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Tag: Dr..Owusu Afriyie Akoto

  • Agric Ministry offers support to local companies to produce fertilisers

    The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says the Akufo-Addo led government is working hard with local fertiliser producers to produce quality organic fertilisers on a large scale for farmers across the country.

    The mass production of quality organic fertilizer, according to Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto will prevent a possible food shortage in the country.

    “We will have a close collaboration with local producers of organic fertilisers to see how we maximise your businesses to help us bridge the fertiliser gap, if not completely, at least we make the effort to bridge a higher percentage of the fertiliser requirement.”

    Addressing the media following a stakeholder meeting with local fertiliser producers on the production and promotion of quality organic fertilisers domestically in Accra, the Agriculture Minister attributed the shortage of agro-chemicals and fertilisers to the Russia-Ukraine invasion.

    Mr Akoto mentioned that the international sanctions on Russia has also made global trading very difficult.

    “In a catastrophic situation, you have to be able to adapt and come out stronger. So we feel that we need to encourage the production of quality organic fertiliser domestically,”

    “And I believe we have been very successful with this programme in the last 5 years that I have been in charge of the ministry by targeting fertiliser and improved seeds for distribution to farmers.”

    According to the minister, the essence of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) is basically to grow farm productivity, especially on smallholder farms.

    However, he noted that the Russia-Ukraine invasion has also affected the PFJ programme.

    He says the impact has deprived more farmers of the benefit of modern technology of seed and fertiliser.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • It is for God to determine if I will become president – Afriyie Akoto speaks

    Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who has been tipped by some supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to contest for flagbearer of the party, in a one-on-one interview on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo Thursday morning, swerved a question regarding his Presidential ambition.

    Hon. Owusu Afriyie Akoto refused to let the public in on whether or not he will join the Presidential race in 2024 elections.

    The Agric Minister stopped short of a straight yes or no answer to the question posed by host Kwami Sefa Kayi about some billboards displaying his ambition to be President of Ghana.

    The billboards of the Minister were spotted at vantage points with grapevine reports indicating he is gearing up to take the Presidential baton from His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    But up until the exclusive interview on Kokrokoo, Hon. Owusu Afriyie Akoto had kept mute on these speculations.

    The host Kwami Sefa Kayi asked; ”Minister, would you run for President? Would you like to run for President?”

    Reacting to the query, Hon. Afriyie Akoto gave a loud laughter and replied it doesn’t lie in his mouth to tell whether or not he desires to be President of Ghana.

    ”It’s not for me to say that I will run for President…if it impresses the party that the work that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given me, I have done it well to the extent that they have a belief that I should go a notch higher, it’s for them to say, not me”, he stated emphatically.

    With regard to the billboards erected in his name, he asserted they are meant to send his greetings to farmers in the communities.

    To him, for now, his focus is to support President Akufo-Addo and his government to succeed saying ”there cannot be an Owusu Afriyie government. We are serving the Akufo-Addo government from the bottom of our heart. And we are very determined that this Akufo-Addo government will succeed and is succeeding. The people of Ghana, the silent majority, they know that the good works of Akufo-Addo are unprecedented”.

    He added; ”So long as the Akufo-Addo government is in existence, we have to use 110 percent of all the resources, the endowment God has given us, to support that government to succeed and the government is succeeding.”

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • What happens to Oppong-Nkrumah, Hawa Koomson, Akoto Afriyie after rejection by Appointments Committee

    The Appointments Committee of Parliament has rejected the nomination of Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Mavis Hawa Koomson and Dr Afriyie Akoto as Ministers for Information, Fisheries and Aquaculture and Food and Agriculture, respectively.

    This is, however, not the end of the road for the three nominees as the laws of parliament are clear on what should be done in situations like this.

    The Appointments Committee derives its power from Standing Order 172(1) which states, “The Appointments Committee shall be composed of the First Deputy Speaker as Chairman and not more than twenty-six other Members.”

    The current committee has Joseph Osei-Owusu of the NPP as chairman with thirteen members each for the two sides of the house.

    Sub-order 2 (a) of 172 states the duty and powers of the committee concerning appointments by the executive or the president.

    “It shall be the duty of the Committee to recommend to Parliament for approval or otherwise persons nominated by the President for appointment as Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers, and such other persons as are specified under the Constitution or under any other enactment.”

    Sub-orders 4 to 8 which are stated below deals with the steps that the committee and the plenary which is the main house ought to take in the event that a nominee of the president is approved or rejected.

    (4) The Committee shall report to Parliament within three days after it has concluded its proceedings when Parliament is sitting. Parliamentary approval of persons recommended for appointment shall be by secret ballot or by consensus.

    (5) Where the procedure for [a] secret ballot is resorted to, each Member shall be provided with a sheet of paper on which appear the names of all candidates for approval or rejection. Against the name of each candidate shall be two columns, one for AYES, indicating approval and the other for NOES, indicating rejection.

    (6) A cross against one name in the AYES column and another cross against the same name in the NOES column shall render the vote null and void.

    (7) Every ballot paper shall bear the stamp and the initials of the Speaker.

    (8) A candidate who fails to secure fifty per cent of the votes cast is rejected.

    The import of these sub-orders concerning the current situation is that the committee will present its conclusions to the main house.

    The house will debate the report and then hold elections on the three nominees. If any of them fail to garner 50% of the votes, he or she will not be approved.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com