Day: November 30, 2023

Speakers at a virtual forum for women traditional leaders and women activists have called for the reform of the country’s local governance system which they say is not inclusive.

They observed that certain groups of people, including chiefs, women, youth, children, and People Living With Disabilities had been excluded or marginalised from participating in the governance system.

Nana Kofi Abuna V, Chief of Essipong, speaking at the forum organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) called for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill (ACB), which she said was long overdue.

The Institute for Democratic Governance is partnering the School for Distance and Continuing Education of the University of Ghana for the 75thAnnual New Year School (ANYS) at Legon, scheduled for 8th -12th January 2024.

The theme for the programme was: ‘Nurturing resilience, adopting technology, embracing humanism and sustainable development’.

Nana Abuna said the passage of the Bill would embolden women and increase the
ir participation in the local governance system.

Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of IDEG, speaking on the ‘constitutional and local governance reforms’, called for political consensus between voters and their representatives in Parliament to have the Local Government law amended.

He said stands taken by groups that political parties should be excluded from the local government structure would be problematic.

He said political parties still had crucial roles in bringing about transformational development whether in the economy or social pro-poor policies.

‘…It is when parties are coming into governance situation that the need for institutions of State that are professional, autonomous, protected against political manipulation becomes stronger,’ he said.

Professor Kwesi Jonah, Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, speaking on IDEG’s partnering role at the 75thAnnual New Year School, explained that the Organisation would play a major role in this year’s ANYS with specific emphasis on structural reforms fo
r a more resilient local government system in Ghana.

He said the objective was to use the ANYS to build consensus on the local government reforms, hoping to find solution to the problem at the end of the programme.

He said after the ANYS in January 2024, IDEG would continue to educate the public on the reforms throughout the country using the regional facilities of the School for Distance and Continuing Education of the University of Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Wednesday led his Caucus to walk out of the Chamber of Parliament during the approval stages of the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

Their walk out was in protest of Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin’s ruling that a head count be conducted after a voice vote was challenged by the Minority.

When the Speaker put the question for the 2024 Budget approval by a voice vote on two occasions, he expressed his opinion that; ‘I think the ayes have it.’

That brought Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader, to his feet to challenge the Speaker’s decision.

He, then went further to request for a head count.

‘..Thank you Right Honourable Speaker, respectfully, I rise on Order 113(2) to call for a head count to challenge your ruling’.

This request was objected to by the Majority Leader and his Deputy, Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, who then reiterated the need for a challen
ge to the Speaker’s ruling to be raised first before a call could be made for a head count.

The Speaker then explained that he had not given a ruling on the matter and that he only expressed his opinion.

Ghana’ Parliament currently is a hung one, with the ruling NPP having 137 seats in addition to one independent, making a total of 138; while the opposition National Democratic Congress has 137 seats.

The Speaker granted the request of the Deputy Minority Leader for the head count to be carried out.

He further ruled that in conducting the head count, each MP’s name would be mentioned and the fellow would have to stand to be counted.

The Majority side did not agree with this ruling, hence their decision to walk out of the Chamber.

Subsequently, the Speaker suspended the House for about 15 minutes and later returned to adjourn sitting to Thursday, November 30, at 1000 hours.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Courage Hope Goldberg-Grimm Lekettey, New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primary aspirant for Keta in the Volta Region, has pledged to exhibit good servant leadership skills if he gets the nod of the delegates in the upcoming contest.

He said his next plan would be to work for victory after going through a successful vetting and balloting exercise as required by the party’s constitution.

Mr Lekettey, who is the Keta Constituency Secretary of the party and a National Security Operative member at the Presidency, told the Ghana News Agency that his third position on the ballot paper signified his victory.

‘I am courageous, action-oriented with sharp intellectual capacity, political sensibilities, workhorse habit and persistent towards achieving group goals and interests,’ he said.

Mr Lekettey promised to focus on developmental projects such as infrastructural projects, education, agriculture, health, sports and others to improve the economic fortunes of the area.

He pledged to utilise his communica
tion and leadership skills and strategic partnership to foster more development in the area.

‘There is work to be done and l know what is lacking in the party and the constituency. I am focused to reflect, rebuild and recapture the constituency in the 2024 elections.’

Mr Lekettey appealed to the delegates to give him the nod to propel development for the area.

He remained optimistic that he would win the primaries to unseat Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpe, the NDC Member of Parliament for the area.

The NPP has scheduled the Parliamentary primaries on Saturday, December 2, to elect parliamentary candidates in constituencies where they have no parliamentary representative.

Mr Lekettey would contest with other aspirants, including Mr Selasi Godwin Teyie and Mr Godknows Blebu, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Director for Keta.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on Thursday directed the Business Committee of the House to reschedule the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government to Thursday, December 7, for the House to finally take a decision on it.

‘The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the year 2024 is still before the House and so, the Business Committee will reschedule for next week, it is before the House. It is not hanging…’

Speaker Bagbin reiterated that the 2024 Budget was still before the House and that the final decision would be taken next week.

The Speaker gave the directive following an appeal by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority Leader for a clarification on whether the House did approve the Budget 2024 Budget.

The Minority Leader alleged that Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, in his comment to the press did indicate that the House had approved the Budget.

‘Mr Speaker I also urge to set the records straight
because there is lot of confusion out there because impressions have been created that the Budget has been approved. Whilst we in this House know for sure that the Budget is hanging.’

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, in his response said the Budget had been approved by the House and that what was still hanging was the request of Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader for a headcount to determine the approval of Budget.

It would be recalled that at the end of the debate on the Budget on Wednesday, November 29, when the Speaker put the question for its approval by a voice vote on two occasions, he exp

This brought Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader, to his feet to challenge the Speaker’s decision.

He then went further to appeal to the Speaker to request a head count.

Following the Speaker’s ruling on Wednesday, November 29, that a head count be conducted for the approval of the 202
4 Budget using names of individual Members of the House present in the Chamber, the Majority Caucus of the House staged a walkout.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has directed all municipal and district chief executives (MDCEs) in the region to exhibit the principle of ‘leadership by example’ by staying and working in their respective districts.

‘If you are in-charge of a district, it behoves you to stay in that district and work. If you are not staying there, you are not worth being a DCE or MCE of that area,’ he said.

‘As a leader, you must lead by example, and you must live within your jurisdiction. If you cannot do that, please humbly write to the President through me that you don’t want your appointment so we can get a replacement.’

Dr Salih gave the directive during the second meeting of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council held at Jirapa, supported by UNICEF.

He was responding to concerns raised by Mr Saeed Abdul-Shakur, a Principal State Attorney, that staff of some districts resided in Wa and went to work in their districts daily.

He cited some staff of the Jirapa Municipality and Nadowli-Kale
o District as living in Wa and lined up at a bus-stop along the Wa-Nadowli road every day waiting for free means of transport to their offices.

‘Anytime I drive by the bus stop, my heart gets broken by the fact that an average Upper Westner can’t live in Nadowli and work in Nadowli, they cannot live in Jirapa and work in Jirapa,’ the Principal State Attorney queried.

‘They want to live in Wa, and because their salary cannot take them to work every day from Wa, they now come and stand at a filling station waiting to be a gratuitous passenger to go to work, at what time will you get to work.’

He challenged the MDCEs to live up to the task of ensuring that all staff lived and worked within the districts, put systems in place to track their time of reporting to work and the necessary sanctions applied to recalcitrant staff.

Meanwhile, Dr Salih said he was happy most of the DCEs reported that they lived in the district and urged those outside their districts to relocate.

On education, the Regional Minister ex
plained that the Government had supplied 136 motorbikes to all 11 district education directorates to facilitate monitoring and supervision.

Mr Razak Abdul-Korah, the Upper West Regional Director of Education, observed that the poor performance of the region in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was a major challenge.

He attributed that to the failure of the pupils to take their studies seriously after registration because they thought no matter their grade, they would still get placement in a senior high school.

Mr Abdul-Korah, however, said the leadership of the Ghana Education Service was working to address that issue but called for all hands-on deck to tackle the challenge.

Naa Puowele Karbo III, the Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional Area, and the Vice President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, commended the Regional Minister and his Directors for organising the meeting, which was very informative.

Heads of Departments and Agencies, MDCEs and Coordinating Directors, P
residing Members, traditional leaders, Regional Security Council, and representatives of UNICEF, among others, attended the meeting.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Business Committee of Parliament, has urged all Committees of the House to expedite work on their respective sector estimates for consideration by the House.

Mr Habib Iddrisu, the Deputy Majority Chief Whip, presenting the Business Statement of the House for the week ending, Friday, November 8, reminded all Committees that the House had barely two weeks to consider the Budget estimates and the Appropriation Bill.

He urged the Ministry of Finance and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as independent Constitutional Bodies to endeavour to submit their Heads of Estimates early for expedited consideration and approval of same by the House.

He said the Business Committee ‘once again recommended that the House keeps to the 1000 hours sitting time and also scheduled for the week under consideration’ was completed.

‘This recommendation is expected to enable the expeditions of the Budget Estimates and to create the opportunity for Honourable Members to ask their Parliamentary Questions p
rior to the House adjourning sine die for the Christmas Holidays.’

He said during the ensuing week, nine Ministers were programmed to attend upon the House to respond to 76 questions; 66 orals and 11 urgent questions.

On his part, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority, said that since the principles of the Budget had not been approved, the Committees of the House could not go ahead with dealing with estimates.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Only the front bench of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Majority were in attendance during the House’s sitting on Thursday, November 30.

Those who were in attendance included Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament and his Deputy Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin.

The rest were Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip and his Deputy, Mr Habib Iddrisu.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority who were in attendance in their numbers for the approval of the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government, questioned the Majority Leader why his back was empty.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said Members on his side of the House were absent from the Chamber because they were considering the Budget Estimates.

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin noted that the Majority Members of Parliament (MPs) who were absent from the Chamber on Thursday did not take permission from him.

It would be recalled that at the end
of the debate on the Budget on Wednesday, November 29, when the Speaker put the question for its approval by a voice vote on two occasions, he expressed his opinion that ‘I think the ayes have it’.

This brought Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader, to his feet to challenge the Speaker’s decision.

He then went further to appeal to the Speaker to request a head count.

This was objected to by the Majority Leader and his Deputy.

Following the Speaker’s ruling on Wednesday, November 29, that a head count be conducted for the approval of the 2024 Budget using names of individual Members of the House present in the Chamber, the Majority Caucus of the House staged a walkout.

Source: Ghana News Agency