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Tag: parliament

  • Ghana police not ready to give MPs 24hr protection Security Analyst

    A security analyst, Colonel Festus Aboagye says attempts to provide security protection for Members of Parliament will negatively impact the efficiency of the Police Service.

    He explained that including legislators in the category of persons entitled to security protection will create human resource constraints on the police.

    Read: Permanent police protection for MPs untenable Fritz Baffour

    His comment comes on the back of demands for protection by some Members of Parliament following an attack on the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso.

    In an interview with Citi News, Colonel Aboagye indicated that the demand can only be considered if sufficient evidence is adduced to suggest that the attacks on MPs come as a result of their position.

    “If we have cases that are substantiated that parliamentarians are targeted because they are parliamentarians, then that would warrant further discussions as to how parliamentarians should be protected. I am not too sure there is a sufficient basis to establish that.”

    Read: Speaker wants police protection report for MPs in two weeks

    “I think already there are some categories of persons in this country who are entitled to police protection and going to add parliamentarians, considering that this number is going to go up, is going to have a toll on the police strength and the capacity of the police to deliver protection to the rest of the country. I will argue finally that everybody in this country needs protection and so we need to create a Police Service that is well resourced in order to create that safety and security umbrella that all of us on a day to day basis can go about our livelihoods,” he said.

    An armed robbery attack on the Nhyiaeso MP, Kennedy Kankam in his Kumasi residence, reignited the calls by the legislators for each Member to be detailed with 24-hour police protection.

     

    Source: www.citinewsroom.com

  • Fisheries Ministers absence forces Parliament to suspend sitting

    The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, has suspended sitting to allow the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to respond to questions asked by certain Members of Parliament.

    The House was informed by the Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, that the sector Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Afoley-Quaye was unavailable because she was out of the jurisdiction.

    Read: Rawlings applauds $1m penalty against Chinese fishing firm

    But the Speaker expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that none of the two Deputy Ministers or the Chief Director was present to respond to the questions.

    The questions which centred on the payment of contractors who executed contracts in restocking of selected dams, waiver of tax on aquaculture input materials and the construction of a fish landing site at Dzemeni were asked by Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, and Mr Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Member of Parliament for South Dayi.

    Read: Women caucus in Parliament demand Anti-Sexual Harassment Legislation

    The Speaker then directed that the Chief Director and one of the Deputy Ministers in charge of that ministry be summoned before the House to respond to the questions on behalf of the Minister.

    Sitting is expected to resume at 12 noon.

     

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Parliament resumes today

    Parliament is expected to reconvene from their break Tuesday, 22 October 2019 to begin the first meeting of the third session of the seventh Parliament under the Fourth Republic.

    Parliament was adjourned Sine Die in July for parliamentarians to visit their various constituencies and to also make time for parliamentary primaries among others.

    Read: Women caucus in Parliament demand Anti-Sexual Harassment Legislation

    Among the items for consideration in the third sitting will be the Ghana telecom university bill and public university bill as well as the amendment of the constitution for partisan election of MMDCE.

    The finance minister will also appear before parliament to present the budget for the coming year before the house rises for the Christmas break.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Parliament to pass TCDA Bill by December – Minister

    The Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) Bill will be passed by Parliament to receive Presidential Assent by the end of this year, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, has said.

    The Bill, when passed into law, is expected to provide great relief to farmers of tree crops such as cashew, coffee and rubber because, like cocoa, they would also be paying fixed, guaranteed prices for their produce.

    Martin Amidu responds to Parliament over interference brouhaha

    Dr Akoto said this at the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs (BARHCs) when he responded to a question concerning the loss incurred by cashew farmers in the Bono Region.

    The Region is the highest producer of raw cashew in the country but in recent years the farmers have been complaining of the unacceptable prices for a kilo or a bag of the crop offered by local and foreign buyers.

    The situation is attributed to the unregulated, unguaranteed and unstable price of the commodity because of the non-existence of an entity like the Ghana Cocoa Board that buys cocoa at a fixed price, serving as a guarantee to farmers.

    Dr Akoto said government had grouped the economic tree crops under one entity; the TCDA, for the stabilisation and regulation of the process to provide farmers guaranteed prices like cocoa.

    Parliament to discuss visa waiver between Ghana, Jamaica

    Based on that, he said government was focusing on the development and production of six cash crops – coconut, rubber, oil palm, coffee, mango, shea butter and cashew, and that seedlings were being raised for supply to farmers to commence planting nationwide.

    He said cocoa had been fetching the country two billion dollars annually and each of the aforementioned crops could also fetch the nation same amount yearly.

    Nana Bofo Bene IV, the Paramount Chief of Dwenem-Awasu Traditional Area in the Jaman South Municipality and the Vice President of the BARHCs, appealed to the Government to ensure the establishment of a buying agency or development authority for cashew as matter of urgency.

    “If a bag of cashew was being bought at a point in time for GhC820.00, why should the price fall to as low as GhC220.00 now?” he asked, and called on the authorities to act fast to prevent the farmers from working in vain.

    Source: www.ghananewsagency.org

  • Parliament to pass TCDA Bill by December – Minister

    The Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) Bill will be passed by Parliament to receive Presidential Assent by the end of this year, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, has said.

    The Bill, when passed into law, is expected to provide great relief to farmers of tree crops such as cashew, coffee and rubber because, like cocoa, they would also be paying fixed, guaranteed prices for their produce.

    Read: Parliament to discuss visa waiver between Ghana, Jamaica

    Dr Akoto said this at the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs (BARHCs) when he responded to a question concerning the loss incurred by cashew farmers in the Bono Region.

    The Region is the highest producer of raw cashew in the country but in recent years the farmers have been complaining of the unacceptable prices for a kilo or a bag of the crop offered by local and foreign buyers.

    The situation is attributed to the unregulated, unguaranteed and unstable price of the commodity because of the non-existence of an entity like the Ghana Cocoa Board that buys cocoa at a fixed price, serving as a guarantee to farmers.

    Dr Akoto said government had grouped the economic tree crops under one entity; the TCDA, for the stabilisation and regulation of the process to provide farmers guaranteed prices like cocoa.

    Based on that, he said government was focusing on the development and production of six cash crops – coconut, rubber, oil palm, coffee, mango, shea butter and cashew, and that seedlings were being raised for supply to farmers to commence planting nationwide.

    Read: Former National Best cocoa farmer commends government for new price

    He said cocoa had been fetching the country two billion dollars annually and each of the aforementioned crops could also fetch the nation same amount yearly.

    Nana Bofo Bene IV, the Paramount Chief of Dwenem-Awasu Traditional Area in the Jaman South Municipality and the Vice President of the BARHCs, appealed to the Government to ensure the establishment of a buying agency or development authority for cashew as matter of urgency.

    “If a bag of cashew was being bought at a point in time for GhC820.00, why should the price fall to as low as GhC220.00 now?” he asked, and called on the authorities to act fast to prevent the farmers from working in vain.

     

    Source: www.ghananewsagency.org

  • Don’t draw us into your issues – Parliament denies Amidu’s sabotage allegations

    Parliament has denied allegations by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Alamisi Amidu, that it is throwing a spanner in his works in prosecuting former Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga.

    The legislature says it is not in any way sabotaging or obstructing the former Attorney General or any law enforcement agency in carrying out their mandate.

    Read: Speaker tried to persuade me not to prosecute parliamentarians Amidu

    In a statement Wednesday, Parliament explained that its meeting with the Special Prosecutor was a follow up to a letter of him requesting the Speaker, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye to release the Bawku Central MP for prosecution.

    “Parliament, on May 31, 2019, wrote to the Special Prosecutor, recognising the role of the latter in the fight against corruption. Parliament invited the Special Prosecutor for further discussions on the matter.

    “According to the letter, the meeting was to “dialogue with your high office as to how your Office and the Court could be availed of Ayariga for arraignment before court with due regard to his privileges, the presumption of innocence and in a manner which will enable him to continue to efficiently perform his Parliamentary duties,” the statement said.

    Read: Martin Amidu better off as Daily Graphic editor Lecturer

    The legislative arm of government stated categorically that it co-operated with the Special Prosecutor during the investigation stage of the case in question.

    “Indeed, Parliament has in the past, collaborated with other law enforcement agencies in similar matters as the Commissioner of Police and Director of the Criminal Investigation Department will testify. As the lawmaking arm of government, Parliament will under no circumstance attempt to break the Laws of Ghana.

    “The Special Prosecutor should not draw Parliament into his own issues at all,” Parliament said.

     

    Source: Myjoyonline.com