Six regions to get fruit processing plants

Backpage, Dec 29, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE government is to assist the private sector to set up 10 medium-scale enterprises in six regions for the processing of fruits into juice and jam for the local and international markets next year.
Already, 10 fruit procession plants imported into the country under the Ghana Private Sector Development Fund at a cost of about 1.5 million euros are ready for installation.
The plants — which would process oranges, mangoes, water-melons and pineapples, among others — would be sited in the Greater Accra, Volta, Central, Eastern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
This came to light when the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, held discussions with Madam Ruth Akyeampong, a consultant to the entrepreneurs undertaking the projects.
Madam Akyeampong, who was accompanied by Madam Gifty Klenam, an industrialist, told the Daily Graphic that although the establishment of the enterprises were mentioned in the 2002 budget, it was not until the middle of this year that the plants were imported into the country.
“Since the implementation of the policy delayed, there is the need for the government to assist the entrepreneurs for the acquisition of additional funds for the installation and expansion of their businesses,” she said.
Madam Akyeampong explained that the installation of the plants would ensure the provision of jobs for thousands of people and save the country from the importation of fruit juice and jam.
She said currently, Ghana was importing about $25 million worth of fruit juice from South Africa alone, adding that the project would drastically reduce post-harvest losses associated with the fruit industry.
Madam Akyeampong said the fruit juice industry had a huge market both in the country and Nigeria, which needed to be exploited by Ghanaians.
Responding, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the government was ready to assist the small- and medium-scale industries in the country to ensure the rapid expansion of the economy.
He, therefore, gave assurance that everything possible would be done to enable the entrepreneurs to get the necessary assistance to install and operate the plants.
In a related development, the Finance Minister has complained about the failure of many Ghanaians to send out made-in-Ghana goods as Christmas gifts.
He observed that a hamper which contained 16 items presented to him did not have a single locally-manufactured product but were made either in England, Ireland or some other foreign country.
“This is what is killing us. How can we move ahead if we keep on spending the little we have to import from other countries?” He querried.

DCE cautions farmers, palmwine tappers

Page 36, Dec 24, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THIS year’s anti-bushfire campaign in the Jaman South District of the Brong Ahafo Region has been launched at Adiakor Number Two as part of the Farmers’ Day celebration with a warning to farmers, palm wine tapers and hunters to be careful about the way they handle fire in the bush.
The Jaman South District Chief Executive, Mr Apraku Tanoh who gave the warning said there was the need for the people to adhere to anti-bushfire laws, rules and slogans that admonish them to the safe use of fire.
He said the district had chalked a lot of successes in the prevention of wild fire adding that for the second time running, the district was voted the best at the regional level as the district with the least fire outbreaks.
“We should try as much as possible not to allow our appetite for game to sway us from protecting our forest reserves, which are dwindling at each passing day”.
At the farmers’ day, a 50-year- old farmer from Kwasibourkrom, Opanin Yaw Kyere, was adjudged the overall best district farmer.
He received a spraying machine, wax print, Wellington boots, a radio cassette player, cutlasses and a certificate as his price.
Opanin Kyere called on farmers to avoid igniting fire in the bush during the dry season in order to preserve the forest and their crops.
The acting District Director of Agriculture, Mr Samuel Kuma advised farmers to repay their loans promptly to enable others to benefit from the package.

Parliament holds carols night

Page 15, Dec 14, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Minister in-charge of the Victory Presbyterian Church at Adenta, Reverend Dr Abamfo Atiemo has charged people in power to evaluate the impact of policies on the people before their implementation.
“You need to be careful in order not to inflict pain and hardships on people who voted you into power through the enactment of bad laws, and policies”.
Rev Dr Atiemo was giving an exhortation at a festival of nine lessons and carols organised by Parliament under the auspices of the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes to usher in the Christmas festivities.
In attendance were the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Doe Adjaho, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, Ministers of State and some members of the diplomatic corps.
It was on the theme: “Ghana @50, Crowning Jesus as Lord of all”.
Rev Dr Atiemo asked Ghanaians to portray the country’s history in a positive manner notwithstanding some turbulent periods in the nation’s history.
“God has been good to us over the years and as we celebrate 50 years as a nation, we need to move ahead in unity to usher the country into the next 50 years”, he said.
A number of choral groups, including the Voices of Democracy made of staff of the Parliamentary Service entertained the packed audience with melodious carols.
Mrs Georgina Wood read eighth lesson while Mr Sekyi Hughes read the ninth lesson with the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, who is also the President of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship reading the second lesson.

Generate revenue to support common fund

Page 27, Dec 27, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Dormaa District Chief Executive, Squadron Leader (retd) Ben Anane-Asamoah, has called on district assemblies to adopt new innovations in order to generate more revenue internally to supplement their share of the common fund.
He said although the Dormaa District Assembly estimated to collect GH ¢293,079 this year, only GH ¢184,395, representing 65 per cent was collected as of September.
“This means that the assembly’s revenue collection mechanism is not effective and needs to be revamped”, he said.
Sqd Ldr Anane-Asamoah was delivering his sessional address at the general meeting of the assembly at Dormaa-Ahenkro.
He said the assembly intended to re-value properties in the district and widen its revenue net in order to collect more revenue for its development programmes.
“The very survival of our district depends on our ability to generate more and how the revenue generated is judiciously utilised for the overall development of our district”.
The DCE informed the assembly about the creation of Dormaa East District out of the Dormaa District with its capital as Wamfie while Dormaa had been raised to a municipal status.
On development projects, he said, the assembly had projected to fence the DCE’s residence and re-roof the assembly’s conference hall in 2008.
Other projects to be executed are a six-unit classroom block at Amasu, six unit classroom block at Dormaa Akwamu, a six unit classroom block for the Dormaa Ahenkro Methodist School and a three-unit classroom block at Akontanim.
He stated that contracts had already been awarded for the execution of the projects and appealed to the assembly members in the beneficiary communities to assist the contractors to complete the projects on schedule.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Daniel Kumi-Djan, advised the assembly members to embark on public education on the payment of their taxes to enable the assembly to generate more revenue.
He thanked the government for the creation of another district out of the Dormaa District and expressed the hope that the gesture would speed up the development of the area.
Mr Kumi-Djan advised farmers and hunters not to lit fire in the bush during the dry season so as to curb the incidence of bushfire.

Ayawaso East MP supports 3 institutions

Page 30, Dec 21, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso East, Alhaji Dr Mustapha Ahmed, has presented three cheques totalling GH¢2,060 (¢20.6 million) to three educational institutions in the Accra metropolis.
The institutions are the Sal Valley Preparatory/Junior High School, the Qubbatul-Khadra Islamic School, Nima, and the Greater Accra Islamic Educational Unit.
The amount is to enable the Sal Valley and Qubbatul Islamic schools to carry out renovation works on their blocks, while the Greater Accra Islamic Educational Unit would use it share for the implementation of performance enhancement programmes for its teachers.
Making the presentation, Alhaji Ahmed urged Muslim parents to be serious with the education of their children, instead of using their wealth on less important social ventures.
He stressed that only education could enable Muslim youth climb up to the top of the social ladder and advised parents to allow their children to stay in school till they achieved higher academic laurels.
The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Islamic Educational Unit, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, who received the cheques on behalf of the institutions, thanked the MP for his continued assistance to educational institutions in his constituency.
He said the apathy of parents and the attitude of Muslim children to education were the major factors that drew back the development of Muslim communities.
Sheik Armiyawo said the unit was working hard to change those negative attitudes to ensure that both parents and children made education a priority in Muslim communities.

Political activities peak at Legon

Page 15, Dec 21, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

MEMBERS of the Legon Friends of Nana Akufo-Addo (LEFONAA) have besieged the University of Ghana campus to drum home their support for Nana Akufo-Addo, one of the presidential aspirants of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), during Saturday’s delegates’ congress.
The group organised a float yesterday on the campus to champion the cause of Nana Akufo-Addo during which they held placards some of which read, “No Nana, no NPP”, “Vote for Number 10”, “NPP is not Abramovich”, and “Nana is Ghana’s Political Soldier”.
The drumming, dancing and chanting of appellations of Nana Akufo-Addo attracted a large crowd to the place.
A visit to the campus yesterday showed that political activities had peaked and the campus had virtually become a tourist centre as a lot of people were seen trooping in.
The large presence of the police could also not be missed, as five bus-loads of policemen were cited on recce operations.
Also present to lend a hand towards the “D-Day” were about 200 ushers and caterers who were being taken through a lecture on customer service.
According to Ms Esther Ofori, Chairperson of the Planning Committee of the congress, the need to provide ushers with the necessary skills had become paramount in view of past experiences in Koforidua where there were numerous complaints about the quality of service.
Scores of people were also trooping in to catch a glimpse of the special billboards of all the aspirants. Posters of all the 17 aspirants had been posted on all available structures and trees from the entrance of the university to the Commonwealth Hall.
Members of the LOFANAA, who wore T-shirts bearing the photograph of Nana Akufo-Addo, also distributed leaflets to bystanders to educate them on their preferred candidate.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Vice-President of the group, Mr Bright Owusu, urged the delegates who would attend the congress to be guided by the strength of the presidential candidates of other parties before they elected the party’s presidential candidate.
“Let us not allow our emotions and material considerations to clout our judgement,” he said, adding that “the party is at a crossroad and we will retain power only if we present a strong candidate like Nana Akufo-Addo”.
“Nana Akufo-Addo has been through it all and he has a real fighting spirit that will enable him to deal with every situation. Let us give him chance to do what he is capable of doing,” he said.

Make banking flexible to stand competition, Kwapong tells rural banks

Page 57, Dec 20, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank, Mr Emmanuel K. Kwapong, has advised rural and community banks to embark on aggressive and flexible approach to banking in order to increase their profit levels and survive in the increasing competition in the banking industry.
“You should also strengthen your internal control mechanisms to ensure that the banks operate in a sound and safe financial environment,” Mr Kwapong said.
The managing director of the Apex Bank, a mini central bank for the rural banks, gave the advice in an address read on his behalf at the 19th annual general meeting of the Kaaseman Rural Bank at Kaase in the Western Region.
He stated that the ARB Apex Bank had over the years undertaken a number of activities which had helped to strengthen the operations of rural and community banks.
Mr Kwapong urged the rural bank to enhance its product base by granting good advances to companies, enterprises and individuals within its environs in order to improve the livelihood of the rural community.
Presenting the annual report and financial statement of the bank, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr Kwame Twumasi Ankra, said the bank recorded a profit before tax of GH¢55,030 (¢550.3 million) in 2006 as against GH¢88,030 (¢880.3 million) in 2005.
He said total loans and overdrafts outstanding in all sectors, including agriculture, trade, cottage industries, salary workers and micro-credits increased from GH¢1.30 million (¢13 billion) in 2005 to GH¢1.49 million (¢14.9 billion) in 2006.
The bank’s total assets also increased within the same period from GH¢1.46 million (¢41.6 billion) to GH¢5.14 million (¢51.4 billion) while its investment in treasury bills jumped from GH¢1.10 million (¢11 billion) to GH¢1.85 million (¢18.5 billion).
The bank honoured 10 staff for hard work and dedication, including the Chief Manager, Mr David King Gbeblewu, who has served the bank for over 20 years.

Airtime tax, bold initiative-Akomea

Page 49, Dec 20, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minister of Manpower Development, Youth and Employment, Nana Akomea, has said the 1GHp airtime tax is a bold initiative by the government in the effort to provide jobs, especially for the teeming youth of the country.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on Monday, Nana Akomea said cell phone service providers and the general public should not have any fears about the impact of the tax.
The minister said the tax, being a levy on talk or phone usage, would nominally fall on consumers and not the service providers, at least in the first instance, but added that the tax would not be an intolerable burden on consumers.
Nana Akomea, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi South, said all over the world the trend had been for cell phone rates or call costs to fall, as a result of constant improvement in communications technology and infrastructure, as well as competition.
“In Ghana, for example, a mobile phone chip in 2000 (just seven years ago) was ¢1.2 million. Today, it is virtually free. Airtime cost or cost per minute in 2005 was ¢2,300. Just two years later, cost per minute is ¢1,400, a saving of ¢900 to the consumer,” he explained.
Nana Akomea said with the installation and availability next year of fibre optic backbone, on which the government had invested about $150 million, the cost of technology would be much cheaper to reflect in the cost to consumers.
So with proper monitoring by the National Communications Authority (NCA), airtime cost per minute should fall to about ¢900 a minute, saving the consumer about ¢500 per minute, added.
Nana Akomea said at the current rate, when the 1GHp tax became operational from January 2008, the cost per minute would go up from ¢1,400 to ¢1,500 and the typical scratch card which cost about ¢75,000 now would cost about ¢81,000.
He said, however, that as a result of the competitive nature of the cell phone business, the operators might not pass on all the taxes to the consumer.
But even if they did, with the expected fall in airtime cost next year from ¢1,400 to about ¢900, the consumer would be paying ¢1,000 a minute, a saving ¢400.
Nana Akomea said “if we focus also on the benefits, it would be realised that on balance, the tax will be beneficial to the nation”, adding that it would go to fund youth employment.
The minister said when properly applied, the tax would provide funding for thousands of young people and noted that it was absolutely crucial that the nation focused on overcoming the current limitations of the macro-economy and the market economy in meeting the demand for jobs.
“One way of overcoming this current limitation is the airtime tax, which will bolster the funding source of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and allow the programme to employ thousands of young people,” he said.
The minister said joblessness was a canker that not only dehumanised the individual but also the whole society, with dire spill-over effects on crime and security.
He said patrons of reality shows who text onto those programmes paid special rates, while special ring tones could attract rates of about ¢200,000 per annum.
The minister explained that majority of mobile phone users were not the poorest in society, adding that 1GHp a minute contribution to provide jobs for our youth should not be too much sacrifice to make.
He said in another four months, with the expected call cost falling, consumers might not be feeling much pinch and they would be happy at the contribution towards jobs provision.

Aidooh commends MPs

Page 13, Dec 20, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, has commended Members of Parliament from both sides of the House for the level of co-operation that ensured the success of the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, which ended on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the House passed a number of bills, including the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, and approved the government’s Economic Policy and Budget for 2008, which was presented to Parliament on November 15, 2007.
It also gave approval to the nomination of the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, as a Minister of State.
The First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament is expected to begin on January 22, 2008 and end on May 16, 2008.
In his remarks, Mr Aidooh assured the MPs that the House would see improvement in its infrastructure next year to solve some of the accommodation problems facing Parliament.
He added that the rehabilitation process of the Job 600 (Tower Block) had begun with the engagement of consultants to look at the structural integrity of the block.
The Majority Leader advised MPs from both sides of the House to resist the temptation of cheap politics to destroy the bond of co-operation that had developed in the House.
For his part, the Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, expressed the hope that the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning would incorporate suggestions made on the floor of Parliament during the debate of the 2008 budget, especially the budget of the Electoral Commission to enable it to be sufficiently resourced to perform its duty in the 2008 elections.
He noted that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament showcased what Parliamentary committee was capable of doing during its public sittings.
Mr Bagbin touched on the recent chieftaincy dispute in the Anlo Traditional Area and urged the government to take steps to unravel the circumstance that led to the dispute.
He commended staff of the Parliamentary Service and the Parliamentary Press Corps for their untiring efforts that ensured the success of the meeting.
In his closing remarks, the Speaker of the House, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, commended the leadership of the House for the show of maturity and high level of co-operation, which he observed had deepened parliamentary democracy.
He wished the MPs a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and expressed the hope that they would reconvene refreshed to begin the last lap of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

Parliament approves GH ¢7 trillion for govt

Page 13, Dec 20, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday authorised the executive to draw GH¢7,107,163,135 from the Consolidated Fund to enable the government to effectively carry out its services for the 2008 financial year.
The authorisation followed the passage of the Appropriation Bill, 2007, which was laid before the House on Monday.
The report of the Finance Committee of Parliament on the bill observed that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) would be permitted to retain and use GH¢299,184,000 of their internally-generated funds during the 2008 financial year.
In addition, the bill includes GH ¢127,551,722 million of HIPC financed expenditure to be undertaken within 2008.
Out of the GH ¢7,107,163,135 trillion projected payments in 2008, GH ¢1,728,925,012 would constitute payments while discretionary payments would also amount to GH¢5,378,238,123.
The report said that GH ¢15,940,000 from the HIPC funds would be granted to district assemblies to undertake various development projects.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, moved the motion for the passage of the bill and was seconded by the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Nii Adu Daku Mante.
Meanwhile, the House on Tuesday ratified a credit facility agreement between the government and Agence Francaise de Development for £17 million to finance the peri-urban, rural and Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation project in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The project is to improve the health status of the population in the Brong Ahafo Region by increasing their accessibility to potable water and sanitation in all the 19 districts of the region in economically sustainable conditions.
The beneficiary communities would be expected to provide five per cent cost of the project, but communities which would not be able to pay the five per cent would be assisted by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.
The Brong Ahafo Region was chosen because it is one of the regions with least water coverage and the completion of the project would, therefore, lift up the region’s water coverage and reduce the incidence of guinea worm infestations and other water-borne diseases.
The House also approved a £7.2 million between the government and the German government to finance the Poverty Focused Rural Transport Programme.
The programme is to enhance accessibility to selected poor areas and reduce the cost of transportation in those areas.
In another development, Parliament approved GH ¢20,703,627 for the services of the Office of Parliament for the 2008 fiscal year.
Members of Parliament (MPs) who contributed to the debate on the approval of the budget for Parliament expressed their disatisfaction about lack of resources for the efficient running of the legislature.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin said although the House had performed well over the years, MPs in Ghana were poorly paid as compared to their counterparts in Africa.
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, said Parliament would no longer compromise on what it was due, adding that “we need to be treated like the Judiciary”.
The report of the Special Budget Committee, which deliberated on the budget of the Office of Parliament, urged the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning to fulfil his pledge to add GH ¢8,023,372 to the approved amount to enable Parliament to carry out its intended programmes next year.

6,000 Ghost names on MOH pay roll?

Page 34, Dec 19, 2007
Story: E Adu-Gyamerah.
Preliminary results of a comprehensive staff census by the Ministry of Health has indicated that nearly 6,000 names are yet to be accounted for, the sector Minister, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), has disclosed.
He said the figure was undergoing revalidation and that when completed, those who could not be accounted for would have their names taken off the payroll.
Major Quashigah said this when he moved a motion on the floor of the House for the approval of the 2008 budget estimates for the health sector.
The House approved GH¢516,803,855.00 million for the ministry’s operations.
Major Quashigah said Ghana was on course to addressing the human resource crisis which resulted from the brain drain.
He disclosed that for the past five years the ministry had been implementing multiple strategies, including expanding training institutions, enhancing the salaries of health professionals and advocating an ethical approach to international recruitment of health staff.
Major Quashigah said seven new health assistant training institutions were added to the existing ones to increase overall intake from 444 to 1,020.
He added that in 2007, over 176 health infrastructure, including 50 health centres and 22 district hospitals throughout the country, were completed.
On the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the minister informed the House that currently 143 schemes were in operation, adding that five more would be operational by the end of the year.
Major Quashigah said in 2007, total registration of the NHIS grew nationally from 8,633,736 to 11,293,00.
He added that a $15 million facility had been secured from the World Bank to install ICT facilities to improve the efficient running of the scheme.
The House also approved GH¢1,264,902,043 for the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and GH¢9,836,133.00 for the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture.

House approves nomination of Mensah-Bonsu

Page 31, Dec 19, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT on Monday unanimously approved the nomination of the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu, as a minister of state.
The approval followed the adoption of the report of the Appointments Committee presented to the House by the Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin.
Presenting the report, Mr Bagbin said the leadership of the House had agreed to separate the report on the appearance of Mrs Vicky Bright and Mr Ken Noworsu who were designated deputy ministers from that of Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
He said when Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu appeared before the committee, he distinguished himself, hence the decision of the members to unanimously approve his nomination.
Supporting the motion, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, said there was no doubt about the capabilities of Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as an MP.
“He is a distinguished MP not only in Ghana but also in the ECOWAS Parliament,” he stated.
He said it was important for the front bench of the Majority to be empowered to ensure the smooth running of government business in the House.
Mr Aidooh explained that until the current provision in the rules which enabled only ministers to lay papers in the House was changed, both the Majority Leader, his deputy and the Majority Chief Whip could hold ministerial positions.
“I have no doubt, however that the appointment of Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu will not diminish his forthrightness,” he added.
When he caught the eye of the Speaker, the MP for Lawra-Nandom, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, said he was one of the people who were of the opinion that the existence of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs was unnecessary.
“But having listened to Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s explanation when he appeared before the committee, I have become convinced about the need for the ministry,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Minister and MP for Kwabre West, Mr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, described the nominee as efficient, firm, hard-working and an MP whose performance had had a positive impact on his colleagues.
For his part, the MP for Jomoro, Mr Lee Ocran, said both MPs from the Majority and Minority sides of the House admired Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s in-depth knowledge about rules governing the House.
In another development, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu called for measures to ensure that the Disability Act benefits people with various forms of disabilities.
He noted that the passage of the Act alone would not be enough; “we should add our voices and hands to the ratification, which would bond us with other countries and organisations to promote, protect and project persons with disabilities”.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Boasu made these remarks in a statement he presented on the floor of the House on Monday.
He stated that the quest of Ghana to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) required the need to include persons with disabilities in its development agenda.
“Without their participation, it would be impossible to have poverty and hunger reduced to half by 2015 as envisioned in the MDGs,” he said
Mr Alban Bagbin called for the review of the 10-year grace period to enable people to comply with provisions in the Disability Act.
For his part, the MP for Asutifi North, Mr Paul Okoh, who is also Chairman of the Select Committee on Social Welfare, Employment and State Enterprises, said it was unfortunate that some key institutions were not complying with the Act.
He stated that at a current inspection tour undertaken by the committee, it came out that institutions such as Parliament and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) had not made provision for persons with disabilities in their newly constructed buildings.
Meanwhile the House deferred the approval of the 2008 budget estimates of the Audit Service for consultations.

Manboah elected NDC candidate for Nkwanta North Constituency for Nkwanta North constituency

Page 16, Dec 17, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

A GHANAIAN lecturer at the Texas Southern University in the United States, Dr Joseph K Manboah, has been elected the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Nkwanta North in the Volta Region.
He was unanimously elected when his only challenger, Mr Paul Gyato, pulled out to support him.
Dr Manboah, who is a professor in international relations, told journalists in Accra that he would use his experience to ensure rapid socio-economic development in the area.
He said his main concern would be to ensure mechanised agriculture to enable farmers to reap the benefits of their labour over the years.
Dr Manboah added that education would also be his priority if given the nod to become the Member of Parliament for the area.
The Nkwanta North Constituency, being occupied by the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph kwaku Nayan, is the only seat that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) won during the 2004 general election in the region.
But the NDC candidate assured his supporters that he was going to work hard to wrest the seat from the NPP, come 2008 elections.
He expressed regret that in spite of working hard over the year, people in the Nkwanta South area continued to live in deprivation and promised to change the situation.
Dr Manboah thanked the delegates from the 51 polling stations who attended the constituency conference for the confidence reposed in him, and urged both NDC and NPP supporters in the area to vote for him during the election.
The NDC MP for Nkwanta South, Mr Geshon Gbediame, said the people had tried both the NDC and NPP and would surely make a better choice by voting for the NDC in 2008.
Meanwhile, Dr Manboah has presented assorted books worth millions of Ghana cedis to schools in the Kpasa community in the constituency.
The books were donations from the Pasedena Independent School District in Pasedena, Texas, which Dr Manboah solicited to assist schools in the Nkwanta area.
Dr Manboah said he paid over GH ¢15,000 (¢150 million) for freight, handling and other expenses before delivering the books to the beneficiaries.
He urged pupils and students in the area to assimilate reading habit in order to be able to rub shoulders with their counterparts from other parts of the country and beyond.

MP wants briefing on EPA deal

Page 17, Dec 17, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Wa West, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, has called on the Minister of Trade, Industry, PSD and PSI, to appear before the House to brief members on the recent interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) the government signed with the European Union (EU).
He said the House needed proper briefing to enable it take a proper decision to avert the influx of all sorts of goods into the Ghanaian market which would eventually kill local initiatives.
Mr Yieleh Chireh was contributing to a statement made by the MP for Kumawu, Mr Yaw Baah on EPAs and issues arising from them on the floor of the House.
In his statements, Mr Baah contended that Ghana had no option rather than signing the interim EPA with EU.
He explained that in view of recent developments where La Cote D’Ivoire and some eastern and southern African countries had signed an interim agreement with the EU, it made any entrenched position by Ghana a very difficult option.
“Mr Speaker, it may be important to stress to our European counterparts that development is at the core of the Cotonou Agreement and EPA, and should not be artificially delinked from trade issues by being negotiated at different stages”.
He noted that specific commitments were required by the European Commission, particularly in respect of EPA support measures and programmes, adjustment cost and their various sources of fund.
Mr Baah, therefore, called on the EC to honour commitments made with the ACP countries and ensure that those countries did not sign EPAs that were provided with new framework to trade.
Meanwhile, the House has approved GH¢564,473,148 million for the operation of the Ministry of Energy for 2008.
It also gave approval of GH¢47M941,603 for the operation of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation for 2008.

MP wants Probe into Hajj activities

Page 15, Dec 17, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, has called on Parliament to institute a judicial inquiry into the organisation of the Hajj over the last five years, pursuant to Article 278 (IC) of the 1992 Constitution.
On behalf of the Muslim Caucus in Parliament, the MP also made an urgent appeal to the government to intervene to ensure that this year’s pilgrims embarked on their trip to this important spiritual exercise without any further delay.
Dr Ahmed made the call in an urgent statement on the floor of Parliament on the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
He said it was rather unfortunate that the nation had been subjected once again to one of the worse embarrassment in the history of Hajj organisation in the country.
“Indeed, as I speak, not even a single pilgrim from Ghana has been airlifted to the Kingdom of South Arabia,” he said last Wednesday, adding that the situation was of grave concern to the Muslim Community in the country.
He noted that the fate of the 2,700 pilgrims for this year, and an additional 499 arising out of last year’s mess remained uncertain, despite assurances from the Hajj Council and some government officials.
“May I express our disgust and disappointment at the Council for the poor organisation and dehumanising treatment to which the pilgrims have been subjected.

‘Phone airtime tax needs discussions' further discussions’

Page 16, Dec 14, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications has suggested that the proposed excise tax on phone airtime should be subjected to further discussions towards a national consensus and sufficient sensitisation.
The committee said in response to the government’s proposal to impose the excise duty per minute on airtime use, telecom operators submitted an industry position paper to it for consideration.
A report of the committee on the 2008 budget estimates for the Ministry of Communication said a meeting was subsequently held with telecom operators, which was attended by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour.
It added that members of the committee expressed diverse views on the merits and practicability of the proposal and also noted concerns expressed by the general public.
“In the light of these difference, the committee is of the view that the introduction of the measure, despite its immense revenue potentials should be subject to further discussion towards a national consensus”.
The report added that the committee would furnish the details of its discussion and recommendation to the House for its decision.
On the privatisation of Ghana Telecom and Westel, the report stated that efforts are being made by the ministry to create a sustained competitive market structure.
It said negotiations were underway with some companies for the sale of 66.6 per cent share of the GT.
With regards to Westel’s privatisation to inject capital into the company to make its operation competitive through the sale of 75 per cent share is nearing completion.
According to the report total access fixed line lines grew from 248,940 in 2001 to 364,918 this year while mobile phone subscription increased from 215,921 in 2001 to 7,016,707 as at September, 2007.
Telephone penetration rate as at September, 2007 stood at 33.7 per cent from a 2006 figure of 20 per cent, the report indicated.
The House unanimously approved GH ¢18,518,487 for the operations of the ministry for the 2008 fiscal year.

Parliament holds carols night

Page 15, Dec 14, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Minister in-charge of the Victory Presbyterian Church at Adenta, Reverend Dr Abamfo Atiemo has charged people in power to evaluate the impact of policies on the people before their implementation.
“You need to be careful in order not to inflict pain and hardships on people who voted you into power through the enactment of bad laws, and policies”.
Rev Dr Atiemo was giving an exhortation at a festival of nine lessons and carols organised by Parliament under the auspices of the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes to usher in the Christmas festivities.
In attendance were the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Doe Adjaho, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, Ministers of State and some members of the diplomatic corps.
It was on the theme: “Ghana @50, Crowning Jesus as Lord of all”.
Rev Dr Atiemo asked Ghanaians to portray the country’s history in a positive manner notwithstanding some turbulent periods in the nation’s history.
“God has been good to us over the years and as we celebrate 50 years as a nation, we need to move ahead in unity to usher the country into the next 50 years”, he said.
A number of choral groups, including the Voices of Democracy made of staff of the Parliamentary Service entertained the packed audience with melodious carols.
Mrs Georgina Wood read eighth lesson while Mr Sekyi Hughes read the ninth lesson with the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, who is also the President of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship reading the second lesson.

NDPC short of personnel

Page 17, Dec 13, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), tasked to provide the framework for accelerated development and advise the President on national development planning and policy strategy, is finding it difficult to attract the needed staff for the execution of its task.
The commission informed Parliament that as a result of the poor conditions of service, it was “finding it difficult to attract, motivate and retain the required calibre of staff”.
A report presented to Parliament by the Finance Committee of Parliament on the 2008 budget estimates of the commission said the NDPC currently had only 15 out of the minimum 50 technical staff required for the effective performance of its functions.
The report observed that although the commission had programmed to recruit 17 people to replace those who had left, the reduction in personnel emoluments allocation would make that recruitment impossible.
The House yesterday approved GH¢1.9 million for the operations of the commission for the 2008 fiscal year, out of the GH¢3.4 million it requested for.
Although the commission requested for GH¢205,884.68 as personnel emoluments, it was granted GH¢178,178, an amount the committee observed was woefully inadequate and advised that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning put in place measures to bridge the gap.
Contributing to the debate on the approval of the budget for the commission, some Members of Parliament (MPs) stressed the need to ensure that personnel of the commission were well paid to enable the commission to successfully carry out its mandate.
The MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mr P.C. Appia-Ofori, said the Finance Committee took cognisance of the important role of the NDPC during its deliberations and, therefore, called on the Ministry of Finance to supplement its budget through the HIPC fund.
The House deferred the approval of the budget estimates for the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for further deliberations before their approval.
It, however, approved GH¢71.99 million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD; GH¢113 million for the revenue agencies and GH¢90 million for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

MPs want location of oilfields defined of oilfields defined

Page13, Dec 13, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE three Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Nzema area have suggested that the location of the recently discovered oilfields be defined within the geographical context to avoid future misunderstanding and conflict.
The MPs are Mr Freddie Blay, Ellembelle; Mr Kojo Armah, Evalue Gwira; and Mr Lee Ocran, Jomoro.
A statement signed and issued by the three MPs in Accra last Monday said it was reported recently that oil in commercial quantities had been found at Cape Three Points and the Deep Water Tano Basin by the Cosmos Energy and the Tullow Oil respectively.
It said what the announcement failed to mention was that the oil-find was in the Tano Basin, located in the territorial waters of the Nzema area.
It explained that the Tano Basin is divided into three geological blocks, namely, the Shallow Water Tano, Deep Water Tano and West Cape Three Points, all located in the Nzema area.
The statement added that the Tano Basin is 65 kilometres off Half Assini, about 80 kilometres off Axim and over 100 kilometres south-westward of Cape Three Points.
It further explained that taking co-ordinates into the sea, there is no doubt that the oilfields are closer to Half Assini, Beyin, Esiama and Axim, and farther away from Cape Three Points.
“While we recognise that Cape Three Points is also in the Western Region, we believe it would be better appreciated if the location of the Oil Find could be properly defined within the geographical context to avoid future misunderstanding and conflict”, the statement added.

MILITANT FULANI HERDSMEN; THE BANE OF THE NORTHERN LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

Page 7 (Features), Dec 11, 2007
By Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
A vibrant, favourable and protected livestock industry of the agricultural sector in northern Ghana must be of concern to the relevant authorities.
This is because it is not only a job avenue for the youth and a means of livelihood to the vast majority of a people whose poverty and deprivation levels are worrisome developments to all but is also tied to their religious and traditional rites.
Even more importantly, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture recognises that the supply of more than 40 per cent of animal protein requirement of the whole country is sourced from the livestock industry in northern Ghana. Thus, our northern livestock industry is contributing immensely to the health needs of the people of Ghana.
The vast stretches of grasslands for grazing and numerous water bodies for drinking gives northern Ghana a comparative advantage over other parts of Ghana for the strategic citing of the industry. It, therefore, would have been a booming industry were it not for the unregulated cross border movement of persistent and militant Fulani herdsmen, whose livestock are not only over-grazing the grasslands but also spreading diseases and threatening the survival of the livestock industry in the north, in particular, and the country in general.
These armed Fulani herdsmen have a practice of setting on fire what remains of the grazing grasslands after over-grazing them and they move on with the believe that fresh green grass will sprout in wait for them on their way back.
They do not stop there. Not only do these men carry their militant activities into highway armed robbery, particularly in the Tamale - Techiman corridor, as the records have shown, but engage in cattle wrestling as well.
As the dry season approaches, women in the Northern Region and other areas are gripped with fear, as rape and elopement are listed among their anti-social activities.
Factors that make it difficult for the immigration officials to combat their activities are under-staffing, under resourcing and more frustratingly, collusion of some of our own Ghanaian nationals and some traditional rulers to cover these Fulani herdsmen who they claim are under their employment.
The ECOWAS protocols on free movement of persons, goods and services, which the immigration officials are tasked to oversee in a way also ties their hands in dealing with these herdsmen even when they enter through unapproved entry points.
The experience from the Alien Compliance order, which tagged a particular regime of the tradition of this government as unfriendly to our neighbours seem to give the jitters to the powers that be in dealing ruthlessly with these herdsmen.
These are the constraints inhibiting the growth of the livestock industry in the north, which the Northern Livestock Farmers Association (NORLFA) seeks to address through the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) funded advocacy action facilitated by the Network for Advocacy and Development Alternatives (NADA), a Sunyani-based non-governmental organisation.
The advocacy action is targeting the regional co-ordinating councils,the Immigration Service, τηε Veterinary Service, MOFA, the Ministry of Interior and τηε Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NEPAD in a national dialogue.
Through such engagements, operators within the sector will press for the enforcement of Act 573 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana establishing the Immigration Service, for a more regulated cross border movement of these Fulani herdsmen with only screened and healthy livestock allowed into Ghana to augment our industry.
Besides equipping the regulatory bodies such as the Immigration Service to carry out their statutory functions in a forceful manner, with a free hand, the suggested solution alternatives listed below seem the most result oriented measures:
∞ Corridors should be created for their entry,
∞ Camps should be established to check their activities,
∞ A quarantined screening should be conducted on herds crossing into the country
∞ A parol unit should be established and the
∞ Issuance of “Alien Registration Card” to these Fulani Herdsmen should be introduced.

(Recylced wood products turned into kitchen furniture)

Page 53, Dec 10, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
A Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, has called for investment in the processing of sawdust and other wood wastes into finished products.
He said the measure would lead to the creation of jobs for the teeming youth and mitigate the increasing social vices in the country.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah was speaking at the opening of the Movingui Kitchen Showroom at Osu in Accra on Friday.
The Movingui Kitchens are made from wood products which have been recycled and reshaped into the best kitchen furniture.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah said the policy direction of the ministry was towards the injection of efficiency in wood procession so that producers could achieve optimal yields.
He said at the national development policy level, the government had created a conducive micro-economic environment for businesses to thrive.
“I am hopeful that as business executives and industrialists, you will continue to take maximum advantage of these economic incentives and opportunities to improve upon the timber industry.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah assured the company that the government was happy to be a partner in the process to ensure the full realisation of its laudable objective.
“Government will ensure that you get the necessary support from stakeholders to provide leadership for the restructuring effort that is needed by the industry so that the industry will be transformed and its competitiveness strengthened”.
Currently the Movingui Kitchens imports high quality kitchen furniture from Germany and instals them in the kitchens of institutions and individuals on demand throughout the country.
According to the General Manager of the company, Mr William Baka, the company was discussing with the parent manufacturing company in Germany the possibility of establishing one of the manufacturing plants in Ghana to process sawdust and other wood waste into high quality kitchen furniture.
He noted that if the plant was established, it would create more jobs for Ghanaians and also generate revenue in the form of taxes for the government.

'Give adverts to private papers'

Page 24/49 (Spread), Dec 10, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, has bemoaned the lack of adverts in the private press, saying that the situation should be a matter of concern to people interested in the sustenance of the country’s democracy.
“It seems to me that the extreme sensationalism indulged in by some of them may be due to desperate need to sell every issue,” he said.
Speaking at the Sixth Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG) Gong Gong Awards in Accra on Saturday, Mr Oteng-Gyasi observed that the lack of advertising revenue “may be part of the reason for the desperate headlines they inflict on us”.
The occasion was on the theme: “Advertising in Ghana...Fifty Years On”.
Lowe Lintas won the platinum awards for the radio and television categories while Art Bureau picked the platinum award for the print category.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi, who is the Managing Director of Kabel Metal, recalled a headline in one of the private papers some years back after the execution of former Head of State General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
He stated that after writing a sensational headline “Acheampong Alive in Togo” and landing himself in trouble, the publisher of the paper explained that he needed such a headline to sell his paper.
That story, he explained, reported that a type of grass known as “Acheampong grass” was still prevalent in Togo.
Mr, Oteng-Gyasi, who is also Chairman of the University of Ghana Council, therefore, appealed to advertisers to consider placing adverts in the private newspapers, some of which had an appreciable circulation.
“Democracy costs money. Democracy requires plurality,” he said, adding that since private newspapers provided the country with such plurality, “let us help keep them alive by placing adverts in them”.
Quoting from a British Soap pioneer, Lord Leverhouse, who is reputed to have said that he knew half of his advertising budget was wasted, but did not know which half, Mr Oteng-Gyasi said “in Ghana we may also not know which half of our advertising expenditure is wasted but it will be comforting to know it is wasted on ensuring democracy”.
He called on players in the advertising industry to assist manufacturers to build brands with adverts that were consistent with the message and the delivery.
He called on advertisers to avoid single-person agencies and build large professional agencies, since good adverts were achieved through teamwork.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi urged young entrants into the advertising industry not to be tempted into thinking that they would be better off on their own just because of one or two initial successes, explaining that “advertising is both an art and a science. Long diligent study is required”.
In his address, the President of the AAG, Mr Reginald Laryea, noted that the Gong Gong Awards programme, which is the industry’s main platform for recognising and rewarding creative excellence and distinction, had grown into an irresistible social ritual for practitioners and the general public.
He mentioned factors which had helped in the transformation of the advertising industry to include the impact of foreign and multi-national agencies, the revolution of information technology, the liberalisation and improvement in the national economy and the emergence of a new dynamic and dedicated professionals in the industry.
Mr Laryea said the industry had become so vibrant and attractive that one could count over 200 agencies operating in Accra alone.
He said he was happy that there has been an excellent working relationship between the AAG and its partners and stakeholders such as the metropolitan and district assemblies, the Food and Drugs Board, the National Media Commission, the Association of Ghana Industries and media owners over the years.
Mr Laryea gave the assurance that the AAG would use the award scheme to identify, acknowledge and reward professional excellence and home-grown creative ingenuity as an antidote to mediocrity and shoddy work.

Create another district out of North Tongu-MP

Page 14, Dec 6, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Mr Charles Hodogbey has advocated the creation of another district out of the North Tongu District to speed up the development of the area.
He said the constituency had the necessary requirements to have separate districts.
“Our people’s expectation and spirit were dampened when they were left out in the recent creation of districts. We appeal to the government to create separate districts for us without delay”, he said.
Mr Hodogbey made the appeal during the annual Ayimagonu Festival of the chiefs and people of the Dofor Traditional Area at Dofor Adidome.
He took the opportunity to renew his appeal to the government for the provision of basic needs of the people to enable the youth, in particular, to stay in the area and work instead of migrating into cities in search of non-existent jobs.
Mr Hodogbey stated that the Dofor Constituency, which had a total population of 85,000 did not have adequate supply of water.
The MP explained that the Three Districts’ Water Project, which catered for the North Tongu, Dangbe East and Dangbe West districts supplied water to just a small portion of the North Tongu Constituency.
He said the Dofor district, which had several water bodies, were polluted and was giving the people all kinds of water-borne diseases, including Bilharzia and Guinea -worm.
Mr Hodogbey expressed concern about the poor road network of the area and called for the tarring of the entire 34 kilometre road stretching from Juapong to Volo.
On electricity, the MP said the people of North Tongu had sacrificed so much for the construction of both Akosombo and Kpone hydro-electric systems.
He, however regretted that only a few communities in the area were currently hooked to the national grid despite the implementation of the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP).
Mr Hodogbey, therefore appealed to the Minister of Energy to come to the aid of people in the district to enable them to benefit from their sacrifice .
The Paramount Chief of the Dofor Traditional Area, Togbega Komlaga Ribitim II, also reiterated the MPs call for the creation of another district out of the North Tongu District, saying that the district was too large to be a single district.
He called for the provision of enough school blocks and teachers’ quaters to boost education in the area.
The North Tongu District Chief Executive, Mr Moses Assem Mensah, urged the chiefs and people of the area to use the festival to plan development and to showcase the area’s tourism potentials.

Parliament approves 2008 budget) (Parliament approves 2008 budget)

Page 14, Dec 6, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved the 2008 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government presented to it by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, on November 15, 2007.
The House approved the document by consensus.
When the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, put the question, “That this Honourable House approves the Financial Policy of the Government for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008”, all the MPs shouted “hear, hear” without any dissenting voice.
The debate on the budget, which began on Monday, November 26, 2007, was done initially along partisan lines, with both sides of the House either praising the budget or condemning it outright.
It was, however, heartening that most of the MPs who contributed to the debate in the later stages based their arguments on issues rather than on political lineage.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, expressed happiness about the trend of the debate on the budget.
“The debate on this year’s budget was better than last year’s,” he said, adding that more MPs had the opportunity to contribute to the debate.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, said MPs from both sides of the House did their home work well before contributing to the debate.
He said most of them focused on issues, and that actually enriched the quality of the debate.
Professor Gyan-Baffour attributed the situation to the post-budget workshop which was organised for the MPs, who in the process, met people who were involved in the preparation of the budget face to face.
He said this enabled the MPs to know the rationale behind the policies and programmes in the budget and thus empowered them to speak from an informed background.
Speaking to some members of the Parliamentary Press Corps later on whether the current government could present the 2009 budget before President Kufuor left office, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, said the President had the constitutional mandate to do so.
He referred to Article 179 (1), which reads: “The President shall cause to be prepared and laid before Parliament at least one month before the end of the financial year, estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Government of Ghana for the following financial year”.
Mr Aidooh said, however, that since the next Parliament would not be bound by decisions taken by the present Parliament, it would be advisable for the President to go by Article 180 of the constitution.
The Article stipulates thus: “Where it appears to the President that the Appropriation Act in respect of any financial year will not come into operation by the beginning of that financial year, he may, with prior approval of Parliament, by a resolution authorise the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Fund for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on services of the government in respect of the period expiring three months from the beginning of the financial year or on the coming into operation of the Act, whichever is earlier”.
Meanwhile, the House yesterday approved a 10 million euros loan agreement between the government and the Federal Republic of Germany.
The loan is Germany’s contribution to the Multi Donor Budget Support (MDBS), which was signed by Ghana and her development partners in June, 2003.
The MDBS seeks to support the implementation of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II).

Parliament to approve 2008 budget today

Page 16, Dec 5, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT is expected to give approval to the 2008 budget, which was presented to the House by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu on Thursday, November 15, 2007, today.
Consequently, the House sat for only 12 minutes on Tuesday to give members ample time to meet at the various committee levels to consider the 2008 budget estimates for the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Since the House is expected to rise soon for the yuletide, the various committees are speeding up the processes for the approval of budget estimates for the MDAs.
Next year’s budget, named “Brighter Future Budget” was debated in the House mainly on political lines.
While Members of Parliament on the Majority side described the budget as a panacea for the country’s problems, their colleagues from the Minority side said there was nothing in the budget to give Ghanaians hope for brighter future.
It took the diplomatic skills of the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes and the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Freddie Blay to ensure a smooth debate on the budget.
Mr Baah-Wiredu’s motion for the acceptance of the budget was seconded by the MP for Fanteakwa, Mr Kwadwo Agyei-Addo.

Reduce taxes on building materials Reduce taxes on building materials "Reduce taxes on building materials'

Page 14, December 1, 2007
Story : Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Jirapa, Mr Edward Salia, has sugggested to the government to reduce taxes on building materials to encourage more people to own houses.
He said the government’s intention to sell the existing low cost houses and use the proceeds to construct more houses was not the best.
Taking his turn at the forum on the ongoing debate on the 2008 budget in Parliament, Mr Salia said the high taxes on building materials were a disincentive for people to attempt to own their own houses.
He said the cost of the so-called affordable houses being built by the government was not within the reach of the average Ghanaian.
Tha MP lamented the ever increasing price of cement, which sells at GH¢7. GP5 (¢75,000) a bag in Accra and about GH¢11 (¢110,000) in his constituency.
Touching on the current 6.2 rate of growth of the economy, Mr Salia called for more efforts to be made to ensure that the country achieved its dream of becoming a middle income country and $1000 per capita income by 2015.
“Mr Speaker as it is now, it is wishful thinking for the country to achieve such a target,” he stated.
Touching on the Northern Development Fund as proposed in the budget, Mr Salia called for a legislation to back the fund to make it binding on future governments.
Mr Salia called for the allocation of adequate resources to the Electoral Commission for it to organise the 2008 general elections successfully.
He said the EC’s intention to open the voter’s register at the electoral station level was not the best.
Mr Salia’s assertion was however, debunked by the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu, who explained that Mr Salia’s information was misleading.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that besides the allocation of funds to the EC by the government, it had sought an additional GH¢7 million (¢70billion) from other sources to assist in the organisation of the election.
When he caught the eye of the speaker, the MP for Zebilla, Mr John Ndebugri, raised a constitutional issue about the presentation of the budget to parliament.
He quoted Article 179 of the constitution to establish the fact that the 2008 budget was not the last one to be presented by the Kufuor administration.
He argued that since the constitution mandated the President to present the budget one month before the beginning of the ensuing year, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government would have to present another budget before President Kufuor left office in January, 2009.
His assertion was, however, challenged by the Minority Chief Whip, Mr John Tia, who urged him to join his PNC colleagues at Bolgatanga for the party’s national congress instead of holding brief for the NPP government.
When Mr Ndebugri resumed the debate he commended the government for its intention to tar 15 kilometres of roads in every district in addition to the provision of potable water to five communities in every district.
He said if such laudable programmes were followed through they would boost development in the rural areas.
Mr Ndebugri, however, called for the allocation of more resources to the provision of office infrustructure for courts throughout the country to assist in the administration of justice.
The MP for Chiana-Paga, Mr Abuga Pele, called for proper management of the country’s juvenile teams to enable them to properly mature to become members of the senior national team.
The MP for Mpraeso, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, said the government’s health programmes which included the NHIS were on course.

Repair the Diamond Cement road

Page 14, 01-12-07

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South, Mr Albert Zigah, has appealed to the Ministry of Transportation to order the contractor who executed the 5.6 kilometre Aflao-Akporkploe (Diamond Cement) road to go back and do the necessary corrections on the project.
He said the rehabilitation of the road, which was completed in July 2007, had started developing potholes and wondered whether the right materials were used by the contractor.
Answering a question posed by the MP on the project in Parliament, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Transportation, Mr Godfrey Bayon Tangu, said the road was awarded in September 2003 in the sum of ¢3.1 billion to M/S Seidu Mahama Limited to be completed in March 2005.
He said the contract was terminated in April 2006 due to non-performance after three warning letters had been issued to the contractor.
He said when the contract was terminated only 12 per cent of civil works had been completed while ¢354 million had been paid to the contractor.
Mr Tangu said the project, which was re-awarded for surfacing in October 2006 in the contract sum of ¢13.4 billion, was completed in July 2007.
Mr Zigah said it was unfortunate that the road was still in a bad condition after a huge amount of ¢13.754 billion had been spent on its rehabilitation by M/S Raja Trading Limited.
The MP expressed sadness that the Aflao-Akporkploe road, which was used by heavy vehicles which transported diamond cement to other parts of the country for the development of the country’s infrastructure, was not being properly taken care of.
He urged the ministry to study the geological features of the road in addition to the axle load so that the necessary corrective measures could be employed by the contractor to prolong the lifespan of the road.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Energy and MP for Nkoranza South Mr Kwame Amporfo Twumasi told Parliament on Thuesday that certain communities in the Atebubu Amanten Constituency would be hooked to the national electricity grid subject to the availability of funds.
The communities are Fanti New Town, Papradon, Fakwas, Old Kokompe, Mem and Boafo.
Answering a question posed by the MP for Atebubu-Amanten, Mr Emmanuel Owusu-Manu, the deputy minister said although the communities form part of the Self-Help Electrification Project-4 programme, they did not form part of the current phase of the project.
Mr Twumasi said that the communities would be considered under the subsequent phases of the programme adding however that the Bresuano community was however, not included in any of the ministry’s on-going electrification projects.

Govt urged to support farmers

Page13, 29/11/07
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE debate on the 2008 budget in Parliament yesterday mainly focussed on the agriculture sector of the economy, with some Members of Parliament suggesting to the government to provide the necessary support for farmers to increase their yields.
The MP for Mion, Dr Alhassan Yakubu Ahmed, noted that although about 60 per cent of the country's workforce were engaged in the agriculture sector, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the economy was on the decline.
He attributed the declining yield of various crops to the low application of technology, and expressed the view that the current economic environment did not favour the Ghanaian small-scale farmer.
"Mr Speaker, we should provide enough resources for food crop farmers to enable them to reap the benefits of their labour", he said.
The MP, who is an agricultural scientist, reminded the government of its promise to cut the importation of rice by 30 per cent when it took power in 2001.
He said it was unfortunate that the importation of rice had currently tripled thereby crippling the local rice industry.
Dr Ahmed also bemoaned the gradual decline in cotton production in the country, and that a little effort by the government would enable the country derive more revenue from the crop.
When he took his turn, the Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Nana Akomea, said inspite of some difficulties, the government’s good economic policies had resulted in stabilising the country's micro economic environment.
"Mr Speaker, in relative terms, the living conditions of the people have seen improvement since the NPP government took office", he stated.
"Nana Akomea explained that the extreme poverty level in the country had decreased from 40 per cent in 1998 to 27 per cent in 2006.
He said that the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) was also playing an important role by providing employment for the youth in the country.
The minister said as of now about 108,000 people had been employed under the programme.
He said other programmes such as the Capitation Grant, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Mass Transit System were some of the policies which were impacting positively on the lives of the people.
Nana Akomea gave the assurance that discussions were going on to find solutions to the intermittent problems associated with the payment of allowances to beneficiaries of the NYEP.
For her part, the MP for Tarkwa/Nsuaem, Mrs Gifty Kusi, gave the assurance that measures had been put in place to forestall a recurrence of the energy crisis which the country went through recently.
She said the construction of the Bui Dam, the installation of power plants, the West African Gas project were some other projects which would provide the country with energy.
When the Minister-of-State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, caught the eye of the Speaker on a point of order he told the House that the total revenue that had accrued from the operation of the Saltpond Oil Fields was $24,711,467.26 million.
He explained that the country's royalties from the operation now stood at $744,735.88.
In his submission, the MP for Jomoro, Mr Lee Ocran, alleged that road contractors were refusing to take up contracts because of non-payment by the government.
The Minister of Finance, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, however, refuted this allegation and said the government had paid more than the ¢480 billion it budgeted for in the 2007 budget.

NPP has enhancd lives of Ghanaians - Akufo-Addo

Page 16, 30/11/07
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday told Parliament that the first phase of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration had seen a significant enhancement of the lives of Ghanaians.
“Mr Speaker it is unfortunate for people to say that the stability of the macro-economy is not essential,” he said, adding that the stability of macro-economic environment presented the country an opportunity to achieve its aim of reaching a middle-level status.
Nana Akufo-Addo was contributing to the debate on the 2008 economic policy and budget of the government, which is currently going on in Parliament.
The MP, who is one of the eight ministers who resigned their positions to contest the flag-bearer slot of the party, commended the Minister of Finance and Economy Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, and his economic team for the prudent management of the economy.
He said that the over subscription of the euro bond had indicated the trust that the international community had in the country’s economy.
“Mr Speaker, by the issuance of the bond, the country has freed itself from the clutches of the International Monetary Fund and can source capital besides the Bretton Woods institutions for its development programmes.”
Nana Akufo-Addo, however, advised the ministry to use the amount which accrued from the bond prudently so that more funds could be raised for development projects.
The MP also touched on the construction of the Bui Dam and said that its completion would quicken the pace of development, particularly in the Northern part of the country.
He said nobody could dispute the fact that Ghanaians were the best judges of the performance of the NPP administration.
He cautioned members of the NDC to refrain from inflammatory pronouncements that would mar the conduct of the 2008 elections.
For his part, the MP for Amenfi East, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, said the economy was on the good path, since the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had registered consistent growth since the NPP assumed power.
He attributed the situation to the prudent manner in which the country was being managed.
“Mr Speaker, even though in the hearts of the Minority members they acknowledge the good work of the NPP, it is difficult for them to accept the fact and say it with their lips,” he said.
Mr Aidoo stated that the establishment of the Northern Development Fund with a ¢250 billion seed fund was one of the important landmarks of the budget.
The MP, however, expressed worry about the poor nature of road network in the Western Region, which produce the bulk of the country’s cash crops and minerals.
He, therefore, proposed a strategic road fund for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads in the area to enable the people to benefit from them.
When the MP for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga, took his turn, he asserted that after seven years the NPP administration had not been able to change the structure of the economy.
“Mr Speaker, it is crystal clear that we are still importing our basic needs and exporting raw materials,” he said.
Mr Ayariga said though the government continued to talk about the growth of the economy, such growth only benefited a small segment of the society.
He explained that the agriculture sector continued to witness decline in growth thereby making peasant farmers poorer.

Post-budget workshop held for Parliamentary leadership

page 16, 30/11/07
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE fifth post-budget workshop for the leadership of Parliament and selected officials from the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) has ended in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The Parliamentary Centre, a Canadian non-governmental organisation (NGO), organised the workshop in partnership with Parliament with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to Dr Rasheed Draman of the Parliamentary Centre, the NGO saw the budget process as the heart of the relationship between the Legislature and Executive.
“It is the basis of public financial accountability and there is no better time than now to strengthen Parliament’s role in the budget cycle.”
The workshop, therefore, provided a forum for MPs to have a fair understanding of the MDAs performance in 2007 and their proposals for 2008.
During the workshop, presentations of the MDAs compared 2007 provisional expenditure outcomes with the 2007 budgets as detailed in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2007-2009

Government urged to backdown on airtime tax

Page 16, November 28, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE debate on the 2008 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government continued in Parliament yesterday with a call on the goverment to rescind its decision to impose tax on airtime used by mobile phone users.
According to the Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi, Mr John Mahama, such a tax was repressive and would eventually compel more people to stop using their mobile phone.
Taking his turn in the debate, the MP said the argument made by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, as reasons for the imposition of the talk-tax was not logical.
He explained that by the minister’s argument “if you cannot collect tax on machetes because of smuggling, then you have to tax farmers on daily basis for using machetes”.
“Mr Speaker, this is unfair”, adding that telephones should not be considered as luxuries but necessities.
He urged the government to seek efficient means of collecting taxes on mobile phones instead instituting such a tax on mobile phone users.
Touching on the theme of the budget, “A Brighter Future”, Mr Mahama stated that on the surface, the budget painted a picture of optimism and hope for the masses of the people.
“Mr Speaker, unfortunately, I cannot associate myself with such a positive picture that has been painted through this budget”, he said amid “hear”, “hear” from the Minority side of the House.
Mr Mahama said that the brighter future was for only a smaller segment of people explaining that the gap between the rich and the poor continued to widen.
He said while cases of maternal and infant mortality were on the ascendancy, child mal-nutrition had reached 33 per cent, with urban poverty increasing from six to 11 per cent.
These figures were, however, disputed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Baffour-Gyan, who wondered from which document the MP was quoting his figures.
Professor Baffour-Gyan said evidence on the ground from the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) indicated that all the statistics that had been quoted by Mr Mahama were going down.
When he resumed his submissions, Mr Mahama touched on the failure of the government to take bold decisions to encourage the cultivation of certain crops to minimise the huge amount spent by the country to import such commodities.
He mentioned rice, sugar, tomatoes, poultry products and fish as some of the commodities which could be produced in larger quantities with a little bit of encouragement from the government.
When he took his turn, the MP for Atwima-Mponua, Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah, said the country was seeing a lot of development as a result of the good policies that had been initiated by the government.
He said that the institution of the talk-tax was meant to raise adequate funds to enable the government to finance its projects and programmes.
Mr Asiamah said it was unfortunate that although MPs from the Minority side of the House vehemently opposed the HIPC initiatves, they were now benefiting from it.
The MP mentioned the construction of the Tamale and Sekondi stadia and the rehabilitation of the Ohene Djan and Baba Yara stadia in Accra and Kumasi respectively as some of the landmarks of the government in the sports sector.
For his part, the Deputy Majority Chief Whip and MP for Ahafo-Ano South, Mr Kwaku Balado-Manu said the introduction of a number of policies in the education sector had helped in increasing enrolment.
He mentioned the Capitation Grant, School Feeding Programme and the provision of infrastructure across the length and breath of the country to buttress his point.
Mr Balado-Manu touched on the programmes to upgrade the skills of teachers and the introduction of information, communication technology (ICT) studies in basic schools as some of the measures that would give the education sector a brighter future.
When he took his turn, the Minority Spokesperson on Energy and MP for Nabdam, Mr Moses Asaga, accused the government of failing to account for the production of oil from the Saltpond Oil Fields since the inception of its operation about two-and-a-half years ago.
He estimated that about $55 million had accrued from the sales of oil from the Saltpond Oil Fields and wondered why it was not accounted for in the budget.
Mr Asaga’s assertion was, however disputed by the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and MP for Old Tafo Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, referred Mr Asaga to certain portions of the budget where revenue on oil had been spelt out and further promised to furnish the House with the details later.

Politicians advised not to derail national gains

Page 17, November 27, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah, Koforidua
THE First Deputy Speaker,Mr Freddie Blay, has reminded politicians to avoid embarking on ventures that will derail the gains the country has made so far on the altar of political expediency.
He said it was important for politicians to work towards reducing tension within the body politic, particularly as the country drew closer towards the 2008 general elections.
Mr Blay was opening a two-day post-budget review workshop for the leadership of Parliament and some selected officials of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Koforidua in the Eastern Region on Saturday.
The workshop, which was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and USAID through the Canadian Parliamentary Centre, will for the first time provide a forum for MPs to gain inputs from MDAs, which would provide a background to committee hearings for the sectors.
Mr Blay stated that the provision of programmes such as the tarring of 15 kilometres of roads in all the 166 districts and the provision of drinking water and electricity for five communities in every district were laudable.
‘If these projects are implemented effectively and efficiently as projected, they will boost development in the districts and also catalyse the reaping of other benefits”, he said.
Mr Blay, however, questioned whether these projects were achievable and called on the MPs, as the representatives of the people, to passionately debate them on the floor of the House.
He added that the special initiative on the sustainable development of northern Ghana was significant in the budget, saying that the development gap between northern and southern Ghana “must be confronted head on”.
Mr Blay called on MPs to assist the executive arm of government through comments, constructive criticism, monitoring and evaluation to keep the country’s vision of reducing poverty and achieving a middle-income status on course.
He stated that Parliament needed to strengthen its oversight responsibilities over the MDAs, adding that that “responsibility is not a policing responsibility but a participatory governorship responsibility”.
For his part, the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, urged his colleagues to critically analyse the budget document in order to offer meaningful suggestions and alternatives during debates on the floor of the House.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said that Parliament needed to be strengthened so that it could properly exercise its oversight responsibilities on the MDAs to reduce waste in the system.
He noted that the recent public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee had given the image of Parliament a boost in the eyes of the public, adding that Parliament could perform better if it was properly resourced.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, said the government was investing more in the energy and road sectors to serve as a catalyst for the development of other sectors of the economy.
Present at the workshop were Mr Anthony Akoto Osei, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.

Jomoro MP asks drivers to be patient

Page 17, Nov 27, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Mr Lee Ocran, has appealed to articulated truck drivers plying the Elubo side of the Trans ECOWAS Highway to exercise restraint while efforts are being made to repair the road.
He said articulated truck drivers had blocked the “no man’s land” between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire with their trucks for some time now making it almost impossible for vehicles to use the road.
Their action is in protest of the deplorable nature of the road.
Mr Ocran said that he had already discussed the problem with the Ghana Highways Authority and efforts were being made to use the Mobile Repair Workshop to save the situation.
He explained that the outskirts of Elubo to the “No Man’s Land” had been awarded to a contractor but due to the continued heavy rains and some technical problems, it had not been possible for the contractor to start work.
Mr Ocran said two kilometres of the Elubo town roads would be awarded on contract by the end of November for work to start before the end of the year.

Give Africans fair trade terms- Ossei Aidooh

Page 13, November 26, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, has expressed concern about the effects of globalisation on the economies of African nations and called for fair terms of trade to enable African countries reap the benefits of their sweat.
He made the call when the German Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Marius Haas, paid a courtesy call on him to discuss bilateral issues and how effectively the parliaments of Ghana and Germany could co-operate for their mutual benefit.
Mr Aidooh, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema East, said African countries would remain impoverished if the current unfavourable trade terms were not improved.
He, however, commended Germany for its financial and infrastructure assistance towards the development of the country since independence.
Mr Aidooh mentioned in particular German non-governmental organisations such as Fredrich Egbert and Konrad Adenuer foundations which were supporting political parties in the country.
Touching on the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Aidooh said the ministry had been in existence since 1957 to facilitate and co-ordinate parliamentary oversight activities to build an effective and vibrant parliamentary structures for the enhancement of democracy.
For his part, Dr Haas said Ghana was among the few African countries that was developing fast because of good governance and gave the assurance that Germany would negotiate with the European Union (EU) and sub-regional bodies such as ECOWAS to address the issue of unfair trade practices.
He, however, advised the government to strengthen the private sector and focus on small scale agricultural industries.
Mr Haas said Germany would continue to support Ghana to improve upon inter-party relations, and praised Parliament for not being partisan during its deliberations, saying that the vibrant Minority in Parliament was a sign of good governance and stable government.

Government contracts loan for Odaw project

Page 18, November 24, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Odaw Channel which has been an eyesore because of its silted nature and the foul smell it emits is to undergo further improvement works.
The channel is silted with sand, solid and liquid waste, particularly, used sachets and garbage.
A recent assessment of the project conducted by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment has shown that the channel will better serve its objective of flood alleviation if it is further extended by an additional 550 metres to the Taysec Bridge on the Achimota School road.
As a result of this the government is contracting a 1.8 million Euro loan from the Fortis Bank of Netherlands for the additional improvement works on the channel to be done.
The loan will partly finance the additional work, at a total cost of 2.5 million Euro with the government providing the remaining 700 Euros.
According to the report of the Finance Committee of Parliament on the loan, the Odaw Drainage Improvement Works have been sub-divided into three phases.
Phases one and two (Lots I and 2), which were funded by the World Bank and the Agence Francaisse de Development respectively had been completed.
The third phase (Lots 3) involves the construction of 2.75 kilometres of reinforced concrete channel from the Alajo Bridge to the Apenkwa Overhead and the reconstruction of Abelenkpe Railway Bridge and two pedestrian bridges across the Odaw channel.
The report explained that in September 2003,the government signed a financing agreement with the Fortis Bank of Netherlands for 9,470,030.00 Euros for part financing of Phase III of the project.
The government again signed a second agreement with the bank for 5,199,017 Euro to extend the Lot 3 works to cover the construction of an additional 700 metres of the channel, the construction of 90 metres length box culvert under the motorway extension, near the Apenkwa Overhead and the construction of a pedestrian bridge between Abofu and Achimota.
However, the recent assessment had necessitated the extension of the channel by an additional 550 metres to the Taysec Bridge on the Achimota School road, hence the contracting of the 1.8 million Euro additional loan.
The Finance Committee advised the ministry to collaborate with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing to ensure that drainage projects were properly synchronised to ensure their effective performance and maximum benefits.
It also noted that the Odaw Drainage was choked with silt and advised the project managers to ensure that the channel was regularly desilted and cleaned.

Rehabilitate Bia roads - MP

Page 14, November 24, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Bia, Mr Michael Coffie Boampong, has appealed to the Ministry of Transportation for the rehabilitation of roads in the area to facilitate the evacuation of cash and food crops to their marketing centres.
He said the road from Alluokrom through Debiso to Yawmatwa had turned into what he described as “cattle road”.
The MP said it took one about two hours to travel on the 20-kilometre stretch of road from Essam to Oseikojokrom.
He said the Debiso-Asempaneye road was also in very bad state and drivers found it difficult to ply the route.
“I appeal to the Ministry of Transportation to impress on the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) and the Department of Feeder Roads to immediately go to the aid of the people by rehabilitating the roads in the area”.
He wondered how cocoa produced in the area could be evacuated to the main cocoa depots this season as articulated trucks could not use the roads.
The MP told the Daily Graphic that he used the period of Parliament’s recess to tour the various communities in the constituency to educate the people on the passage of the Domestic Violence and Persons With Disability bills into law.
He stressed the importance of education and urged parents to invest in the future of their children by educating them to the highest level practicable.
Mr Boampong said during the tour farmers in the area expressed their dissatisfaction about the inadequate supply of fungicides and insecticides for the mass spraying exercise.

Minority challenge genuiness of LIs

Page 14, November 26, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minority in Parliament yesterday questioned the genuineness of the Legislative Instruments laid before the House last week to give legal backing for the new districts and municipalities which were created recently.
They said it was unfortunate that though the instruments were not ready, they were laid before the House.
Instruments laid before the House take 21 days to mature.
The chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Mr Francis Abotse, was the first to raise the issue after the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, had presented the Business Statement of the House for next week.
The MP for Lawra-Nandom, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, supported Mr Agbotse and said: “We have information that the Electoral Commission, which was responsible for the demarcation of districts, was not aware of the creation of the new districts and municipalities”.
“Mr Speaker, I wonder whether papers, which are not ready can be laid before the House, ” he said and enquired whether the 21 days duration could catch up???? with the instruments.
But Mr Aidooh explained that the instruments were shown to him before they were laid before the House saying that since they had already been laid, they could come into effect after the 21 days.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, however, disputed the Majority Leader’s claim and said that since the instruments were not properly laid, they could not come into effect after the 21-day period.
In the end, the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, directed that the issue should be resolved outside the floor of the House with his involvement.
Meanwhile, the debate of the 2008 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government, which was presented to the House on November 16, 2007 would begin on Monday, November 26, 2007.
Mr Aidooh, who announced this yesterday said that both the Majority and Minority leaders and the seconder of the motion would be given 20 minutes each, other members of the leadership and chairmen/ ranking members, 10 minutes each and the rest of the MPs would each have five minutes to debate the budget.
In another development, a 10 million euro loan facility agreement between the government and the KFW, Frankfurt am Main for the Multi Donor Budget Support IV was laid before the House.
Other papers, which were laid were; the Land Title Registration (Amendment) Regulations, 2007 (L.I 1837) and Report of the Committee on Selection on the Membership of the Committee.
According to the report of the Committee of Selection on the Composition of Membership of Committees and the MP for Kumawu, Mr Yaw Baah, replaces Mr Kofi???? Osei Ameyaw as the chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw is currently the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations.
The chairmen of some of the committees are; Nii Adu Daku Mante (Finance), Ms Hilda Josephine Addo (Gender & Children), Mr Ishmael Ashitey (Government Assurances), Alhaji Malik Yakubu Alhassan, ( Members Holding Office of Profit), Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, (Public Accounts), Mr Speaker Sekyi Hughes (Selection & Standing Orders), Mr Francis Agbotse, (Subsidiary Legislation) and Majority Leader, Abraham Ossei Aidoo (Special Budget, House and Business committees).

Provide MPs with enough resources- Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Page 16, November 23, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame and Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who has been nominated by the President as a minister-of-state, yesterday called for enough resources to be provided for MPs to enable them to perform to their maximum ability.
He said it was unfortunate that presently MPs used their car boots as their offices, adding that the situation did not allow them to work effectively.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made these assertions when he appeared before the Appointments Committees of Parliament to be vetted for his new position.
He stated that the lack of office accommodation for MPs posed a great challenge to the legislature, adding that out of the 230 MPs, only 12 who were in leadership positions had offices.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said facilities at the MPs residence at Sakumono was not the best, explaining that those who were occupying two bedroom flats had to purchase their own furniture.
“How can you expect the best from MPs without providing them with a well equipped library”, he asked.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu called for measures to constantly build the capacities of MPs to enable them to contribute effectively, both on the floor of the House and at the committee level.
Some of the members of the committee expressed worry about the appointment of MPs, such as the nominee, with immense parliamentary experience to ministerial positions, and wondered whether it was not a ploy by the executive to weaken the legislature.
They described Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as a role model whose immense knowledge in Parliamentary practice many MPs had taken inspiration from.
The nominee however responded that if he was approved, he would still have ample time for parliamentary sittings to contribute to the work of the House.
On whether he subscribes to a school of thought that there should be a limit to the number of terms that MPs should be in Parliament, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said that if the legislature would grow, then it required experience MPs.
He added that the current practice should be maintained for the electorate to decide the number of terms that MPs would be in Parliament “else we will be losing our experienced MPs due to such limitations”.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was born on February 3, 1957 at Breman Afrancho in the Ashanti Region, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Planning at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in 1992.
In 1996, he contested on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the parliamentary election and won the Suame seat to represent his constituents in Parliament.
He has since 1997 held the positions of Majority Chief Whip and Deputy Majority leader in Parliament.
In another development, Ms Victoria Bright, who has been nominated as a deputy minister at the office of the President appeared before the Appointments Committee for the second time.
When she appeared before it for the first time, the approval of her nomination was withheld because of doubts about her nationality.
Ms Bright, 42, told the committee that she had renounced her British citizenship, adding that documents that had been distributed to members of the committee attested to that fact.
She explained that even though she was in good employment in Britain, it was a privilege for her to contribute to the country’s development.

Nzema East chiefs, people grateful for new district

Page 13, November 22, 2007

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE chiefs and people of the Nzema East District have expressed their profound gratitude to the government for the elevation of the area to a municipality.
“The elevation was in fulfilment of a pledge made by President Kufuor in 2004 and we are grateful that it has been fulfilled in this jubilee year of Ghana”.
In a letter signed by the MP for the area, Mr Kojo Armah, to the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, they said they were conscious of the many opportunities as well as benefits that the new status could bring to them.
Mr Armah said the people were also aware of the challenges that the new status would impose on them and that “We are ready to assume those responsibilities and tackle the challenges”.
“As the MP for the area, it is my singular honour that during my tenure of office, ancient Axim was first elevated into urban status in 2004 and then municipality in 2007”.
He added that the elevation had brought honour to the memory of Paa Grant and Dr Kwame Nkrumah, sons of the area, who pioneered Ghana’s struggle for independence.
Mr Armah thanked the government for tackling major projects in the area, including roads in Axim, Esiama and Aiyinase, while efforts were being made to begin the construction of a mini fishing harbour in Axim.
He said many communities had also been hooked to the national electricity grid in recent years, and called on the people to justify the trust of the government by contributing their quota to accelerate the development of the area.