New MPs hopeful of informed debates

SOME new Members of Parliament (MPs) have expressed the belief that the sixth Parliament would see  improvement in scope and informed debate as well as consensus buildings and compromises.

According to them, the era where Parliament was seen as partisan had given way to bridge building between the majority and minority.

The NDC MP for Chiana-Paga, Mr Abuga Pele, told the Daily Graphic that one of his aspirations in the new Parliament would be to see a review of the formula for the allocation the District Assemblies Common Fund, that would make communities rely on their own efforts before they are rewarded with the fund.

"The present system where communities have to wait or lobby central government for the allocation of resources is dwarfing creativity," Mr Abuga Pele said.

The NPP MP for the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) constituency, Dr Nana Ato Arthur for his part said his first meeting was insigting since he met friends from both sides of the house.

"Although its relatively early, I can foresee exciting and challenging times ahead with both sides forging ahead in national cohesion", Dr Arthur said.

He said even though Parliament was a legislative body, he intended using his position as an MP to developed Elmina through sister-city partnerships.

The PNC MP for Builsa North, Mr Alhassan Azong, who faulted the previous leadership of Parliament for not placing him on an effective committee, did not ruled out lobbying for selection on any of the effective committees.

According to him, the process where MPs were ask to submit curriculum vital (CV) for placement on committees that reflected their expertise and experience was not effective as lobbying have overridden these  principles.

"It is committees that makes MPs effective, thus if you are put on a committee that meets once in a year to draw a budget, as in the case of the Judiciary Committee that draws an annual budget for the judiciary, your constituents sees you as ineffective,' Mr Azong said.

He added that his expertise in the area of works and housing, local governance and water and sanitation would beneficial to serve on any of the committees that deals with such matters and not for "monetary purposes".

Mr Azong also task the general public to disabuse their minds from the fact that it is only when their governments were in power that they could benefit form development.

"There is statutory funding for all MPs to access for the development of their constituency and when manage well could bring development to heir local communities and the country as a whole," he said.

Mr Azong was hopeful that the  Sixth Parliament would lived up to the expectation of Ghanaians owing to the calibre of elected members, who have so far demonstrated their willingness to rise above partisanship.

 Meanwhile, parliament adjourned sitting on Tuesday to deliberate on the formulae for the composition of membership of committees.

The leadership will also consider the for action of parliamentary delegations and other parliamentary groupings and associations.

The Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho adjourned the sitting to allow for the formation of the committees which are vital and integral part of parliamentary proceedings and processes.

With the commencement of the formation, intense lobbying for membership of committees that carry clout and power, such as the Appointment committee, Public Accounts Committee (PAC),finance Committee, Works and Housing.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur, Jan 10, 2013

Parliament approves composition of three commitees

PARLIAMENT on Tuesday approved the composition of three committees because of their critical nature in the facilitation of the business of the House and that of the government.

They are the Committee of Selection, chaired by the Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho; the Business Committee, chaired by Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, and the Appointments Committee, headed by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Ebo Barton Odro.

 The composition of the committees was based on the ratio 55 per cent for the Majority, 45 per cent for the Minority.

The debate on the adoption of the report was characterised by heckling and boos from both the Majority and Minority sides.

Contributing to the debate, the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia, Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, cautioned the newly constituted Business Committee to ensure that ministers of state availed themselves to the House to answer questions.

His contribution, however, attracted jeers from the Majority, who argued that ministers were yet to be appointed, for which reason his argument was out of order.

The NDC MP for Ketu North, Mr Fiifi Kwetey, contributing to the debate, commended the report for including new MPs on the Appointments Committee, since their involvement would afford them the opportunity to learn the work of Parliament from more experienced hands.

That, however, attracted comments from the Minority, who said Mr Kwetey's comment implied that the previous Appointments Committee failed to live up to expectation.

The NPP MP for Akwapim North, Mr William Ofori Boafo, appealed to the Speaker to ensure the Majority Leader furnished the House with the list of caretaker ministers of state at the various ministries, in line with the Presidential Transition Act.

According to the act, the President is supposed to furnish the House with caretaker ministers until the appointment and approval of new ministers of state.

The Speaker ruled that the Majority Leader furnish the House with the list of caretaker ministers and other appointees.

Earlier, the Majority Leader, Dr Kunbuor, had informed the House of the decision of the three independent MPs and the PNC MP for Builsa North, Mr Alhassan Azong, to do business with the Majority in the House.

That followed the call by the MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu Ankomah, on the four MPs to declare which side of the House they intended to do business with.

The Speaker subsequently informed the House  of a memorandum to the effect that the four MPs had decided to align themselves with the Majority.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed, Jan 7, 2013

Doe Adjaho is New Speaker

THE Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inaugurated in the early hours of Monday, with Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, taking over as the new Speaker.

Mr Adjaho, who until his appointment was the First Deputy Speaker of the Fifth Parliament, replaced Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, who was the Speaker of the Fifth Parliament from 2009 to 2012.

By his elevation, Mr Adjaho has vacated his seat as a Member of Parliament in accordance with Article 97 (1) b which stipulates that “a Member shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he is officially sworn in as the Speaker of Parliament.”

The position of the First Deputy Speaker went to Mr Ebo Barton-Odro, the MP for Cape Coast North and outgone Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice.

The MP for Essikado Ketan and a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey was appointed as the Sond Deputy Speaker.

The Outgoing Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor replaced Mr Cletus Avorka as Majority Leader, while MP for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Kwame Agbesi took over from Wa Central MP, Alhaji Abdul Rashid Pelpuo as the Deputy Majority Leader.

While many believe Mr Adjaho’s selection for the position was based on merit and his experience in Parliamentary issues, others believe he lacked the fatherly figure attribute a speaker should have.

Mr Adjaho, a product of Accra Academy studied at the University of Ghana for the L.L.B. Degree in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Ghana School of Law, graduating in 1986 with a Barrister-at-Law.

He began his career at the Attorney-General’s Department before venturing into politics, standing on the ticket of the NDC, after the 1992 referendum that brought the Fourth Republic. He has retained the seat till date. 

He rose through the ranks becoming a Minority Chief Whip, Deputy Minority Leader, one time member of the Pan-African Parliament before attaining his current position as the First Deputy Speaker.

Mr Adjaho, a Christian and married with four children, and hails from Wlitey in the Volta Region.

Mr Adjaho’s elevation is the first time a in the Fourth republic that a Speaker has been selected from within the House.

Mr D.F Annan, Speaker for the First and Second parliaments, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Mr Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes and Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Speakers of theTthird, Fourth and Fifth Parliaments had all been selected from outside Parliament.

Others on the front bench are Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka (Asawase), Majority Chief Whip, Hajia Mary Boforo (Savalugu), First Deputy Chief Whip and Sampson Ahi (Bodi) Second Deputy Chief Whip.

On the Manority front bench are Mr Ossei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader, Mr Dominic Nitiwul (Bimbilla), Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Dan Botwe (Okere) Minority Chief Whip Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo (Tema West) and Mr Ignatius Baffuor Awuah,  (Sunyani West) as the minority deputy whips.

With the election of Mr Adjaho as the Fifth Speaker of the Fourth Republic, the Electoral Commission has to start preparations for the conduct of two bye-elections following the death of the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, who is also the NDC M- elect for Buem.

The Sixth Parliament the Fourth Republic is made up of 148 NDC MPs, 122 NPP MPs, four Independent MPs and one PNC MP.

However, until a bye-election is conducted in the Akatsi South Constituency, the NDC will have its number reduced by two as a result of the death of Mr Kamel and the elevation of Mr Adjaho to the Speakership position.

The new Parliament has 97 new MPs and 177 MPs, including Mr Adjaho and excluding the late Mr Kamel, who were in the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

While the Fifth Parliament had 230 members, the Sixth Parliament is made up of 275 MPs as a result of the passage of the C.I 78.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon Jan 7, 2013

Two nabbed for fraud

THE Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have arrested two people who used fake credit cards for the fraudulent purchase of clothing from a retail shop in Japan.

The two, Kofi Afrifa, 23-year-waiter at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra and his accomplice, Ernest Ofori, 18-year-old second year student of the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC), were arrested when they attempted to take delivery of the items at the Accra Central Post Office.

The Assistant Commissioner of Customs in charge of Preventives at the James Town Collection point, AC Alhaji Mohammed Abubarkar, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the two successfully purchased the items to the tune of $500 from Japan.

According to him, the owner of the shop in Japan, Morgan Bowman, detected the fraudulent nature of the transaction after the items,which the two suspects had route through Italy had arrived in Ghana, notified the Commissioner of the Customs Division, Major General Carl Modey.

He said the James Town sector office mounted a surveillance on the suspects, who later turned up at the Post Office last Wednesday afternoon to pick up the parcels.

“We suspect Afrifa might have stolen the credit cards from guests at the hotel where he works”, Alhaji Abubarkar said.

He said the two suspects admitted the offence and would be handed over to the police for further investigations and prosecution.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Sat Jan 5, 2013

GRIDCo promises stable power supply

BARRING any unforeseen challenges, power supply will remain stable throughout January, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Mr Charles Darku, has stated.

According to him, the Tema Cenit Thermal Power Plant (TCTPP), which took off in October,2012  with an additional 100 megawatts of generation, had enabled GRIDCo to diversify its power supply source.

 In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Darku said the Takoradi Thermal Three (T3) project belonging to the Volta River Authority (VRA) had also made available 80 megawatts of generation for supply, although the plant was yet to assume commercial operations.

“Challenges on power transmission lines have been addressed, while issues on crude oil procurement for the day-to-day running of the generation plants have also been stabilised,” he said.

He said the demand for power in January was expected to go up to about 1,730 megawatts, as against the current available stock of 1,710 megawatts.

He, however, gave an assurance that GRIDCo had put in place an emergency generation contingency plan to forestall a relapse in its generating systems.

Mr Darku further indicated that GRIDCo had made available reserves in the range of 1,600 to 1,700 megawatts on a day-day basis to cater for any shortfall in the system.

“We, therefore, anticipate reliability in power as soon as the T3 project also begins commercial operations, which will likely scale up the generation capacity in the coming months,” he said.

He also said work on GRIDCo’s Third Bulk Supply Point, which would also facilitate the evacuation of power from various plants onto the national grid, had been completed.

The $15-million project, Mr Darku said, would further ensure reliability in power supply and minimise outages in the distribution network.

He was hopeful that the company’s contingency plan that it had put in place, coupled with Cenit’s continuous operations, would mitigate the severe power crisis that hit the country in 2012.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Sat Jan 5, 2013

Vigorous Campaign for Tema parliament seats

THE Race for parliamentary seats in the three constituencies in the Tema metropolis is heating up, with contending parties adopting campaign strategies to outdo one another in convincing the electorate to give them their mandate.

With giant billboards scattered across vantage points in the three constituencies advertising their messages of hope and prosperity, the candidates and their supporters are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to represent the people in the next legislative assembly in January 2013.

The contest in the Tema West Constituency, however, is seen as the keenest since 1992.

The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo, would lock horns with the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo.

Ms Addo who obtained 39,076, representing 55.1 per cent in the 2008 parliamentary election against the NDC’s George Medie’s 30,434, representing 42.9 per cent, would be seeking to scale up the margin against the new entrant, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, a former national organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Ms Addo, a legal practitioner by profession, had previously defeated the then incumbent MP and Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Joseph Boahene Aidoo.

Having served as a Deputy Ambassador at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, United States of America, (USA), Ms Addo’s popularity rose when she, together with Mr Atta Akyea, served as a legal representative for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for an ex-parte motion to stop the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the Electoral Commission (EC) from declaring final election results of the 2008 general election.

Both candidates, pundits say, are likely to bring their experiences and expertise in the area of governance, education and infrastructure development to bear, should they win the seat.

The entry of the NDC candidate, who also doubles as the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, according to some electorates, has brought some dynamics into the game, prompting Ms Addo into reorganising her campaign strategy.

Having served as Minister in the Eastern Region, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo has been described as one the most dynamic National Organisers the ruling party has ever had, having served in that position from 2001- 2008.

His organisational abilities and the ability to mobilise people were described as a major tool that worked to the advantage of the NDC in the 2008 general election.

In the word of the Communications Director of the NDC, Mr James Asante, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo’s effectiveness greatly transformed the party’s fortunes during the last election.

In spite of these attributes, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo faces a herculean task since the constituency has always swayed to the NPP in every other election since 1996.

Apart from 1992, where Ms Gladys Boateng won the seat on the ticket of the NDC, the seat has become a safe haven for the opposition.

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has also revitalised its campaign with a gender advocate, Ms Susan Adu-Amankwah, also scaling up her game to capture the seat.

Would she make an impact this time round, in spite of a poor showing at the district assembly election, where she attempted representing the Halcrow Electoral Area in Comm Two?

Many see the journey to Parliament as a horse race between Ms Addo and Mr Ofosu-Ampofo.
According to the Assemblyman for the Halcrow Electoral Area, Mr Eric Akwasi Poku Bosompem, the NDC and NPP candidates need to work hard to achieve victory.

Mr Bosompem, a member of the NPP in the constituency and a known critic of the incumbent MP is of the view that although the NDC candidate has so far endeared himself to the people as a development oriented person and one who is accessible to the people, Ms Addo ought to reconcile the rank and file of the NPP in the constituency.

The formation of a group known as the Redemption Group by disgruntled members of the NPP in the constituency has also been identified as major challenge to Ms Addo’s chances.

The former Second Vice-Chairman of the constituency, Dr Martin Antwi, who is the leader of the group, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that they were thinking of putting up an independent candidate to slug it out with the two major contenders for the constituency.

“We are also considering a skirt and blouse vote as an option,” Dr Antwi said, and added that the group has arranged a meeting with the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NPP to address the numerous complaints of disaffection among the electorate among other issues that were likely to derail the party’s chances of retaining the seat in the December election.
 

Writer’s email: della.russel@graphic.com.gh

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed Oct 17, 2012

AMA secures $1.2 m grant for Cantonments street lights

THE Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has secured a $1.2 million from the government of China to finance the installation of street lights at Cantonments in Accra.

In that light, officials of Huawei Technologies Ghana, a leading Information Technology (IT) company, have signed an implementation contract agreement with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for the commencement of the project.

The project would see the installation of 275 solar-powered lights and 80 watts lamps at Cantonments and its catchment areas.

The Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Okoh Vanderpuije, initialed on behalf of the AMA, while the Deputy Managing Director of Huawei signed for his organisation.

The project, which is set to take off at the end of October, according to the Counsellor at the Economic and Commercial Office at the Chinese Embassy, Mr Gao Wenzhi, formed part of the Chinese Government’s new energy project aimed at helping Africa improve its overall capability in terms of development

Mr Wenzhi said the Chinese Government had outlined three priority areas: agriculture, manufacturing industries and infrastructure development, to enable Africa catch up with development.

“The Chinese Government is determined to continue with human resource development programmes to aid Africa catch up with development, while promoting regional integration”, he said, adding that over 1,800 Chinese Government scholarships had been offered to train 30,000 Africans in the three priority areas.

He also announced China’s commitment to help build more agricultural demonstration centres to aid Africa to enhance the production, processing, storage and distribution of agricultural products.

He expressed optimism that the project, the first in the West African sub-region, would serve as a model to further encourage enough investment in that aspect.

The Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of Power, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, who witnessed the signing of the agreement, lauded the Chinese Government for extending its assistance to Ghana and said the Chinese assistance was important to the sustenance of power in the country.

“This project will not only provide illumination for Cantonments, but will also reduce significantly, the incidence of robberies in parts of Accra, ” he added.

Alhaji Fuseini also announced that the China Water and Electric Company (CWEC) had also initiated a process to implement a $180 million contract to connect remote communities in the Brong Ahafo and northern regions to the national electricity grid.

He expressed the hope that the Chinese Government’s selection of Ghana to demonstrate its new energy programme in Africa would further deepen the cooperation between the two countries.

Mr Vanderpuije, for his part, said the AMA had so far financed the construction of over 3,000 streetlights in its quest to eliminate dark spots in the metropolis.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue Oct 16, 2012