AMEYAW EKUMFI DISMISSES ALLEGATIONS OF LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

The former Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi, has refuted allegations over the lack of transparency in the procurement of two Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) commuter trains that was awarded to Amandi Holdings, an Israeli-based firm in the country. “Procurement was done properly.

It went through due process and received approval by the Procurement Board,” he noted. Prof. Ekumfi was reacting to some media publications that alleged lack of transparency in the procurement of the DMUs by Amandi Holdings Limited, which was awarded the contract by the Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways. According to the former Minister, although some companies had in the past assisted his outfit in securing funds for numerous projects by the ministry, it never swindled any of them in the award of the procurement of the two DMUs. In explaining how his outfit got in touch with V. D. Swami and Company Limited, Professor Ekumfi said the company was initially supposed to provide the Ministry with coaches using an Indian facility, but because his outfit didn't agree with their specifications, a financial facility (amount not quoted) approved to execute a number of projects by the Ministry was never released by the Indian government, after initially granting the ministry a US$13million loan facility, hence the intervention of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, with HIPC-sourced funds. “Swami was initially to provide the ministry with coaches, using an Indian facility, but because we didn't agree with their specifications, we didn't get the facility. That is the reason why the Ministry of Finance came to our rescue to finance the project locally. For you to use that facility, you need to use an Indian company. When we got US$13million from the Indian Government, we had already agreed that this cannot be produced by an Indian company. We had also gone through the process to get Amandi Holdings to produce the commuter train,” he said. According to him, the US$13 million loan facility, granted to the Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways, was used to procure other rehabilitation items to revamp the railways sector. Touching on why V. D. Swami and Company Limited was refused the contract, the former minister said his outfit was nearly deceived by the company in awarding the contract to them, but after detecting some foul play, had to refuse them with the contract. “Swami almost deceived us. We provided them with draft specifications, but they came back after making adjustments in those specifications. We got to know that when our people had identified that they'd changed a few things. The most significant one was the speed in delivery. It was going to crawl, and we said that no, we are not going to accept this arrangement. You get us the money, only to provide us with sub-standard coaches,” noted Prof. Akumfi. On why Angelique International Limited also failed in the tender process, Prof. Akumfi said that company also provided specifications which were far below the expectations of the Railways Company. Prof. Ekumfi also refuted allegations that he lobbied for funds intended for a water project for the procurement of the commuter train, and advised anyone who was not clear about the whole process, to go to the Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways to crosscheck their facts. On March 26th, 2009, two Diesel Multiple Units (commuter trains), meant for the country, were shipped at the Tianjin seaport by the manufacturer, China Northern Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry (CNR) Tangshan Railway Vehicle Company Limited, on board a Beluga Sky Sails Vessel. It arrived in the country the following month, May 24th, 2009 as scheduled. This was after a short ceremony held in CNR Tangshan, of which the President of AMD, Ghana, the Vice-Mayor of Tangshan city and Vice-President of the CNR were present. The DMU is composed of 2M +4T. It has a seating capacity of 616 (each coach has 104 seating capacity) with a design speed of 80 Km/h. The specifications are as follows: Cars per unit 2M+4T Wheel arrangement Bo-Bo Transmission AC/AC Rated output per motor 150 kW Design speed 80 km/h Weight per car Mc48.3, T39.5 t Seating capacity per car Mc40,T134 Length per car Mc17,800,T17,200 mm Customer Ghana AMD Track gauge 1,000 mm The Ghana Railways Company has for the past three decades been struggling on its feet to catch up with time, but as each day passes by, the company's situation keeps on deteriorating. The importation of these DMUs has therefore been hailed by many as a step in the right direction by the government in its bid to revamp the ailing company. The DMUs are commuter trains that would ply the Accra-Tema rail lines when commissioned.
Source: Stephen Odoi-Larbi - Ghanaian Chronicle

Kofi Annan Center Guzzles Gh¢850k Yearly

Investigations conducted by The Chronicle into the operations of the Advanced Information Technology Institute of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence (AITI-KACE) has revealed that the institute is running at a loss of GH¢ 500,000.00 annually.The Centre, which was established in 2003 and became operational in 2004, has an annual expenditure of GH¢ 850,000.00 (including emoluments) against an annual income of GH¢350,000.00.This development, The Chronicle learnt, is weighing heavily on the economy since the financial assistance from the India government has also seized to flow without any reason.As a result of this, the performance of the Centre is below average in meeting its stated objectives of increasing students’ enrolment to 1,200 by end of 2009, increase revenue base to US$1,000,000.00 by the end 2009 and to explore the potentials of six institutions-two from the Economic Community of West African States for Information Communication Technology training whilst entering into partnership in 2009.Since its inception, no strategic plans have been set for the centre to operate on.At a recent visit by the Minister of Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, to the prestigious AITI-KACE, he stated that “the attrition rate at the centre was uncalled for” and needed intervention. The Chronicle also gathered that staff moral at the Centre is low and most staff that were trained abroad by the Centre from government treasury have all left without any apparent reason.Mrs. Dorothy K. Gordon, the Managing Director of the center, when contacted rather requested for the source of the information and declined to comment on the story when the reporter refused to disclose the source. She directed the reporter to talk to the Ministry of Communications since she is only an employee of the Government of Ghana.“You will have to give me the source of that information because everybody is entitled to their opinion. I cannot really comment on this story and I will suggest that you call the Ministry of Communications which will be in a better place to comment on this”.“I am officially giving you no comment on it. If you wish to run the story and say you’ve done an investigation and this is what you arrived at, that will be your opinion. I repeat, I am not going to comment on the story. I am only an employee of the Government of Ghana”, she told the paper.

Each Ghanaian Owes $350

Ghana's estimated population currently stands at 22 million people. Out of this population, each Ghanaian owes US$350 to the country's creditors, both internally and externally, as against $359 in 2008.
Ghana's total public debt has declined slightly from US$7,918.1 million, a 54.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008, to US$7.742.4 million, representing 49.2 per cent of GDP for the first quarter of 2009.
Out of this figure (US$7.742.4m), the stock of domestic debt, which stood at GH¢4,778.1 million at the end of last year (2008), increased to GH¢5,083.5 million, representing 23.7 per cent of GDP at the end of the first quarter of 2009.
External debt also stood at US$4,010.2 million at the end of the first quarter of this year (March 2009), up from US$3, 982.6 million (28.1 per cent of GDP) at the end of last year (2008).
This was made known by the Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Paul Acquah, at a press briefing in Accra yesterday.
According to him, provisional banking data on fiscal operations during the first quarter of 2009 indicate that domestic revenue growth continued to be strong at a slower pace than it was at same time the previous year (2008).
Ghana's total revenue and grants for the first quarter of 2009, amounted to GH¢1,308.1 million, representing 6.1 per cent of GDP, compared with GH¢1,129.2 million (6.4 per cent) for the same period in 2008.
"This was however, higher than the historical average of 5.8 per cent of GDP between 2004 and 2008," Dr. Paul Acquah noted.
Dr. Paul Acquah observed that total revenue and grants in year on year terms, increased by 15.8 per cent, compared with 11.0 per cent recorded in 2008.
Grants to the country amounted to GH¢244.3 million (1.1 per cent of GDP) in the first quarter of 2009, as against GH¢225.5 million (1.3 per cent of GDP) recorded for the same period in 2008.
This means the country, in the first quarter of 2009, saw an increase of GH¢18.8 million in grants, as compared to the same period last year.
Ghana's total expenditure, excluding foreign financed capital expenditure for the first quarter of 2009, amounted to GH¢1,249.2 million, representing 5.8 per cent of GDP, compared with GH¢1,265.3 million (7.2 per cent of GDP) for the same period in 2008.
Wages and salaries amounted to GH¢558.5 million, compared with GH¢549.1 million for the same period in 2008.
According to Dr. Paul Acquah, the fiscal operations during the first quarter in 2009, resulted in a deficit of GH¢194.7 million, a 0.9 per cent of GDP (excluding foreign financed capital expenditure), compared with a deficit of GH¢275.6 million for the same period in 2008.
Dr. Acquah said the deficit of GH¢194.7, in addition to a foreign loan repayment of GH¢48.7 million were financed from domestic sources to the tune of GH¢243.4 million, representing 1.1 per cent of GDP.

Obsolete equipment thwarting power supply in Ghana –GRIDCO

Recent power outages in the country have been linked to overaged and worn-out equipment in the transmission network, according to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO), the main operator of the entire power system.
The power system in the country comprises; generating system, transmission system and distribution system, which GRIDCO contends that any problem with these systems may affect power supply to the consumer.
With four major power stations at Akosombo, Kpong, Aboadze and Tema, that supply about 4500 km of high voltage transmission lines across the country, GRIDCO said its power network was often faced with numerous challenges which include overloaded facilities, due to inability to increase capacity to match demand, system security and the use of AFLS, and the lack of spare parts to replace worn-out equipment.
At a press briefing on the state of the national power system in Accra recently, GRIDCO noted that it had outlined some activities to improve upon its systems performance and reliability, by reducing the effects of some of its challenges in the transmission network.
Officials of the company said the construction of transmission lines between Kumasi and Obuasi, Aboadze and Tema would be completed in July and at the end of the year respectively, whilst that of the Accra 3rd Bulk Supply Point at Agyirigano, would also be completed by the end of the year 2010.
The company said it would double the capacity of the Mallam substation to improve power supply to Accra West by the end of the year. It also gave assurance of the completion of the Kumasi 2nd Bulk Supply Point in 2011.
GRIDCO said it would make replacements of all equipment at the Volta and Akosombo switching stations, in order to improve on its services to the nation.
It however promised to ensure theh continuous maintenance and operation of the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS), even under difficult conditions, whilst it would ensure timely completion of its planned projects, aimed at improving on its transmission system.

GIA initiates move to develop Ghana properly-calls for harmonisation in built environment

The Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) has called for the harmonisation of all regulatory bodies and other stakeholders in the built environment into one umbrella, for the effective implementation of policies and the planning of the cities and towns in the country.
Currently, there are twenty two (22) regulatory institutions/agencies and other stakeholders in the built environment, but the GIA contends that their performance over the years has not been satisfactory, and therefore not conforming to the country’s poverty reduction strategy.
“Each of them has a role to play in the built environment of the country as mandated by law, but none of them has performed as expected. The situation regarding the built environment in Ghana today does not seem to satisfy the tenets of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), nor the common sense approach,” noted Kwame Osei Agyemang, President of the GIA.
This was made known in Accra last Thursday at a press soiree organised by the GIA, to share with the public its findings in a research conducted into the built environment of the country. The research project was dubbed, “Addressing the adverse impact of non-enforcement of building and development controls.”
The development of the built environment has been guided overtime by a number of laws, some of which are the Town and Country Planning Ordinance (CAP 84) promulgated in 1945 and updated within the period 1954-1960, the National Building Regulations (LI 1630), 1996, the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462), the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, and many other supporting laws, bye-laws and codes, most of which have not seen any major review over the time period.
Despite the existence and implementation of the above-mentioned regulations, the built environment was deteriorating at an alarming rate, especially within the urban centers, and also a number of rural communities which have experienced increased population growth.
To this end, the GIA says the regulatory institutions/agencies and other stakeholders in the built environment, needed backing to effectively perform in the discharge of their duties, and therefore proposed to the Government of Ghana (GoG) to accelerate the synchronisation of all the regulatory bodies under one umbrella.
“When they come under one umbrella, they will have a common vision and purpose in the development of the country,” noted the GIA President.
Regulators and other stakeholders in the built environment include the Town and Country Planning Departments, the Land Title Registry Department, the Department of Urban Roads, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Factory Inspectorate Division, the Environmental Health Department and the Public Works Department (PWD).
The rest are Ministry of Works and Housing, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the telecommunications industry, Energy Commission, Water Resources Commission, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana Tourist Board, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Professional Bodies of the Built Environment.
The eight (8) page document states that the problem of inadequate enforcement of the Ghana Building Regulations (LI 1630) and other development controls, has adversely affected the urban and rural landscape in the country.
According to the GIA, the perceived non-enforcement of the controls and regulations was also reflected in the quality of the built environment, which is characterised by the development of unplanned settlements, slum development and the disregard of planning and zoning schemes.
“This has resulted in the haphazard and amorphous infrastructural development, facilitating flooding and the collapse of buildings,” noted the report. According to the report, the disregard for planning schemes had further led to the sprawl of uncontrolled development of both urban and sub-urban areas, which it said, had contributed to the enormous pressure on the distribution of infrastructural services like water, electricity, road networks and poor accessibility.
The report stated: “The situation has created an upward surge in mixed development, which in certain instances, has a negative impact on health, and is often hazardous to life.”
The report therefore recommended that there should be harmonisation of the procedures for the Building and Development Control to develop one standard set of regulations for the assemblies to operate with.
That the Government of Ghana (GoG) should endeavour to create a one-stop-shop to house all stakeholders for the building and development control procedures for easy implementation.
That the various assemblies should indicate a deadline to query revisions to forestall delays, and these should be communicated to clients. That computerisation of all assemblies, involving every drawing submission for building and development control, to ensure proper record keeping of files/archival management.
That, until the laws are harmonised, and clear cut roles and responsibilities redefined, District Chief Executives (DCE’s) should not sign permitting approval documentation.
That, the GoG should endeavour to make it statutory for a periodic review of the National Building Regulations, LI 1630.
That, Chiefs/Landowners should be sensitised on development, and this should be included under the current advocacy programme being implemented by the GIA, and the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund.
The report further recommended that there should be structural plans for all major cities in the country, which should be implemented to the letter, with enforcement and penalties.
That Municipal/Metropolitan Assemblies should be encouraged to acquire properties after the expiration of leases, to ensure good correlation between
planning schemes and policy.
That the Assemblies, together with stakeholders within the built environment, should be mandated to develop a vision for the development of all cities/towns/villages in the country.
That, Regulations/Laws should have dependencies which will enforce all developers to conform
That, small plot development should not be encouraged in the development of the Central Spine/Core area, and this should be backed by law/regulation. That, the GoG/Assemblies should be encouraged to implement holistic settlement designs against the habit of dealing with individual building plots development, which provides comprehensive solutions for sanitation and drainage among others, and that the GoG should set up an oversight body, under the National Development and Planning Commission (NDPC) to oversee physical development.
The GIA however encouraged the GoG to build a Police Force to ensure that building does not commence without a permit.

Again! Kufuor's New BMW Seized At Port for 'Wrong Procedure in Clearing'

The National Security has impounded a seven series BMW customized car, which was imported into the country by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
According to sources, the vehicle was impounded at Safe Bond, one of the warehouses at Tema Harbour, around 10am on Monday, upon a tip off. A National Security source, which confirmed the seizure said his outfit had mounted surveillance at the Tema Port throughout the weekend, after being informed that the former President had ordered three customized cars, and that one of them would arrive into the country over the weekend.
He said though the car did arrive, the importer managed to elude them.
Chronicle gathered that some operatives of National Security chanced upon some people who had gathered around a car yesterday, and murmuring to each other that "this is former President Kufuor's vehicle", "this is Omanpanin dada's car".
That drew their attention to the scene, and they radioed for cross checking and moved in quickly to impound it.
The security source noted that had the former President done the right thing by passing through the correct procedure at the National Security, the State Protocol would have done the clearing for him, but he would now have to wait for directives from the hierarchy of National Security.
"The right thing should be done at the right time. We shouldn't be repeating things all over. It doesn't augur well for the country", the security source said.
Mr. Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson for ex-President Kuffuor, when reached on his mobile phone said he had no knowledge about the President's impounded car, he answered incredulously.

Make good use of District Assemblies Common Fund

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Alban Sumani K. Bagbin, has warned all District Chief Executives (DCEs) to use the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for its intended purposes to benefit the people, rather than using it for operational costs and other purposes, which do not have any impact in the lives of the people.
“The District Assemblies Common Fund is for development, but some of the assemblies use it for other purposes such as administrative costs, maintenance of vehicles, buying of fuels for vehicles, and other operational costs instead of development. That is not what the Common Fund is meant for,” he noted.
Hon. Bagbin was speaking in support of the adoption of the motion for the proposed formula for sharing the District Assemblies Common Fund in Parliament yesterday.
He tasked his colleague members in the discharge of their duties in the area of monitoring and evaluation, to look critically how the fund is used, since a lot of monies are channelled to operational costs, instead of development of the districts.
In seconding the motion, after it had been moved by the Second Deputy Speaker, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, and reaffirming Hon. Bagbin’s claim, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Garu/Tempane, Hon Dominic Azimbe Azumah, urged members of the House to be circumspect in the disbursement of the Common Fund, so that it benefits the people, rather than using it for other purposes.
“Colleague members, we want to see that indeed the District Common Fund had benefited the people,” he stressed.
Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah, MP for Ningo Prampram, in his submission over the motion, noted that there was going to be a paradigm shift in the disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund, to make sure that the District Chief Executives utilise the fund based on the purpose of which it was intended for.
According to Article 252 (2) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, and the District Assemblies Common Fund Act, 1993, Act 455, Parliament is mandated to make provision for the allocation of not less than five per cent (5%) of the total revenue of Ghana to the District Assemblies’ Common Fund, for the implementation of development programmes in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Section 7 (a) of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund Act, 1993, Act 455 further requires the administrator of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund, to propose annually, for the approval of Parliament, a Formula for sharing the Common Fund to the District Assemblies.
The idea of the establishment of the District Assemblies Common Fund was to supplement local generating revenues, to broaden the scope of the funds available to District Assemblies, such that they can take major development programmes in the districts.
But, since then, most Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have virtually depended on the District Assemblies Common Fund for development in their respective districts, to the neglect of the mobilisation of their local funds.
Five factors were taken into consideration in developing this year’s formula for the sharing of the District Assemblies Common Fund.
They are; the need factor which indicates that sharing take into consideration the level of development of each district, with the view to addressing imbalances in the level of development, the responsive factor which indicates that sharing should motivate the districts to generate more local revenue for their development, the equality factor, which demands that all Districts should have access to maximum level of funding.
The rest are; service pressure factor, which states that urban areas should be compensated for the over-utilisation of their facilities, and the reserved factor, which demands a reserve fund to cater for contingencies and bulk purchases for the districts.
In all, an amount of three hundred and forty-five million, six hundred and eighty-seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-three Ghana Cedis (GH 345,687,483.00) has been approved in the 2009 Budget estimates for the District Assemblies Common Fund by Parliament.
At the consideration stage of the proposed formula, the Committee, on the whole, observed that a total amount of ten million ($10m) dollars in its cedi equivalent from the Fund would be used as matching funds for the District Development Facility (DDF), and that in the 2009 formula 6 per cent of the reserved funds for Members of Parliament would be shard equally between monitoring, evaluation and development.
The Committee further observed that 2 per cent of the Reserved Fund would be set aside for the use of the Minister of Local G overnment, and would be subject to his discretion, and that the Ministry has directed all MMDAs to use a portion of their allocations of the Common Fund, for issues affecting Persons with Disabilities.
The Committee also noted that the formula does not fully make room for gender specific interventions.
It also observed that sanitation management has been a major problem for the country of late, the worse being that of the cities, regional and district capitals, as a result of population growth, plastics and other human activities. To this effect, the Committee has therefore introduced the sanitation indicator, which will help reduce filth and improve general cleanliness in the country.
Having made these observations, the Committee recommended that the sector Minister of Local Government and the Office of the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator, collaborate to issue a directive to all MMDAs to use portions of their allocation for gender activities.
The Committee also recommended that the necessary steps be taken to ensure the speedy release of funds to the Districts and Parliamentarians, to ensure effective development.
It further recommended that the Public-Private Partnership engagement between the sanitation service providers and government, be strengthened to help improve the sanitation situation in the country, and that the sanitation module of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), be increased from thirty per cent to thirty-five pre cent in the guidelines to be issued by the Administrator of the Fund, to enable the programme engage more youth in the country.

GRC to lay-off 1,000 workers... to save it from collapse

Investigations conducted by The Chronicle have revealed that the Ghana Railways Company (GRC) is considering a massive retrenchment exercise as a result of the poor performance of the company and the effect it is having on the economy.
One thousand workers, out of the current workforce of 3,500 are, therefore, expected to go home with the bulk of them coming from the Eastern railway line. Revenue generation of the company has dropped to its lowest ebb of 10% over the past years. As a result of this, management could not pay the End of Service Benefit to some of the workers who were laid off sometime ago.
Currently, the company derives the bulk of its income from the haulage of minerals on its Western line. The immediate past government was supporting them with GH¢326,000 a month, which was not enough.
There seem to be a growing level of instability on the employment market, and just last week, one of the local newspapers reported a move by Vodafone-Ghana Telecom to compel about 850 of its staff to go on an early voluntarily retirement. This, according to management, will enable the affected workers to benefit from a customized transition support programme instituted by the company. Already, some public and private institutions are feeling the heat of the global economic downturn.
One of the major interventions adopted by these public and private institutions is to scale down the size of their human resource capacity as a means of cutting down on expenditure.
According to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Kwabena Dufuor, in the 2009 budget, non performing State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) would be closed down whilst pragmatic measures would be adopted to save those in good standing. This he said would save the economy some money as it is already facing some challenges.
Recently, the former Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi appealed to President John Evans Atta Mills to urgently address issues affecting the railways sector in the areas of the workers conditions of service, payment of end of service benefit to redundant workers, as well as honouring its tax obligation.
The Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways together with the Aviation Ministry have now been merged with the Transport Ministry with the sole aim of cutting down government expenditure by President Mills. In an interview with the Minister of Transport, Mr. Mike Hammah recently in Accra , he confirmed the massive job cut
at the Ghana Railways Company considering the sector’s inability to generate enough funds to run its operations, thereby posing a challenge to the government.
“We are running a parallel programme to ensure that there is a cut off point so that workers who are not productive, workers who are receiving salaries for no work done, we will have a way of probably making them redundant”, he noted.
According to him, workers who would not be affected by the exercise would be re-trained and retooled to be more efficient as part of the company’s restructuring plans to inject life into its operations.
He said government in its short and medium term would find money elsewhere to immediately pay all outstanding salaries of the railways workers before it goes ahead to implement its plan.
He said, since the Western rail line was the only source of generating funds for the Ghana Railways Company, government would do everything possible to rehabilitate that corridor to improve on its internal generated funds. “For now, the line is moribund. It has to be rehabilitated to improve on its internal generated funds to pay salaries”, he said.
The Western rail line has for the past decade received much attention from government to revive that corridor, but no serious investor has come forward to partner with government to give it the needed facelift. A number of groups including Spoornet of South Africa and Kampac Oil ME, a Dubai-based oil firm had shown interest back in 2003 and 2007 respectively, but failed in their bid to secure funds for the project. Other institutions have also turned up but none seems to be in good financial position for the task.
This, according to Mr. Mike Hammah, has come about because the country was not having a Transaction Advisor to advice the government right from the onset to determine the capacity and capability level of these investors. “Once the Transaction Advisor was not in place, it was difficult for the Ministry to really assess the capacity and capabilities of the company. That is why so many years along the line, the investors that showed up could not meet the financial clause”, he said. He was, however, happy for the passage of the Railways Act which now separates the regulatory aspect from the commercial activities of the company. With the passage of the Railways Act, the Ghana Railways Development Authority now has the mandate to plan, develop and to manage the activities of the sector. It also has the mandate to look at security and safety aspects of the operations of the company. Hon. Mike Hammah however reiterated government’s commitment to continue its support to the sector to make it more vibrant than its current position

Fiifi Kwetey wins at committee level

The Deputy Minister of Finance designate, Mr. Fiifi Kwetey was yesterday approved by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
His approval was as a result of a majority decision by Members of the Appointments Committee who voted on his nomination at the committee level.
The Minority Members on the Committee opposed the nomination of the Finance Minister designate, but their numerical disadvantage enabled Fiifi Kwetey to scale through.
By his approval at the Committee level, Members would then have the opportunity to debate his nomination on the floor of the House, scheduled for Friday, March 27th, 2009.
As happened during the nomination of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the Minority is expected to argue against Fiifi Kwetey’s approval, having raised so many issues against him during his vetting which lasted for about an unprecedented four hours.

Minority members delay parliamentary work -Agbesi

The Majority group in Parliament has accused their Minority counterparts of delaying the sitting of the House. “I am raising the issue of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) holding Press conferences at the time when Parliament should be in session”, Hon Alfred Agbesi, MP for Ashaiman said on the floor of the house yesterday. He said press conferences and meetings being held by the Minority Members of the House always delay business.
Hon. Agbesi was surprised that the MP for Sekondi, Hon. Paapa Owusu-Ankomah was mute over the issue, since he made a lot of noise when his party was in the Majority. Hon. Agbesi’s comments did not go down well with Hon. Paapa Owusu-Ankomah who described the Ashiaman MP’s statement as most irresponsible since his submission at that time was not that of the Majority stand.
“Indeed, I respect my friend very much, he is my mate but I’m sorry to say that the statement that he has made is most irresponsible”, he noted.
Hon. Agbesi did not take kindly to the comments from his colleague MP and requested him to reframe the statement. “To say that my statement is irresponsible, Madam Speaker, I want to say that I take serious offense to that statement and it must be withdrawn with a big apology to me”, he said.
At this point, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo intervened and condemned the word “irresponsible” used by Hon. Paapa Owusu-Ankomah, since it was an unparliamentary word. She therefore asked Hon. Owusu-Ankomah to use another word.
Hon. Owusu-Ankomah therefore substituted his word “irresponsible” with “uncharitable”. After listening to both comments from Hon. Owusu-Ankomah and Alfred Agbesi, and considering the argument raised by the Minority Leader, Hon. Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who called on Hon. Agbesi to kindly use the right words when on the floor of the House, the Majority Leader, Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin demanded that both Members use the right words, which they obliged.
“Madam Speaker, I respect my honourable colleague opposite, the honourable Member for Ashaiman. I know he is a very responsible father, a very responsible husband, a very responsible lawyer and a very responsible Member of Parliament. If the statement was taken as a personal allusion to his behaviour, I’m sorry, I did not intend to mean that he is irresponsible, therefore, I withdraw my statement”, noted Hon. Owusu-Ankomah.
On the side of Hon. Agbesi, he said “Madam Speaker, I know the NPP has no intention of stalling the work of this House, I therefore humbly withdraw whatever I’ve said against them”.

$3.4m needed to qualify Black Stars for 2010

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has indicated that the annual budget estimates to his Ministry for the 2009 fiscal year was not adequate, considering the sector’s huge responsibilities.
According to him, since his Ministry was one of the newly re-created ones, a lot would have to be invested in it.
He argued that since the two wings of his Ministry (Youth & Sports) were drawn from the Ministries of Employment and Education respectively, it had little input in the preparation of the budget and that was posing a major challenge to the Ministry.
Alhaji Muntaka was speaking on the floor of Parliament yesterday when he moved the motion for the approval for the 2009 annual budget estimates of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
According to him, his Ministry has only two directors out of the four line directory that must be in place to ensure the smooth running of the operations of the Ministry, and this to him requires the recruitment of new personnel.
Another concern he raised was the renovation of the building housing the Ministry, which he said requires a lot of money.
He was disturbed about the inadequate budget allocation for the Ministry, considering the expenditure of the four agencies (National Sports Council, National Sports College, National Youth Council and the National Youth Employment Programme) under the Ministry.
He said the National Sports Council alone had thirty four associations under it. He noted that the Council’s annual budget estimate alone for the 2009 fiscal year stands at $3, 489,379million (GH¢ 8,424,025 million), a situation he said was not adequate looking at the various events the country would be participating in both at the continental level and at the global level.
Alhaji Muntaka, in accessing the money needed to qualify the Black Stars, the country’s senior national team, for the maiden world cup on African soil (South Africa 2010), said the team would need a total amount of US$3.4 million. In his statistics, he said the match which would be played against Benin on Sunday at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi would cost the Ministry $US 662, 000.00 and the match against Mali in Bamako would cost $US 531, 000.00, against Sudan in Khartoum would cost $US665, 000.00 with the return league in Accra costing the country $US537, 000.00.
According to him, the Black Stars match against Benin in Cotonou would again cost the country a total amount of US$498,000.00 whilst the match against Mali in Kumasi would cost US$541,000.00.
He said by qualification to the world cup, the Black Stars would be entitled to a whooping sum of US$6million from the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) and therefore called for the needed support to his Ministry in order to help the Blacks Stars qualify to get the amount at stake to finance other sporting discipline.
He was, however, of the hope that the House would consider his Ministry when looking at the supplementary budget for the 2009 fiscal year.
In all, a total amount of GH¢45, 77,162.07 was approved for the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The House also approved the sum of GH¢ 147,681,167.00 for the Ministry of Finance, whilst GH¢4,206,832.00 was allocated for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
The National Commission for Civic Education approved the sum of GH¢ 5,044,605.00 with the Electoral Commission being approved the sum of GH¢7,091,990 for the 2009 fiscal year.

Nigerians are not criminals-Bemoans Nigerian Envoy

The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency (H.E) Chief Muslim Obanikoro has expressed concern over how some Ghanaians perceive Nigerians to be criminals, as a result of the act of one person who might have mis-conducted himself. He attributed this to how some media houses have allowed themselves to be used by a section of the public, in using abusive words against some few miscreants, whenever there was an issue for discussion on their platform saying, “these are contrary to the ethics of the profession”. The High Commissioner was reacting to various media publications about how a section of the Ghanaian populace describes Nigerians as crooks and rogues, ever since the Amalgamated Bank story attracted media attention. According to him, he has followed with keen interest the various radio discussions, especially on Joy FM, on the Amalgamated Bank story and the extent to which some Ghanaians have described Nigerians whenever just one of his countrymen flouts the laws of the land (Ghana), which was disheartening. “The impression being created here is that all Nigerians are criminals. No, Nigerians are not crooks, we are hardworking, honest people and we have demonstrated that wherever we go. There is no institution in both America and Britain that you will not find a Nigerian doing extremely well. Some of our businessmen have distinguished themselves and can rub shoulders with any businessman anywhere around the globe. And this we have achieved through hard work”, he noted. He emphasized the friendship and cordial relationship that exists between the two countries which he described as “brother and sister”, and that he would not sit unconcerned for some people to jeopardize the relationship the two countries have built over the years. He gave accounts of how some Nigerians were expelled from Ghana in 1969 and 1981, Nigeria also repeated similar unpleasant act against Ghanaians, a situation he said he would never allow to happen again. “I can't sit down for God's sake, for such an incident to happen again. If there are issues, let us address them and don't let us generalize. I am here to smoothen and deepen the relations between the two countries and I can not sit back and allow people with ulterior motives to tarnish the image of my country and its citizens”, he said. The High Commissioner bemoaned the application of fallacy of hasty generalization against Nigerians, labeling them as criminals, which is gaining momentum and therefore called on responsible leadership to put an end to it. He said his outfit had designed a quarterly meeting with the Nigerian community in the country to help address these issues and to constantly remind them to abide by the laws of Ghana. He commended President Atta Mills for his stand in ensuring that justice is meted out to all inhabitants in the country, irrespective of nationality, gender, race or colour. H.E. Obanikoro tasked the media to be up and doing in their reportage by feeding the public with balanced information to enable them make informed decisions.

MPs extol Otumfuo

Members of Parliament (MPs) last Friday complimented the work of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Ashanti Kingdom, for his contribution to the development of this country ever since he ascended the throne a decade ago.
The MPs contended that his ten year reign has not only transformed the image of the chieftaincy institution in the country but has also brought massive development into the lives of the people in health care, education and conflict resolution.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso Constituency in his maiden statement on the floor of Parliament recounted how the leadership of the Otumfuo has brought dignity and respect to the chieftaincy institution through a number of policies and programmes that he has pursued since his ascension to the throne of the Golden Stool.
According to him, the introduction of the Otumfuo Education Fund as a major instrument of social change and progress has not only benefited those in the Ashanti Region but also those outside the Region who are brilliant but socially disadvantaged.
He said the Health oriented programmes implemented under the auspices of the Otumfuo Health Fund had also been of tremendous help to a substantial number of people throughout the country.
“Madam Speaker, Otumfuo has initiated these social interventions in the belief that Central Government alone cannot shoulder the full burden of the needs of the people and that all hands are required on deck. His efforts have been met with success, and also won him great admiration all around”, he noted.
Dr. Akoto also commended the works of other traditional rulers whose efforts have brought the country this far. He mentioned in particular the Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Payin II in the area of the environment, Togbe Afede in energy generation and the Naayiri, King of the Mamprusis in conflict resolution in the Northern parts of the country.
He was also very grateful to the Otumfuo for his role in the area of conflict resolution in the country, which has earned the Ashanti king the accolade of “King Solomon”.
“Apart from the pace-setting role in the areas of education and health, the other important contribution which the reign of Otumfuo has brought to his Kingdom is in the area of conflict resolution. The countless Chieftaincy disputes and litigations that he has helped to resolve in the past ten years of his reign has manifested peace to the people of Asante within the jurisdiction and beyond the borders of the Ashanti Region”, he noted.
In contributing to the statement made by Dr. Akoto, Hon. Abukari Sumani, MP for Tamale North told the House how the Ashantis and the Dagombas have remained as one family from time immemorial, drawing into account a popular saying when relations of the two tribes meet “Asante Kotoko” and the other responds “Anyo Kotoko”.
He commended the Otumfuo for his numerous roles played in contributing to the development of the country especially in the areas of conflict resolution and education.
“Madam Speaker, the Otumfuo has made so much contribution to his Kingdom. His Educational Trust Fund is wonderful. He is concerned about development; he is concerned about the control of land use. Something that will set chaotic in many areas including my areas, he has set up regulations to guide them”, he said.
Mr. Sumani called on other chiefs to emulate his (Otumfuo) shinning example and wished him more years in his ruling. The former Ashanti Regional Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Kwabre West Constituency, Mr. Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, also commended the Otumfuo for his contributions in improving the living conditions of Ghanaians.
According to him, one of the numerous projects initiated by the Otumfuo which was not popular to the public but making great strides was a secretariat he established, called Promoting Partnership with Traditional Authorities Project (PPTAP). The project, he said, had been of great help to the people of the Ashanti Region because of the numerous supports it has been receiving especially from the World Bank.
He also commended the Otumfuo for supporting the Agriculture sector by establishing a 400 acre palm plantation and a teak farm for Asanteman.
“Madam Speaker, the Otumfuo has shown the way in Agriculture. He has shown by example what a traditional ruler should show”, he noted. He described Otumfuo as a symbol of unity who uses the Akwasidae festival to unite the country.
Madam Catherine Abelema Afeku, MP for Evalue-Gwira, Jonathan Tackie-Komme, MP for Odododiodio, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, MP for Dormaa West, Inusa Fuseni, MP for Tamale Central and Haruna Iddrisu , MP for Tamale South and Minister of Communications all paid glowing tribute to the Otumfuo on his 10th anniversary as King of the Ashanti Kingdom. They lauded his various contributions made in the development of the country and urged other traditional rulers to do same.

Parliament approves ‘Rescue’ budget

Parliament yesterday approved the financial policy of the Government of Ghana (GoG) for the year ending December 31st, 2009.
This was after Members of the House have deliberated on the financial policy statement which was moved on the floor of the House by the Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Dufuor on March 5th, 2009. The debate on the budget have lasted for almost two weeks drawing various criticism from the Minority Members who described it as ‘Sakawa’ budget which does not contain nothing new and is intended to bring hardship condition on the people. The Majority Members on the other side of the House see the budget as a ‘Rescue’ financial policy from the government intended to bring smiles on the faces of the citizenry since the previous government under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) failed to achieve their numerous targets it set for itself in 2008, resulting in huge deficit in the economy.
Moving the motion in support of the budget statement on the floor of Parliament, the immediate past minister of state at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo Constituency drew into accounts various criticisms the then NPP government in 2001 faced at the hands of some minority members of the NDC when it presented the financial policy on the floor of Parliament for deliberations.
He reminded Members on the various micro-economic targets the NDC set for itself when in power in 2000 which it failed to achieve. According to him, the NDC targeted a 5% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2000 but ended up realizing 3.7%. On inflation, he said the NDC target to bring the trend down to 12.5% but ended up at 40.5% with a budget deficit of 8.5% instead of 6.1%. Mr. Akoto Osei the NDC again failed to achieve a zero percent balance of payment it set for itself in 2000 but ended up with a $-194million.
There were interjections from both sides (Majority and Minority) of the House.
Advancing his argument, Mr. Akoto Osei outlined the track record of the NDC when in government from 1996-2000. According to him, per capita income under the NDC government at that time kept dwindling thereby bringing hardship conditions on the people.
“As I look through the budget statement and the performance of the NDC government over a period, the growth of per capita income has consistently from 1996-2000 gone backwards”, he noted.
On the contrary, Dr. Akoto said when the NPP took over the reigns of power from the NDC in 2001; the growth of per capita income has kept soaring which was a clear indication of putting money into the pockets of the people.
“Since 2001, the NPP has consistently increased the growth of per capita income which is a clear indication of putting more money into the pockets of the people”, he said.
Per capita income is the average total income per person of a country’s overall income level. For example, if a country has a collective income of $1 million and 20 residents, the per capita income or average income per person is $50,000.00.
According to him, the growth rate per capita in 1996 dropped from 2.0 to 1.96 in 1997 and a further dip to 1.42 in 1998. Again, he said the trend continued to dip further in 1.42 by the time the NDC government was leaving office in 2000 adding “Madam Speaker, if you keep that trend, you will be taking money out of the peoples’ pocket”.
Comparing the achievements of the NPP when in power from 2001-2008 on the subject matter, the former minister of state noted his government was able to turn around the fortunes of the country resulting in a per capita income of 2.46 in 2006.
This, according to him, brought money into the pockets of Ghanaians.
Dr. Akoto Osei was of the view that the cost savings as outlined in the budget cannot be realized looking at the economic condition of the country and that of the world economy which is been faced with challenges. He complained bitterly on the increase in airport taxes, user fees among many others. “If you put all these together, the NDC government is increasing taxes to the tune of almost $90m”, he added.
He therefore called on the Finance Minister to go back and study the budget statement well and come back to the House with a new budget statement that would alleviate the plight of the people.
Dr. Kwabena Dufour on his part thanked Members of the House for their contributions to the budget statement. According to him, he would appear before Members of the House at the appropriate time to address the various issues they raised concerning the budget.
He noted “we are not poor because we don’t have the resources but poor because we don’t know how to manage our resources”. He therefore emphasized that government would focus on efficiency in managing the economy to achieve best results for the country.

On the right top of the story is the Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, Rt. Hon Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo.

ET tells NDC supporters, Atta Akyea cann't be removed from Appointments Committee

The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Deputy Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah has ridiculed the demand by the Forum for Setting the Records Straight (FSRS) for the removal of the MP for Abuakwa-South, Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea from the Appointments committee of Parliament.
“He cannot be removed from the Appointments Committee for asking questions”, he said.
He said one’s removal from the committee would have to be determined by the group (Minority or Majority) that he or she belongs to, who would then furnish the Chairman of the Select Committee, Justice Joyce Adelaine Bamford-Addo, who doubles as the Speaker of Parliament for consideration.
Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show programme, in response to claims by the FSRS, that they are pushing for the removal of the Abuakwa-South legislator from the Appointments Committee, Mr. E.T Mensah said the Speaker in turn would discusses the issue at the Select Committee level, and then lay it on the floor of Parliament for deliberations, where the outcome will become the final decision of the House.
According to him, it was only when a member violates the Standing Orders of the House that he/she can be removed from the Committee. In the case of Mr. Atta Akyea, he noted that it is only the Minority who can decide his removal from the Appointments Committee when he flouts the Standing Orders of the House, since he belongs to that group, stressing that “it would have to pass through a whole lot of processes.”
Considering the fact that everybody has the right and freedom to join any association of his/her choice, he noted that the group can still go ahead with its petition to the Chairman of the Select Committee for redress.
Mr. Atta Akyea and other members from the Minority have come under severe criticisms from sections of the general public, especially from the NDC fraternity, who seem not to be comfortable with his hard-line of his questioning.
Some have labeled him as trying to score political points rather than facing the realities and competence of the nominee, Mr. Fiife Kwetey, who appear before the Committee to be vetted for deputy Minister designate for Finanace. The Minority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu supported E.T Mensah’s position, describing the demand of the FSRS as “impossible and laughable.” According to him, a person can only be removed from the Appointments Committee when he/she is in obvious breach of the Standing Orders of Parliament, adding that “the action of the FSRS shows how ignorant they are.”
At a press conference last Friday, the Forum for Setting the Records Straight called on the Speaker of Parliament to remove Atta Akyea from the Appointment’s committee for making false presentations about Mrs. Betty-Mould Iddrisu and Fifi Fiave Kwetey, during the ongoing vetting of Ministerial nominees.
The group believes that the removal of Mr. Atta Akyea would restore credibility at the Appointments Committee.

Far right is the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah.

ZoomLion to the rescue of Akltamafu

Experts in waste management, ZoomLion Ghana Limited under the auspices of the Ministry of Health has embarked on a fumigation exercise at Akltamafu, a village near Hohoe in the Volta Region to rid it of flies and other insecticides to save the people from environmental borne diseases.
The initiative by ZoomLion was in response to a front page publication in the Ghanaian Times, dated Wednesday 11th March 2009, on the invasion of flies in the aforementioned village.
The exercise was performed over the weekend under the supervision of the Vector Control Coordinator of ZoomLion, Mr. Samuel Nortey.
The Communications Director of the company (ZoomLion), Mr. Oscar Provencal in his address to the gathering noted that his outfit’s response to the situation was part of its social responsibility of attending to needs of the people which also felt in line with the President’s initiative of making the country clean in hundred days and beyond.
The company, he said, after its preliminary investigations, have decided to clear the heap of refuse close to the village and fumigate the entire community after it was discovered to be the main the cause of the fly invasion.
The paper learnt that the company has decided to probe further into the matter to find lasting solution to the problem in the area. To this effect, twenty-three local hands would be employed and trained to stay in the village for the next six months to address the issue.
The Chief of the area, Togbe Keh XII in his address expressed his profound gratitude to the government and ZoomLion for their swift response to the aid of citizens of Akltamafu.
He appealed to the government to help upgrade the road network linking the village to other communities and also provide school and health care facilities to the people in order to improve their standard of living.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed reiterated the government’s commitment in ensuring good health of the citizens which he believe is the cornerstone to national development.
According to him, the presence of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health in the area was a clear testimony of the government’s zeal to tackle environmental problems to ensure good sanitation in the country and assured the people of government’s support to bring the situation under control.
He said the government has made allocations in this year’s budget to deal with sanitation issues to ensure a safe environment and therefore called for all hands on deck in the fight against environmental issues since its effects are enormous.
“Flies we all know can be very harmful to our health since they stand the chance to contaminate our food and water. They can also promote epidemic but we should not encourage this situation of ours where we need funds to develop our country. It is therefore paramount for us to promote and protect the health of our citizens”, he said.
Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso South Constituency commended ZoomLion for its effort in ensuring a cleaner environment and urged other stakeholders in the health sector to do same.
He however, promised Ghanaians of the Committee’s determination to work hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the health sector to respond to such situation irrespective of where it happens.

Prosecute me if ...

The Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni has indicated his preparedness to give up his position and also would avail himself for prosecution if found guilty of breaching the Constitution of the country.
“It is my solemn pledge to the good people of Ghana that should it be shown or proven that I, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, has stolen a single pesewa of the taxpayer’s money or taken a personal benefit whether directly or indirectly, or been corrupt or abused my office, or been guilty of “By failing to properly manage State funds leading to their loss, Alhaji Mumuni’s acts have gravely prejudiced the interests of the State. Monies that would otherwise have been used to address the needs of the needy and less privileged have been lost. He is therefore unfit to occupy the office that he presently holds and must resign”, he noted.
It would be recalled that in the said audit report prepared by Messrs Baffour Awuah at the instance of the Auditor-General, the NVTI was cited as a conduit for siphoning an amount of over 19.6 billion old Ghana cedis of government funds to known and unknown persons, through huge and fraudulent payments to companies and enterprises as well as a member of individuals.
It made specific findings against Alhaji Mumuni and his other colleagues including Victor Selormey of blessed memory, who was then the Deputy Minister of Finance and the former Controller and Accountant-General, Mr. R.K. Tuffuor.
The report noted that the acts of omission and commission perpetrated by the former Minister and his colleagues in the release of an amount of 19 billion old Ghana cedis to the Director of NVTI did not only result in a financial loss to the state of over 15 billion old Ghana cedis, being total amount fraudulently paid out of the sum of 19 billion old Ghana cedis to private companies and individuals, for goods not supplied or services not rendered, but also constitute misconduct and gross negligence under the provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

After being mauled by court MILLS TO DECIDE MUMUNI`S FATE…As Minority prepares for real battle

Following a court ruling against the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni in a case he filed against Daily Guide, a private daily newspaper, the minority Members of Parliament (MP) have indicated their intention to pursue the matter until it is laid before Parliament for deliberation, since the substance of the findings raised by the Auditor-General still hangs over the Minister's neck. Explaining the rational behind the stand taken by the minority in a telephone interview with this reporter, its leader, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu who doubles as the MP for Suame said since the court had ruled against Alhaji Mumuni, it means he has been indicted by the Auditor-General and it would be prudent for the House to debate on the issue and recommend to the State Attorney for prosecution, but added that “for now we are awaiting what President Mills will say”. “Clearly, we will press that the matter comes to Parliament, after which we would definitely take it up and then recommend to the state Attorney General to prosecute him”, he noted. Mr. Mensah-Bonsu held the notion that it would be prudent for Alhaji Mumuni to step down from his Ministerial position and fight in the law courts to extricate himself just like Dr. Richard Anane did sometime ago before the President reinstated him. “He should put himself in the shoes of Dr. Richard Anane. If you don't get a Ministerial position, that shouldn't be the end of your life, you can still work in a different capacity for government”, he noted. In the wake of a new era, when things appear to be working as planned, recent happenings from some members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) seem to cast a slur on the image of the new administration, which is gradually dampening the confidence reposed in the newly appointed Ministers by the President. From the authorization of the controversial Chinery-Hesse report to the purported Baffour Awuah and Associates forensic audit report into the activities and operations of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) by the Auditor-General, inside sources at the Castle have indicated the President's desire to crack the whip on any erring Minister. According to the source, the President was not aware of the existence of such a forensic audit report against Alhaji Mumuni, until during his vetting where he (President Mills) requested for a copy of the report to study. The source said the President was shocked with the findings of the report against Alhaji Mumuni and even belatedly attempted to withdraw his nomination and substitute him with Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah, but for the fact that the matter is still pending before court, the President has deemed it fit to wait for the outcome and then decide on what to do next. Now that the court has ruled, luck seems to be running out on Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, as he has, however, declared his intention to fight to the end by appealing against the ruling, in a desperate attempt to cling on to his position. Mr. Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Akim Abuakwa South, in an interview with this reporter ruled out any possibility of Alhaji Mumuni staying in office to continue the fight against his alleged defamation of character, since the court ruling has justified the publication by Daily Guide newspaper. According to him, the character exhibited by Alhaji Mumuni, who was then the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare does not augur well for him to assume the position of the first diplomat of the land, and therefore, advised him to resign his post whilst he continues his fight against Daily Guide in the court, since his appeal won't change anything until the decision has been set aside. “The ruling is still binding on him and if I'm to advise him, I will ask him to resign and clear his name first, before assuming the high office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, he noted. According to the Akyim Abuakwa legislator, if Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni had complied to the advice of the minority during his vetting, he would have been in the best position to decide whether to accept his nomination or not. He was of the strong conviction that even when the minority fails to take the matter up, a lot of his colleagues in Parliament would be forced to go to court for redress. It would be recalled that Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni's vetting witnessed one of the most rigorous intellectual exercises in the history of the work of the Appointments Committee of Parliament when he appeared before it on February 9th, 2009. During Mumuni's vetting, the minority walked out from the Speakers Conference room, venue of the event, in a situation it described as misuse of discretionary powers by the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho, when they (minority) raised issues concerning Alhaji Mumuni's indictment by the forensic audit report which was conducted by Messrs Baffour Awuah and Associates at the instance of the Auditor-General. Alhaji Mumuni escaped by a vote of Parliament, through a majority decision of 116 to 74, and he has since been sworn into office by President Mills. In the said report, the NVTI was cited as a conduit for siphoning an amount of over 19.6 billion old Ghana cedis of government funds to known and unknown persons, through huge and fraudulent payments to companies and enterprises as well as a member of individuals. It made specific findings against Alhaji Mumuni and other colleagues including the late Mr. Victor Selormey, who was then the Deputy Minister of Finance and the former Controller and Accountant-General, R.K. Tuffuor. The report noted that the acts of omissions and commissions perpetrated by the former Minister and his colleagues in the release of an amount of 19 billion old Ghana cedis to the Director of NVTI did not only result in financial loss to the state of over 15billion old Ghana cedis, being total amount fraudulently paid out of the sum of 19billion old Ghana cedis to private companies and individuals for goods not supplied or services not rendered, but also constitute misconduct and gross negligence under the provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Abongo replaces Asaga

Following the withdrawal of Mr. Moses Asaga, Member of Parliament (MP) for Nabdam Constituency, from his nomination as Minister designate for Water Resources, Works & Housing by President John Evans Atta Mills, The Chronicle has gathered that Mr. Albert Abongo, MP for Bongo constituency in the Upper West region has been named as a replacement.
He would thus appear before the Appointments Committee to undergo vetting for the Works & Housing Ministerial position.
When contacted about his view on his nomination to the position, he expressed his profound gratitude to the President for recognizing his ability and intelligence to serve the country.
He said, when given the nod, one of his main priorities would be to continue with the affordable housing project to help ordinary Ghanaians to afford and own houses.
Another area he touched was the need to expand free flow of water to all corners of the country. This he said, would enable Ghanaians enjoy good drinking water.
“There is the need to expand water to every corner of the country because water is very important to everybody”, he noted.
Touching on the controversy surrounding the alleged allocation of some houses from the Affordable Housing Project by the immediate past government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to its functionaries, he promised to probe into the matter when given the nod to find out the veracity of those allegations.
“I’ve read numerous publications about the issue, with some alleging that those houses have been sold to members of the NPP, whilst some claim that it is not the truth. Since those houses have not been completed, I don’t believe it have been sold in advance. So, it behooves on me to find out how true those allegations are when given the nod”, he noted.
Mr. Abongo is a Christian who hails from Gowrie-Bongo. He is a 49 year old Civil Servant and holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
It would be recalled that Mr. Moses Asaga became the first casualty to face President Mills’ wrath following his purported authorization of payment of emoluments to former President Kufuor and his Vice, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and Members of Parliament as per the recommendations of the Chinnery-Hesse Committee.

'Mills' Minister' Damaged Goods

Details of an audit report commissioned by the Auditor General and obtained from the House of Parliament last week, contain a horrific account of the underbelly of a man who has just been nominated as the Foreign Minister by President Mills.
It is so loaded with bile that Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, who is expected to be representing Ghana as the embodiment of this proud and beautiful Republic, cannot hold himself out without legally extricating himself from any wrong doing.
The report was completed nearly five years ago, and there has been no valid exonerating counter report.
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The forensic audit report into the activities and operations of the National Vocational and Training Institute (NVTI), between the period of January 1997 to December 2002, which has been the subject matter of a raging controversy over whether or not Parliament should approve the nomination of Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, makes damning findings against the President's nominee.
The audit, which was conducted by Messrs. Baffuor Awuah and Associates at the instance of the Auditor-General of the Republic, concluded that "the use of the NVTI as a conduit for siphoning an amount of over ¢19.6 billion (old cedis) of government funds to known and unknown persons, through huge and fraudulent payments to companies and enterprises as well as a number of individuals, is tantamount to 'money laundering' in some cases."
The report made specific findings against Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni, who was by then the Minister in Charge of Employment and Social Welfare, and his other colleagues including the late Victor Selormey, who was by then the Deputy Minister of Finance and the former Controller and Accountant-General, R.K Tuffuor.
It noted that the acts of omissions and commissions perpetrated by the former Minister and his colleagues in the release of an amount of ¢19 billion (old cedis) to the Director of NVTI "did not only result in a financial loss to the state of over ¢15 billion, being total amount fraudulently paid out of the sum of ¢19 billion to private companies and individuals for goods not supplied or services not rendered, but also constitutes misconduct and gross negligence under the provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana."
These provisions were detailed in the Audit Service Decree, 1997 (N.C.R.D 49), the Audit Service Act 2000, Act 584 and the Financial Administration Regulations, 1997 LI 1234.
In the course of its investigations, the auditors uncovered that between the period of October 1999 and September 2000 alone, a total amount of ¢19 billion was released to NVTI outside their budgetary allocation from the Ministry of Finance.
The auditors said they could confirm that ¢13 billion out of the said ¢19 billion was at the request of Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni and authorised by Victor Selormey.
Out of this amount ¢11 billion was said to have been paid into NVTI's operating bank account at the Bank of Ghana, whilst the remaining "was fraudulently transferred into an undisclosed account, operated by Dr. Michael Yaw Boateng, the interdicted Director of NVTI and Emmanuel Jack Animi, former Chief Accountant at the NVTI."
Meanwhile, the ¢19 billion, which was allegedly meant for the purchase of equipment for NVTI centres, was released without Parliamentary approval or any other proper authority.
The auditors, therefore, noted that the action constituted what it described as 'ultra vires', stressing that "it is significant to note that for the two year period, the total approved annual budget for the institute was ¢6.629 billion." Out of this amount, only ¢225 million was said to have been approved for purchase of plant and equipment.
The report further indicated that at the request of Alhaji Mumuni, two identical letters, dated 20th March and 29th August 2000, ¢10.1 billion and ¢10.05 billion respectively were issued for the same purpose; to equip NVTI centres and addressed them to the then Minister of Finance.
As a result of these two letters, the auditors noted that "amounts of ¢5 billion and ¢8billion respectively were released under the authority of Victor Selormey, the then Deputy Minister of Finance to the Director of NVTI, although in 1999 ¢6 billion had been released for the same purpose.
Out of the ¢5 billion released in March 2000, the report noted that a total amount of over ¢2.12 billion was fraudulently paid to suppliers for goods they did not supply to the institute.
Further checks by the auditors revealed that about ¢7.86 billion out of the ¢8 billion in September 2000 was misappropriated.
"One would have expected that both releases should not have exceeded ¢10.1 billion as the request was for the same purpose. It is also intriguing why the Minister within a period of 4 months made request for over ¢20 billion towards the end of the financial year, especially when the NVTI"s total budget for the year was only ¢3.99 billion", the auditors emphasised.
Meanwhile, an amount of ¢6 billion had been released for the same purpose in 1999.
The auditors thus established that "none of the funds released went to support the programmes that the former Minister had mentioned in both letters", stressing that "it is also puzzling that the Minister would use the same reasons to request for funds and yet did not verify the use of the earlier releases of ¢6 billion and ¢5 billion to the NVTI."
That notwithstanding, the auditors found something unusual about the two letters since in both cases, the letters signed by Victor Selormey for the release of funds were done in a matter of 24 hours of request, saying "it is equally important to note that; the NVTI also disbursed the funds in a matter of weeks of all the releases for fraudulent purposes that did not meet the objectives of the request by the Minister."
It therefore noted that "the two former Ministers, Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni and Victor Selormey who facilitated the releases of these funds to NVTI in contravention of the Financial Administration Regulations (LI 1234) contributed to the perpetration of fraud."
In the final analysis, the auditors noted that Muhammed Mumuni and his colleagues be held jointly and severally accountable for the recovery of the total financial loss of ¢5,750,762,300 billion.
Mumuni was accused of apparently causing the release of an amount of ¢6 billion in 1999 to NVTI, out of which ¢5,750,762,300 billion was fraudulently paid to suppliers for goods they did not deliver to the institute.
The auditors also accused him of failing to ensure that the ¢6 billion released to NVTI under his authority was disbursed for the purpose for which it was intended for, and for causing the release of ¢6 billion to NVTI without the approval of Parliament nor any other proper authority, and for equipment for which the approved budget was only ¢100 million.
Meanwhile, the President's nominee, Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni has described the report in question as a dodgy instrument, which has been purely manufactured for the purposes of prosecuting political vendetta.
In an interview with The Chronicle, he noted that there was no way he could accept the document as an Auditor-General's report, since according to him, it has not been properly tabled before Parliament as an institution.
He quoted Article 187 of the 1992 Constitution and the Audit Service Act to support his claim, stressing "it is very clear, that when the Auditor-General does any audit inspection, his report is published when he transmits it to Parliament and the Speaker of Parliament."
When it is laid in the House, he noted that it is then referred to the Public Accounts Committee where any person whose adverse findings are made against is invited to defend himself.
At the end of it, he emphasised that the Committee will publish a report, which will also be laid in Parliament for a debate on the floor before it prescribes a solution, whether people should be prosecuted or made to refund whatever losses they might have caused the nation in the line of duty. For this reason, he noted that the document was a dodgy instrument.
Both the Minority leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu and the First Deputy Speaker and chairman of the Appointments Committee, Hon. Doe Adjaho refused to comment on the report as to whether it could block the chances of the nominee. Adjaho, however, said that if a nominee does not breach any of the qualifications to enter parliament or public office, the Committee might approve him or her.
The Chronicle will soon start serialising the report. Stay tuned

Ama 'Chavez' Chokes Over Cocaine

The Minister designate for the Central Region, Madam Ama Benyiwa-Doe, was yesterday subjected to intensive interrogation by the Minority members serving on the Appointments Committee, for describing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a cocaine party in the heat of the electioneering campaign. Though she attempted to justify her pronouncement that a member of NPP was jailed for cocaine related offence, she back-tracked when she was pushed to the wall.
According to her, she was compelled to make those comments when former President Kufuor stated in public that the cocaine matter was a party matter.
When the Minority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu asked her whether an offence committed by one person in a party could be linked to the remaining members of the party, she answered in the negative and pleaded with him to rest the case.
She admitted that it was a hasty generalization to incriminate a whole party, just because one or two of its members mis-conducted themselves.
The National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party have had one or two of their members involved in cocaine scandals sometime back.
"Autie Ama, do you want me to ask you more questions", the Minority leader asked her. "No, you have grilled me enough", she responded.
She said one of the acute problems of the central region was poverty, and the area could be rated as one of the poorest regions in the country. She promised to liaise with other Ministries, especially the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to find the possibilities of reviving and establishing some industries in the region.
Mad Benyiwa-Doe said the high poverty level in the central region was as a result of the high illiteracy level and demanded that the Universities should consider quota system for the people from the region, where a percentage of vacancies is reserved for them on concessionary basis.
She lamented the persistent water problem that has beset the region for a long time, and said the past NDC government started some projects to solve the problem, which the immediate past NPP government also continued with, adding that she would step up from where the NPP had left off.
Asked whether she had been paid her End of Service Benefit as a member of parliament, she hesitantly admitted that she received it last month, under the controversial Chinnery Hesse recommendations.
She said her prime project, if given the nod, would be the Twifopraso-Dunkwa road, which according to her was in a very terrible state. She said her initial stay in office would be used in fact finding to familiarise herself with the people she would work with.
On the deserted Kasoa market, Mad Benyiwa-Doe said as soon as she assumes office, she would find out the reasons why the market has been abandoned, and find solutions to them.
She concluded her submission by saying that "I will be a mother for all people of the Central region."
When it got to the turn of Mr. Nyamekye Marfo, the Minister designate for the Brong-Ahafo region, the first question thrown to him was about incidents regretted as a cadre of the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR), for which he mentioned as the excesses of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
However, on the insistence of Hon. E.T Mensah that the PNDC came with both curses and blessings, and that it would be unfair to leave the matter one-sided, Mr. Nyamakye said it was during the PNDC era that his community was connected to the National electricity grid.
He said he would revive the once forested Brong Ahafo region by embarking on a very aggressive afforestation programme and rigorously enforce forestry laws.
He said excessive spending on funerals in the region would be dealt with through consultation with the chiefs, because to him, that was a cultural problem.
Mr. Nyamekye said the Poverty Alleviation Fund given to the local people could be useful to them.
He said he would embark on job creation by liaising with other Ministries and Agencies and also help with the construction of bore holes for the communities that were facing water problems.
The Ashanti Regional Minister Designate, Mr. Kofi Opoku Manu on his part described politics as an "unfortunate endeavour."
Giving reasons for his definition, Mr. Manu said his people admired him when he was serving as a Civil Servant, but did not vote for him when he contested the parliamentary seat in the Ashanti Region on the ticket of the NDC.
Asked how he would unify the people since majority of them did not support his party, he said his advantage was that the whole of the region hold allegiance to the Asantehene and that he would work together with him, to solve the problems of the region.
He said the congestion in Suame Magazine area would be vigorously investigated and solutions found to it.
On the stadium disaster, he said the issue would be dealt with by prosecuting those who were found to be culpable.
When the Greater Accra Regional Minister designate, Nii Armah Ashitey appeared before the Appointments Committee, he looked calm and well composed to face the grilling exercise. He looked focused and ready to answer questions thrown at him by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Doe Adjaho.
Outlining his vision for his potential portfolio, when given the nod, Hon. Nii Ashitey said he would collaborate with the District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the region to decongest the streets in the city, by removing hawkers and traders from the roads and pavement in order to make way for easy traffic flow. He said he would also help ease the cost in doing business in the city.
He earlier told these reporters that the hawkers and traders doing business on our various pavements and roads were a source of worry to him, and therefore, called for a collective effort in dealing with the situation.
"We need to take action to get the traders and hawkers off the streets. It behoves on all of us to move out the traders on our roads", he noted.
He was particularly concerned about the filth that has engulfed the capital city and noted that when given the nod, he would work harmoniously with the DCEs and Assemblies in ensuring that sanitation standards were improved.
According to him, he would make sure that all polluters, such as hawkers and producers of sachet water among others, would be made to pay some amount to the Assemblies to help in the disposal of waste in the city.
On the issue of sourcing fund for the activities of the assemblies, he said he would bring to bear his experiences garnered when he was at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).
"The assemblies have a duty to collect money from businesses that operate in the city. Generating of funds is one area that we have to look at very seriously," he noted.
To that effect, he said he would collaborate with all the relevant stake holders in the region to collect taxes from businesses that operate at night.
He said, he would do away with private tax collectors who work for the assemblies in order to save a lot of money, to which he said "a lot of monies go into the drains."
He said he would instill discipline, coupled with humility and transparency in the discharge of his duties to ensure that all DCEs perform their duties well.

Malaria elimination is dear to my heart -Sipa Yankey

The Minister designate for Health, Dr. George Sipa Yankey has indicated that one of his priorities when given the nod to become a Minister would be the elimination of malaria in the country, which is weighing heavily on the economy.
“Mr. Chairman, malaria elimination is very dear to my heart since it constitutes a heavy burden on the economy”, he noted.
Mr. Yankey made this remark when he appeared before the Appointments Committee for public hearing in Accra, yesterday.
To this realisation, the Minister designate intends to develop a nationwide malaria elimination programme with the assistance from all stakeholders in the health sector to help address the issue.
He said after achieving his dream of eliminating malaria in the country, he would liaise with our neighbouring countries to eradicate the menace from the sub-region.
The issue of malaria has of late become a very topical since most parts of the country have been engulfed with filth, a situation many have craved for the re-introduction of sanitary health guards to help deal with the situation.
To that effect, Mr. Yankey solidly threw his weight behind the idea and called for all hands on deck in ensuring the good sanitary practice in our various localities.
He also promised a holistic approach to guinea worm eradication to enable the country be a better place to live. He commended the previous government for its achievements made in reducing the level of guinea worm in the country.
Touching on rural/urban health facilities in the country, Mr. Yankey promised to extend quality medical care to all deprived areas that lack the facility to ensure that every Ghanaian enjoy good health.
He promised Ghanaians about improving on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by ensuring that the portability of the Scheme is proactive and also to ensure a universal premium for the payment of the Scheme.
This, he said would ensure that all card bearing members enjoy quality medical health care wherever one finds himself or herself.
Mr. Sepa Yankey also promised to build on the past government’s achievements in the health sector by extending medical health facilities to the newly created districts in the country.
He also promised to take inventory of all medical facilities in the country to acquaint himself with the situation on the ground, and where necessary renovate all decrepit facilities and structures to improve on health delivery.
The Minister designate, however, promised Ghanaians that he would look into the conditions of service of medical practitioners and avert the brain drain syndrome that the health sector was battling with.
“We are going to take a holistic approach covering salaries, accommodation and other benefits to make the environment very conducive to help them stay”, he added.
Touching on the issue of herbal/modern medicine in the country, Mr. Yankey promised to integrate the two, saying “herbal medicine is very good except that we need to introduce scientific approach into it, in order to benefit the people”.
When asked about his view on causing financial loss to the state, whether it should stay or not, Mr. Sepa Yankey declined to comment on it.

Oh Betty! A little flutter, but Betty charms her way into history

It was a virtuoso performance by the first woman to ascend the office of Minister of Justice.
Oozing a charm offensive, Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu largely flirted with the members of Parliament (MPs), smiling for effect, taking compliments for her rich experience on law, 30 years, and then twitching uncomfortably with a visible drop in countenance, as she fielded an awkward campaign ‘contextualised’ speech question, which got the goat of Honourable Hackman Owusu Agyeman, and finally being waved off by Mr. Doe Adjaho, the Majority Leader.
Betty was advised to go to London, round up, and come and assume her position as Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
"In fact, I must say, if my colleagues may permit me, that I admire your courage and confidence. We want you to go and wind up your activities at the Commonwealth Secretariat," noted the Chairman of the Appointments Committee.
This followed her impressive performance, when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting.
Smile a minute. She confidently answered questions posed her by members of the Committee, to the admiration of the gathering seated in the Speakers Conference room, venue of the event.
Firmly brandishing her credentials, as an anti corruption crusader who gives no room for corruption, she strongly supported the law on causing financial loss to the state to stay.
According to her, the offence of causing financial loss to the state had not been properly defined under the criminal code, and called for its rectification.
"Personally, I do not think this is a law that should come off from our statute book. The law should remain.
If there are problems with the law, we need to look at it and resolve some of the issues," she noted.
Betty-Mould strongly condemned acts of organisations or individuals that threaten judges in the execution of their duties at the law courts, and called on the law enforcement agencies to take appropriate action against such organisations or individuals, if their activities flouted the laws of the land.
When bombarded with issues captured in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) manifesto, that deals with the manipulation of the judiciary by the Executive, she stated that the Judiciary should be manifestly seen to be independent and above manipulation by the Executive.
According to her, there was a problem with the number of Supreme Court Judges that the country has, since there is no limit, saying, "it can lead to accusations of executive packing the Supreme Court.
"When you have a situation where there is no upper limit on the Supreme Court, and when you have a situation where the President picks the Justices of the Superior Court, these Justices might be seen to be reflective of the political ideologies of a particular party. That is what gives rise to uncertainties," she noted.
Betty believed that should there be a limit on the upper number of the Supreme Court Judges, some of the uncertainties would be removed, adding, "if there is an upper limit to the judges in panel, it would give some sort of certainty within the government."
Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu noted that her immediate advice to the presidency would be in the area of reviewing the activities of the Ministry of Justice, operationalising the Disability Act, enacting the Whistle Blower Act, among many more.
She was, however, delighted that people were expressing interest in the Alternative Dispute Resolution, which according to her, was one of her main planks, since it recognised the customary systems for arbitration.
When asked her view on separating the Attorney General’s Department from the Ministry of Justice, confident Betty clamoured for its separation.
She argued that since the Minister of Justice was an appointee of the government of the day, it would be prudent to have an Attorney General’s Department, whose activities would be independent and free from any government interference.
She said when given the nod, she would restore confidence in the nation’s Attorney Generals, by improving upon their conditions of service, and give them incentives to carry on their job, since most of them, sometimes, abandon their job and seek for greener pastures elsewhere, simply because of low conditions of service.
COLLINS DAUDA
On the part of Mr. Collins Dauda, Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, when he appeared before the sitting for public hearing, the Chairman wondered how he (Collins Dauda) was going to preach family planning, looking at the number of children that he has (ten).
In a swift response, he noted he would be the best person to preach family planning, since the number of children he has, was already breaking his neck.
According to him, the spate within which the environment was depleting needed critical attention, and he would put in place effective civil-culture practices and laws that would reduce pressure on the nation’s forest reserves, and the environment at large, since available records have shown that the country’s forest cover has deteriorated from 8.2 million hectares from the last century, to 1.6 million hectares as of today.
He noted that he would discourage chainsaw operators, since they posed a threat to our forest reserve, and encourage the use of small scale mobile mills, since it maximised yields.
"Chain saw operation is identified as one of the causes of forest depletion in this country. Indeed, it is said to be a menace in the sector," he noted.
He, however, said when given the nod, he would channel chainsaw operations to that of a productive venture, since the law of the country does not ban such practices.
On the issue of charcoal production, which is also a threat on the environment since operators have always turned on the environment for survival, Mr. Dauda noted that he would find means of providing them with raw materials, and link them up with some TUC holders so that access to raw materials becomes very easy for them.
On expansion of communities found in the forest reserves, he noted that when the communities expand, in terms of population, it would be prudent to allocate some portion in the forest reserve for them to feed on, since they cannot be ignored and starve to death.
When quizzed on what he would do on the activities of mining operations, since they also contribute in depleting the environment, Mr. Dauda admitted that mining in the forest reserve had always be a controversial issue, but he would be guided by policy in evaluating their operations.
He, however, noted to allow deep cast mining to help save the environment from further depletion.
Mr. Collins Dauda added that one of his main priorities, if given the nod, would be to delve deep into the operations of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD), to breathe life into it, since it creates a lot of employment for the jobless.
On how he would turn the Savannah land into Sahel lands, Mr. Dauda noted that he would encourage more wood plantations in the area, especially, mango production, as a way of re-greening and providing food for the people in the north.
JOE GIDISU
When Mr. Joe Gidisu, Minister-designate for Roads and Highways appeared before the Appointments Committee, he noted that he would consider setting up a maintenance unit to repair the various roads in our localities.
According to him, the Mobile Maintenance Unit of the Roads and Highways would be brought back to life to be more responsive, since its non-functioning was causing a lot of problems for the sector.
He sounded a word of warning to contractors who do shoddy work on our roads, that they revise their notes, since they would be blacklisted in the books of the ministry, for non-performance.
He said his outfit would sanction any contractor who flouted his obligations in executing a contract awarded him or her.
He noted that when given the nod, together with other stakeholders in the sector, he would consider reviewing road and bridge tolls, to generate more funds for the nation, for developmental projects.