting for four days to enable the MPs to be taken through a one-week orientation course at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MP for Ketu North, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, said “all the nominees are solid and they can assist the President to implement the party’s manifesto”.
He said Ghanaians were eager to see the next batch of ministerial nominations by the President, adding that “so far, we are satisfied”.
The NDC MP for Odododiodioo, Mr Jonathan Tackie-Commie, said that women in the country were grateful to the President for not paying a lip-service to their empowerment.
He said the nomination of the first female Speaker of Parliament, coupled with the President’s determination to give 40 per cent of his ministerial appointments to women, were commendable.
“It is good that women are now being given a high-profile ministerial appointment.”
In another development, a former Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahene, has stated that all the 15 nominees by the President were people who had been faithful to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), even in the party’s difficult times.
“It is good that the President has now recognised that the party is in power.”
Nana Boahene said nomination of these dedicated corps of the NDC should be a lesson to other political parties in order to keep their members intact, even in times of difficulties.
SHS TO GO FOR 3 YRS-Tettey-Enyo
Lead Story, Mon Jan 26, 2009
story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minister of Education-designate, Mr Alexander Tettey-Enyo, has dropped the hint that one of the first things the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is likely to do in the educational sector is abolish the four-year duration of the senior high school (SHS) and revert to the earlier three-year programme.
Outlining his vision for the Education Ministry to which he had been nominated as minister by President John Evans Atta Mills, Mr Tettey-Enyo, a former acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, said the four-year programme had been announced by the past administration without putting in place the needed infrastructure, syllabi and textbooks to make it work.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ada stated that the government would initiate moves to abolish the four-year programme by first seeking an amendment to the Education Law which was passed by the Fourth Parliament last year.
The first batch of four-year SHS students under the reforms introduced by the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to enter the fourth year in the 2010/2011 academic year.
He said changing the name of junior secondary schools (JSS) to junior high schools (JHS) and that of senior secondary schools (SSS) to senior high schools was, however, not an issue.
“What is important is the duration of the system and the new government will go strictly by its manifesto and reverse the decision of the NPP government,” he noted.
Explaining why the NDC deemed it fit to re-introduce the three-year second-cycle education, Mr Tettey-Enyo said the various committees and conferences on the duration of the country’s education supported the three -year system.
He said the change in the duration from three to four years was a political decision taken by the NPP, since even the Anamoah-Mensah Committee which it put in place endorsed the three-year duration.
“It was, therefore, surprising that the then government came out with a White Paper to introduce the four-year secondary system,” he said.
He noted that even though a lot of responsibilities had been taken over by the government, the four-year duration would put a lot of stress on parents and heads of second-cycle institutions.
Commenting on the frequent policy changes in education, Mr Tettey-Enyo stated that there was the need for a stabilised educational system which could be reviewed from time to time to suit changing social, economic and technological trends.
On the training of teachers, he indicated that efforts would be made to upgrade all teacher training colleges to tertiary institutions, while all courses offered at the basic school level would be taught at the tertiary level.
He added that the NDC was committed to its campaign pledges to teachers and so everything possible would be done to improve on their conditions of service.
He stated that presently there was lack of clarity in the salary levels of teachers on different grades and expressed the hope that the operation of the single spine pay system would address such anomalies to enable teachers to know what they were entitled to every month.
In 1990, Mr Tettey-Enyo was the Director in charge of Secondary Education, while in 1994 he was assigned a new position as Director in charge of Manpower and Training, before becoming the Deputy Director-General in 1999.
In 2000, the presidential nominee became the acting Director-General of the GES and even though he was due for retirement that year, he had an extended contract to stay on till 2001.
story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minister of Education-designate, Mr Alexander Tettey-Enyo, has dropped the hint that one of the first things the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is likely to do in the educational sector is abolish the four-year duration of the senior high school (SHS) and revert to the earlier three-year programme.
Outlining his vision for the Education Ministry to which he had been nominated as minister by President John Evans Atta Mills, Mr Tettey-Enyo, a former acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, said the four-year programme had been announced by the past administration without putting in place the needed infrastructure, syllabi and textbooks to make it work.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ada stated that the government would initiate moves to abolish the four-year programme by first seeking an amendment to the Education Law which was passed by the Fourth Parliament last year.
The first batch of four-year SHS students under the reforms introduced by the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to enter the fourth year in the 2010/2011 academic year.
He said changing the name of junior secondary schools (JSS) to junior high schools (JHS) and that of senior secondary schools (SSS) to senior high schools was, however, not an issue.
“What is important is the duration of the system and the new government will go strictly by its manifesto and reverse the decision of the NPP government,” he noted.
Explaining why the NDC deemed it fit to re-introduce the three-year second-cycle education, Mr Tettey-Enyo said the various committees and conferences on the duration of the country’s education supported the three -year system.
He said the change in the duration from three to four years was a political decision taken by the NPP, since even the Anamoah-Mensah Committee which it put in place endorsed the three-year duration.
“It was, therefore, surprising that the then government came out with a White Paper to introduce the four-year secondary system,” he said.
He noted that even though a lot of responsibilities had been taken over by the government, the four-year duration would put a lot of stress on parents and heads of second-cycle institutions.
Commenting on the frequent policy changes in education, Mr Tettey-Enyo stated that there was the need for a stabilised educational system which could be reviewed from time to time to suit changing social, economic and technological trends.
On the training of teachers, he indicated that efforts would be made to upgrade all teacher training colleges to tertiary institutions, while all courses offered at the basic school level would be taught at the tertiary level.
He added that the NDC was committed to its campaign pledges to teachers and so everything possible would be done to improve on their conditions of service.
He stated that presently there was lack of clarity in the salary levels of teachers on different grades and expressed the hope that the operation of the single spine pay system would address such anomalies to enable teachers to know what they were entitled to every month.
In 1990, Mr Tettey-Enyo was the Director in charge of Secondary Education, while in 1994 he was assigned a new position as Director in charge of Manpower and Training, before becoming the Deputy Director-General in 1999.
In 2000, the presidential nominee became the acting Director-General of the GES and even though he was due for retirement that year, he had an extended contract to stay on till 2001.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Appiah-Pinkrah explains NPP’s defeat
Page 15, Fri Jan 23, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akrofrom, Mr Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah, has explained that the defeat of the party in the 2008 elections was a clear manifestation that Ghanaians are not prepared to allow any single party to dominate the political scene for a long period.
He said what was important, now that the party was in opposition, was for members of the party to effectively mobilise themselves and restrategise in order to capture political power.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Appiah-Pinkrah said it would be good for NPP to take into consideration promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during its electioneering and constantly remind the electorate about the shortfalls of the government.
“The wild promises made by the NDC, which resulted in its victory in the December 2008 elections, should be regularly monitored to keep the government on its toes,” he said.
He, therefore, called on Ghanaians to unite to build the country by using their abilities to push the development of the country forward.
“Let us continue to believe in Ghana. This should not be a mere slogan but a working tool,” he said.
Touching on the strength of the NDC and the NPP in Parliament, Mr Appiah-Pinkrah said there should be a consensus building among the two sides to ensure that the work of the House was not hampered.
“Let us have the interest of our people at heart and ensure that we do not adopt entrench positions in matters bordering on national interest,” he said.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akrofrom, Mr Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah, has explained that the defeat of the party in the 2008 elections was a clear manifestation that Ghanaians are not prepared to allow any single party to dominate the political scene for a long period.
He said what was important, now that the party was in opposition, was for members of the party to effectively mobilise themselves and restrategise in order to capture political power.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Appiah-Pinkrah said it would be good for NPP to take into consideration promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during its electioneering and constantly remind the electorate about the shortfalls of the government.
“The wild promises made by the NDC, which resulted in its victory in the December 2008 elections, should be regularly monitored to keep the government on its toes,” he said.
He, therefore, called on Ghanaians to unite to build the country by using their abilities to push the development of the country forward.
“Let us continue to believe in Ghana. This should not be a mere slogan but a working tool,” he said.
Touching on the strength of the NDC and the NPP in Parliament, Mr Appiah-Pinkrah said there should be a consensus building among the two sides to ensure that the work of the House was not hampered.
“Let us have the interest of our people at heart and ensure that we do not adopt entrench positions in matters bordering on national interest,” he said.
Suma Rural Bank makes progress
Page 33, Friday Jan 23, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Suma Rural Bank in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region, increased its deposits from GH¢970,472 in 2006 to GH¢1.056 million in 2007.
The share capital of the bank also increased from GH¢50,497 to GH¢56,297 during the same period with its statutory reserve inching up from GH¢54,015 to GH¢54,758.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr F.O Gyan, made this known at the 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Suma Ahenkro.
He said in order to further increase the bank’s deposits, its microfinance programme had been revamped, with the restructuring of the ‘Susu’ product with more mobile bankers being engaged to undertake door-to-door banking in a number of communities.
In addition, two new investment products, “Big Six” and “Anidaso” had been introduced and their impact had been very effective in the bank’s operations, Mr Gyan said.
According to him, the bank was currently considering re-opening its agency at Camp Junction, near Sefwi-Adabokrom in the Western Region, in order to improve the performance of the bank’s Akuafo Cheque purchases and save farmers in the area from travelling far for banking services.
In an address, the Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu called on community and rural banks to ensure good customer care to whip up the interest of their customers in doing business with banks.
He, therefore, called on the banks to invest in customer care by organising regular training programmes for both old and new staff.
Mr Osei-Bonsu also advised the rural banks to always ensure that they selected directors with the requisite education and experience to contribute to the effective management of their institutions.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Suma Rural Bank in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region, increased its deposits from GH¢970,472 in 2006 to GH¢1.056 million in 2007.
The share capital of the bank also increased from GH¢50,497 to GH¢56,297 during the same period with its statutory reserve inching up from GH¢54,015 to GH¢54,758.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr F.O Gyan, made this known at the 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Suma Ahenkro.
He said in order to further increase the bank’s deposits, its microfinance programme had been revamped, with the restructuring of the ‘Susu’ product with more mobile bankers being engaged to undertake door-to-door banking in a number of communities.
In addition, two new investment products, “Big Six” and “Anidaso” had been introduced and their impact had been very effective in the bank’s operations, Mr Gyan said.
According to him, the bank was currently considering re-opening its agency at Camp Junction, near Sefwi-Adabokrom in the Western Region, in order to improve the performance of the bank’s Akuafo Cheque purchases and save farmers in the area from travelling far for banking services.
In an address, the Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu called on community and rural banks to ensure good customer care to whip up the interest of their customers in doing business with banks.
He, therefore, called on the banks to invest in customer care by organising regular training programmes for both old and new staff.
Mr Osei-Bonsu also advised the rural banks to always ensure that they selected directors with the requisite education and experience to contribute to the effective management of their institutions.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
MPs deny details of Chinery-Hesse Report
Page 3, Wed, Jan 21, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
ALTHOUGH some Members of Parliament (MPs) have denied knowledge of the adoption of the Chinery-Hesse Committee’s final report on emoluments for constitutional office holders, investigations have revealed that the report was adopted by the House just before the Fourth Parliament was dissolved on January 6, 2009.
The report was adopted during a closed-door session of the day’s sitting, during which many MPs from both sides of the then Parliament were present.
Some of the MPs who were present, however, argued that they had not been aware of that aspect of the report which spelt out the emoluments for ex-President J.A. Kufuor and other future ex-presidents..
The official report of Parliament (the Hansard) for January 6, 2009, however, did not capture the proceedings of the closed-door meeting of the House during which the issue had come up for discussions.
The only portion of the Hansard of January 6, 2009 that gave glimpses of reports that had been discussed captured the Speaker saying, “Honourable members …. We need to take about 30 minutes to go through these reports and we need to do so when the House is cleared. So let us have a closed-door sitting for 20 minutes, please, and we may then come back.”
But, like some members of the public who are shocked by the contents of the report, some MPs who were in the House when the report was adopted on January 6, 2009 said they had been handed a raw deal.
Some of them said although they had taken part in the closed-door sitting that adopted the final report of the Chinery-Hesse Committee, they had not been aware that it contained emoluments for ex-presidents.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John Akologu Tia, however, said during the closed-door sitting on that day the then Deputy Majority Leader, who is the current Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had presented the document to the MPs who were eager to hear about their ex-gratia before the House was dissolved.
He stated that it was only Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who had a copy of the document during the sitting and he had read the portion that affected the MPs to the House.
He confirmed that although some of the MPs had not been around, majority of them from both sides of the House had been present when the report was adopted.
Mr Tia said because the House had been in a hurry for the dissolution ceremony, and MPs had been anxious to know about their ex-gratia and when that portion of the report was read to them, they hurriedly adopted the report, only to know later that it also contained the emoluments of ex-presidents.
He stated that he knew about some aspects of the draft report, since he had been a member of that Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee that dealt with the committee, and criticised the aspect that spelt out emoluments for ex-presidents.
“I can understand the sentiments of my colleagues who are shocked about ex-presidents’ end-of-service package because they had seen a copy of the 181-page report only when the House was about to be dissolved, without being given a chance to read its content,” he said.
Mr Tia mentioned Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, the MP for New Juaben North, as the one who had moved the motion for the adoption of the report but could not recollect the MP who had seconded the motion.
He said the proper procedure had not been followed before the House adopted the report.
Some MPs from the Majority side who spoke to the Daily Graphic, however, insisted that the matter did not come before the House for debate on January 6, 2009.
One of such MPs was the current Majority Chief Whip, Mr E.T. Mensah, who insisted that the issue “must be revisited and reviewed when the House resumes sitting on January 27, 2009”.
“The then Majority side pulled a fast one on us and we will insist that the issue is revisited,” he said.
Other MPs who supported the call for a review of the report included Mr David Assumeng-Tetteh (NDC, Shai-Osudoku) and Mr Rashid Pelpuo (NDC, Wa Central).
When Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was reached on phone, he could not state his side of the issue because he was driving from Kumasi to Accra.
.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
ALTHOUGH some Members of Parliament (MPs) have denied knowledge of the adoption of the Chinery-Hesse Committee’s final report on emoluments for constitutional office holders, investigations have revealed that the report was adopted by the House just before the Fourth Parliament was dissolved on January 6, 2009.
The report was adopted during a closed-door session of the day’s sitting, during which many MPs from both sides of the then Parliament were present.
Some of the MPs who were present, however, argued that they had not been aware of that aspect of the report which spelt out the emoluments for ex-President J.A. Kufuor and other future ex-presidents..
The official report of Parliament (the Hansard) for January 6, 2009, however, did not capture the proceedings of the closed-door meeting of the House during which the issue had come up for discussions.
The only portion of the Hansard of January 6, 2009 that gave glimpses of reports that had been discussed captured the Speaker saying, “Honourable members …. We need to take about 30 minutes to go through these reports and we need to do so when the House is cleared. So let us have a closed-door sitting for 20 minutes, please, and we may then come back.”
But, like some members of the public who are shocked by the contents of the report, some MPs who were in the House when the report was adopted on January 6, 2009 said they had been handed a raw deal.
Some of them said although they had taken part in the closed-door sitting that adopted the final report of the Chinery-Hesse Committee, they had not been aware that it contained emoluments for ex-presidents.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John Akologu Tia, however, said during the closed-door sitting on that day the then Deputy Majority Leader, who is the current Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had presented the document to the MPs who were eager to hear about their ex-gratia before the House was dissolved.
He stated that it was only Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who had a copy of the document during the sitting and he had read the portion that affected the MPs to the House.
He confirmed that although some of the MPs had not been around, majority of them from both sides of the House had been present when the report was adopted.
Mr Tia said because the House had been in a hurry for the dissolution ceremony, and MPs had been anxious to know about their ex-gratia and when that portion of the report was read to them, they hurriedly adopted the report, only to know later that it also contained the emoluments of ex-presidents.
He stated that he knew about some aspects of the draft report, since he had been a member of that Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee that dealt with the committee, and criticised the aspect that spelt out emoluments for ex-presidents.
“I can understand the sentiments of my colleagues who are shocked about ex-presidents’ end-of-service package because they had seen a copy of the 181-page report only when the House was about to be dissolved, without being given a chance to read its content,” he said.
Mr Tia mentioned Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, the MP for New Juaben North, as the one who had moved the motion for the adoption of the report but could not recollect the MP who had seconded the motion.
He said the proper procedure had not been followed before the House adopted the report.
Some MPs from the Majority side who spoke to the Daily Graphic, however, insisted that the matter did not come before the House for debate on January 6, 2009.
One of such MPs was the current Majority Chief Whip, Mr E.T. Mensah, who insisted that the issue “must be revisited and reviewed when the House resumes sitting on January 27, 2009”.
“The then Majority side pulled a fast one on us and we will insist that the issue is revisited,” he said.
Other MPs who supported the call for a review of the report included Mr David Assumeng-Tetteh (NDC, Shai-Osudoku) and Mr Rashid Pelpuo (NDC, Wa Central).
When Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was reached on phone, he could not state his side of the issue because he was driving from Kumasi to Accra.
.
Mrs Afeku to adopt open-door policy
Page 16, Friday, Jan 16, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Evalue-Gwira, Mrs Catherine Afeku, has promised to adopt an open-door policy during her tenure of office.
“Now that the election is over, it is good for me to reach out to everybody in the constituency, so that together, we can forge ahead in unity for our common good,” she said.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mrs Afeku said she was overwhelmed by the support she received from people across the corners of the constituency during the election.
She said with that at the back of her mind, it was incumbent on her as a representative in Parliament, to work hard to meet the aspirations of people who have reposed their confidence in her.
Mrs Afeku said that as a woman, women in the constituency in particular, and the country in general could count on her as a reliable partner in development.
The MP stated that one of her priorities was how to unearth the potential of the youth and promised to work hard to provide employable skills to as many of them as possible.
She said to achieve her aim, she would soon establish a micro-finance centre to provide financial assistance to women and the youth to either establish or expand their businesses.
Touching on the defeat of the NPP during the December elections, Mrs Afeku urged the teeming supporters of the party not to be down-hearted, but work towards re-claiming power during the 2012 general election.
“The NPP has shown what it can do to improve on the living conditions of the people and the party will definitely be given another mandate during the next general election,” she said.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Evalue-Gwira, Mrs Catherine Afeku, has promised to adopt an open-door policy during her tenure of office.
“Now that the election is over, it is good for me to reach out to everybody in the constituency, so that together, we can forge ahead in unity for our common good,” she said.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mrs Afeku said she was overwhelmed by the support she received from people across the corners of the constituency during the election.
She said with that at the back of her mind, it was incumbent on her as a representative in Parliament, to work hard to meet the aspirations of people who have reposed their confidence in her.
Mrs Afeku said that as a woman, women in the constituency in particular, and the country in general could count on her as a reliable partner in development.
The MP stated that one of her priorities was how to unearth the potential of the youth and promised to work hard to provide employable skills to as many of them as possible.
She said to achieve her aim, she would soon establish a micro-finance centre to provide financial assistance to women and the youth to either establish or expand their businesses.
Touching on the defeat of the NPP during the December elections, Mrs Afeku urged the teeming supporters of the party not to be down-hearted, but work towards re-claiming power during the 2012 general election.
“The NPP has shown what it can do to improve on the living conditions of the people and the party will definitely be given another mandate during the next general election,” she said.
Economy in better shape now than 2001. Claims Minority in Parliament
Frontpage, Friday, Jan 16, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minority in Parliament yesterday stated that the country’s economy was in a far better shape as of the end of December 2008 than what the New Patriotic Party (NPP) inherited in January 2001.
They said the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was projected to be growing at 6.6 per cent at the end of December 2008, the highest in recent times, while inflation stood at 18.1 per cent, compared to the 40.5 per cent inflation the NPP inherited in 2001.
The Minority made the assertion at a press conference “to set the records straight, since it is our belief that the people of this country, including the new administration, need to be properly informed about the health status of the economy as of December 31, 2008”.
Addressing the conference, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, noted that over the past few days the nation had been inundated with misinformation about the state of the nation’s economy.
He stated that the situation had arisen as a result of “the seemingly purposeful twist of facts as stated by the Country Director of the World Bank” and their subsequent rectification which had left the average Ghanaian confused.
In its Wednesday, January 7, 2008 edition, the Daily Graphic reported that the World Bank had painted a gloomy picture of the Ghanaian economy which indicated that the macro-economic situation that the incoming government was inheriting was “extremely worrisome”.
In its January Report signed by its Country Director in Accra, Mr Ishac Diwan, and copied to the then Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Paul Acquah, the bank warned that the incoming administration would inherit high fiscal and balance of payment deficits that were unsustainable, given the current state of international financial markets.
Quoting mid-December data provided by the BoG and the Ministry of Finance, the World Bank said in the coming years the country would have to spend 14 per cent of its total GDP to service its fiscal deficit, while the balance of payment deficit would be larger.
The paper quoted the report as predicting “a socially painful financial crisis” if urgent steps were not taken to reduce the twin deficit.
Reacting to that, the Minority Leader said the recent furore over the state of the economy had raised questions over the fiscal and current account deficits of the country, saying that the World Bank report suggested a high deficit of about 13.8 per cent of GDP.
He said the increase in deficit could be explained by certain developments which were not likely to be experienced in the immediate future.
He explained that 3.5 per cent GDP of the deficit resulted from capital expenditures financed by proceeds from sovereign bonds, which would not occur in 2009, while, as a result of the higher-than-anticipated increase in oil prices, the government’s direct spending on purchases of crude oil for the Volta River Authority (VRA) increased by an additional 1.9 per cent of GDP.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that as a result of the oil and food shock, the government had to remove tariffs on some products and pay subsidies on electricity tariffs, which amounted to about 0.5 per cent of GDP.
He stated that the current account deficit was paid for mainly by drawing international reserves from $2,836.7 million in 2007 to $2,036.0 million at the end of December 2008, which was far more than the $233.4 million gross international reserves the Kufuor administration inherited in January 2001.
He noted that Ghana achieved an increasing pace of growth, micro-economic stability and poverty reduction in the past eight years, with the ultimate aim of attaining a middle-income status by 2015.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that despite the energy crisis and rising crude oil and food prices in 2008, the projected 6.6 per cent economic growth was far better than the 3.7 per cent growth the party inherited in 2001.
Throwing more light on the country’s exchange rate regime, the Minority Leader said the exchange rate of the dollar to the cedi in September 1998, which was ¢2,450 to a dollar, had climbed up to ¢7,000 by December 1999, representing a decline of about 285 per cent in 15 months.
He stated that while the cedi/dollar nominal exchange rate depreciation declined from 49.8 per cent in 2000 to 0.9 per cent in 2005, it started depreciating again from 1.1 per cent in 2006 to 4.8 per cent in 2007 and to 20.1 per cent at the end of December 2008.
On interest rates, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the 91-day treasury bill rate which stood at 38 per cent in 2000 fell to its lowest level of 9.6 per cent in 2006 and rose to 24.7 per cent in December 2008, while the lending rate, which had been in the region of 50 per cent, had reduced to 26.4 per cent by December 2008.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minority in Parliament yesterday stated that the country’s economy was in a far better shape as of the end of December 2008 than what the New Patriotic Party (NPP) inherited in January 2001.
They said the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was projected to be growing at 6.6 per cent at the end of December 2008, the highest in recent times, while inflation stood at 18.1 per cent, compared to the 40.5 per cent inflation the NPP inherited in 2001.
The Minority made the assertion at a press conference “to set the records straight, since it is our belief that the people of this country, including the new administration, need to be properly informed about the health status of the economy as of December 31, 2008”.
Addressing the conference, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, noted that over the past few days the nation had been inundated with misinformation about the state of the nation’s economy.
He stated that the situation had arisen as a result of “the seemingly purposeful twist of facts as stated by the Country Director of the World Bank” and their subsequent rectification which had left the average Ghanaian confused.
In its Wednesday, January 7, 2008 edition, the Daily Graphic reported that the World Bank had painted a gloomy picture of the Ghanaian economy which indicated that the macro-economic situation that the incoming government was inheriting was “extremely worrisome”.
In its January Report signed by its Country Director in Accra, Mr Ishac Diwan, and copied to the then Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Paul Acquah, the bank warned that the incoming administration would inherit high fiscal and balance of payment deficits that were unsustainable, given the current state of international financial markets.
Quoting mid-December data provided by the BoG and the Ministry of Finance, the World Bank said in the coming years the country would have to spend 14 per cent of its total GDP to service its fiscal deficit, while the balance of payment deficit would be larger.
The paper quoted the report as predicting “a socially painful financial crisis” if urgent steps were not taken to reduce the twin deficit.
Reacting to that, the Minority Leader said the recent furore over the state of the economy had raised questions over the fiscal and current account deficits of the country, saying that the World Bank report suggested a high deficit of about 13.8 per cent of GDP.
He said the increase in deficit could be explained by certain developments which were not likely to be experienced in the immediate future.
He explained that 3.5 per cent GDP of the deficit resulted from capital expenditures financed by proceeds from sovereign bonds, which would not occur in 2009, while, as a result of the higher-than-anticipated increase in oil prices, the government’s direct spending on purchases of crude oil for the Volta River Authority (VRA) increased by an additional 1.9 per cent of GDP.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that as a result of the oil and food shock, the government had to remove tariffs on some products and pay subsidies on electricity tariffs, which amounted to about 0.5 per cent of GDP.
He stated that the current account deficit was paid for mainly by drawing international reserves from $2,836.7 million in 2007 to $2,036.0 million at the end of December 2008, which was far more than the $233.4 million gross international reserves the Kufuor administration inherited in January 2001.
He noted that Ghana achieved an increasing pace of growth, micro-economic stability and poverty reduction in the past eight years, with the ultimate aim of attaining a middle-income status by 2015.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that despite the energy crisis and rising crude oil and food prices in 2008, the projected 6.6 per cent economic growth was far better than the 3.7 per cent growth the party inherited in 2001.
Throwing more light on the country’s exchange rate regime, the Minority Leader said the exchange rate of the dollar to the cedi in September 1998, which was ¢2,450 to a dollar, had climbed up to ¢7,000 by December 1999, representing a decline of about 285 per cent in 15 months.
He stated that while the cedi/dollar nominal exchange rate depreciation declined from 49.8 per cent in 2000 to 0.9 per cent in 2005, it started depreciating again from 1.1 per cent in 2006 to 4.8 per cent in 2007 and to 20.1 per cent at the end of December 2008.
On interest rates, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the 91-day treasury bill rate which stood at 38 per cent in 2000 fell to its lowest level of 9.6 per cent in 2006 and rose to 24.7 per cent in December 2008, while the lending rate, which had been in the region of 50 per cent, had reduced to 26.4 per cent by December 2008.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
NDC will strengthen Parliament — Veep
Page 13, Thursday, Jan 15, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Vice- President, Mr John Dramani Mahama has given assurance that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), would strengthen Parliament to enable it play its expected role in the current dispensation.
“Having being a Member of Parliament (MP) for 12 years, I am aware of the numerous constraints of the MPs, which is not enabling them to give off their best,” he said.
Mr Mahama was speaking at the Accra International Conference Centre, when members of the Parliamentary Press Corps paid him a courtesy call.
The courtesy call was to enable members congratulate the Veep for his assumption of office and wish him well in his new position.
He stated that there was the need to improve on the working conditions of MPs and “this is what the NDC government will work towards to make the work of the current crop of MPs easier”.
Touching on the work of the media, Mr Mahama stated that the government had the responsibility of expanding the frontier of free expression in the country.
He gave the assurance that the media would be free to work under the NDC government.
The Vice-President, therefore called on government institutions to feel free to place advert in every paper or radio of their choice despite the political inclination of that paper.
Mr Mahama said although the challenges facing the government were enormous, the NDC government was up to the task in fulfilling on its campaign promises.
The Vice- President stated that the government was currently putting structures to enable it take full control of the economy and called on Ghanaians to have patience since the NDC had been in government for a few working days.
He thanked the members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their assistance during his days as MP and asked them to continue to render such selfless devotion to ensure the growth of the legislature.
The Dean of the Parliamentary Press Corps, wished the Vice-President well and asked him to continue to be interested in the work of the media.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Vice- President, Mr John Dramani Mahama has given assurance that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), would strengthen Parliament to enable it play its expected role in the current dispensation.
“Having being a Member of Parliament (MP) for 12 years, I am aware of the numerous constraints of the MPs, which is not enabling them to give off their best,” he said.
Mr Mahama was speaking at the Accra International Conference Centre, when members of the Parliamentary Press Corps paid him a courtesy call.
The courtesy call was to enable members congratulate the Veep for his assumption of office and wish him well in his new position.
He stated that there was the need to improve on the working conditions of MPs and “this is what the NDC government will work towards to make the work of the current crop of MPs easier”.
Touching on the work of the media, Mr Mahama stated that the government had the responsibility of expanding the frontier of free expression in the country.
He gave the assurance that the media would be free to work under the NDC government.
The Vice-President, therefore called on government institutions to feel free to place advert in every paper or radio of their choice despite the political inclination of that paper.
Mr Mahama said although the challenges facing the government were enormous, the NDC government was up to the task in fulfilling on its campaign promises.
The Vice- President stated that the government was currently putting structures to enable it take full control of the economy and called on Ghanaians to have patience since the NDC had been in government for a few working days.
He thanked the members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their assistance during his days as MP and asked them to continue to render such selfless devotion to ensure the growth of the legislature.
The Dean of the Parliamentary Press Corps, wished the Vice-President well and asked him to continue to be interested in the work of the media.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Parliament forms Business, Appointment committees
Page 14, Jan 15, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
TWO committees, the Business and Appointment committees have been formed by Parliament, to see to the day-to-day running of the House and vet ministers who will be appointed by the President.
The Committee of Selection on the Composition of Committees based the composition of the two committees on the consensus reached between the Majority and Minority caucuses pending the determination of the exact numerical strengths of the two sides.
The committee also agreed to meet and form the other committees during the two weeks that the House will be on break, beginning from yesterday and submit its report when the House resumes sitting on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
The 26-member Appointments Committee, has the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho as its Chairman, with Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Majority Chief Whip as his vice.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, is the Ranking Member of the committee with the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery as his Deputy.
Fourteen members of the committee are from the Majority while twelve are from the Minority.
The 20-member Business Committee, has the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin as its Chairman, with the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John A. Tia as his deputy.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu and Mr Dery are also the Ranking and Deputy Ranking members of the Business Committee.
Eleven members of the committee were selected from the Majority while nine members were from the Minority.
In a related Development, Parliament on Tuesday went on recess for two weeks.
Meanwhile the Minority on Tuesday held a press conference to introduce its leadership to the press. They are Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (Suame), Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery (Lawra/Nandom), Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah (Suhum), Minority Chief Whip, Mrs Gifty Kusi (Tarkwa-Nsuaem), First Deputy Minority Whip and Mr Ben Ayeh (Upper Denkyira West), Second Deputy Minority Whip.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, who addressed the conference assured supporters of the party that the party would work hard to recapture power during the 2012 general elections.
He expressed concern about the appointment of some people to temporally take charge of certain ministries without the mandate of Parliament.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
TWO committees, the Business and Appointment committees have been formed by Parliament, to see to the day-to-day running of the House and vet ministers who will be appointed by the President.
The Committee of Selection on the Composition of Committees based the composition of the two committees on the consensus reached between the Majority and Minority caucuses pending the determination of the exact numerical strengths of the two sides.
The committee also agreed to meet and form the other committees during the two weeks that the House will be on break, beginning from yesterday and submit its report when the House resumes sitting on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
The 26-member Appointments Committee, has the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho as its Chairman, with Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Majority Chief Whip as his vice.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, is the Ranking Member of the committee with the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery as his Deputy.
Fourteen members of the committee are from the Majority while twelve are from the Minority.
The 20-member Business Committee, has the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin as its Chairman, with the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John A. Tia as his deputy.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu and Mr Dery are also the Ranking and Deputy Ranking members of the Business Committee.
Eleven members of the committee were selected from the Majority while nine members were from the Minority.
In a related Development, Parliament on Tuesday went on recess for two weeks.
Meanwhile the Minority on Tuesday held a press conference to introduce its leadership to the press. They are Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (Suame), Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery (Lawra/Nandom), Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah (Suhum), Minority Chief Whip, Mrs Gifty Kusi (Tarkwa-Nsuaem), First Deputy Minority Whip and Mr Ben Ayeh (Upper Denkyira West), Second Deputy Minority Whip.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, who addressed the conference assured supporters of the party that the party would work hard to recapture power during the 2012 general elections.
He expressed concern about the appointment of some people to temporally take charge of certain ministries without the mandate of Parliament.
House expresses concern about inaugural ceremony
Spread, Jan 10, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) yesterday expressed concern about the haphazard manner the inaugural ceremony of President John Evans Atta Mills and the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, was organised last Wednesday.
They were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, to congratulate and thank the President for his election, swearing in and his inaugural speech.
In his statement, Mr Bagbin noted that “I will be failing in my duty if I do not express serious concern about the manner in which the inaugural ceremony was organised”.
“We have witnessed difficult and suffocating inaugural ceremonies in this country. But to put it mildly, this inaugural ceremony went over the imagination of everybody,” he said.
Mr Bagbin noted that the crowd overran the security and turned the parliamentary sitting into a national political rally.
He said as a Majority Leader, he saw no arrival nor departure of any dignitary, including the Speaker, adding that MPs were subjected to, “a scene of a struggle between the security personnel and the perambulating members of the public, particularly the prying teeming media”.
Mr Bagbin stated that the scene was chaotic and precarious and cautioned that such repeated inaugural ceremonies posed a challenge that should be confronted for a solution.
In his statement, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the MPs were trapped in their buses for almost two hours and had to get down to trek to the Independence Square.
He said at the Square, there were insufficient number of seats for MPs while ‘strangers’ occupied some of the few seats allocated to them.
Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu added that although the programme was one by Parliament, yet it appeared that MPs were rather the gatecrashers.
He suggested that by what happened at the Independence Square on January 7, 2009, January 7, 2005, January 7, 2001 and January 7, 1997, Parliament may have to resolve that the swearing-in of any President-elect should take place right in the chamber of the House.
Other MPs from both sides of the House who contributed to the statement also expressed concern about the manner in which the ceremony was held.
Both Mr Isaac Asiamah, NPP MP for Atwima-Mponua and Ambrose Dery (NPP, Lawra/Nandom), called on Parliament to ensure that future Presidents were sworn in in the chamber of the House.
Mr Iddrisu Haruna (NDC, Tamale South) and E.T. Mensah (NDC, Ningo/Prampram), who contributed to the statement, congratulated the President and the Vice President on their feat.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) yesterday expressed concern about the haphazard manner the inaugural ceremony of President John Evans Atta Mills and the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, was organised last Wednesday.
They were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, to congratulate and thank the President for his election, swearing in and his inaugural speech.
In his statement, Mr Bagbin noted that “I will be failing in my duty if I do not express serious concern about the manner in which the inaugural ceremony was organised”.
“We have witnessed difficult and suffocating inaugural ceremonies in this country. But to put it mildly, this inaugural ceremony went over the imagination of everybody,” he said.
Mr Bagbin noted that the crowd overran the security and turned the parliamentary sitting into a national political rally.
He said as a Majority Leader, he saw no arrival nor departure of any dignitary, including the Speaker, adding that MPs were subjected to, “a scene of a struggle between the security personnel and the perambulating members of the public, particularly the prying teeming media”.
Mr Bagbin stated that the scene was chaotic and precarious and cautioned that such repeated inaugural ceremonies posed a challenge that should be confronted for a solution.
In his statement, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the MPs were trapped in their buses for almost two hours and had to get down to trek to the Independence Square.
He said at the Square, there were insufficient number of seats for MPs while ‘strangers’ occupied some of the few seats allocated to them.
Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu added that although the programme was one by Parliament, yet it appeared that MPs were rather the gatecrashers.
He suggested that by what happened at the Independence Square on January 7, 2009, January 7, 2005, January 7, 2001 and January 7, 1997, Parliament may have to resolve that the swearing-in of any President-elect should take place right in the chamber of the House.
Other MPs from both sides of the House who contributed to the statement also expressed concern about the manner in which the ceremony was held.
Both Mr Isaac Asiamah, NPP MP for Atwima-Mponua and Ambrose Dery (NPP, Lawra/Nandom), called on Parliament to ensure that future Presidents were sworn in in the chamber of the House.
Mr Iddrisu Haruna (NDC, Tamale South) and E.T. Mensah (NDC, Ningo/Prampram), who contributed to the statement, congratulated the President and the Vice President on their feat.
Review Standing Orders-Samia
Page 3, Jan 10, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
HAVING entered Parliament as the sole Member of Parliament (MP) on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah is in a dilemma as to whether to belong to the Majority or the Minority in the House.
The MP, who is the daughter of the founder of the CPP, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, says she has been forced to sit with the New Patriotic Party Minority side due to the provision of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Standing Orders allows MPs to either belong to the Majority or the Minority side without giving them the chance to be on their own.
When the issue came to the floor of the House yesterday during the discussion of the report of Leadership on the Membership of the Committee of Selection, Ms Nkrumah made it categorically clear that although she would sit on the side of the Minority, she would vote on issues.
“My constituency is Ghana in general and Jomoro in particular and my contributions and voting patterns will be based on how such issues will positively affect the people,” she explained.
She said she was in a difficult situation pending the revision of the House’s Standing Orders, which would allow her to be on her own without being coerced to belong to either the Majority or the Minority.
“I am appealing to the leadership of the House to expedite action on the revision of the Standing Orders to enable me to assert my independence.”
When the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, laid the report on the membership of the committee of selection, he explained that it was the duty of the committee to prepare and report within the first 10 sitting days after its appointment, lists of chairmen, vice chairmen and members to compose the various standing committees of the House.
By an agreed formula, the committee, which has the Speaker as its chairperson, has 10 members from the Majority side and nine members from the Minority side.
From the NDC side are, Mr Alban Bagbin, Mr John A. Tia, Deputy Majority Leader; Mr E.T. Mensah, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, Mr Yaw Effa-Baafi, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh and Raymond A. Tawiah.
The NPP side comprises Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader; Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader; Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Professor Dominic Fobih and Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
HAVING entered Parliament as the sole Member of Parliament (MP) on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah is in a dilemma as to whether to belong to the Majority or the Minority in the House.
The MP, who is the daughter of the founder of the CPP, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, says she has been forced to sit with the New Patriotic Party Minority side due to the provision of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Standing Orders allows MPs to either belong to the Majority or the Minority side without giving them the chance to be on their own.
When the issue came to the floor of the House yesterday during the discussion of the report of Leadership on the Membership of the Committee of Selection, Ms Nkrumah made it categorically clear that although she would sit on the side of the Minority, she would vote on issues.
“My constituency is Ghana in general and Jomoro in particular and my contributions and voting patterns will be based on how such issues will positively affect the people,” she explained.
She said she was in a difficult situation pending the revision of the House’s Standing Orders, which would allow her to be on her own without being coerced to belong to either the Majority or the Minority.
“I am appealing to the leadership of the House to expedite action on the revision of the Standing Orders to enable me to assert my independence.”
When the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, laid the report on the membership of the committee of selection, he explained that it was the duty of the committee to prepare and report within the first 10 sitting days after its appointment, lists of chairmen, vice chairmen and members to compose the various standing committees of the House.
By an agreed formula, the committee, which has the Speaker as its chairperson, has 10 members from the Majority side and nine members from the Minority side.
From the NDC side are, Mr Alban Bagbin, Mr John A. Tia, Deputy Majority Leader; Mr E.T. Mensah, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, Mr Yaw Effa-Baafi, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh and Raymond A. Tawiah.
The NPP side comprises Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader; Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader; Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Professor Dominic Fobih and Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah.
Kaaseman Rural Bank raises more deposits
Page 33, Jan 9, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Kaaseman Rural Bank in the Bia District in the Western Region mobilised a total of GH¢4.46 million in deposits for 2007, as against the GH¢4.32 million mobilised the previous year.
The bank also recorded a net profit before tax of GH¢70,361 for .00000.
2007 as against GH¢55,034.00 the previous year.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Kwame Twumasi Ankra, made this known at the 20th annual general meeting of the shareholders at Sefwi Kaase.
He said in line with the bank’s policy of assisting its customers, it increased its loan and overdrafts portfolio from GH¢4.32 million in 2006 to GH¢4.45 million in 2007.
The total assets of the bank also increased from GH¢5.14 million to GH¢5.55 million.
However, Mr Ankra stated that the bank’s purchase of Akuafo Cheque fell from GH¢17.6 million in 2006 to GH¢12.62 million in 2007 and said it was a major challenge since majority of the bank’s agencies were located in cocoa-growing areas.
He said as part of the bank’s commitment to social responsibilities, it put up police quarters at Kaase at the cost of GH¢6,549 in addition to the contribution of GH¢550 to a number of institutions in its operational areas.
For his port, the Chief Manager of the bank, Mr David King Gbeblewu, said one of the major operational challenges facing the bank was that inability of loan beneficiaries to pay back, leading to a large provision for doubtful debts.
He thanked the board, staff, shareholders and customers and the chiefs and people in the bank’s catchment area for supporting it over the years to grow.
The Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu, announced that the new minimum capital requirement for rural banks had now been pegged at GH¢150,000.
He explained that rural and community banks with capital below GH¢150,000 would not be allowed to pay dividends or open new branches or agencies until they attained the required capitalisation.
The Solicitor of the bank, Mr Otu Essel, noted that the bank was adopting measures to retrieve loans from the bank’s defaulters.
He said the situation had made it impossible for the bank to advance more loans and called on such beneficiaries to pay their debts to enable many clients to benefit from the facility.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Kaaseman Rural Bank in the Bia District in the Western Region mobilised a total of GH¢4.46 million in deposits for 2007, as against the GH¢4.32 million mobilised the previous year.
The bank also recorded a net profit before tax of GH¢70,361 for .00000.
2007 as against GH¢55,034.00 the previous year.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Kwame Twumasi Ankra, made this known at the 20th annual general meeting of the shareholders at Sefwi Kaase.
He said in line with the bank’s policy of assisting its customers, it increased its loan and overdrafts portfolio from GH¢4.32 million in 2006 to GH¢4.45 million in 2007.
The total assets of the bank also increased from GH¢5.14 million to GH¢5.55 million.
However, Mr Ankra stated that the bank’s purchase of Akuafo Cheque fell from GH¢17.6 million in 2006 to GH¢12.62 million in 2007 and said it was a major challenge since majority of the bank’s agencies were located in cocoa-growing areas.
He said as part of the bank’s commitment to social responsibilities, it put up police quarters at Kaase at the cost of GH¢6,549 in addition to the contribution of GH¢550 to a number of institutions in its operational areas.
For his port, the Chief Manager of the bank, Mr David King Gbeblewu, said one of the major operational challenges facing the bank was that inability of loan beneficiaries to pay back, leading to a large provision for doubtful debts.
He thanked the board, staff, shareholders and customers and the chiefs and people in the bank’s catchment area for supporting it over the years to grow.
The Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu, announced that the new minimum capital requirement for rural banks had now been pegged at GH¢150,000.
He explained that rural and community banks with capital below GH¢150,000 would not be allowed to pay dividends or open new branches or agencies until they attained the required capitalisation.
The Solicitor of the bank, Mr Otu Essel, noted that the bank was adopting measures to retrieve loans from the bank’s defaulters.
He said the situation had made it impossible for the bank to advance more loans and called on such beneficiaries to pay their debts to enable many clients to benefit from the facility.
MPs unhappy over misspelling of names
Page 3, Jan 9, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic had its second sitting yesterday, with some new and old Members of Parliament (MPs) expressing concern over the misspelling of their names and the exclusion of their titles.
When the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting were discussed, some of the MPs were not happy that their names had been misspelt and their titles left out.
For about 30 minutes a number of the MPs drew the attention of the Speaker, Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, to the misspelling of their names.
One of those MPs was Professor Samuel Kwadwo Amoako, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Akim Abuakwa North, whose name had been written without his title.
The Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra/Nandom, Mr Ambrose Dery, also expressed concern over the fact that his name in the votes and proceedings had been written as Dery P. Dery.
The NPP MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, intervened that since the Fifth Parliament was in its early days, such mistakes were bound to happen and called on those affected to contact the Office of the Clerk to Parliament for the corrections.
In another development, there was laughter in the chamber when the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was the Deputy Majority Leader in the previous Parliament, referred to the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, as the Minority Leader.
Members from the Majority side teased Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, while some of them were heard calling on him to be abreast of the new change of roles in the House.
For the Speaker, she had her first baptism of fire when her mobile phone rang when she was leading the House to effect changes in the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting.
When the mobile phone rang, it caught the attention of the MPs and the audience in the press and the public galleries.
While everybody was looking in the direction of the MPs to see who might have caused such a stir, the Speaker realised that it was her phone which was ringing and she quickly put it off and apologised to the House.
“Honourable members, these are early days and I must learn,” she said apologetically.
The House adjourned sitting to enable the leadership to meet to discuss the formation of committees of the House to ensure its smooth running.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic had its second sitting yesterday, with some new and old Members of Parliament (MPs) expressing concern over the misspelling of their names and the exclusion of their titles.
When the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting were discussed, some of the MPs were not happy that their names had been misspelt and their titles left out.
For about 30 minutes a number of the MPs drew the attention of the Speaker, Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, to the misspelling of their names.
One of those MPs was Professor Samuel Kwadwo Amoako, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Akim Abuakwa North, whose name had been written without his title.
The Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra/Nandom, Mr Ambrose Dery, also expressed concern over the fact that his name in the votes and proceedings had been written as Dery P. Dery.
The NPP MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, intervened that since the Fifth Parliament was in its early days, such mistakes were bound to happen and called on those affected to contact the Office of the Clerk to Parliament for the corrections.
In another development, there was laughter in the chamber when the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was the Deputy Majority Leader in the previous Parliament, referred to the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, as the Minority Leader.
Members from the Majority side teased Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, while some of them were heard calling on him to be abreast of the new change of roles in the House.
For the Speaker, she had her first baptism of fire when her mobile phone rang when she was leading the House to effect changes in the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting.
When the mobile phone rang, it caught the attention of the MPs and the audience in the press and the public galleries.
While everybody was looking in the direction of the MPs to see who might have caused such a stir, the Speaker realised that it was her phone which was ringing and she quickly put it off and apologised to the House.
“Honourable members, these are early days and I must learn,” she said apologetically.
The House adjourned sitting to enable the leadership to meet to discuss the formation of committees of the House to ensure its smooth running.
5th Parliament inaugurated
Backpage, Jan 8, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Parliamentary democracy in Ghana was further entrenched yesterday when the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inaugurated.
Efforts at deepening parliamentary democracy in the country after independence failed in the past as a result of frequent military interventions until 1992 when the country decided again to use the ballot box to determine who takes charge of affairs. From then, the full cycle of four parliaments has already been achieved.
It was, therefore, all joy when the Fifth Parliament was inaugurated by the country’s first female Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo.
By the results of the December 7, 2008 parliamentary elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC),which currently has 114 seats, formed the Majority while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 107 seats formed the Minority.
The House also has two members from the People’s National Congress (PNC), one from the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and four independent members.
Two seats, Akwatia in the Eastern Region and Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region, are yet to be declared as a result of electoral disputes.
The quest of Ghanaian women to have more representation in Parliament, however, failed to yield the needed dividend as the 25 seats in the Fourth Parliament that were occupied by women has been reduced to 20 in the current Parliament.
All the 228 MPs were present at the inauguration while both the public and press gallaries of the House were filled to capacity with both Ghanaian and foreign media, members of the diplomatic corps and a cross-section of the people.
About 140 old MPs retained their seats while the rest of the MPs are newly elected.
The beauty of the solemn ceremony was further enhanced with the splendid outfits of the MPs and the spectators.
While some of them wore the traditional Kente cloth and smock, others wore suits and other traditional apparels to drum home the beauty of unity in diversity.
Supporters of the NDC, who won majority seats and the presidency, were seen at all coners of Parliament with the party’s flags and other party paraphernalia.
At exactly 9.25 am, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, convened the meeting and after he had led the day’s prayers he called for the nomination of the new Speaker of the House.
The nominations of Mrs Bamfo-Addo as Speaker and Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, MP for Ave-Avenor, as the First Deputy Speaker by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin received the support of the Minority.
In the same vein, the nomination of Professor Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, as the Second Deputy Speaker by the MP for Nsuta-Kwamang, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, received the support of the Majority thereby sparing the House the ordeal of the use of secret ballot to determine the Speaker and her two deputies.
The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, administered the oaths before the new Speaker was robed after which she swore in the 228 MPs.
The mood in the House as the two dominant political parties, NDC and NPP, exchanged seats showed that the country’s parliamentary democracy had come of age as members crossed from one side to the other to congratulate one another after they had been sworn in.
They teased each other with the ‘We are moving forward’ and ‘Yeresesamu’ that were used by the two parties during the electioneering.
Two of the independent MPs, Mr Joseph Osei-Wusu (Bekwai) and Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu (Bosome-Freho) told the Daily Graphic that they would prefer to belong to the Minority while the only CPP MP, Samia Nkrumah (Jomoro), said although she would sit at the Minority side, she was waiting for the review of the Standing Orders of the House for her to make up her mind.
The two PNC MPs, however confirmed that they had decided to belong to the Majority side of the House.
Some of the new MPs told the Daily Graphic that they had been well psyched up to perform their functions as MPs.
Mr Osei-Wusu called for measures that would enable Parliament to assert its independence and play its expected role without interference from the Executive.
“I expect a Parliament with fresh ideas and views from its members,” he said, adding that it was refreshing that most of the new MPs were young men who were willing to learn in order to contribute to the development of the country.
The NDC MP for Cape Coast, Mr Barton Oduro, stated that the present composition of the House was good for the country’s democracy and called for consensus building in the interest of the people.
For his part, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi (NPP-Ejisu-Juaben) said since neither the Majority nor the Minority had absolute majority, it would be better for backstage consultations to ensure that Ghanaians derived the best from the current democratic order.
Mr Ambrose Dery (NPP-Lawra/Nandom), who is now the Deputy Minority Leader, stated that although the job would be challenging, the NPP would constructively collaborate with the NDC to ensure the smooth governance of the country.
He urged the NDC to make good its promises during the electioneering, since the NPP would keep the government on its toes.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Mr Flitz Baffour, said the victory of the NDC was a pleasant experience that should be backed by action to enable the people to benefit from the confidence they had reposed in the party.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Parliamentary democracy in Ghana was further entrenched yesterday when the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inaugurated.
Efforts at deepening parliamentary democracy in the country after independence failed in the past as a result of frequent military interventions until 1992 when the country decided again to use the ballot box to determine who takes charge of affairs. From then, the full cycle of four parliaments has already been achieved.
It was, therefore, all joy when the Fifth Parliament was inaugurated by the country’s first female Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo.
By the results of the December 7, 2008 parliamentary elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC),which currently has 114 seats, formed the Majority while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 107 seats formed the Minority.
The House also has two members from the People’s National Congress (PNC), one from the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and four independent members.
Two seats, Akwatia in the Eastern Region and Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region, are yet to be declared as a result of electoral disputes.
The quest of Ghanaian women to have more representation in Parliament, however, failed to yield the needed dividend as the 25 seats in the Fourth Parliament that were occupied by women has been reduced to 20 in the current Parliament.
All the 228 MPs were present at the inauguration while both the public and press gallaries of the House were filled to capacity with both Ghanaian and foreign media, members of the diplomatic corps and a cross-section of the people.
About 140 old MPs retained their seats while the rest of the MPs are newly elected.
The beauty of the solemn ceremony was further enhanced with the splendid outfits of the MPs and the spectators.
While some of them wore the traditional Kente cloth and smock, others wore suits and other traditional apparels to drum home the beauty of unity in diversity.
Supporters of the NDC, who won majority seats and the presidency, were seen at all coners of Parliament with the party’s flags and other party paraphernalia.
At exactly 9.25 am, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, convened the meeting and after he had led the day’s prayers he called for the nomination of the new Speaker of the House.
The nominations of Mrs Bamfo-Addo as Speaker and Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, MP for Ave-Avenor, as the First Deputy Speaker by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin received the support of the Minority.
In the same vein, the nomination of Professor Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, as the Second Deputy Speaker by the MP for Nsuta-Kwamang, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, received the support of the Majority thereby sparing the House the ordeal of the use of secret ballot to determine the Speaker and her two deputies.
The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, administered the oaths before the new Speaker was robed after which she swore in the 228 MPs.
The mood in the House as the two dominant political parties, NDC and NPP, exchanged seats showed that the country’s parliamentary democracy had come of age as members crossed from one side to the other to congratulate one another after they had been sworn in.
They teased each other with the ‘We are moving forward’ and ‘Yeresesamu’ that were used by the two parties during the electioneering.
Two of the independent MPs, Mr Joseph Osei-Wusu (Bekwai) and Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu (Bosome-Freho) told the Daily Graphic that they would prefer to belong to the Minority while the only CPP MP, Samia Nkrumah (Jomoro), said although she would sit at the Minority side, she was waiting for the review of the Standing Orders of the House for her to make up her mind.
The two PNC MPs, however confirmed that they had decided to belong to the Majority side of the House.
Some of the new MPs told the Daily Graphic that they had been well psyched up to perform their functions as MPs.
Mr Osei-Wusu called for measures that would enable Parliament to assert its independence and play its expected role without interference from the Executive.
“I expect a Parliament with fresh ideas and views from its members,” he said, adding that it was refreshing that most of the new MPs were young men who were willing to learn in order to contribute to the development of the country.
The NDC MP for Cape Coast, Mr Barton Oduro, stated that the present composition of the House was good for the country’s democracy and called for consensus building in the interest of the people.
For his part, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi (NPP-Ejisu-Juaben) said since neither the Majority nor the Minority had absolute majority, it would be better for backstage consultations to ensure that Ghanaians derived the best from the current democratic order.
Mr Ambrose Dery (NPP-Lawra/Nandom), who is now the Deputy Minority Leader, stated that although the job would be challenging, the NPP would constructively collaborate with the NDC to ensure the smooth governance of the country.
He urged the NDC to make good its promises during the electioneering, since the NPP would keep the government on its toes.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Mr Flitz Baffour, said the victory of the NDC was a pleasant experience that should be backed by action to enable the people to benefit from the confidence they had reposed in the party.
4th Parliament ends
Page 3, Jan 7, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
AFTER four years in existence, the life of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic came to an end at 12.00 midnight yesterday.
The dissolution of the Fourth Parliament was to pave the way for the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament today.
During its lifespan, the Fourth Parliament legislated on areas that would enhance the growth and progress of the country.
Mention could be made of the National Pension Reform Act, the Chieftaincy Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Northern Development Fund Act among other salient legislation.
The Fourth Parliament comprised 205 males and 25 females (NPP-20 and NDC-5).
Of the 230 Members of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party had 128 seats, the National Democratic Congress, 94 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC), four seats, the Convention People’s Party, three seats, and one independent member.
While nine of the MPs had been in the House since 1993, 45 of them had also been MPs since 1997 with 122 being new entrants. Five of them could be described as returnee MPs.
Addressing the last sitting of the Fourth Parliament yesterday, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, stated that the MPs exhibited a high sense of duty and responsibility.
“The knowledge displayed by both old and new members in parliamentary procedures and practices kept improving day by day which contributed to the quality of debates on the floor of the House,” he stated.
He regretted, however, that Parliament was still contending with inadequate office space for its work and expressed the hope that efforts at completing the new office complex and the committee secretariat would be stepped up.
Mr Aidooh also suggested that the car loans that were given to MPs should rather be in the form of grants, since MPs, as public servants, used their cars for their day-to-day work as parliamentarians.
For his part, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, commended the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, for the quality of his leadership, which resulted in consensus building between the Majority and Minority MPs on important national issues that came before the House during the period.
In his final remarks, Mr Hughes thanked the MPs, the staff of the Parliamentary Service and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their support during the period.
“Whatever I managed to achieve was largely due to your co-operation and advice. My knowledgeable and indefatigable deputies propped me well and so did the leadership of the caucuses,” he said.
“Honourable members, pursuant to Article 113 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana will stand dissolved at midnight tonight,” he said amidst the shout of “agbenaa”, agbenaa”, from the Minority side while some MPs from the Majority side shouted “we are moving forward”.
An emotional atmosphere was created when the Speaker moved from one table to the other to shake the hands of the MPs after the dissolution of the House.
Some of the MPs who lost their seats during the recent general election said they would miss debates and the cordial relationship among MPs during the period.
They include Kwabena Okerchire Adusa (NKawkaw), Mr Yaw Asiedu-Mensah (Dormaa West), Mr Lee Ocran (Jomoro) and Dr Ben Kunbuor (Lawra/Nandom).
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
AFTER four years in existence, the life of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic came to an end at 12.00 midnight yesterday.
The dissolution of the Fourth Parliament was to pave the way for the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament today.
During its lifespan, the Fourth Parliament legislated on areas that would enhance the growth and progress of the country.
Mention could be made of the National Pension Reform Act, the Chieftaincy Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Northern Development Fund Act among other salient legislation.
The Fourth Parliament comprised 205 males and 25 females (NPP-20 and NDC-5).
Of the 230 Members of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party had 128 seats, the National Democratic Congress, 94 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC), four seats, the Convention People’s Party, three seats, and one independent member.
While nine of the MPs had been in the House since 1993, 45 of them had also been MPs since 1997 with 122 being new entrants. Five of them could be described as returnee MPs.
Addressing the last sitting of the Fourth Parliament yesterday, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, stated that the MPs exhibited a high sense of duty and responsibility.
“The knowledge displayed by both old and new members in parliamentary procedures and practices kept improving day by day which contributed to the quality of debates on the floor of the House,” he stated.
He regretted, however, that Parliament was still contending with inadequate office space for its work and expressed the hope that efforts at completing the new office complex and the committee secretariat would be stepped up.
Mr Aidooh also suggested that the car loans that were given to MPs should rather be in the form of grants, since MPs, as public servants, used their cars for their day-to-day work as parliamentarians.
For his part, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, commended the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, for the quality of his leadership, which resulted in consensus building between the Majority and Minority MPs on important national issues that came before the House during the period.
In his final remarks, Mr Hughes thanked the MPs, the staff of the Parliamentary Service and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their support during the period.
“Whatever I managed to achieve was largely due to your co-operation and advice. My knowledgeable and indefatigable deputies propped me well and so did the leadership of the caucuses,” he said.
“Honourable members, pursuant to Article 113 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana will stand dissolved at midnight tonight,” he said amidst the shout of “agbenaa”, agbenaa”, from the Minority side while some MPs from the Majority side shouted “we are moving forward”.
An emotional atmosphere was created when the Speaker moved from one table to the other to shake the hands of the MPs after the dissolution of the House.
Some of the MPs who lost their seats during the recent general election said they would miss debates and the cordial relationship among MPs during the period.
They include Kwabena Okerchire Adusa (NKawkaw), Mr Yaw Asiedu-Mensah (Dormaa West), Mr Lee Ocran (Jomoro) and Dr Ben Kunbuor (Lawra/Nandom).
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