Debates of 17 Jun 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings -- Thursday, 16th June, 2005. Pages 1, 2, 3…14? [No corrections on the Votes and Proceedings.]
We do not have any Official Report.
Item 3 -- Business Statement for the Seventh Week -- Chairman of the
Business Committee?
BUSINESS oF THE HoUSE
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/ Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. owusu- Adjapong) 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee met on Thursday, 16th June, 2005 and determined Business of the House for the Seventh Week, ending Friday, 24th June, 2005.
The Committee accordingly presents its report as follows:
Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has scheduled twenty (20) Questions to be answered by some Ministers of State during the week under consideration.
The details are as follows:
N o . of Question(s)
i. Minister for Education and Sports -- 5
ii. Minister for Environment and Science -- 1
iii. Minister for Food and Agriculture -- 3
iv. Minister for Communications -- 4
v. Minister for Trade and Industry -- 1
vi. Minister for Presidential Affairs -- 1
vii. Minister for Road Transport -- 5
Total Number of Questions -- 20

Statements

Mr. Speaker, you may allow duly authorized Statements to be made on the floor of the House.

Bills, Papers and Reports

Mr. Speaker, Bills may be presented for consideration by the House. Papers may be laid and Reports from the various Committees are also expected to be laid.

The Committee wishes to remind all Committees to endeavour to complete their respective referrals for consideration of the House as soon as practicable.

Motions and Resolutions

Mr. Speaker, motions may be debated and their consequential Resolutions if any may also be taken.

conclusion

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160 (2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee submits to this honourable House the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

Questions --

Minister for Education and Sports

-- 34, 35, 36, 37 & 38

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Environment and Science -- 54

Minister for Food and Agriculture

-- 51, 56 & 65

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Communications -- 58,

61, 62 & 96

Minister for Trade and Industry

-- 64

Minister for Presidential Affairs

-- 71

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Road Transport -- 19,

20, 21, 22 & 23

Committee Sittings
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Item 4 -- Questions
Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just spoke to the Minister for Road Transport. I think he might be downstairs; he is on his way so if I can crave your indulgence to let us take the Statements, by which time, I am sure, he would be in the Chamber.
STATEMENTS 10:10 a.m.
Mr. E. N. Y. ofori-Kuragu (NPP -- Bosome-Freho) 10:10 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to read this Statement on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker the tourism sector in Ghana is the country's third highest foreign exchange earner after gold and cocoa. Undoubtedly, Ghana's tourism potential can match that of countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and even Morocco, if properly developed and promoted.
Ghana boasts of a vast array of tourist attractions -- natural, cultural and historical. We have one of the largest man-made lakes on earth, that is, the Volta Lake, a rare type of crater, Lake Bosomtwe which happens to be in my constituency, Bosome-Freho, the Kakum and Mole National Parks, Paga Crocodile Pond, Wechau Hippo Sanctuary, expansive
Mr. E. N. Y. ofori-Kuragu (NPP -- Bosome-Freho) 10:20 a.m.
coconut-cladded sandy beaches, several traditional festivals and several slave forts and castles that dot the coastline.
Ghana is noted for her hospitality which commands universal popularity and acceptability, and is also one of the most politically stable countries in the West African subregion. Additionally, the crime wave in Ghana is relatively low and all these directly or indirectly promote the country in the international tourist market.
Over the past couple of decades successive governments have evolved strategies to develop and market the tourism potential. These policies and programmes have basically targeted potential markets in America and Europe but principally aimed at Africans in the diaspora as well as tourists from the West African subregion.
Beyond these it is extremely important to develop and promote domestic tourism. How many of us have ever been to the world's famous Kakum National Park which is a two-hour drive from Accra? What about the Accra Zoo which is just a walking distance from Parliament House?
Apart from the money that domestic tourists will spend at the various locations thereby improving the various local economies and the opportunity that it affords the tourists to know areas and scenes that they did not know before, the national integration and cohesion that it engenders cannot be downplayed. Promoting international tourism is good, but we have to start with domestic tourism. Hon. Members must lead the way.
The Ghana Tourist Board has started organizing tourist clubs in schools, colleges and workplaces. It may be worthwhile to support them by organizing such clubs in our towns and villages as well as the other communities in our various constituencies.
Tourism is recognized as a vital non- traditional export and this coupled with the fact that His Excellency the President has agreed to chair the Committee for Tourism Development, the stage has been set for a reinvigorated approach to expanding the horizon of the tourism landscape in the country. More budgetary allocations could be given, as the sector needs that badly.
Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City together with its agencies, the Ghana Tourist Board, HOTCATT and so on must be well resourced. It is sad to observe that the Ghana Tourist Board has no permanent offices anywhere in the country.
In the countries which take tourism more seriously, offices of the Department of Tourism are centrally located for obvious reasons, not least to be very accessible to tourists. In Ghana the head office of the Tourist Board is located in a remote corner on the Accra-Nsawam road, far from the centre of the town. This is unacceptable.

Again, the Board has only a few ramshackled, squeaky contraptions which because they move on wheels are called vehicles. Some of the regions do not have any vehicles at all, that is, the Upper West Region. Some of the vehicles are over 15 years. The situation with HOTCATT is not better. How can we expect people to give of their best when they are poorly equipped, crestfallen and not motivated?

I dare suggest that the old Parliament House near the old Polo Grounds could be developed as Ghana's tourist office for its central location apart from the building itself being a popular tourist attraction and a historical relic.

There has been a sustained advocacy
Prof. A. W. Seini (NDc -- Tamale central) 10:20 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to associate myself with this very important Statement on tourism. Agreeably, tourism structurally contributes one-third of our foreign exchange earnings, but Mr. Speaker, if you break down the structure of tourists in this country, you would realize that we do not attract enough of the orthodox tourists in this world.
First of all you would realize that most
people who visit this country come for business purposes and they are the major type of tourists who come to this country.
Secondly, even if you break it down
by regions, you would realize that most of the tourists come from our own continent -- Africa and the subregion; and in the subregion, Nigerian visitors are predominant. So in actual fact, we do not attract the orthodox tourists into this country. Why do we not do that? If you look at the structure of the expenditure of tourists in this country you would realize that accommodation takes a greater percentage of the tourists' expenditure, which made it difficult for us to compete even with our neighbours like Togo and la Cote d'Ivoire before their crisis.
So Mr. Speaker, I think, as the hon.
Member who presented the Statement said, we need to do a lot more to attract the orthodox tourists to this country. If you look internally at the tourists attraction, take Mole Game Reserve for example, you will see that access to the place is very difficult. The first class international road from Kintampo to Burkina Faso -- the link that takes it off from that main road to Damango and to Mole is a very bad road; it has been in that state for a very long time and yet it is one of our major attractions in the interior areas.
If you also take even the Paga Crocodile Pond, there are no facilities for people who want to stay overnight to and enjoy themselves. That is why I say that we need to do a lot to attract the orthodox tourists. If you interview tourists you would realize that a lot of them who come into this country are first time visitors. What is very important is -- repeat -- visitors, those people who have come and have enjoyed themselves so much that they would like to come to Ghana again and recommend Ghana to people to visit. So we need to do a lot; as the presenter of the Statement has said, we need to improve upon our tourist infrastructure.
Fortunately, we have done a lot at the Kotoka International Airport already and it is attracting a lot of major airlines into this country. And so we need to expand that to other areas, hotels, and road infrastructure that lead to tourism centres like the Water Falls in Kintampo and other places.
So Mr. Speaker, I would like to end by saying that tourism is a very important foreign exchange earner, particularly in Africa. But as it is now, even though it contributes about one-third to our foreign- exchange earnings, it is nothing to write
Prof. A. W. Seini (NDc -- Tamale central) 10:30 a.m.
So I would finally say that our own hospitality, the Ghanaian traditional hospitality is not enough to attract tourists. It is time for us to provide tourism infrastructure so that when people come, they will go and come again and bring people along.

Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (Mrs. Akosua Frema osei-opare): Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Member.

Mr. Speaker, tourism has a big potential to create the much needed jobs we desire for this country. It is one area that can promote job creation for the youth, women and adults. One can examine a situation like tourists coming to Accra, right from the airport through to the hotel and going to our sites; there are many areas of job opportunities that can be created. But that would not happen unless we make a deliberate effort to improve upon tourist sites and tourism packages in the country. For instance, we need to develop our tourist sites.

Everybody knows about the Paga crocodiles. I visited that site in late 1969, to be precise, and then my last visit was in 2003. And Mr. Speaker, within this space of time I was quite disappointed to see that it has not improved much. What you have were some huts that some young men were sitting under and heckling you to buy chicken and even then you do not have an organized way of actually benefiting from the facility.

A tourist coming to a place like Paga, I just want to compare there to a place like Kenya where you have a facility called the Mamba Village. This is a place for crocodiles; they rear crocodiles. When you visit the place you get the chance to, at the same time, enter into a theatre to watch a video about the life of a crocodile, the various species, that is, types of crocodiles they have, their age and so on.

Attached to that same crocodile farm is a restaurant -- Mamba Restaurant. At the Mamba Restaurant, believe you me, I had crocodile meat for the first time in Kenya and it tasted very good. Apart from having the restaurant they also export the hides. So within that one complex is a series of activities, entertainment, business and so on and so forth.

So I am appealing to the Ministry of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City, particularly the Tourist Development Board, to look for specific tourist sites that we can within a short time promote because they are natural. We have the Paga Crocodile Pond, and I can also think of the Kintampo Falls which is so close to the road. From the falls towards the road is so short a distance and it is one of the most beautiful sites you can ever have. We have Lake Bosomtwe, we have the Buaben Fiema Monkey Sanctuary and some butterfly sanctuary that are all potential “gold mines” to create jobs and can bring in money to this country.

So Mr. Speaker, my appeal is that we can identify key areas and within a short time help the private sector to invest. And I say help because if we leave it to the private sector alone it may not happen. So the Government should support the development of infrastructure in such a way that we can genuinely benefit from the natural environment that God has given us that is really a “gold mine” and yet we are

unable to exploit.
Mr. c. S. Hodogbey (NDc -- North Tongu) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on the Statement.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that at least two of our hon. Ministers whose role make tourism very attractive are in the House today, that is, the hon. Minister for Energy and the Minister for Road Transport. Tourists only like a country when there is continuous flow of electricity but unfortunately almost at any part of our cities today there is an intermittent flow of electricity, water and other things. These things actually deter tourists from coming to a country.
Our roads -- Coming from the Western Region where most of our tourist centres are, as soon as you reach Kasoa, it takes about four hours to get to the Accra central area because of the construction and layout of our roads. I would encourage the cities within Ghana to advertise; tourism does not necessarily mean people have to come from other countries, cities can advertise to show the attractions of their area to attract other Ghanaians to tour their area while we leave our Embassies to do some work of commercializing and advertising Ghana to attract tourists.
One unfortunate thing which the hon. Minister for Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City said about two weeks ago is that the Panafest which is supposed to take place two months from now is in danger of not possibly coming on because the airfare for coming to Accra is about two thousand and seventy dollars and out of the two hundred and forty people who have opted to come, only one hundred and four have actually given the assurance that they will attend the Panafest.
Mr. c. S. Hodogbey (NDc -- North Tongu) 10:40 a.m.
Why? There is no alternative airline now on which tourists can decide to fly to Ghana. Ghana Airways as of today will be on the liquidation list and tourists have no option but to fly with foreign airlines. I therefore want to ask the hon. Minister for Road Transport and the Minister for Energy to ensure that electricity, water and other things continuously flow to attract tourists into this country.
Deputy Minister for Tourism and Modernization of the capital city (Mr. S. Asamoah-Boateng): Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the Statement made on the floor this morning. Mr. Speaker, I have been in the Ministry of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City for about two, three months now and I am very impressed with the potential in that particular Ministry. We have a lot that we can showcase and a lot that we can derive from tourism.
Mr. Speaker, tourism is now the fastest growing industry in the whole world, faster than even computers, software building or hardware. On tourism revenue for last year, Mr. Speaker, my information is that it amounted to seven hundred and sixty billion United States dollars. Of that amount only forty-one billion dollars (4 per cent) came to Africa and of that forty- one billion, two per cent was distributed among the North African countries and South Africa. Only two per cent was left for the sub-Saharan countries of Africa to share and that is a meagre figure considering the amount of money involved and the number of people travelling.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is about time that we all paid attention to tourism. All of us in this House have some tourist potential in our constituencies and I must commend some hon. Members of this House who have come to me and spoken to me about
the tourist potentials in their area and in good time I would find time to go there. I know that we can all contribute by helping to promote and talk about tourism. The difficulty, Mr. Speaker, is that we do not seem to appreciate it although we sit by it.
Mr. Speaker, government expenditure in tourism is not appreciable at all; it has never been and it is because we look at tourism as a holiday sort of thing and Ghanaians do not particularly appreciate what a holiday is about. But it is not just about holiday, it is not just about resting; it is going to find out about the culture of a people, finding out about the history, finding out about attractions and sightseeing. And they spend money; tourists spend a lot of money. Apparently, I am told that tourism revenue spent in terms of food items and sightseeing is far greater than even the airfares they pay to go to the sites.
So Mr. Speaker, if we can put our moneys to it, it can help us. Since I went there we have been trying to put together the domestic tourism aspect of it because in each of the countries that I have studied, domestic tourism is far more greater, about sixty to seventy per cent more than the attraction of foreigners to come to one's country. So we can do a lot more by promoting tourism amongst our school children, amongst people who want to learn about where we came from and what we are trying to achieve.
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to spend too much time on this but what we need to do is to impress upon Government to be able to pay attention to tourism.

Mr. Speaker, when we came to this floor with the Budget, tourism just attracted twenty-four billion cedis; and for all that we do, Mr. Speaker, it cannot
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
I hope you are winding up.
Mr. Asamoah-Boateng 10:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear that the debt forgiveness would also assist us in releasing a certain amount of money into the system and I would take this opportunity to request that the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning should look the way of the Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City and release some money which should have gone to other areas and help us to boost tourism.
One example I keep on citing to people is Cuba. Mr. Speaker, Cuba did not have anything apart from obviously the plantations and support from the Soviet Union. But when communism collapsed Cuba decided that for the first five years ahead of them, forty per cent of their GDP would go into Tourism; and Mr. Speaker, it
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister for Youth and Employment, do you have any point of order to raise?
Mrs. osei-opare 10:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Minority Leader has misunderstood my point. My point was for us to add value to the environment in which the crocodiles live and to create more business around it so that when people come they can spend money and that is where we would reap benefits. That is why I was giving that example.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
You have answered your question.
Mr. Bagbin 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the further explanation. Actually, I have understood what she meant but it is just that I wanted to draw her attention to the fact that if we start talking about eating crocodiles and the crocodiles at the Paga pond hear that we are talking about eating crocodiles, then we are in serious trouble -- [Laughter]-- So I understood her very well.
Mr. Speaker, I think another area we need to emphasize is that the tourists are interested in looking at tradition. There is some madness going on in trying to compete with the developed world in the construction of hotels presumably for the tourists. The tourists are not attracted by our hotels, they are attracted by our traditional houses, they want to live in the huts, they want to live in the bamboo structures. That is what they want to see.
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Okere, do you have a point of order?
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
a point of information. Hotels should be built but they should be “budget hotels”.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
I will call you later. Hon. Minority Leader, please wind up.
Mr. Bagbin 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, let me just wind up by saying that the other area we just missed and “Asa-B” should have mentioned it -- [Laughter.]
rose
Mr. Bagbin 10:40 a.m.
Oh! Hon. Asamoah- Boateng.
Mr. Adjaho 10:40 a.m.
He has corrected it -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Bagbin 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Asamoah-Boateng was some years behind me, a very nice young man. Now he looks older than me -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Minority Leader,
I hope you are winding up.
Mr. Bagbin 10:50 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr.
Speaker, I was just talking about the need for us to revisit the issue of the Homecoming Summit and that is why I mentioned the hon. Member. That was one of the instruments that we thought could keep on attracting Africans in the diaspora,
Mr. Baba Abdul-Rahman Masoud (NDc -- Pru) 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad for the opportunity. This happens to be my maiden Statement. I want to draw attention to the menace of armed robbery in Pru district.
The recent spate of armed robbery in Ghana in general and particularly in the Pru district of the Brong Ahafo Region is not only alarming but assuming life- threatening proportions. It is against this backdrop that we must energize our efforts and act critically swift to nib this heinous act or crime in the bud.
Pru district, situated in the north- eastern corner of the Brong Ahafo Region and along the banks of the Volta River is an economic asset so far as agriculture is concerned. It puts bread on the table of thousands if not millions of Ghanaians. Indeed, traders, fishmongers and fishermen alike move in and out of Yeji, the district capital with huge sums of money to purchase smoked fish, animals like cattle, sheep and goats and of course food stuffs that find market in Accra, Kumasi and other southern towns to augment the protein and other essential nutrients in the diet of the populace. For those of you who may not know, Pru is the main source of the popular Ghanaian delicacy called “Koobi”.
Mr. B. D. K. Adu (NPP -- okere) 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the oppor- tunity. I rise to support the Statement on the floor.
Mr. Speaker, one would ask, “What has come on us as a nation?” Years back we did not hear of all these activities of armed robbery. One then would ask, “What has brought about all these?” People say economic; why economic? If you say economic, all of us are affected by the economic situation of the nation but I would say, this probably is spiritual. Spiritual in the sense that a nation comes through difficulties at a time and the surge of armed robbery on this nation is something which cannot be apprehended or comprehended.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Do you have any point of order to make?
Mr. Asamoah ofosu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order against the contributor and more so to the original maker of the Statement. Mr. Speaker, the rules of the House do not permit one to object or raise a point of order against the principal Statement.
Mr. Speaker, I rise at this time on a point of order to object that the whole
Statement is misleading. Armed robbery is not known to the laws of Ghana; there is nothing like armed robbery in Ghana. Our laws provide for robbery, which is stealing with violence either by arms or anything. So the whole thing is misleading and I do not think -- [Laughter] -- Mr. Speaker, I do not think that this should be allowed to engage the minds and debate of this House. It is not known to the laws of Ghana. [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member for Okere, I hope you are winding up, are you not?
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he is very legalistic; I am not a lawyer.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Please, continue and wind up.
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 11 a.m.
Thank you. Mr. Speaker, so this armed robbery is not only limited to the maker of the Statement's area. Not quite long ago, we had a problem at the Akwapim Ridge. Because of the road, which is being constructed, armed robbers have attacked my constituency several times. I wish to appeal to the Inspector-General of Police also to look at that place so that the armed robbery there will be eliminated.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, I want to appeal again that as a nation we should be on our knees that we shall pass through all these difficulties by God raising His hands on our nation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Stephen Kunsu (NDc -- Kintampo North) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a contribution. In fact, the Government must take a very serious view about the activities of these armed robbers. The security agents -- I agree with the hon. Member who made the Statement -- must be empowered to neutralise these activities. The operations of armed robbers are almost the same as the

operations of terrorists.

Initially, these armed robbers are interested in money. It is possible that in future, armed robbers will expand their activities to include kidnapping of government officials. It will therefore be in the interest of all Ghanaians to help fight these armed robbers. The Kintampo area has been a victim of these armed robberies in recent times. I therefore associate myself with the Statement and I urge the Government to do all that it can to bring this to the minimum level. Thank you.

oRAL ANSWERS To QUESTIoNS
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT 11 a.m.
Minister for Road Transport (Dr. Richard W. Anane) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the link between Dome and Hwanyaso is a track and is in poor condition. The track will require improvement to provide the needed access to the communities along the corridor. The communities along the corridor are mainly farmers.
The track has been programmed for rehabilitation in the year 2006 under the Government of Ghana (GOG) funding. Survey and design on the track are currently ongoing and are expected to be completed by September 2005.
Tease-Asukese Faaso Battor
Background
The link between Tease and Asukese
Faaso Battor is a track and is in poor condition. The track branches into two at kilometre 5. The left branch goes to the Faaso Battor which is 23 km long whilst the right branch track goes to Asukese. The tracks will require improvement to provide the needed access to the communities along the corridor. The communities along the corridor are mainly farmers.
current Programme
In 2003, the Department of Feeder Roads in consu l ta t ion wi th the communities in the Afram Plains selected roads which included the Tease-Asukese Faaso Battor track for improvement under the Feeder Road Improvement Programme (FRIP). It is part of the package of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF). Pre-feasibility studies were completed in 2003 and engineering studies completed in 2004. The projects were submitted to the European Union (EU) for approval in March 2005. It is expected that the procurement of works will commence by January 2006.
Mr. Joe Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether until an intervention from the European Union funding comes, anything can be done from our local resources to at least take a beef at the problem before January,
2006.
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we have a certain peculiar problem, which we may have to take note of. I mentioned that this corridor is served by a track and not a road. Therefore it is not part of the road access of the Department of Feeder Roads. That notwithstanding, we make attempts to make access easy. But that is why we also need to convert those tracks into roads so that they are captured under our “access road” as a road for it to be continuously given the routine maintenance and other interventions that will always open them
for access by the people living in the corridor.
So Mr. Speaker, I take note of my hon. Colleague's submission and what measures can be taken as we try to convert these tracks into roads for easy access over time.

Donkorkrom-Kwaekese-Koranteng- Krachi Road

Q. 15. Mr. Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu asked the Minister for Road Transport when work would resume on the construction of the Donkorkrom-Kwaekese-Koranteng- Krachi Road.
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Donkorkrom-Kwaekese-Koranteng- Krachi feeder road is 17 km long. It is located in the Afram Plains District. The Donkorkrom to Kwaekese feeder road which is 5 km long is in good condition. The road was rehabilitated in 2000 under the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The link between Kwaekese, Koranteng and Krachi is un-engineered and is in poor condition. This section of the road needs to be improved and the communities who also reside in this corridor are mainly farmers.
Mr. Speaker, the Donkorkrom- Kwaekese section which is in good condition will continue to receive routine/ recurrent maintenance treatment.
In 2003, the Department of Feeder Roads in consultation with the communities in the Afram Plains selected roads which included the Kwaekese-Koranteng-Krachi section for improve-ment under the Feeder Road Improvement Programme (FRIP). As mentioned earlier as one of the roads packaged, it is part of the package of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF).
Mr. Agbenu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to make a correction here. Donkorkrom- Kwaekese is only two and a half kilometres apart. Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister whether he is sure that the work will start in January even though the European Union has not approved the project yet.
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my hon. Colleague took notice of the statement in my Answer. What I said was that it is expected that procurement for work, that is when we start procuring for the work -- It is only after the procurement for works and after the contract had been signed that the actual work will start. But the procurement service will definitely start in January.
Mr. B.D.K. Adu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the Minister whether when he gravels these feeder roads, the lifespan of the roads will not be lessened -- gravelling of the feeder roads instead of opening them and leaving them.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Okere, this does not appear to be a supplementary question.
Feeder Roads in the Afram Plains North constituency (construction)
Q. 16. Mr. Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu asked the Minister for Road Transport when the following feeder roads in the Afraim Plains North constituency would
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Aman- kwakrom is a VRA settlement town at the eastern side of the Afram Plains. The Amankwakrom-Salepe feeder road passes through several villages noted for yam cultivation. The road is partially engineered and is in poor condition.
The road has been programmed for rehabilitation under the African Development Bank (AfDB) Afram Plains Agriculture Development Project. Feasibility study has been completed on the project and will be forwarded by the end of July to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for their “No Objection”. Abomosarefo-Avatime-Bodua
The Abomosarefo-Afatime-Bodua feeder road is 3.7 km long and is located in the Afram Plains District. The road provides access to farming communities along the road corridor and it is also noted for yam cultivation.
In 2003, the Department of Feeder Roads again in consultation with the communities in the Afram Plains selected roads which included the Abomosarefo- Avatime-Bodua road for improvement under the Feeder Road Improvement Programme (FRIP). It is part of the package of the 9th European Development Fund.
As I have stated in earlier answers, pre-feasibility studies were completed in
2003 and engineering studies completed in 2004. The projects were submitted to the European Union (EU) for approval in March, 2005. And as also indicated in earlier answers, it is expected that the procurement of works will commence by January, 2006.
Mr. Speaker, the link from Mem Chemfre to Kamalo is a track and is in poor condition. Mem Chemfre is a Volta River Authority (VRA) settlement. The track will require improvement to provide the necessary access to the communities along the road corridor. The communities along the corridor, this time, are mainly fishermen.
The Mem Chemfre feeder road has been programmed for rehabilitation under the Transport Sector Programme Support Phase II. The project is scheduled to be advertised by the end of September, 2005. It is expected that the project would be awarded by the end of December, 2005 for construction to start in February, 2006.
Mr. Speaker, in 2003, the Department of Feeder Roads in consultation with the communities in the Afram Plains selected this among the number of roads that are to undergo improvement under the Feeder Road Improvement Programme (FRIP). It is part of the package of the 9th European Development Fund and pre-feasibility studies as mentioned earlier in some other answers were completed in 2003 and engineering studies competed in 2004.
These projects, again as stated and mentioned in earlier answers, were submitted to the European Union (EU) for approval in March, 2005. It is expected that the procurement of works will commence by January, 2006.
Mr. Agbenu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister the distance between Amankwakrom and Salepe. This
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not very clear with my hon. Colleague's question. We are talking about the Amankwakrom- Salepe feeder road which passes through several villages noted for yam cultivation and which route I said had been captured under the African Development Bank Afram Plains Agricultural Development Programme. And I also mentioned that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will be submitting this to the African Development Bank for their “No Objection” by this July.
Mr. Agbenu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am only asking the hon. Minister for the distance or the mileage between Amankwakrom and Salepe.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, you are asking the distance between the two areas, are you not?
Mr. Agbenu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, the two areas. This is because for the other ones, he actually mentioned the distance.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Minister for Road Transport, if you know.
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have it readily here but I think that the distance between Amankwakrom and Salepe is captured under Amankwakrom to Salepe, which is a description of the distance itself.
Mr. Agbenu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to be very grateful to the European Union for taking up the construction of the roads in the Afram Plains.
I would want to make a small statement. Afram Plains is a food growing area and can supply the whole country with food and therefore we are grateful to the European Union for taking up the task to construct the roads in the district. I thank them very much for their endeavour.
Donkorkrom Town Drains (construction)
Q. 17. Mr. Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu asked the Minister for Road Transport when work on construction of Donkorkrom town drains would be completed.
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Donkorkrom is the district capital of the Afram Plains District. The Donkorkrom town drains form part of the upgrading of the town's roads. The contract was awarded to M/s Mayakom Limited on the 21st of June 2004 to be completed on the 28th of September, 2005 at the contract sum of ¢2.8 billion. Drainage works are about 90 per cent completed whilst the entire project is at 30 per cent completion.
It is expected that all the drainage works will be completed by the end of July this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Mr. Agbenu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to ask the hon. Minister if the contract sum of ¢2.8 billion includes tarring of the roads.
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, it does.
Sankor-cape Three Points Road (Tarring)
Q. 18. Mr. Samuel Johnfiah asked the Minister for Road Transport if his Ministry would consider tarring the Sankor-Cape Three Points road in the Ahanta West constituency as soon as the ongoing rehabilitation works are completed.
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Sankor- Cape Three Points road is part of the partially engineered road network in the Ahanta West District. The road is 23.8 km long and leads to the light house at Cape Three Points, a fishing community which is also a tourist attraction. The road also
passes through rubber plantations as well as other agricultural communities.
The road was awarded for rehabilitation in October 2004 for completion in November 2005 to M/s Eagle Star. The contract sum is ¢3.34 billion. The main activities are the construction of 36 culverts and the gravelling of the road for the time being. So far, clearing works have been completed to date whilst culvert construction is yet to start. The percentage of works completed to date is 10 per cent.
Mr. Speaker, the slow progress of work could be attributed to the long period of time used in resolving the issue of the compensation for farm lands that were to be affected by the project during the clearing of the vegetation. It took about three months for the problem to be resolved with the involvement of the District Chief Executive and opinion leaders of the affected communities. Inclement weather is another factor that has contributed towards the slow progress of works on the project. The rains started very early in April and has continued up till now.
Mr. Speaker, in addition, a contract has also been awarded in March 2005 for the construction of a Bailey bridge on the road to the same contractor M/s Eagle Star at a contract sum of ¢2.56 billion. The contract is however yet to be signed. After the completion of the rehabilitation works, the road would be tarred in phases since it leads to a tourist attraction area (that is, Cape Three Points).
Mr. Johnfiah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy the hon. Minister has underscored the need to tar the Sankor-Cape Three Point road and even buttressed the point that it is a tourist destination. But what is a bit worrying is the intent to tar the road in phases. Would the hon. Minister inform the House how many phases this
will entail?
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to plead with my hon. Colleague to appreciate that road construction takes some time. My hon. Colleague also appreciates that this road currently is not in the best of shapes. It is our intention to put it in the right shape and after that, based on the basket available to us, we would be able to do the tarring. But Mr. Speaker, I am unable at this moment to tell how many phases that it will take for us to complete the tarring.
Mr. Joe Gidisu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to find out from the hon. Minister how effective M/s Eagle Star has been on the rehabilitation of the road to the point that he has again been awarded the construction of the Bailey bridge.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, is it a supplementary question arising from the Question on the Sankor-Cape Three Points road?
Mr. Gidisu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes. The contractor who is rehabilitating the road is M/s Eagle Star and according to the hon. Minister, he had not completed the rehabilitation. But the same contractor has been awarded the construction of the Bailey bridge on the same road at a contract sum of ¢2.56 billion. So I am trying to find out how satisfactory and effective that contractor has been on the rehabilitation of the road to again be awarded another contract on the same road for the construction of a Bailey bridge.
Dr. Anane 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as much as my hon. Colleague's supplementary question tends to be judgemental, I would attempt to give some answer. Mr. Speaker, in my Answer, I mentioned that for about three months, the project was held because
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Minister for Road Transport, thank you for appearing to answer these Questions. You are discharged.
BILLS -- FIRST READING 11:30 a.m.
PAPERS 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Item 8 - Close Sitting.

ADJoURNMENT
  • The House was adjourned at 11.33 a.m. till 21st June, 2005 at 10.00 a.m.