Debates of 16 Feb 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members, the Official Report is not yet ready. We go to item 4.
MOTIONS 10 a.m.
Majority Leader (Mr. Felix K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I crave your indulgence to move this motion on your behalf as the Chairman of the Committee; and with your approval, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Second Report of the Committee of Selection on the composition of committees.
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Orders 151 and 152, the Committee on Selection was on Tuesday, 11th January, 2005 appointed and mandated to consider the composition of Standing and Select

Committees of the House. Accordingly, the Committee met on Tuesday, 11th January, 2005 and discussed the composition of the Business and Appointments Committees based on the ratio 59.1 per cent to 40.9 per cent as approved by the House.

The Committee met again on Tuesday, 1st February, 2005 to propose the Select Committees and the remaining Standing Committees of the House as spelt out in Standing Orders 151 (2) and 152 of the House. In line with the convention of the House, the Majority and the Minority caucuses presented their proposed list of membership for the Standing and Select Committees in accordance with the approved ratio to the Committee of Selection and these were approved.

Mr. Speaker, the list of the Committees under consideration has been given on pages 2 and 3 of the Report and I hope the Hansard will capture it together with the detailed list. The Committee recommends the adoption of this Report by the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

1.0 Introduction

In accordance with Standing Orders 151 and 152, the Committee of Selection was on Tuesday, 11th January 2005 appointed and mandated to consider the composition of Standing and Select Committees of the House.

1.1 Accordingly, the Committee met on Tuesday, 11th January 2005 and discussed the composition of the Business and Appointment Committees based on the ratio of 59.1:40.9 as approved by the House.

1.2 The Committee met again on Tuesday, 1st February 2005 to compose the Select Committees and the remaining

Standing Committees of the House as spelt out in Orders 151 (2) and 152 of the House.

1.3 In line with the convention of the House, the Majority and Minority caucuses presented their proposed lists of membership for the Standing and Select Committees in accordance with the approved ratio to the Committee of Selection and these were approved.

The Select Committees and the remaining Standing Committees are listed below:

Standing Committees

1. The Standing Orders Committee

2. The Committee of Privileges

3. The Public Accounts Committee

4. The Subsidiary Legislation Committee

5. The House Committee

6. The Finance Committee

7. The Committee on Members Holding Offices of Profit

8. The Committee on Government Assurance

9. The Committee on Gender and Children

10. Special Budget Committee

11. Judiciary Committee Select Committees

1. Lands and Forestry

2. Agriculture, Food and Cocoa Affairs

3 . L o c a l G o v e r n m e n t a n d Rural Development

4. Works and Housing

5 . C o n s t i t u t i o n a l , L e g a l a n d Parlia- mentary Affairs

6. Health

7. Communication

8. Roads and Transport

9. Defence and Interior

10. Foreign Affairs

11. Youth, Sports and Culture

12. Education

13. Mines and Energy

1 4 . E n v i r o n m e n t , S c i e n c e and Technology

15. Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises

16. Trade, Industry and Tourism

(Attached are appendices of approved committees and their membership).

2.0 Conclusion

The Committee recommends the adoption of this report by the House.

Respectfully submitted.
STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE OF PRIVILEGES 10 a.m.
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 10 a.m.
HOUSE COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
FINANCE COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE OF MEMBERS HOLDING OFFICE OF PROFIT 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ASSURANCES 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON GENDER AND CHILDREN 10 a.m.
SPECIAL BUDGET COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND COCOA AFFAIRS 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON LANDS AND FORESTRY 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL, LEGAL AND 10 a.m.
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON WORKS AND HOUSING 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 10 a.m.
SPECIAL BUDGET COMMITTEE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE AND INTERIOR 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON ROADS AND TRANSPORT 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORTS AND CULTURE 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON MINES AND ENERGY 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL WELFARE AND 10 a.m.
STATE ENTERPRISES 10 a.m.
COMMITTEE ON TRADE, INDUSTRY AND TOURISM 10 a.m.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it looks like this is not a contentious motion. Again, hon. Members will have the opportunity to look at the final list when the Hansard prints the proceedings of the day, and I believe that at that point if there is any further spelling mistake or any genuine omission, hon. Members may have opportunity to liaise with the Leadership and get it done.
The only thing I may want to add is that as it has been the convention, when the Deputy Ministers are known there would be the need to look at the list for the Majority side since we have a rule that one cannot be a member of a committee which is responsible for looking at one's Ministry. Again, definitely we would not encourage a Deputy Minister or for that matter a Minister to become a Chairman or Vice Chairman or Ranking Member or Deputy Ranking Member of the committee. So when this information is known we will come back to it.

Mr. Speaker, the last Parliament had an ad hoc committee on poverty reduction. This committee is becoming more and more important in the light of the decision taken by ECOWAS that poverty reduction strategy should be an important feature. So I believe that we should instruct the Whips -- in fact, the Leadership, but more importantly the Whips -- to look at

the composition of that committee so that perhaps by next week we would have had this ad hoc committee on poverty reduction in place together with the recomposition of our representation on the ECOWAS Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament since one cannot be a member of that body if he or she is not a Member of Parliament; and I believe in some cases we may have some people in that category.

With this, I urge all hon. Members to support the motion. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Question put and motion agreed to.

Resolved:

That this honourable House adopts the Second Report of the Committee on Selection on the Composition of Committees.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Item 5.
State of the Nation Address
Motion:
That th i s House thanks His Excellency the President for the Message on the State of the Nation, which he delivered to this honourable House on Thursday, 3rd February, 2005 -- [Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo].
(Resumption of debate from 15th February, 2005)
Mr. Clement Kofi Humado (NDC -- Anlo) 10:20 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to also express my views on the Message of the State of the Nation delivered by His Excellency the President two weeks ago.
This State of the Nation Address has been the subject of considerable debate on
Mr. Clement Kofi Humado (NDC -- Anlo) 10:30 a.m.
In Ghana, the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services is one of such institutions that play a key role in certification of exports of agricultural commodities into the multilateral trading systems. This public institution since 1997 has drafted a Bill to change Act 307 that established it in 1965. This draft Bill has been lingering between the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the Attorney-General's Department and the Cabinet. And for seven years the Bill has not yet been laid in Parliament.
Meanwhile, at the international level, the International Plan Protection Convention (IPPC) which is the sister organisation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) responsible for sanitary and phytosanitary measures under which the IPPC falls has given a deadline of October 2005 for member countries to adopt this new legal framework.
Mr. Speaker, the strategy that His Excellency the President has adopted in agriculture is on diversification of exports that is, removing reliance from cocoa to the non-traditional export crops. We stand to lose compliance if nothing is done to ensure that the public institutions responsible for certifying these non-traditional agricultural export crops is in compliance with the international regulations.
I am saying these things just to point out the weakness in the Bill drafting process. And I think that this is an area that His Excellency the President ought to have also touched on in the State of the Nation Address. To improve the Bill drafting process, some of these institutions like the IPPC have legal departments in their set-up and they can offer legal advice to lawyers in this country.
I would like to move on straight to my
which is the Anlo constituency, we have many fishermen who fish both in the sea and the lagoon. Large fishing vessels that fish very close to the continental shelf seriously affect their livelihood. There was a project in 1998, which was supposed to monitor the movement of large fishing vessels on the coast of Ghana.
My research shows that this project was moved to the security agencies. Since 1998, this project has not taken off. It is my belief that the State of the Nation Address needs to focus on this because if we have an effective monitoring of large fishing vessels which will not destroy fishing stocks on the continental shelf, and which will not destroy the fishing nets of our local farmers, then we can ensure the livelihood of these fishing communities and therefore reduce their poverty.
The project was supposed to monitor fishing vessels within 50 metres' depth of the continental shelf. This translates to about 10 to 100 nautical miles of the coast. I urge His Excellency the President to look seriously at this because it has something to do with reduction of poverty, particularly for fishermen along the coast of which my constituency, Anlo, is part.

I would like also to move straight to the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on sugarcane. I did hear His Excellency the President say he was considering a PSI on sugarcane. This was subject to considerable debate. Some hon. Members said it was a slip of tongue and others said it was not included in the text. Mr. Speaker, I believe it came from the heart of His Excellency the President. My constituency has a potential for sugarcane production, and I believe that this will go a long way to improve the livelihoods of my people. And if this came from the President's heart, then I urge his

the floor of the House and various areas have been covered. I also believe that I have new perspectives which I could add to the State of the Nation Address.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to go straight to agriculture. In the State of the Nation Address, agriculture was not given prominent status. We all agree that agriculture forms the backbone of the economy of this country. And one would have expected that it would be treated under a separate topic under which we would have had a clear vision of His Excellency for developing agriculture within the next four years, a clear vision which will spell out his response to both domestic and international issues; and it is on this area that I wish to make a few comments.

The first is improving the legislative and regulatory framework of public institutions responsible for certification of exports and imports of agricultural products.

Mr. Speaker, whilst the text dwelt largely on domestic issues, there is an area of agriculture which also deals with compliance with the regulatory framework of international institutions. And this area was prominently missing from the State of the Nation Address.

Mr. Speaker, exports of agricultural commodities require compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). And since Ghana is a member of the WTO, this requires that our public institutions must be restructured and must have the appropriate legal framework to meet compliance of international institutions. Just to give you a little background, after the formation of the WTO in 1995 from General Agreement on Trade & Tariffs (GATT), the legal framework of some of these institutions

next point, which is support to agricultural research. There is an area which I think His Excellency the President ought to have touched; and that is support to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. It is the safe use of radiation to promote quality standards for agricultural products.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at the statistics, exporters in Ghana suffer a lot of losses as a result of spoilage of produce through shipping and transportation to the multi- lateral trading system. And in Ghana we have the capacity to overcome most of these problems. The Biotechnology and Radiation Processing Department of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission has been conducting studies on the safe use of radiation to promote quality standards for agricultural products. I wish to draw the attention of His Excellency the President therefore, to this potential that we have, that ought to reflect in his vision for the next four years.

Mr. Speaker, radiated products are already in the Ghanaian market; they are in the supermarkets, some are spices, herbs from South Africa with special labels. It is in response to this that the Ghana Standards Board has already instituted an international standard called GS 210 of 1997 to control the domestic production of radiated foods and also the import of radiated foods. I therefore believe that this area of agriculture needs to be reflected in the programmes of His Excellency the President for this term.

My third point is on fishing vessels surveillance for protection of small canoe fishermen. Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy points out very clearly, a link between poverty and fishing communities. It states that poverty is predominant among crop farmers and also fishing communities. In my constituency,
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Please wind up.
Mr. Humado 10:30 a.m.
Please I am just winding up. Aquaculture is also an area which should have featured very prominently in the State of the Nation Address. If you look at the agricultural statistics, you would realise that Ghana has not been faring very well with the fisheries subsector. Meanwhile, we have a lot of water bodies. The Volta lake is there, the lagoons are there, as well as the sea. I thought that to break new grounds, we could also have focused on aquaculture to supplement both local productions and exports. The whole world over, much of the fish that are consumed is farmed and not just caught. This is an area that I think Ghana has the potential with the large water bodies available; and I think that the State of the Nation Address could have also focused on that.
My last point is on the deregulation of petroleum products and its effect on the agricultural sector. Deregulation and liberalisation of petroleum sector has the tendency of allowing prices to take their own levels according to the demand and supply situation.
I researched on deregulation in some countries and I realised that deregulation can also cause price variability, according to where you are within the country. It is possible that under the new situation the price of petroleum products in Hamile or Anloga may be higher than the price in Anlo or in Accra.
Increase in prices will definitely affect the farming sector, particularly those who use petrol water pumps for irrigation; and in my constituency a lot of the farmers who are vegetable farmers use petrol water pumps
Fomena, is it the case?
Mr. Afrifa 10:30 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, hon. Balado Manu said that some people have ears but they do not hear any better; and this is the case. Mr. Speaker, I sought permission from you to quote and I have quoted exactly what the President said.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member who has the floor is positioned on the second terrace; the hon. Member who raised the objection is on the first terrace. And Mr. Speaker, given the height of the hon. Member, I am wondering if he can indeed see what is happening there -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Majority Chief Whip, this is not a point of order.
Dr. M. K. Antwi 10:40 a.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Member was misleading the House. All of us here are new in the Fourth Parliament. [Some hon. Members: No, no!] In this Fourth Parliament, we are all new here. He has served the Third Parliament; but in the Fourth Parliament we are all new. So he is making his maiden speech, and, at least, he should be allowed to do that.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member, you have
no point of order at all. Hon. Member for Fomena, kindly proceed.
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my major concern is that the President and his Government have pursued a dynamic and pragmatic foreign policy that has really made Ghana an investment destination in the subregion. Mr. Speaker, we the people of Ghana, more especially Ashantis, have this popular Adinkra cloth; and in the Adinkra cloth are various symbols and patterns that portray and convey very, very important messages for others to note. Mr.
for irrigation. It is an area that I thought that if such a policy should be taken, then we would also need to look at how to cushion off the effects or the impact of this policy on small-scale farmers.
My suggestion is that if there cannot be any special arrangement, as was indicated by the hon. Minister for Fisheries for premix for fishermen, if such a similar arrangement cannot be made for small-scale farmers, then the Government needs to look at alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar for small equipment that can help small-scale farmers so as to minimise the cost of production and also the cost of food and agricultural products.
Mr. Speaker, on ICT, I fully agree on the President's vision on information communication technology, but where I think there needs to be some specificity is in the area of agriculture.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member, please conclude.
Mr. Humado 10:40 a.m.
I am aware of the Government's efforts in improving the ICT and this is an area that I thought the President could also focus on.
Mr. Speaker, I think that these issues, if considered, particularly in the programme and the Budget, would go a long way to enhance the President's vision for this country.
Mr. Akwasi Afrifa (NPP - Fomena) 10:40 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to also contribute to the State of the Nation Address delivered by His Excellency, President J. A. Kufuor.
Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt in my mind that the Address of the President really points to the people of Ghana and the entire world as to where Ghana is coming from, where Ghana is going, and the means by which Ghana would finally get to her destination.
Mr. Speaker, permit me to concentrate on foreign policy as it is captured on pages 22 and 23 of the President's Address. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would just quote a small portion:
“Mr. Speaker, for the past four years, the nation has pursued a foreign policy of neighbourliness in the ECOWAS subregion and Africa. With the rest of the world, the policy has been strategic geopolitics to the mutual advantage of the nation and its partners. This policy has earned Ghana a good international image and opened up significant investment opportunities.”
Mr. S. Sallas-Mensah 10:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member has been in the House for the past eight years, but since he started making his contribution he has never raised his head up. He is always copiously reading his notes.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for

Speaker, one of the important symbols is the Obi nka Obi symbol, meaning “do not bite me so that I also do not bite you” .

Mr. Speaker, for the past four years, that is, 2001 to 2004, Ghana enjoyed a peaceful coexistence, good neighbourliness with our immediate neighbours; namely, Burkina Faso in the North, Togo in the East, and la Cote d'Ivoire in the West, as well as many other sister countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) subregion. Mr. Speaker, it never happened during the first tenure of office of the President that Ghana or any other country closed her borders with Ghana.
Mr. J. A. Tia 10:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading the House. The statement that before the year 2001, Ghana did not have any good neighbourliness with her sister countries is false. I can recall that just before the NPP Government came into power in 2001, the former President, His Excellency Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings had steered the affairs of ECOWAS for two terms as Chairman and he promoted peace and development, good relationship with all the other neighbouring countries; so for him to say that is wrong, and I urge him to, at least, withdraw that.
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I made special
reference to the first tenure of our President - 2001 to 2004. That is what I said. I did not refer to their past.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member, did you talk about the pre-2001 period?
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is what I said, 2001-2004; that there was not any occasion that compelled any of our neighbours to close their borders with
Ghana. That is what I said. And it brought a peaceful coexistence; empirically, he can go and verify; it is there.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Minority Chief
Whip, did you hear that?
Mr. Tia 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Hon. Minority
Chief Whip, you have put the records straight so let him go on.
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Jomoro, are you raising a point of order?
Mr. Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Let us hear you.
Mr. Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Fomena, please proceed.
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
Thank you for the permission to continue. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minority Chief Whip, unfortunately, used the word “coward”. I have never been a coward. My name is Afrifa Akwasi - [Laughter] - a real fighter who never runs away so please, Mr. Speaker, I plead with you that he should withdraw the - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Minority Chief Whip, kindly take a certain course in respect of the word you used.
Mr. Tia 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thought that I used it advisedly. I will put it into quotes then -
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Please, do the honourable thing and let us continue; hon. Member for Fomena, you do not have much time on your side.
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
All right. Mr. Speaker, following the economic diplomacy of His Excellency the President and his Government in pursuing the foreign policy that has been identified, Ghana in no small way, between 2001 and 2004 became an investment destination. Mr. Speaker, according to Mr. Kwasi Abeasi, Executive Director of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), between this period, so many countries, both developed and developing, found in Ghana a stable democratic state worthy of putting their money in the economy of this country.
Mr. Tia 10:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, apart from mentioning the name “Mr. Kwasi Abeasi”, the hon. Member is not telling us from what source he is quoting the information. He should tell us at what point Mr. Abeasi made this statement and to whom and so on and so forth so that we will add it to the President's - [Interruption.]
Mr. Afrifa 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kwasi Abeasi is the Executive Director of GIPC and just last week, he held a press conference and this appeared in the Daily Graphic of January 25, 2005. What is his problem?
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Deputy Minority Whip,
do you have any point of order to raise?
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a
point of order. I am a bit confused. I do not know which Abeasi he is referring to. We do not have an Abeasi who is an Executive Director; we have an Abeasi who is the Chief Executive of the Investment Centre. Which one of them is he talking about?
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Deputy Minority Whip,
you will have your time. Hon. Member for Fomena, you may proceed.
Mr. Afrifa 10:50 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that India has edged out Britain as the leading foreign direct investor in this country. India registered 183 projects in Ghana, Britain 177, China 161, Lebanon 135, United States of America (USA) 126, Germany 104.
Mr. Agbesi 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is just mentioning figures all over the place. I have been listening to him and he says that by the economic diplomacy of His Excellency, Ghana has become an investment destination. He keeps on mentioning figures without any source, without any reference, without any basis. Mr. Speaker, he must be specific and come to the point.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.


Fomena, are you still quoting from the Daily Graphic?
Mr. Afrifa 10:50 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is there Mr. Speaker, I will refer the hon. Member to the library to go for the Daily Graphic of Tuesday, January 25, 2005, Volume 115. It is in black and white.
Mr. Tia 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I just want the hon. Member to elucidate this. He is relying so much on the newspaper publication. Do I take it that His Excellency the President has now advised them, those on the other side, to now rely on newspaper information? I am asking him because a short while ago, we were told that we could not use newspaper information to investigate anybody.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for
Fomena, time is not on your side; you may wind up.
Mr. Afrifa 10:50 a.m.
Thank you, Sir. Mr.
Mr. Salia 10:50 a.m.
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I just want to ask my hon. Friend, who is indeed a very good friend, whether he can make photocopies and distribute to those of us who want to make references on those figures.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for Jirapa,
you know that this is not a point of order.
Mr. Afrifa 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have been
a teacher before and I did not spoon-feed my students. I only showed them the source and they went and found things for themselves.
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Majority Chief Whip, do
you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:50 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the rule in this House is that if any publication exists, if any information exists in an official publication, a Member is supposed to know, and he cannot call on the Member who is making reference to that publication to produce it. That is the first point.
Mr. Speaker, the second thing is that if anybody sees information as per Standing Orders 92 (1)(b) -- the person on floor must indicate, and I quote:
“No Member shall interrupt any other Member except --
(b) to elucidate some matter raised by the Member speaking in the course of his speech, provided that the Member speaking is willing to give way and resume his seat…”
Mr. Speaker, the Member cannot be
pressurized to yield the seat. So a Member cannot, like the Minority Chief Whip, just get up and say he wants him to elucidate some points. Mr. Speaker, that is unacceptable if the Member does not yield.
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for
Ashaiman, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Agbesi 10:50 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Majority Chief Whip read Standing Order 92 (1) (b) but he did not finish reading it. If he had finished, the point raised by the hon. Member for Jirapa would have been made clear; because Mr. Speaker, the last end of that Order states, and Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I quote:
“. . . and that the Member wishing to interrupt is called by the Speaker.”
Mr. Speaker, you did call the hon.
Member to make his point, so having called him, he was right to have made his point. Mr. Speaker, if he had finished reading the Standing Order, it would have been clear to all of us.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for Fomena, continue.
Mr. Afrifa 10:50 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Other investors are even coming from developing countries and sister countries. Nigeria has registered 53 projects; South Africa 33 projects; Malaysia 12 and la Cote d'Ivoire 11.
Mr. Speaker, these have a face value of 186.3 million dollars. So if a sitting President could use his first tenure to turn the economy in this manner, by attracting such huge investments into this country, having pursued such a dynamic foreign policy, then of course, it behoves this august House, both sides, to give the President a pat on the shoulder and to encourage him to do more for this country, for us, our children and our children's children.
Mr. G. Kuntu-Blankson (NDC - Mfantsiman East) 11 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the motion moved by the Member for Akim Oda, hon. Yaw Osafo- Maafo and seconded by hon. J. D. Mahama.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to associate myself with those thanking the President for fulfilling this constitutional duty as prescribed by article 67 of the 1992 Constitution. However, like the President had done earlier, one expects that at the end of the day, the promises in the Address could be fulfilled. I am particularly concerned about ICT and the section of the Address on page 9, paragraph 6, which states and I quote:
“In furtherance of this policy,
the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunication (GIFTEL) is being established to extend the telecommunications infrastructure to cover both the public and private sectors.”
I hope here that a time-frame as to when the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunication would be established, would be made known to the country. Mr. Speaker, I say this against the background that telecommunication infrastructure is so vital, not only to interconnect the entire country but also to cater for the public and private sectors as well.
Mr. Speaker, I will like also to say something on Health. Even though the fight against tuberculosis (TB), malaria, buruli ulcer and guinea-worm were mentioned in the Address, there is the need to intensify education on these and other preventable diseases.
It is also important to state that until the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) becomes fully operational, there is the urgent need to enhance access to treatment for such preventable diseases.
Mr. Speaker, in rural communities such as my constituency (Mfantsiman East), the effect of malaria and guinea-worm has been devastating and affects productivity. It is also important, Mr. Speaker, to intensify and sustain the national campaign against
HIV/AIDS.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, whilst the President talked about the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on so many areas, nothing was said about aquaculture. The fishing industry in my area is on the decline and I would like to urge the President to make sure that the laws made to prevent bigger vessels from encroaching on our territorial waters, which affect the catch of the small canoe fishermen in my community and is bringing untold hardship to my people in the community --
Mr. G. Kuntu-Blankson (NDC - Mfantsiman East) 11 a.m.


I will urge the Government to also make sure that a special presidential initiative on fisheries is made for our fisherfolk within areas like Nakwa, Otuam, Arkra- Ekumpoano areas where their livelihood is under pressure; because they are not able to cater for their children and they are not able to pay for their children's school fees.

In view of this, I would like to thank the President for giving us such an Address.
Mr. James Appietu 11:10 a.m.
None

Lower West Akim): Mr. Speaker, I thank you for permitting me to contribute to the motion on the State of the Nation Address delivered by the President, Mr. J. A. Kufuor.

Mr. Speaker, the Message that was delivered was an excellent one. It was simple, straight to the point and contained measurable, attainable and very pragmatic strategies. Indeed, the three-pronged strategy would provide the impetus for the accelerated growth of the economy.

Mr. Speaker, his Excellency the President

ought to be thanked not only for the concise and clear Message that he gave but also for the manner in which he was able to carry both sides of the House to listen to him with rapt attention.

Mr. Speaker, I was excited when his Excellency mentioned Human Resource Development as one of the three-pronged strategy for Positive Change Chapter 2. Under this strategy is the combination of Health, Education and Sports.

The public and private sectors, Mr. Speaker, are in dire need of trained and qualified professionals. Mr. Speaker, as a nation we have all the natural resources, but if we lack the right human capital - these resources will remain untapped. And when

we are unable to tap them we may not be able to add value in order to compete in the international market when we export.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote

what the President said on page 12 of his Address:

“This sector should be characterised by continued training and retraining particularly in the areas of human psychology to build a versatile, adaptable and forward-looking human resource base for our socio- economic development.”

Mr. Speaker, I would now want to move on to health. Mr. Speaker, there is a saying in Akan that wo wonkwa a, wo wo adee, literally put in English, “health is wealth”. The National Health Insurance, Mr. Speaker, is obviously the solution to making health delivery easily accessible and humane. Basically, insurance is a contribution of the many into a common pool from which the few who suffer losses are compensated or given some kind of restitution. We do insure all kinds of properties. In fact, insurance of motor vehicles is compulsory in this country. Mr. Speaker, I believe that if there is anything to be insured for which of course insurance is necessary, then it is the human being that need to be looked at; and this is what the Health Insurance Scheme is all about.

I would like to appeal to hon. Members of this House to support the scheme and also encourage their constituents to register to join the scheme. Indeed, each one of us must be one another's keeper.

Mr. Speaker, I have decided to dwell on health because I believe that the human being must be the centre of wealth creation and this, in fact, emphasizes the fact that health is really wealth. The State

Mr. Speaker, my emphasis is on the phrase, “work in progress”. Even in production processes or in construction, work in progress is usually quantified in percentage terms, for example 20 per cent, 30 per cent, or 80 per cent complete. I would like to find out from His Excellency the President what percentage of completion was achieved in the first five priority areas selected in 2001.
Mr. E. A. Owusu-Ansah 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think I heard the hon. Member say that in Positive Change Chapter 2, His Excellency mentioned five priority areas. If what I heard is correct, then the hon. Member is misleading this honourable House. His Excellency the President mentioned three priority areas in Positive Change Chapter 2.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member, you are out of order; let him proceed.
Mr. A. K. Obbin 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is copiously reading from a script in front of him, and I think he is out of order. Mr. Speaker, I want to know whether he has sought permission from the Chair before reading copiously from his script.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ketu North, are you a new Member?
Mr. Avedzi 11:10 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I am a new Member and I am not reading from any script. Now, to demonstrate the answer that I gave that Positive Change Chapter 2 cannot be based on unfinished products, I again refer you to page 11 of the Address
of the Nation Address delivered by His Excellency is pregnant with a lot of tactics that should bring the Positive Change Chapter 2 to a success, to the good people of this country.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I heard my hon. Friend mention that the Address is pregnant with lots of strategies. How old is the pregnancy because people are suffering in this country and we want to see things happen?
Mr. Appietu-Ankrah 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, the Message was clear on the need to have a sound mind in a sound body - mens sana in corpore sano. Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat; the Message was clear and concise on the need to have a sound mind in a sound body -- mens sana in corpore sano; and this was vividly captured under Sports.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for this opportunity to make my maiden speech on the floor of the House.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi (NDC -- Ketu North) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my voice to the motion on the floor to thank the President for the State of the Nation Address. In my contribution, I want to rely on page 2, paragraph 3. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I beg to quote:
“The f ive pr ior i ty areas for development selected by Govern- ment were dictated by the situation that confronted us in year 2001. They have served us well; the achieve- ments are manifest, and they remain essentially, work in progress. It is on these priorities that the NPP Government is basing the implem- entation of ‘Positive Change Chapter 2' which is for accelerated growth.”
Mr. J. K. Avedzi (NDC -- Ketu North) 11:10 a.m.


and, Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I quote:

“Mr. Speaker, one of the most difficult problems that has faced this nation is how to make health delivery easily accessible and humane. I believe that the National Health Insurance Scheme that has been launched offers the solution to this age-old problem.”
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that many hon. Members would want to be granted the opportunity to comment on the State of the Nation Address delivered by the President. Mr. Speaker, every now and then, hon. Members make reference to hon. Colleagues reading prepared texts. I believe that initially, before we commenced, you sounded that you would allow some latitude, particularly to the new hon. Members of Parliament, to make copious references to their prepared texts. So I just want to make a general appeal to hon. Colleagues that they should allow that to reign during the course of this debate.
Mr. Avedzi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, now reading this sentence, one would see two clear issues relevant to having access to health delivery. One will talk of the geographical access and the financial access. The NHIS is trying to solve the problem of financial access to health delivery, provided it works. But the President in his Message failed to talk about geographical access to health delivery. In other words, people in the rural areas find it difficult to travel long distances to the health centres, to clinics before they are attended to. I want to appeal to the President to look at how geographical access to health delivery can be considered.
Mr. Speaker, the President again has not mentioned anything about the rate at which
the President mentioned in the Address, should be pursued very well to the grass- roots level so that the people down in the constituencies, in the districts do not suffer, so that Ghanaians will feel happy, Ghanaians will have peace and security, as mentioned in the State of the Nation Address.
Mr. Joe Ghartey (NPP 11:10 a.m.
None

Ketan): Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to support the motion thanking H.E. the President for his Message on the State of the Nation delivered on Tuesday, 3rd February, 2005. Mr. Speaker, the gravamen of my contribution is found on page 15 of the State of the Nation Address; and if Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I may quote:

“Mr. Speaker, Ghana has been a mono-crop economy for a long time and it is about time we diversified.”

Mr. Speaker, indeed I am of the view that if every government since indepen- dence had concentrated just on one crop, we would already have achieved the middle- level income status that we all desire. Admittedly, there have been attempts by various governments to diversify the economy. For example, the reduction of tax on non-traditional exports to 8 per cent is an indication of an attempt by government to diversify the nature of the economy.

But Mr. Speaker, this, like several other attempts, unfortunately was not able to achieve the purpose required. Mr. Speaker, we all know that cocoa is the mono-culture His Excellency the President is talking about. Cocoa was introduced into this country by Tetteh Quarshie in 1879. But Mr. Speaker, before cocoa was introduced, oil palm had already been exported from Ghana; and Mr. Speaker, with your permission, if I may quote from Makers of Modern Ghana, a book written by Magnus Simpson and published by

our nurses and doctors are leaving this country. One may wonder how the NHIS would succeed if we do not have nurses and doctors. I find it difficult to understand how the NHIS is going to solve the age-old problem of health delivery in this country, whilst no mention was made about what should be done to retain our doctors and nurses in this country. I think efforts must be made to retain them after their training, if the NHIS is to succeed.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
this indeed is a very serious allegation and I believe the hon. Member will do this House considerable good by sub-stantiating the allegation that NDC people were targeted, their names were given to the police to be prosecuted for the mere fact that they were NDC members. I think it is a very serious statement and the hon. Member must justify this.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ketu
North, do you have the evidence of what you have said?
Mr. Avedzi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have the
evidence. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) for Dzodze District has the list of the people that I am talking about. He can be contacted, he is the source.
When we went to him to complain to him, this was what he told us: That a list of 18 people were given to him, and then when he mentioned the names of these people, they happened to be NDC supporters. Therefore, that is the source, we can go to the DSP at Dzodze to find out.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ketu
North, if you do not have the evidence here you may as well withdraw.
Mr. Avedzi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if what I am saying does not sound well to the ears of the hon. Members on the other side, that statement has been withdrawn.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Order! The hon. Member
has withdrawn the statement.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
the manner of retraction is objectionable. Mr. Speaker, it is objectionable. The Member is talking about hearsay evidence, in the first place, and secondly, the fact that the names of the people involved in whatever occasioned their arrest happened to be the names of NDC members does not in any way mean that they were arrested because they were NDC members. Mr. Speaker, for that reason, for him to say that he is withdrawing if it does not please the ears of the people on the other side is most objectionable, and he must withdraw.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ketu
North, did I hear that you said you have withdrawn?
Mr. Avedzi 11:20 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have
withdrawn that statement.
That is the last point that I want to
comment on in the President's Message on the State of the Nation. And in spite of all the hecklings, I want to end my comment here by saying that good governance, as
Mr. Avedzi 11:20 a.m.


Anowu Educational Publications. It says on page 58, and Mr. Speaker, if I may read:

“Ghartey was the first to introduce palm kernel cracking as a stable article of export. It is on record that in 1873, the first shipment of oil palm kernel by the firm, Ghartey Brothers, was made from the ports of Sekondi and Adwoa.”

Mr. Speaker, of course, that Ghartey does not refer to me -- [Laughter.] It refers to King Ghartey IV, -- Robert Johnson Ghartey. Mr. Speaker, now if we were exporting oil palm even before cocoa was brought into this country, and if the Malaysians came to Ghana -- [Interrup- tion.]
Alhaji Seidu Amadu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not very sure whether it was palm oil that was exported or oil palm. Oil palm refers to the tree, which is un-exportable; but palm oil is the product which is exportable. So he should correct himself.
Mr. Ghartey 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it was palm
kernel which was exported according to the book. Mr. Speaker, I am saying that if the oil palm tree had become a cash crop even before cocoa was introduced into Ghana -- and soon after independence people like Abongo Duncan from Essikado went to Malaysia to teach the Malaysians the rudiments of planting the oil palm tree -- then it is regrettable that we are still a mono-crop economy. And when we think of oil palm or palm oil in Ghana, we think about abe nkwan and so on, while the Malaysians have used the same product for several things including even fuel which can power vehicles.
Mr. Speaker, indeed, when I look at the nature of our economy, our mono-crop economy, I come to the conclusion that the
last but two lines in the first verse of our National Anthem, which states -- “help us to resist oppressors rule with all our will and might for ever more”, cannot be said only to political oppression. Indeed, the founding fathers must have been thinking about economic oppression as well because, Mr. Speaker, a flag and an anthem without economic independence cannot be serious independence. But I will not play the blame game and blame an unjust economic order, et cetera for our present woes.
Mr. Speaker, we must realize the reality that we live in an economic world where our economy is basically based on a pre- colonial economy, which made us cultivate agricultural produce that we do not even eat in Ghana.

What I will say is that it is the duty of every Government to seek to free us from these shackles of economic slavery and so the President's Special Initiative (PSI) is the most total, comprehensive and complete attempt to change the structure and nature of Ghana's economy. [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, the PSI has even been recognized by the whole country as doing something good in the Ghanaian's life. Indeed, even today hon. Members of this honourable House have called for a PSI in fishing, PSI on this and that. People have called for a PSI on guinea pigs, a PSI on Black Stars and a PSI on Job 600 - [Laughter.]
Mr. Tia 11:30 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading this House. It is not new to have these economic things being thrown to us. But I just want to underscore the fact that His Excellency President Kufuor was a member
Mr. Lee Ocran 11:30 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member for Essikado/ Ketan lives in the Western Region, but he is seriously misleading this House. Apart from BOPP, there was Sese which has 11,000 hectres. So to say that before BOPP the others were in rudimentary - In fact, he was a young man at that time, but it is still there --
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Essikado/Ketan, you may deal with the point raised.
Mr. Ghartey 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I did not express myself well, to have given BOPP as an example; so perhaps, I would change it and say that apart from companies such as BOPP, which are big and are able to produce commercially, the majority of our oil palm plantations and holdings are small. And I agree with him that indeed I am a young man; I will be seeing him from time to time to guide me - [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker, I will just speak on salt and take my seat. PSI on salt is also doing good things with regard to the salt industry. Indeed, it has increased production of salt by 40 per cent in Gomoa Nyanyano. I am reliably informed by the Secretariat that Keta is another place that PSI on salt would be going to. Mr. Speaker, if this is not transforming the economy of Ghana from a monoculture then I do not know what can amount to transforming the economy.
I want to say in conclusion that, if coming events cast their shadows, then you will agree with me that “Positive Change Chapter I” has laid a sound foundation for “Positive Change Chapter II”. [Hear! Hear!] And Mr. Speaker, if we can liken “Positive Change” to a triple jump, we could say that “Positive Change Chapter I” was a very strong hop; “Positive Change Chapter II would be a gigantic step, and indeed “Positive Change Chapter III” would be a record-breaking jump. [Hear!
of the Government of the Second Republic under Dr. Busia and then he was Cabinet Minister in PNDC, and I do not know whether he did not have these initiatives then, or was he waiting until he became President? [Interruptions.] So they are not new, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Minority Chief Whip, you have not yet had your turn; you will have it in due course. You are out of order.
Mr. Ghartey 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the kind of things that the PSI has done to the various sectors are worthy of record. In fact, Mr. Speaker, our industrial starch from cassava has been recognized as an excellent product. Mr. Speaker, industrial starch made out of cassava can be used for various purposes, from the petroleum industry to the food industry. Indeed, the highest grade goes into the food industry. Nestle, the multinational company has approved Ayensu Starch Company as a supplier of good grade starch to all its factories worldwide. [Hear! Hear!]
With regard to oil palm, before the intervention of PSI, the figures available at the PSI Secretariat indicate that we were producing 250,000 seed-nuts a year. In the first year of the PSI on oil palm, this increased to 1.2 million and last year it was 1.8 million seed-nuts. Mr. Speaker, the importance of this is that an oil palm factory is only economically viable when it does at least with 5,000 hectres of oil palm.
In that case, you have enough roughage to create electricity for the factory. Previous to interventions of the PSI, apart from a few companies such as Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP), our oil palm industry was very much still in the rudimentary situation.
With regard to PSI on garments and textiles, good things are also happening in
Mr. Ghartey 11:30 a.m.


Hear!] And we shall have “Chapter IV”, “Chapter V” and on and on.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, please, wind up.
Mr. Ghartey 11:30 a.m.
I will wind up by saying that “Positive Change” would be calling at the door of every Member of this House; that “Positive Change” is moving like a spirit and when it calls at your constituency, Mr. Speaker, I assure you that you would not only see “Positive Change” in your constituency; when PSI calls at your constituency, you will not only see “Positive Change” but you will see phenomenal “Positive Change”. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful. [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Dawuda Iddrisu (NDC - Karaga) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the chance to make my maiden contribution to the President's State of the Nation Address which was delivered on the 3rd of February this year.
Mr. Speaker, I want to talk on two areas of the President's Address, and that is on education and energy. Mr. Speaker, you would realize that some of our schools are really inadequate in the supply of furniture. If you go round some of these schools in the rural areas it is really appalling. I come from a rural constituency, that is, Karaga. It is a new constituency as well as a new district. There are problems in the education sector. Children do not have tables and chairs to sit on to learn and as such attendance at school is very poor.
Secondly, Mr. Speaker, the absence of teaching and learning materials is the order of the day in these rural schools. I am happy we have school children who have come in their numbers this morning to see the proceedings in Parliament and they would justify all that I am saying.
Mr. Speaker, in my constituency, for instance, we have a JSS school which was
do not think, is necessary. Age four has been the time for children to go to school; it has been so for years. The money that is going to be used or invested in kindergarten education, Mr. Speaker, I think if that money is used to provide more textbooks for our children at the basic level it will motivate them and enable them raise their standards for them to reach the junior and senior secondary school levels. Mr. Speaker, I think that if this is done, it will go a long way to develop our educational standards in our schools.
Mr. Speaker, my next point is on energy. You would realize that Karaga and Gushiegu are the only towns connected to the national grid - Karaga was only connected in the year 2000, before the elections. Mr. Speaker, we have about 426 communities. Until the split of the constituency from Gushiegu to Karaga now, the NDC Government had purchased the electric poles and placed them in some communities such as Tung, Langbun, Sung, Yong, Bagurugu, Tamalgu and Pishigu. These poles have been lying down for the past four years.

Hajia Mahama: Yes, Mr. Speaker. He is alluding to a statement. I will respectfully ask him to substantiate or withdraw the statement. The hon. Member for Gushiegu who he says would corroborate if she were here is not here; so he should withdraw the statement, wait for her to come and the statement can then be made.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, do you have any evidence to support your contention?
Mr. D. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, before the split, it was the same district; it used to be called Gushiegu-Karaga district. She was the District Chief Executive who is now the Member of Parliament for Gushiegu.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, at this stage, where is your authority for what you are saying? I would suggest that at this juncture, since there is objection to that, you withdraw.
Mr. D. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am saying that her campaign team, during their campaign sessions, used to say this; and it is there now. Now the poles are lying down; they have not been erected and nothing has been done up to now. This is where my emphasis is laid, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, I would suggest that at this stage you withdraw it and come back properly. I will give you the opportunity to explain.
Mr. D. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take your advice to withdraw and come back later.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Yes, come back.
Mr. D. Iddrisu 11:40 a.m.
So Mr. Speaker, I am saying that if all these things are put in place then the idea of the President's State of the Nation Address would go a long way to
established some three years ago. In 2003, I had to go round to solicit for textbooks in the Tamale municipality for this JSS school which was up to forms one and two; they had no textbooks, so the teachers were there doing anything. And these are pupils who are to write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) this year, competing with schools in Accra, Tamale, Takoradi, Kumasi and others. Mr. Speaker, what do you think these children are going to do? They are coming out with nothing.

Mr. Speaker, we have no textbooks for some subjects in our schools. Subjects like Environmental Studies, there are no textbooks, as well as Religious and Moral Education, Physical Education (PE). Teachers do not sometimes prepare lesson notes on these subjects because they have no textbooks to refer to. But teaching must go on. So you ask yourself, what are the teachers then doing? What are they teaching in these particular subject areas? Because the teacher cannot just get up and write anything at all and go and teach.

Mr. Speaker, on incentives for teachers, I tell you, it is terrible. And it is as difficult as it is for past governments as well as present governments to come to terms on the conditions and incentives for teachers.

Mr. Speaker, in our basic schools also, we have a lot of problems and I think the Government should step up - The idea of setting up kindergarten in our schools, I
Alhaji Abukari 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
afraid the hon. Minister is seriously misleading this House. Even in her own constituency I am sure she does not have more than one pre-school, and so how is she going to free the times for the women by merely stating on paper that there will be pre-schools? How many pre-schools does she have in her constituency? Mr. Speaker, in my constituency, I do not have many pre-schools. It will take us another fifty years to get enough pre-schools for all children to be able to free the time for their mothers to prepare good meals for them. She is seriously misleading us, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member, you will
have plenty of time to contribute. Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, this is
Mr. Joe Kwashie Gidisu 11:50 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague opposite is misleading the House. The White Paper on the pre-school said it was going to be progressively introduced and it is progressively going to take off at the same time and that is why my hon. Colleague who just spoke said that it was going to take about fifty years to get to his village. So it is progressively going to take place. The President did not say that it was going to take place immediately. The White Paper used the word “pro-gressively”.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member, you are out of order.
Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, indeed, the words “phase” and “progressively” are interchangeable. I said they were going to be phased.
Mr. Speaker, the President in his State of the Nation Address touched on the informal sector. We all know that the informal sector -- women are predominant in this sector. The direction is for the Ministry of Private Sector Development and PSI to set up a desk to address issues relating to the informal sector. Included in this will be training in entrepreneurial skills, ICT and various other topics, which will go a long way to enhance business opportunities of women both in the informal sector and the formal sector.

Nii Namoale: Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is telling us that the first cassava starch factory in Ghana is in Bawjiase. This is not right -- [Interruptions.] She did not add PSI. She said the first cassava starch factory was in Bawjiase. She should make the necessary amendment. The first one is in Koforidua and that is my mother's factory.

Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, I think a statement was made earlier on about others refusing to hear. I am talking about the PSI and it is the first starch factory under the PSI. Indeed, all sectors of the PSI present the opportunity for women to grow their businesses and to participate. Mr. Speaker, this links up with the opportunities set up under micro financing in the Ministry of

Private Sector Development and PSI as well as my Ministry to provide an opportunity yet again for women to access credits to participate in these programmes to grow their businesses.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member, do you have a point of order to raise?
Alhaji Abukari 11:50 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, here again the hon. Minister is not correctly informing this House or correctly addressing the issues raised by the President in his Address. She appears to make a mistake that she is making a statement for her Ministry. So she keeps referring to women, women, and women as if there are not men in her constituency. Mr. Speaker, I think her attention ought to be drawn to the fact that she is speaking as a Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga constituency and not as a Minister for Women and Children's Affairs.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
You will be called upon in due course to make your contribution. Let her continue.
Hajia Mahama: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Address was general and I would like to take the opportunity to help in sensitising my hon. Colleagues on the gender issues that are embedded in this document so that we can help them out -- [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, under health -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Joseph Y. Chireh 11:50 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is
carry us forward. Thank you.
Minister for Women and Children's Affairs (Hajia Alima Mahama) 11:50 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the motion on the floor. Mr. Speaker, the State of the Nation Address as presented by the President is a clear direction and commitment at the highest level to the advancement of the status of women in the country. And at the end of my submission, you will all agree with me that it is a good time to be a Ghanaian woman.
Mr. Speaker, the Address called on all of us to use interactive participation as a way of developing our programmes and realizing our vision of a just and humane prosperous country. This interactive participation calls on us, men and women to work together to achieve this vision. Mr. Speaker, on page 5, the President's Address talks about the need for us to have pre-schools so that children from the ages of four to six can have two years of kindergarten education before they go to primary school.
This for me, Mr. Speaker, is a very fundamental activity towards advancing the status of women. Research and investi- gation indicate that in many cases, my constituency being one, older female siblings of the ages of up to 14 or 15 are sometimes made to stay at home to take care of their younger siblings. Now, it is not only the four to six-year olds who will go to school. These older siblings who hitherto would have stayed at home would also go to school. And the mother will be freer. We all know the arduous and routine task that women undertake daily to make life better for everyone of us, men and women, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and children. Freeing her time will enable her engage productively in other economic ventures that will enable her increase her earnings to support her children and to cook good food with palatable sauce for her

indicating that we are not gender sensitive. How does she come by that? I am very gender sensitive. I know that. So she should not say that men here are not gender sensitive. She should withdraw that statement and apologise and then continue with her contribution.
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Member, you are out of order.
Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, under health, there is a plan to extend ambulance services to cover the ten regions. We all know about problems women encounter when it comes to deliveries. Having ambulance services all over the ten regions of this country will, to an extent, reduce maternal mortality in this country; and I am very happy of that initiative.
Under health, Mr. Speaker, the President has directed that there should be inbuilt protective measures for the poor and vulnerable to ensure a successful implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme. When we talk of the poor and vulnerable, again, there are poor men but we all know that the statistics indicate the levels of poverty among women. Both men and women will enjoy and the inbuilt measure will in no small measure support women to participate in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
I call on my fellow hon. Colleagues in this House to start working in their constituencies and organising women so that they can access the incentives embedded in this package to ensure that women participate in the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Mr. Speaker, talking about business opportunities again, under tourism, women play a major role in the area of tourism -- catering services as well as craft. Craft

industry has a huge potential under tourism and the weaving of Bolgatanga basket, for example, is done by women. If we were to put the Bolgatanga basket as dustbins all over our hotels and our offices, it again offers a huge potential for women to increase their earnings in their activities.
Mr. Speaker noon
You may please wind up.
Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, the President talks about the need for all of us to utilize the national policy on gender and children which was launched last year. The principle of the national gender policy is to advance equality and equity issues as between men and women, through mainstreaming of gender concerns in national development.
Mr. Speaker, I would therefore call on every single one of us here to have this dimension of promoting gender equity and equality in our everyday endeavours, both in our constituencies and all other callings that we may find ourselves in, to ensure that we do collectively have the just, humane and prosperous nation that we all so desire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari (NDC -- Tamale North) noon
Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my hon. Colleagues, hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo and hon. John D. Mahama by supporting their motion to thank the President for the State of the Nation Address delivered as required of him under the Constitution.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to make a very few comments. I have heard very brilliant contributions from both sides, particularly, from these nice gentlemen and women sitting behind me -- brilliant contributions. Therefore, I am just going to make a few observations.
Mr. Speaker, I would start with the issue of good governance. The President
the Constitution of Ghana which hitherto he had overthrown anyway.
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Member, this is not a point of order at all. Let him continue.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr. Speaker, he said the former President of the country, His Excellency, Flt. Lt. Rawlings handed over peacefully to his successor. Mr. Speaker, that is all right. But he says that he handed over power unexpectedly. What was he expecting the former President to do in the circumstances, having lost power? [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker noon
Order! Order! Majority Chief Whip, you may kindly resume your seat and let him go on.
Alhaji Abukari noon
Mr. Speaker, knowing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a very democratic party and knowing that the former President is the founder and father of the present democratic dispensation in this country, I know he would hand over peacefully even though some people thought that he would stage another coup; he did not do that, that is why I said “unexpectedly”. Mr. Speaker, I want to make a few comments on our health.
Mr. Speaker noon
I hope you are watching your time.
Alhaji Abukari noon
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am watching and that is why I said “few comments”.
Mr. Speaker, being sensitive to the plight of the ordinary man and woman, and particularly to our women who are our mothers and our child bearers, being sensitive to the plight of children and old people in the community, being sensitive to the plight of accident victims, the former Government found it necessary to put
did say that he was going to continue with the policy of good governance. I think that good governance is very essential for both the economic and social development of this country. But what a lot of people do not know and what a lot of people would want to sweep under the carpet is the fact that this policy is a mere continuation of the policy of good governance as outlined in our Constitution and as commenced by the ex-President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
Nobody can talk of good governance in this country without referring to the 1992 Constitution; and nobody can talk of the 1992 Constitution without referring to Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings whose signature is still on that Constitution. [Hear! Hear!] So much as I agree that there is the need for good governance, we should always remember the founders of that policy and give them credit for it.
Mr. Speaker noon
Order!
Mr. S. K. B. Manu noon
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is seriously misleading this House into thinking that the former President, His Excellency at the time, could have done anything else.
What could he have done but to hand over when he lost the elections? So handing over the reigns of governance to President Kufuor is nothing that he should be raising his shoulders about. He only conformed to
Mr. Kojo Armah 12:10 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is seriously misleading this House. Two weeks ago, I received seventy-three million cedis for pre-payment for medical attention for the same category of people he is talking about. The policy is actively in place and I wonder where he got the information that the policy has broken down. The policy is still very active and I think he is misleading the House.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, you may
take that on board and continue.
Alhaji Abukari 12:10 p.m.
Oh yes, Mr. Speaker,
I will take it on board. My hon. Colleague is a former District Chief Executive (DCE); he is just trying to protect his class. But I will say, Mr. Speaker, that where I come from in Tamale, I have taken a number of such people to hospital and I have had to pay from my pocket so I know what I am talking about. So I would wish to appeal to the President to see to it that the Ministry implements this very good policy to enhance the health needs of our people in the rural areas particularly, and the poor and the deprived in those groups that I have mentioned.
Mr. Speaker, being conscious of the time constraint -- I have a number of things
I think that belonging to the ECOWAS, and belonging to the AU and coming out as the immediate past Chairman of ECOWAS for two terms, it is only prudent that we go along with the view and stand that will be outlined or taken by ECOWAS and AU. So if General Obasanjo came out with a statement, or if the Niger President came out with a statement, they had the right to do so; but our statement would have come only after a meeting of the two groups.
General Obasanjo was right because he is the President or the Chairman of the AU and the Niger President is now, we know, the head of the ECOWAS. Even our own Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas refused to make a comment on this in Lome when he was asked by journalists. He said he would rather await the outcome of the ECOWAS meeting. That was a very prudent thing to do and that was from an excellent diplomat.
Mr. Speaker, I suspect -- I only suspect
Mr. Akwasi Osei-Adjei 12:10 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that
the hon. Member probably come to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have a little briefing before he can speak on this subject; and I am also saying that to suspect and to also say that he might have had a briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not correct. [Interruptions] - No; it is not correct and I will urge him to refrain from making statements which are not correct to this House. So Mr. Speaker, I will urge him to come to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that, perhaps, I could enlighten him a bit about the circumstances in which the Ambassador went to the swearing-in of the Togolese - I would not say President, but that swearing-in, that is what I will say.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale North, I hope you will take that on board and continue.
Alhaji Abukari 12:10 p.m.
Mr, Speaker, I took
Mr. Osei-Adjei 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do
not know whether I should state this to the House, but since I have been pushed, maybe, I will say one or two. Mr. Speaker, the Ambassador went to that ceremony on
that I wanted to refer to -- I will move to foreign affairs. Unfortunately, I wanted the Minister for Foreign Affairs to be present. He has had to leave, but his Acting Deputy who I believe would be confirmed, is still here and so I want to say a few things, Mr. Speaker about our foreign policy.
Mr. Speaker, the policy of good
neighbourliness in the ECOWAS sub- region and good strategic geopolitical policies for the rest of the world is nothing new -- absolutely nothing new. So it was just a repetition of -- In fact, Mr. Speaker, I will say that from Independence our foreign policy has not changed too much; there have been a few fluctuations here and there, but this has been the foreign policy of the country, as far as I know, for the last twelve years or so.
Mr. Speaker, but this policy was nearly marred or abused by Ghana's Ambassador to Togo. Mr. Speaker, if I had my way that man would have been recalled; and I remember suggesting to the Acting Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs that that man should be recalled instantly. Mr. Speaker, we have acceded to the protocols of the ECOWAS and the African Union (AU), and so when a sensitive situation has occurred in Togo and it is a completely blatant violation of their constitutional order there, he should have been cautious as to what to say.
In fact, Ambassadors are always cautious to listen more and say very little. This man, in contravention of this policy, went on Joy FM and made ridiculous statements, even when the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government of Ghana had not come out to say anything. I side with the view that we should have been cautious in coming out with the Government's attitude towards what happened in Togo -- illegal as it is. There is no doubt about it; this is illegality.
Mr. Osei-Adjei 12:10 p.m.


his own accord because he is the head of the diplomatic corps.

Mr. Speaker, as the head of the diplomatic

corps, he went there in his own capacity and we are trying to investigate and make sure of what we are doing. So please, it is an area I would beg him not to tread and let us probably reason together before he puts it across.
Alhaji Abukari 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think I agree with him but I thought that this House has the right to discuss the foreign policy of Ghana; this House has that right. I am not speaking as a Minister; I am speaking as an ordinary Member of the Parliament of Ghana. Mr. Speaker, that being the case, I will drop that issue but I think that waiting for the ECOWAS and the AU to take a decision before coming out with a statement was the right attitude, that one I endorse completely, but your Ambassador is no Ambassador. Now, I will conclude, Mr. Speaker, by saying that -
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, if I heard my hon. Colleague well, he said, “your Ambassador is no Ambassador”, if I heard him well. If that is what he said, it will be unparlia- mentary and I will urge him to withdraw it. With respect to the former Ambassador, I believe the statement which just emanated from him is unparliamentary and he must withdraw.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, how did
you describe the Ambassador, I did not hear you; how did you describe him?
Alhaji Abukari 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I said if the Ambassador behaved the way he did, then he is not a good Ambassador. That is what I said.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
He is not a good
an ambassador that he is no ambassador is a very serious statement to be taken from this House. That ambassador he is talking about happens to be my constituent and the Ambassador is not here to defend himself. So as his Member of Parliament here in this House, I must stand and ask that the hon. Member should withdraw that statement made of the ambassador that he is no ambassador. What does he mean by that? He thinks having been an ambassador before, gives him the criterion to judge ambassadors? And who said he was an excellent ambassador either?
Hon. Member, you must sum up. You
have already had over twenty minutes.
Alhaji. Abukari 12:10 p.m.
Only last week or so,
Mr. Speaker, I did make a point here and I want to state it again; and I am sure the hon. Majority Chief Whip will support me that if you want to challenge the Speaker's ruling, you come by a motion. I believe my hon. Colleague knows this.
I was saying that “Positive Change
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Majority Chief Whip, are
you raising a point of order?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Ambassador?
Alhaji Abukari 12:10 p.m.
He is not a good
Ambassador; that is my view, that is my opinion about it.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe my hon. Colleague, a former ambassador is a man of honour. He just said that “your ambassador is no ambassador”.
Mr. Speaker, all that I am requesting from him is that as a former ambassador, he must withdraw this. It is unparliamentary; it is offensive.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, please
go ahead.
Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will say
what I said. I said that the ambassador -- I did not say “your”. I said “the ambassador” is not an ambassador, I said that. But he should not put the “your” into my mouth. The “your” never came from my mouth.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
it is unfortunate the hon. Member is not accepting the very words that he used, “your ambassador”. But let me leave that one out for the time being. If he said that the ambassador is no ambassador, that is equally offensive. Mr. Speaker, that is equally offensive and he must withdraw it.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Tamale North, with respect, whoever is our ambassador is still our Ambassador and we should be very careful how we do describe him.
Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if I
said “your ambassador”, I beg to remove the word “your”, that one, I will withdraw. But if I say he is “no ambassador”, I still stand by that because I know the qualities of an ambassador. So in saying that he is no ambassador means that he has fallen short
of the standards of an ambassador. That is what it means and that is my personal opinion.
Mr. Osei-Adjei 12:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate because the ambassador that he is talking about is not here probably to put his credentials for him to know that he used to be -- this gentle-man used to be a diplomat. He was in the Foreign Ministry for so many years before he was appointed as an ambassador. Therefore, if he is saying that it is not worthy of him as a former ambassador, Mr. Speaker, to say that “he is no ambassador”, I think he should accept it and withdraw that statement. It is not fair to the gentleman. I do not think it is fair to say that because he is an ambassador representing Ghana.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Members, hon.
Member for Tamale North has withdrawn that offensive word “your” so kindly let him go on and wind up.
Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 12:20 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member has withdrawn the word “your” but he seems to be running away with a serious statement that he has made. Mr. Speaker, to say of

I believe my hon. Colleague is misleading this House. He mentioned some incident which occurred at Taifa and said “where I come from”. Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. Colleague does not come from Taifa. He is misleading this House.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale North, honestly, your time is up.
Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, Dome
Taifa where I live -- Mr. Speaker, I hope that these murders and criminal acts would be properly investigated and the perpetrators of those acts brought before our law courts and dealt with according to the laws of our country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this
opportunity and I thank my hecklers for making me more alert.
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah (NPP -- Bosomtwe) 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for granting me this opportunity to contribute to the motion that this House thanks the President, for the Message on the State of the Nation, which he delivered to this House on Thursday, 3rd February 2005.
Mr. Speaker, the Message was concise, comprehensive, exciting and well delivered by His Excellency the President. Some hon. Members on the opposite side claim that the Message was not exciting. Mr. Speaker, this is not surprising because some hon. Members are used to listening to personalities who shout, insult and bang tables and other objects whenever delivering speeches and addresses.
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the President delivered his Address in humility, modesty and with courtesy and decorum.
Mr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo 12:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is
invoking some sentiments in this House which are abusing the sensibilities of some of our Members here. For him to make reference to a former-somebody who would speak and bang tables is completely unparliamentary. Mr. Speaker, I suppose that he should be parliamentary in his output and should respect the sensibilities of others. Therefore, he should withdraw what he said and refrain from making such statements.
Mr. Osei-Mensah 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the first place, I never mentioned any name. Mr. Speaker, the Message was delivered in humility, modesty, with courtesy and decorum, qualities that befit a President --[Interruption.]
Alhaji Collins Dauda 12:30 p.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member stressed the point that we on this side are used to listening to personalities who bang tables and shout when delivering addresses. Mr. Speaker, we on this side have never been treated to such addresses before and I would want him to tell the House which of our leaders has done that before in this House.
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Members, please,
let him proceed.
Mr. Osei-Mensah 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
Message, as I said earlier, was delivered in humility, modesty with courtesy and decorum. These are qualities that befit a President in the deliverance of an Address -- [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, I consider the President's Message a perfect concoction of hope and good develop- mental agenda, with optimum efficacy to arrest the socio-economic problems of the country -- [Hear! Hear!] -- and preserve it.
Mr. Speaker, in commenting, I wish to focus my attention on three areas --
strategy. This could not have come at a better time than this as the World Bank/ IMF have declared year 2005 as the year of Micro-finance.
Mr. Speaker, it is also of paramount importance that micro-financing contributes a lot towards poverty alle-viation among the small and medium
tourism, micro-financing for small and medium enterprises and apprenticeship programmes for children who do not make it to the senior secondary school at age 15.
Mr. Speaker, my heart was gladdened when the President stated that the Government's policy is to develop the country's tourism potentials and make Ghana the preferred tourist-destination in the ECOWAS subregion. This is important because tourism is among the four major foreign exchange earners of the country. However, the potential of many of the nation's golden, natural tourism resources remains largely untapped. I intend to place emphasis on Lake Bosomtwe, which is within my constituency, and the only natural lake in the country.
T h e r o a d a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n infrastructure around the lake, like what exist around our game reserves and waterfalls are in deplorable conditions. Such infrastructure like those around the lake should be developed to enable the private sector invest in other areas such as hotels, restaurants, telecommunication centres, etc. Fortunately, the present Government in its first term gave some roads out on contract and are still under construction around the Lake Bosomtwe area.
Mr. Speaker, development of the tourism potentials of Lake Bosomtwe will improve upon the revenue generation capacity of the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District Assembly as well as tourists inflow of the country. It will also enhance the employment and income generation capacities in the lake area and the country at large.
Mr. Speaker, the setting up of micro- financing schemes with affordable terms for the small and medium-scale enterprises to promote their development is a noble
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Member for Ada, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Tettey-Enyo 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to help the hon. Member on the other side. The hon. Member was trying
to mislead this House when he said that no provision was made for JSS leavers to re-sit. Provision was made as far back as 1990. The Ministry of Education allowed both SSS and JSS leavers to re-sit, and the Examinations Council was directed to accept the continuous assessment of these students for three years running to enable them re-sit the BECE and SSSCE. The hon. Gentleman should not mislead this House if he has not got his facts right.
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Member for Bosomtwe, take this and deal with it on board.
Mr. Osei-Mensah 12:30 p.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue by saying that to the best of my knowledge, until last year, when the NPP Government said the JSS students could re-sit, what I knew was that there was no opportunity for re-sit for them.
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, there is a point he raised that one could re-sit from as far back as 1990.
Mr. Osei-Mensah 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware. If he is saying it, I have taken it on board and I would like to continue by saying that those who dropped out of school at age 15 joined the unemployment bandwagon and turned to selling anything they could lay hands on along our streets and pavements, in our towns and cities. s This is now a social canker, which our city authorities are trying to solve; and it is quite difficult.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I support the motion that the House thanks His Excellency the President for delivering a precise, concise and exciting Message that contained multifaceted and multi- dimensional solutions to the socio- economic problems of the country.

the NDC was in power, we would have done more than 30 kilometres. So let my hon. Colleague not mislead this House.

Mr. Speaker, it is a case that we have to get the road tarred, and we are working on that; and he should not try to paint the picture as if it is the NPP that did not do it. NPP took over and he was the Presiding Member of the District Assembly; so what is he telling me?
Mr. Asum-Ahensah 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, what the hon. Member on the other side told the House confirms what I am saying; she never disputed it. This is the exact picture on the ground and it may interest the House to note that the Government she is referring to, I am referring to the PNDC/NDC regime, constructed the road from Kumasi down to Berekum and even beyond - the PNDC/ NDC era. I am now on Positive Change Chapters 1 and 2, so she should allow me. Mr. Speaker, it is my prayer that under Positive Change Chapter - [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. E. K. Salia 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member opposite actually mentioned my name as the Minister who was in charge of Roads and Transport and who had not done the road. I wanted to provide her further and better particulars.
Mr. Speaker, it is impossible to do any road project that might span several kilometres one year or two years. That particular road was under construction and it had proceeded from Berekum almost close to 36 kilometres when the NDC left office in year 2000. Between 2001 and today, she has admitted that they could only attempt to do six kilometres of the road. So it is not a cumulative matter where you take the number of kilometres per year and multiply it over a period. That is not how development projects are implemented.
Mr. Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon. Member, I thought you were dealing with the period. That was
Mr. Alex Asum-Ahensah (NDC - Jaman North) 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity given me to contribute to the debate on the motion on the President's State of the Nation Address.
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to touch on infrastructural support which the President highlighted. Mr. Speaker, one area which the President talked about is the ongoing infrastructural development to support the development of both the private sector and human resources. He hinted that construction works in both rural and urban areas are in progress. I do not dispute that fact but I wish to state that the construction work on the Berekum-Sampa road leaves much to be desired. Under the four-year direction of the Positive Change Chapter 1, only six kilometres of this road was awarded on contract and strangely enough, only about three out of the six kilometres of this important highway has been tackled, leaving the entire stretch of about 45 kilometres unattended to.
Ms. Anna Nyamekye 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the constituency he is talking about used to be mine, and I want to throw light on what he is trying to brief this House on. The constituency was under the control of an NDC Member of Parliament for a whole length of time when NDC was in power, and we had nothing. Mr. Salia was the Minister. Under the NPP Administration, we managed to get six kilometres in four years. If we had multiplied 6 x 4 x the number of years that

This alone goes to prove the enthusiasm with which my constituents have embraced the Health Insurance Scheme. It is my wish that conditions in the existing clinics and hospitals in my constituency will be improved to offer accessible, reliable and quality service to their patients.

On Rural Electrification, Mr. Speaker, another area that I expected the President to highlight in his State of the Nation Address is the Rural Electrification Programme. For the past four years, not much has been done in my constituency as far as electrification is concerned. Some communities have succeeded in buying their own electricity poles and others have succeeded in planting them and are waiting to be hooked on to the national grid. I am referring to communities like Kokuwa, Dadieso Nos. 1 and 2, Maila, Kabiri, Jamena, Bonakri, Adadiem, Bonshia and Kokuam, Jinini and Kokuwa Nos. 1 and 2, Buni and Jaranko, et cetera.
Ms. Anna Nyamekye 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. Colleague here should be given a chance to make a statement on what he is saying. I do not think mentioning every single village in Jaman North Constituency is a contribution to what we are doing here. He has just said that we have not done anything, he has not mentioned what we have done. So let him be kind enough to recognize what we have been able to do in his hometown -- from Sekitia to Asuokor, Sekitia-Asirigyankufaa- Goka-Asuokor. We have done that and we are still working on that. Why would he not mention that? He should not mislead us.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Member, this is not
a point of order. You will be given plenty of time to contribute. At the moment, let him proceed.
Mr. Asum-Ahensah 12:50 p.m.
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker. I think the hon. Member on the other side should have patience and listen
include the Samori and Babatu mass grave and a slave market at Jinini, a missionary cemetery at Sampa and the oldest mango tree at Kroase. The potential tourist centres will go a long way to help improve the economy of Ghana when fully exploited and thus make Ghana the preferred tourist destination in the subregion which the President talked about.
Mrs. Doris A. Seidu (NPP -- Chereponi) 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity given me to contribute to the debate on the President's Sessional Address delivered in this House on Thursday, 3rd February 2005. Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk on the Youth, Foreign Policy, Health and Agriculture.
On the Youth, I perfectly agree with the President that the future belongs to the Youth since the youth today are crucial to the progress of this country.
The recent release of ¢4.5 billion to improve and expand the facilities of the Youth Leadership Skills institutes in the country is in the right direction. But, Mr. Speaker, in order for the Government to translate its ambition in this direction into reality, I am appealing to the Government to strengthen the monitoring mechanisms in these institutions to ensure the judicious use of this money.
Mr. Speaker, this I think will enable the youth to appreciate their roles and responsibilities in society and rise to the challenges of time.
Mr. Speaker, within the context of
diplomacy, the Government's pursuance of good neighbourliness in the ECOWAS sub- region has helped to increase the already existing healthy relationship between Ghana and her neighbours. This policy has in some ways been abused since smuggling activities have increased especially along
what I thought. Let him proceed.
Mr. Asum-Ahensah 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is my humble prayer that under Positive Change Chapter 2, the road network in my constituency, especially the Berekum- Sampa road which I am talking about, will see the light of day. This important road runs the entire stretch of Jaman North and Jaman South, and it is the main route which joins Ghana to the Republic of la Cote d'Ivoire.
On health needs, whilst joining my Colleagues to congratulate the President on the Government continued focus on the full implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, I wish to state that the prevailing conditions in some of the district hospitals, our health centres and clinics in the country, need urgent attention to enhance the much-needed quality health service for the citizenry. Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the prevailing conditions at the Sampa Hospital. Despite its elevation to the status of a district hospital, it continues to use the old structures and facilities of the old health centre.
These s t ruc tures a re therefore overstretched and congested; in-patients are accommodated on verandas and under sheds. The health workers lack adequate accommodation and sufficient equipment to work with. I hope the Government will urgently initiate and construct accom- modation facilities for workers and patients and provide appropriate machinery and equipment for use in this hospital and other health centres in the district. The conditions at the Suman Hospital, Seketia Health Centre, Boka Health Centre, Asiri/Asorko clinics and others in the district are nothing to write home about.
On Health Insurance, Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that my constituents have fully embraced the Scheme. It may also interest the House to note that Jaman North Health Insurance Scheme was established long before the year 2000.
to me.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Yes, but you must be
getting ready to wind up.
Mr. Asum-Ahensah 12:50 p.m.
Work on the projects at Goka-Asirigyankufaa and Asuokor, which were vigorously started during the last quarter of the year 2000, have come to a standstill. I therefore pray that these projects will be continued in the Chapter 2 programme of the Government.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Please, sum up.
Mr. Asum-Ahensah 12:50 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Sampa is a major entry point for goods and persons from la Cote d'Ivoire and security services along the border will be further enhanced if telephone facilities are provided in the district. Other government institutions like the Police, District Assembly, hospitals, secondary schools, et cetera in the district also stand to benefit from such a facility. Communities in my constituency are anxiously waiting for the day the district will be inter-connected with the rest of the country.
On tourism -- I am winding up, Mr.
Speaker. On tourism, the Jaman district can boast of important tourist centres which

the borders thereby denying the nation of substantial revenue. I am therefore using this medium to appeal to the appropriate authorities to strengthen their monitoring mechanism to reduce the incidence of smuggling along the borders.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the President for his frank admission of the problems within the health sector. On the issue of HIV/AIDS, Mr. Speaker, despite the efforts of the Government, advocacy agencies and the Ghana AIDS Commission in their education programmes, a lot of people are still not well-informed about this deadly disease. It is my hope that the Government commits every resource in the fight against this disease especially in the rural areas.
Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is true that I have a point of order. My point of order is that because of the way she is copiously reading from her notes, we cannot even admire her face -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Order!
Mrs. Seidu 12:50 p.m.
Please, I am referring to my notes -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Member, proceed.
Mrs Seidu 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, agriculture still remains as the bedrock of our economy where about 50-60 per cent of the active labour force find themselves in order to survive. With Government's efforts to cater for some of the needs of the farmers, a lot of resources should be committed to finding a lasting solution to some problems such as post-harvest losses, inadequate provision of storage facilities, inaccessible roads to the farming communities and many others.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the
opportunity.
Mr. Wisdom Gidisu (NDC - Krachi East) 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on floor. Mr. Speaker, as I attempt to contribute to the brief Address delivered by His Excellency the President on the 3rd of February, 2005, permit me to touch on just two aspects of the Address, which seek to correct the imbalances in the Education and Health sectors.
Commenting on health, Mr. Speaker, the President did identify that most of the difficult problems that have faced this nation is how to make health delivery accessible and humane, and that the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) offers solutions to this age old problem. Mr. Speaker, my question is that, is the scheme self-operational? What of the insurance element of it that deals with the payment of premiums by the insured to the insurer, on the understanding that the insurer shall make good in the event of any unforeseen circumstances but shall not restore the insured to a better position than before.
Mr. Speaker, the NHIS seeks to talk about mutual policies. Is there anywhere in the world that one can talk about insurance without considering the sum insured, the premium, the surrenders, the lapses and the capital benefits? Mr. Speaker, to me, this scheme offers a long-term solution. For your apprisement, certain areas need short and urgent solutions to health problems and Krachi-East, my constituency, is one of them, Dambai being the district capital.
Mr. Speaker, with all respect, do we have hospitals in all the district capitals of this country? If no, how will those deprived districts get urgent solutions to their health problems under this Scheme?
Mr. Speaker, will you get dumb-founded
kilometres away from Dambai.
Mr. Speaker, guinea-worm infestation and typhoid fever are still escalating in my constituency. This is so because we are compelled to use polluted and stagnant waters, which are also used by cattle. Mr. Speaker, in epitome, the health delivery system is poorly addressed in most areas in this country, especially Krachi East; and the political slogan, “so far, so good”, and the so-called “exciting times for most Ghanaians” do not cover the whole country.
Mr. Speaker, on education, His Excellency the President linked his Address on education with particular reference to human resource development, as a key to meeting the national aspirations and responding to global challenges. In line with this, His Excellency the President admitted that the Government has taken some radical decisions in critical areas to address some of the key concerns.
Mr. Speaker, my simple question is this 1 p.m.
Will the change from junior secondary school (JSS) to junior high school bring about a change in the pupils' ability to assimilate what will be taught under the scheme of the junior high schools? And will the same happen in respect of the senior high school, as the case may be?
Mr. Speaker, the high rate of teachers' refusal to accept postings to some districts is attributed to the peculiar challenges posed by the environmental conditions there. Mr. Speaker, there is a shortfall of more than 100 teachers, with many more pursuing “release documents”, to leave my constituency to urban areas. These are problems we should be addressing rather than adding “High”, “High” to the schools.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, the NHIS that has been launched cannot give us urgent and short-term solutions to health problems
Alhaji Boniface 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Gentleman is misleading the House. This Government has a very good intention for this country in bringing about the National Health Insurance Scheme. It is something that has to bring a perpetual rest and relief to this country and, for that matter, we do not think of short-term or medium- term. We look for long-term; something that is lasting. So this Government, thinking about the long-term, is in the right direction. We are not thinking about the short-term but at least we are making room for that. So he should not talk about that; he is misleading the House.
Mr. W. Gidisu 1 p.m.
Do we have hospitals in all the district capitals of this country? Mr. Speaker, if no, how will those deprived districts get urgent solutions to this health problem? Mr. Speaker, will you get dumb- founded to hear that most pregnant women in labour, in my constituency, need to be carried on bicycles, trucks and carts to a distance of about 25 to 30 kilometres before they get access to clinics, and not even hospitals? [Interruptions.]
Alhaji Boniface 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker. I mean, what the hon. Gentleman is saying is unrealistic. Where in this country would you put a woman on a cart for 30 kilometres? Twenty miles? I am a rural boy; I hail from a rural setting, therefore we should not exaggerate. He should not play to the gallery; let us go straight to the fact. He is misleading the House. [Inter- ruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Member for Krachi East, are you misleading the House?
Mr. W. Gidisu 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, no. That is exactly what is happening in my constituency. Betinasi is about 25
Mr. W. Gidisu 1:10 p.m.


of this country.

Mr. Speaker, we must sink together or swim together. We must be motivated by the principle of being each other's keeper. The President, Mr. Speaker, postulated a three-pronged strategy of vigorous human resource development, private sector development and continuing emphasis on good governance. This can be likened to the tripod stand, whose props, seen from outside, are independent but are so inter- dependent that the absence or weakness of one renders the others impotent or ineffective.

Mr. Speaker, it follows, therefore, that if these three areas are given the needed and desired attention and impetus this economy, which is ready for take-off after a period of stable micro economic stability, will pick up.

Mr. Speaker, the President dwelt on education. He did mention that the kindergarten system, which should be the bedrock of the educational system, must be brought into the mainstream. This is an important area that needs to be considered by all Ghanaians. It is pathetic for those of us in the rural areas that the kindergarten sector of the educational system has been relegated to the sideline; classrooms are lacking, teachers are lacking and other infrastructural facilities are not available. It is therefore important to state that the District Assemblies, the District Directorates of Education, the communities must all brace themselves for this challenge and provide the needed infrastructural facilities as well as teaching and learning materials to enable the mainstreaming take off successfully.

Mr. Speaker, the President also conceded that the success of the educational reform
Mr. Joe Gidisu 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
a point of order. The hon. Colleague is seriously misleading this House. The point is that, his district, Nkoranza, was one of the pilot districts in which the Ministry of Health under the NDC Government initiated this health insurance scheme. For him to be isolating it, is a misnomer; he is misleading this House.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Nkoranza South, respond thereto.
Mr. Twumasi 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for Wa
Central, do you have any point of order to raise?
Mr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo 1:10 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker; it is on the question of whether the hon. Member is misleading the House. And it is true that he is misleading the House, on the grounds that the Nkoranza scheme came because there was a conducive atmosphere supported by the Government. Those he is mentioning as being the ones - [Interruptions.] That should be differentiated from the sponsorship. There was no sponsorship package and that sponsorship package came from the sources he is mentioning; but the environment created was by the NDC Regime with institutional support from the Ministry of Health.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, this is not
a point of order at all.
in this country. So the Government should also embark on upgrading health service institutions with regard to infrastructure and incentives, to support society.
Before White Papers are published, issues must be taken into consideration critically, instead of the mere changing of names and giving these names executive fiat, all in the name of educational reform.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Let us have one more contribution from the other side. Hon. Member for Nkoranza South?
Mr. Kwame Amporfo Twumasi (NPP
-- Nkoranza South): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the chance to support the motion on the floor, as moved and supported by hon. Members of this House to express our thanks to His Excellency the President for the Message on the State of the Nation which he delivered on the 3rd of February, 2005.
Mr. Speaker, the Message as ably delivered by the President, is conciliatory, inspiring, refreshing and thought-provoking to say the least. [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, I wish to make a few comments.
The President stated, among other things, that the Government would promote the concept of “Ghana Incorporated”. Mr. Speaker, I see this as a great challenge to Ghanaians to see ourselves as owning a country and to relate to that country as a business enterprise, where each and every individual in this country is a shareholder. We must, therefore, contribute our quota towards the total development of this country, a country in which we have a share in the form of dividend in the total welfare
programme is contingent upon the quality of our teachers and their contentment. I would want to emphasise on the contentment.
The upgrading of our teacher training colleges into diploma awarding institutions, as well as the distance education programme, which is catching up with many of our teachers enrolling to take advantage of, will in no time enable this country get the desired number of teachers to fill the vacancies in the classrooms. It is also important to note that the President said that the incentive package for our teachers will be reviewed and expanded. It is heart-warming. Mr. Speaker, I would want to suggest that our teachers in the rural areas who suffer most under harsh conditions should be given the lion's share of the incentive scheme which the President wants to review and expand.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to corroborate the assertion of the President on page 11; and that is the second sentence under health. And with your permission I quote:
“I believe that the National Health Insurance Scheme that has been launched offers the solution to this age-old problem.”
Mr. Speaker, coming from Nkoranza, a district which has benefited from the National Health Insurance Scheme, I would want to corroborate - [Interruption.] I will come to that. [Laughter.] I would want to corroborate the statement by the President.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.


On this note, Mr. Speaker, I thank you.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
May I have any indication
from the Leadership regarding adjournment of proceedings.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:10 p.m.
Mr.
Speaker, we have travelled a considerable distance in the prosecution of the business for the day, and in the circumstance, I beg to move that this House do now adjourn until 10.00 o'clock in the forenoon tomorrow.
Mr. John Tia 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
reluctantly seconding this motion.
Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of
anxieties by hon. Members on my side here to contribute to this debate. And given that our usual closing time is 2.00 p.m., I thought we would have travelled and taken a lot more people. But maybe, as my hon. Colleague has already moved, there must be a good reason for that. I would just want to indicate that we make room tomorrow for as many hon. Members as possible to be able to contribute to this debate.
On that note, Mr. Speaker, I second the
motion.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Majority Chief
Whip, do you have any contribution?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:10 p.m.
Not really,
Mr. Speaker, just to support what my hon. Colleague said. I believe many more hon. Members would want to have the opportunity to talk. Unfortunately, the few who are called normally travel beyond twenty minutes, on the average. So, perhaps, beginning tomorrow we could apply the guillotine and restrict hon. Members to specific times. If I may, I would want to suggest, Mr. Speaker, that we accord hon. Members not more than ten minutes. That will allow for many more hon. Members to have their turn.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
I will suggest that the
matters are settled amongst the Leadership of this House.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Twumasi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to recommend that hon. Members fervently embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme because the benefits are enormous. It is pro-poor and rural-folk friendly. As I speak now, Mr. Speaker, as many as 55,237 people have registered to take advantage of the National Health Insurance Scheme in my district. I would want to use this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank the NPP Government for the support - [Interruption.]
Alhaji Abukari 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my
point of order is that the hon. Member from Nkoranza South is persistently and seriously misleading this House. He has to acknowledge that the health scheme process was the initiative of the NDC Government; he has to acknowledge that. It did not start now; it is nothing new and the former Minister for Health, now Minster for Roads and Transport, knows that the NDC initiated the health scheme project.
Mr. Twumasi 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
want to touch on good governance. On good governance for Ghana, I will say so far so excellent. Over the past twelve years democratic governance is growing and deepening in this country. Ghana has successfully gone through four General Elections and has had smooth and peaceful transitions. Participatory democracy at the grass roots is growing and it is my prayer that this continues.

Mr. Speaker, it is my fervent hope that the Budget Statement, which is yet to be laid, will give further elucidation and implementation direction to the President's Message.