Debates of 8 Jul 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings, Thursday, 7th July 2005. Pages 1… 14?
Mr. D. T. Assumeng 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, page 14 -- Committee on Energy, I David Tetteh Assumeng, Tetteh Nene Amoako, Chief of Natriku, and Mr. Charles S. Hodogbey were in attendance.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Are you saying you were there but your name did not appear?
Mr. Assumeng 10 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
We have the Official
Report for Tuesday, 5th July, 2005.
Mr. A. E. Amoah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, column 1572 the second paragraph, the word “shared” -- “shared for these small ...” should be “shed … to”, “shed off to”.

BUSINESS oF THE HoUSE
Majority Leader/chairman of the Business committee (Mr. F. K. owusu- Adjapong) 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee met yesterday, Thursday, 7th July 2005 and determined Business of the House for the Tenth Week ending Friday, 15th July 2005. The Committee presents its report to this august House as follows:
Arrangement of Business
Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has scheduled twenty-two (22) Questions to be answered by some Ministers during the week.
The details are as follows:
No. of Question(s)
i. Minister for Education and Sports 5
ii. Minister for Energy 5
iii. Minister for Local Government and Rural Dev. 2
iv. Minister for Works and Housing 3
v. Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment 1
vi. Minister for the Interior 1
vii. Minister for Road Transport 5
Total Number of Questions
22
Statements
Mr. Speaker, Statements duly admitted may be allowed to be made in the House.
Bills, Papers and Reports
Mr. Speaker, Bills may be presented for consideration by the House. Papers may also be laid. A Report from the Joint Committee on Finance and Trade, Industry and Tourism is expected to be laid. Reports from other Committees are also expected during the week.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr. Speaker, motion for the adoption or otherwise of the Report from the Joint Committee on Finance and Trade, Industry and Tourism may be debated and its consequential Resolution taken. Other motions and their consequential Resolutions, if any, may also be taken.
House committee
Mr. Speaker, the House Committee will meet on Tuesday, 12th July 2005 at 9.00 a.m. to agree on the membership of the subcommittees to enable the House Committee report to the House next week.
committee on Mines and Energy
The Committee on Mines and Energy has been scheduled to meet on Monday, 11th July 2005 to consider the Minerals and Mining Bill. Detailed programme would be given by the Chairperson of the Committee.
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 --

Minis ter for Educat ion and Sports -- 40, 43, 57, 66 & 67

Committee Sittings --

House Committee Meeting

Questions --

Minister for Energy -- 59, 63, 76,

77 & 78

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development -- 99 & 163

Laying of Papers --

(a) Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Trade, Industry and Tourism on the Agreement between the Government of Ghana and KHI 01 Limited for lease and Government Support in relation to the Ambassador Hotel, Accra.

(b ) Repor t o f the F inance Committee on the Development Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) for an amount of SDR 84,200,000 (US$125.00 million equivalent) for the Third Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-3).

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Works and Housing

-- 145, 166 & 167

Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment -- 164

Minister for the Interior -- 173

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Road Transport -- 87,

88, 89, 90 & 91

Motions --

(a) Adoption of the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Trade, Industry and Tourism on the Agreement between the Government of Ghana and KHI 01 Limited for lease and Government Support in relation to the Ambassador Hotel, Accra.

(b) Adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the Development Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) for an amount of SDR 84,200,000 (US$125.00 million equivalent) for the Third Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-3).

Committee Sittings.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
looking at the Statement for next week, it is obvious that the schedule for Tuesday and Thursday would be a little bit light, so I want to suggest that we add some more Questions if we have a backlog of Questions. And Mr. Speaker may also wish to push through a few Statements.
Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this same issue was discussed at the Business Committee yesterday. The problem with Questions is that the Question has got to mature before we can compel the Minister to come. And again, where it is not matured, we need to discuss with the Minister whether the Answers would be ready. We asked the Clerk's office to do that exercise and this is what has resulted in this present arrangement.
Again, if some of the Committees with referrals are able to work as scheduled, we may have one or two Committee reports available for discussion. But we did not want to programme it, in case the Committees are still not able to complete their report. That is why we left it like that.
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Item 4 --- Questions. Hon. Members, we have seven Questions to deal with within one hour. I shall, therefore, allow maximum time of ten minutes per each Question. Question 70 -- and it stands in the name of hon. Alfred Kwame Agbesi, Member of Parliament for Ashaiman. Hon. Minister for Road Transport?
oRAL ANSWERS To QUESTIoNS
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT 10:10 a.m.
Minister for Road Transport (Dr. Richard W. Anane) 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, drainage works along some selected roads in the Middle East Area of Ashaiman totalling about 5 kilometres were started and completed between June 2001 and July 2004.
Mr. Speaker, a contract for the stage construction of the roads was awarded to Messrs Construction African Limited in March 2004 for completion in six months, that is, in September 2004. Mr. Speaker, the contract consisted of building the road to gravel sub-base level. However, due to the poor performance of the contractor, only 15 per cent of physical work was accomplished in a year's time.
The contract was, therefore, terminated by the Municipal Tender Board in March 2005, and had been reawarded to Messrs Hornblower Express Way Limited as at May 2005.
Mr. Speaker, it is expected that actual work will commence after the rainy season, that is, from September onwards. The surface treatment with bitumen, that is the tarring of the road, will be undertaken as from the next fiscal year.
Mr. Agbesi 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister what happens to the rest of the road which were not selected. I ask this question because he said that some selected roads in the area were being worked on. What happens to those roads, which were not selected?
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker. I have mentioned that about 5 kilometres of drain works were done but we will definitely want to finish with treating the roads
under and adjacent to the drain works before we can extend to any other area. And as I mentioned earlier, as a member of the Municipal Assembly, it will also be helpful to us if he helped the Assembly to prioritise these roads which he is concerned about for our action.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister what had happened or what was done to the contractor who could not perform and his contract was terminated.
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Tema Municipal Assembly helped to terminate the contract, and as I mentioned, after the termination of the contract from the original contractor, this contract has now been reawarded to another contractor.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, during the presentation of the 2005 Budget the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning announced to the world and particularly to the people in Ashaiman Middle East that their roads had been 100 per cent completed. I am now hearing from the hon. Minister that the contract was terminated and reawarded. I want the hon. Minister to explain why he told the people that their roads were 100 per cent completed while in fact the contract is now being awarded.
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think it may be very helpful to me if my hon. Colleague could make a quote of the particular portion of the Statement by the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning statement because I do not remember that such a statement was made.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have here the Budget Statement for 2005, page 75, under Urban Roads Programme. It reads:
“Mr. Speaker, further works to improve our urban roads was

also embarked upon in 2004. Highlights of the progress made in this area as at December, 2004 are as follows: Within the Accra Metropolis, rehabilitation works on the Abelemkpe, Tantra Hill and some roads within the Madina locality as well as Ashale Botwe and Ashaiman Middle East roads were 100 per cent completed . . .”

Mr. Speaker, I want to know whether this statement is a lie to the whole world or it is a fact.
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my hon. Colleague will also appreciate that in the Statement by the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, he said “some roads”, and Mr. Speaker, projects are contracted out in lots. So if a particular project has been completed, that would be said to have been 100 per cent completed. So Mr. Speaker, I am not very sure whether what my hon. Colleague is saying may be taken for what he wants it to be.
Mr. Speaker, I also know that several projects have been completed in many parts of the municipality. But Mr. Speaker, it is dependent upon a lot that this particular road project may be in. Apart from that, it may also be dependent on the type of contract. If a contract says we are doing five (5) kilometres of drains and the five (5) kilometers of drains have been completed, Mr. Speaker, that means, 100 per cent of the project has been done.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Minister must be very sure of what he is saying. Now in this Budget Statement, he stated -- and I quote:
“Wi th in Acc ra Met ropo l i s , rehabi l i ta t ion works on the Abelemkpe, Tantra Hill and some roads within the Madina locality as well as Ashale Botwe and Ashaiman Middle East . . .”.
So Ashaiman and Ashale Botwe are categorically stated to have been 100 per cent completed; and this is a fact. But if the hon. Minister is saying that some roads
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ashaiman, you ask your question.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question
is, this Budget Statement which talked about 100 per cent completion of the Middle East roads is not true and for that matter the hon. Minister and the Government owe an apology to the people living in Middle East, Ashaiman because they have been deceived.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ashaiman, your question is not clear to me.
Mr. Agbesi 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question
is, as at today, is the hon. Minister aware that the roads in Middle East, Ashaiman are in such a bad state that they are impassable and they cannot be used by the residents in the area? Is he aware?
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware that there are several roads countrywide which have not been tackled over the past twenty years. And therefore, Mr. Speaker, it is not strange that in parts of Ashaiman those roads over the last ten years have not been tackled, but we are going to do that.
Mr. Ken Dzirasah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the hon. Minister whether there is any reason why roads such as those described by my hon. Colleague who spoke earlier have not been attended to whereas already paved streets in the Osu-Cantonments areas with gutters have had to be awarded on contract. Is there any reason why?
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure we are talking about the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) but I have been taken to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). And therefore, Mr. Speaker, I wish that my hon. Colleague gives notice and comes with a substantive Question.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Pusupu- Obanda link -- and I want to put emphasis on the term “link”-- is 12 kilometres long whist Pusupu-Bontibor is 6 kilometres long. Both links are located in the Nkwanta District. The two links are un-engineered, however, they do provide access to farming communities along the corridor and are in poor condition. They will require spot improvements to enhance mobility.

Mr. Speaker, the two links have been programmed for spot improvement under the Cashew Development Project under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for the year 2005. Procurement of works commenced last year and bids have already been received and the valuation report forwarded through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to the African Development Bank for approval.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Feeder Roads is waiting for “no objection” response from the African Development Bank through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to enable the project to be awarded on contract.
Mr. Gbediame 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in answering the Question, he emphasized the word “link”. I would like him to throw more light on that word before I ask my next supplementary question.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the occasion to mention in the House about the inventory of our road access and I have mentioned earlier that some links which are seen by my hon. Colleagues as, so to speak, “roads” may not necessarily be roads and therefore do not really occur in inventory. However, because of the Government's intention to open up the entire country, these links are now being programmed to be made into roads so that they would be captured under our roads inventory for normal routine maintenance to be continued and even for future construction and tarring.
Mr. Speaker, this is one of such links and therefore it does not really fall under our inventory as a road per se. But we think it is necessary to have them maintained so that they could be used by people living in the corridor. And since we are considering it under this project, we may be capturing it for future rehabilitation for use by the people in the corridor.
Mr. Gbediame 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, somewhere in May last year when a similar Question was asked, we were told that the bids, as he had rightly indicated, were submitted to the African Development Bank. It is almost a year now and we are still being told that they have not received the report from the African Development Bank. I would want to know how long it would take the Ministry to receive the report from the African Development Bank.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this particular project falls under the Cashew Project of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. However, because of the road components, they will have to be handled by the Ministry of Road Transport. But because it is a collaborative project, we have to pass whatever we do through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Mr. Speaker,

processes through our multi-lateral partners may take some time depending upon the actual thickness of the particular project that it takes. It is a cashew project and then there are certain corridors that must be opened up.

So the consideration is not only about the roads which my hon. Colleague is interested in. The consideration is also about the project itself and that is why it may have taken a little longer than what we normally would have been dealing with if we were dealing with road projects.

But in any case, sometimes even some of the main objection may be received over a considerable period of time depending on the components that are involved. Therefore, I am unable to give the exact period of tome when we expect the “no objection” to be received from the African Development Bank.
Mr. Gbediame 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Question is on Pusupu-Bontibor road and on that part they have constructed culverts and vehicles are using the road. But the portion is in a very poor state. While waiting for the report from the African Development Bank, may I know whether that portion of the road can be awarded to a contractor for grading to make it more motorable?
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would wish to believe that this is more of an appeal and I would wish that we take note of it and see how we would manage the situation until we receive the “no objection” from the African Development Bank.
The Nyankpala Portion of the Tamale- Tolon-Daboya Road
(Tarring)
Q. 84. Mr. A. Umar Abdul-Razaq asked the Minister for Road Transport when the Ministry will commence tarring
of the Nyankpala portion of the Tamale- Tolon-Daboya road.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Tamale- Nyankpala road is 13 kilometres. It is part of the Tamale-Tolon-Daboya road, which is the regional road (109) in the Northern Region.
Mr. Speaker, the Tamale-Nyankpala road is being surface-dressed in phases. The section of the road from kilometres 0-5 has been completed. Construction of the section from kilometre 5-8.5 is in progress together with the 1.5 kilometre access road to the University of Development Studies.
Mr. Speaker, the contract was awarded to Messrs A & N Ghanem Ltd. on the 28th of November 2003 for completion on the 27th of February 2005 at a contract sum of ¢11,717,200,000.00. Mr. Speaker, the works are 95 per cent complete.
Mr. Speaker, the current road sector of the development programme will be coming to an end next year, 2006 and therefore projects are now being packaged to be catered for under the evolving Transport Sector Development Programme.
Mr. Speaker, in order to keep this road, as he wants it to be in the phase construction, this road would be considered under the Transport Sector Development Programme.
Mr. Speaker, meanwhile, to keep the road in motorable condition, routine maintenance works will continue to be undertaken on the road annually.
Mr. Speaker, for the year 2005, the grading contract has been awarded to Messrs Abudulai Alhassan Co. Ltd. at a contract sum of ¢3.4 billion Mr. Speaker, the contractor has since commenced works.
Mr. Abdul-Razaq 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the road from Tamale to Nyankpala has been
tarred already. It had its share in the “chapter one”. My problem is the tarring of the road from Nyankpala towards Tolon to Daboya, which actually we were promised before the 2004 Elections that it has been awarded on contract. So I would want to know when the tarring of the road would commence.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we look at this corridor as the regional road (109) in the Northern Region. Mr. Speaker, we also look at the length and the extent of work that is required and base it on that we budget and do them accordingly. Mr. Speaker, I have said that from kilometre 5-8.5 and inclusive of the 1.5 kilometres of road leading into the University of Development Studies, we are spending 11.7 billion to reconstruct it.
Mr. Speaker, we have also said that the entire stretch would be done but it is being done in phases. And because it is being done in phases and the Road Sector Development Programme is coming to an end, we have repackaged this under the evolving Transport Sector Development Programme so that the development of the road will continue till we reach the end.
Alhaji Imoro Yakubu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to find out from the hon. Minister about the grading contract that had been awarded to Messrs Abudulai Alhassan Company Limited on the 30th of June 2005. Is the sum involved ¢3.4 million or ¢3.4 billion?
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I heard my hon. Colleague properly about the cost.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, can you kindly repeat your question.
Alhaji Y. K. Imoro 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
Alhaji Y. K. Imoro 10:40 a.m.


the Order Paper the hon. Minister stated that for the year 2005 the grading contract had been awarded to Messrs Abudulai Alhassan Company Limited on 30th June, 2005 in the sum of ¢3.4 million. That is what I want to be made clear -- whether it is ¢3.4 million or ¢3.4 billion.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure
that there has been a mistake. That stretch of road cannot be done in millions so the actual sum is ¢3.4 billion.
Alhaji Imoro 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
stretch of road mentioned by my hon. Friend also goes through my constituency. Unfortunately, vehicles cannot get to my town, Daboya, because of a river that lies before Daboya. My question to the hon. Minister is, what is his current plan for bridging the river?
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure
my hon. Colleague does know very well; probably, he wants this to be told to the world that at long last that bridge is going to be done. I think that is all what he wants the world to know.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister in his Answer stated that the Tamale Nyankpala road is being done in phases. I would want to find out from him when the portion between Wani and Shishehu of that road would be completed.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I may not
always recollect the names of all villages and all the projects but I know that the road is being done in phases. I also know that this phase would be coming to an end and I have said that we have repackaged it to be captured under the Transport Sector Programme so that we continue until we get to the end. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I am unable to give him a specific answer with respect to names which may not always be what I will recollect.
Mr. J. D. Mahama 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister, in his Answer, says that a portion of the road has been awarded to Messrs Abudulai Alhassan Co. Ltd. on 30th June -- a grading contract. Mr. Speaker, for ¢3.4 billion, I want to know what the scope of work of this particular contract is.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a two-
year project and I hope my hon. Colleague is also aware of the length of the road that has to be done. In the grading component, the road is supposed to be kept motorable by ensuring that the surface has been smoothened out.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, there would be the need for some clearing of the sides of the road, but this is a two-year contract to ensure that over the two-year period this road would be kept motorable and the surface smoothened out for comfort of commuters.
Feeder Roads in Mpohor Wassa East (Rehabilitation)
Q. 85. Mr. Anthony Evans Amoah
asked the Minister for Road Transport when the following feeder roads in Mpohor Wassa East would be rehabilitated: (i) Edwenasi-Ekuhiase-Domama, (ii) Edwenasi-Nyamebekyere, (iii) Ankaago- Atobiase, (iv) Mpohor-Adum-Banso- Benso.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Dwenasi-Ekutuase-Domama feeder road is engineered and it is 23.6 km long. It is located in the Mpohor Wassa East district and provides access to tourist sites and cocoa growing areas in the districts. Future Programme
The Dwenasi-Ekutuase-Domama feeder road has been advertised under the Department of Feeder Roads (DFRs') routine/recurrent maintenance programme
for 2005 to be funded under GOG Road Fund. Submission of bids closed on 30th June 2005. It is expected that the contract would be awarded by the end of August this year. Works will commence after the rainy season.
(ii) Edwenasi-Nyamebekyere
Mr. Speaker, on the Edwenasi- Nyamebekyere link, it is part of the Dwenasi-Nyamebekyere-Abrodzewuram link and it is about 18 km long. The link which is located in the Mpohor Wassa district is unengineered and is in poor condition.
Future Programme
The link has been programmed for stage improvement under GOG funding. The contract for the first phase covering the entire stretch was awarded in August 2004 at a contract sum of ¢462.744 million. The contractor on the project is Messrs Hodal Limited and the project is expected to be completed in October 2005. The contract for the first phase involves the clearing of vegetation and shaping of the road. The contract for the second phase involves the construction of critical culverts and gravelling of slippery sections which will be awarded upon the completion of the first phase. The current contract is 25per cent completed and work done so far is the clearing of 11 km of the road.
(iii) Ankaakor-Atobiase
Mr. Speaker, the Ankaakor-Atobiase feeder road is 18 km. It is engineered and located in the Mpohor Wassa East district. The road was awarded on contract in February 2004 under DFRs' routine/ recurrent maintenance programme at a contract sum of ¢568.333 million. The project was executed by Messrs McGeorge Construction Limited and was completed
in January 2005.
Future Programme
Mr. Speaker, the Ankaakor-Atobiase feeder road will continue to receive regular routine/recurrent maintenance to enhance mobility. This year the road has been captured in the DFRs' routine/recurrent maintenance programme and has already been advertised. Submission of bids closed on 30th June, 2005. The project is expected to be awarded by the end of August this year.
(iv) Mpohor-Adum Banso-Benso
Mr. Speaker, the Mpohor-Adum Banso- Benso feeder road is engineered and it is 15 km long. It is located in the Mpohor Wassa East district and provides access to the Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP).
Future Programme
The Mpohor-Adum Banso-Benso feeder road has recently been advertised, again under the DFRs' routine/recurrent maintenance programme for 2005. Submission of bids closed on 30th June 2005. It is expected that the contract for the road would be awarded by the end of August this year. Works are expected to commence after the rainy season and the works will include reshaping to enhance mobility.
Mr. Amoah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister which of the roads that he mentioned as having been engineered are likely to benefit from the Government's policy of surface-dressing some feeder roads. The reason is that if you look at Edwenasi-Ekutuasi-Domama feeder road, the stretch from Ebirem Agono to Edwenasi in the Central Region
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague first wanted to know which among the roads he mentioned were engineered. Mr. Speaker, the Edwenasi- Ekutuase-Domama road is engineered; the Ankaago-Atobiase feeder road is engineered and the Mpohor-Adum Banso feeder road is engineered. Mr. Speaker, as he also rightly pointed out, some parts of these roads are also being reconstructed; and he even mentioned the fact that some links to roads in other regions have already been tarred.
Mr. Speaker, it has been mentioned here again and again that the Government has decided that as many of our feeder roads as possible should be tarred and, Mr. Speaker, especially in the Western Region where we have a lot of rains in the course of the year, it is the Government's intention to tar as many of the roads as possible, but all these must be done from our own limited common basket. But even before the tarring of these roads, it is also necessary that we keep them open and motorable before we can consider the tarring. So some of them are going to be tarred.
Mr. Amoah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister the difference between rehabilitation and reshaping of a road, from the technical point of view.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, fortunately today the hon. Colleague who last week
failed me said he has decided to be a consultant to be doing some of these explanations. Mr. Speaker, rehabilitation involves a lot more than reshaping. As the name suggests, reshaping is just putting the surface of the road into some motorability; but when we talk about rehabilitation, Mr. Speaker, there may be the need to add other structures like perhaps putting in some culverts, raising some surfacing and doing so many other things in addition to making sure that the surface is also motorable. Sometimes, it may even involve perhaps, adding some bitumen. So rehabilitation involves a lot more than mere reshaping of a road.
Mr. Albert Abongo 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister relates to the values of the contracts awarded. In this particular one, he mentioned a figure of ¢462.7 million for just clearing of vegetation and shaping, like in his other Answer where he stated a figure of ¢3.4 billion for a similar nature of work. I do not know if the Minister would say that we are getting value for money for this kind of contract work.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the costs involved are determined by the quantum of work that are required. Therefore, depending on the quantum of work required, we may either have it in billions or in millions. So Mr. Speaker, I think we are having value for money.
That notwithstanding, we keep on monitoring to make sure that we get the work done as scheduled.
Seventy-Kilometre Mpohor Wassa East Road (Tarring)
Q. 86. Mr. Anthony Evans Amoah asked the Minister for Road Transport when the 70-kilometre Mpohor Wassa East-Daboase-Ateiku-Osenso road would be tarred.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Daboase- Ateiku-Osenso Road (70 km) is part of
route N10 in the Western Region. It is the shortest link from Mpohor East District to Dunkwa and the northern part of the country.
Mr. Speaker, this road is being tarred in phases. The section from kilometre 0-6 is currently under construction. The contract was awarded to Messrs Legna Limited on the 18th of December 2003 for completion on the 17th of June 2005 in the sum of ¢4.1 billion. Mr. Speaker, bitumen works have started on the project and, currently, about 60 per cent of the work has been completed.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned earlier, there are a lot of culvert road projects that ought to be continued and that ought to be started, and since the Road Sector Development Programme would be coming to an end next year, all these projects have been captured and considered under the Transport Sector Development Programme (TSDP). Mr. Speaker, in order, however, to keep these roads motorable, routine maintenance works are being carried out annually on them.
Next year, Mr. Speaker, under our routine maintenance contracts, Messrs Koseh Engineering Limited has been contracted at the sum of ¢1.33 billion to do routine maintenance works on this corridor.
Mr. Amoah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy that the road is to be reconstructed under the TSDP as the Minister has said. But I want to know from the Minister what sanctions there are for contractors who fail to complete jobs due to delays coming from their end. Mr. Speaker, the reason why I am asking this question is that the Daboasi-Ateiku road that we are talking about, is always given on contract for routine maintenance but almost invariably, the contract is not completed until the rains resume and then the contract is abandoned.

So I just want to know from the Minister whether there are some sanctions available for road contractors who intentionally delay the work and start just at the onset of the rains.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, some contracts have not been delivered, as specified in the schedule. The Ministry must investigate and dependent upon the result of the investigation, appropriate sanctions would be exacted on these contractors.
Mr. c. S. Hodogbey 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the hon. Minister is that most of the roads which have been suspended are due to the termination of the contracts. When a contract is terminated, do these contractors go through the revolving door and come back to the system to apply for new contracts?
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member, what is your question, please?
Mr. Hodogbey 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question is that when a contract is terminated, do those contractors come back to apply for contracts from the Ministry of Road Transport?
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
We would want to know the question you want the hon. Minister to answer; or you are only contributing? Let us know what the question is so that he can answer.
Mr. Hodogbey 11 a.m.
What I am asking is, do these contractors come back to apply for contracts again from the Ministry of Road Transport after their earlier contracts had been terminated?
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Minister for Road Transport, thank you for appearing to respond to these Questions. You are released.
Question number 113.
Mr. A. o. Aidooh 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to seek permission for the Deputy Minister for the Interior to answer this Question on behalf of his Minister.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Majority Leader, where is the hon. Minister himself?
Mr. A. o. Aidooh 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am informed that he is out of Accra.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
All right.
MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR 11 a.m.
Mr. Gbediame 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, two years ago, I asked this same question and I was given a similar answer. I would want to know from the hon. Deputy Minister whether things would change this time around or I can take him for his words, so that we can expect a fire tender when new ones are procured.
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, one fire tender costs over ¢1.5 billion and we are doing the best we can to try and get as many fire tenders as possible so that we can send them to the various districts. At the moment, we have in this country 150 fire tenders, and we need 60 more. So we are doing the best we can to get them.
Mr. Gbediame 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, looking at the distance between Kadjebi and Nkwanta, which is about 60 miles, and considering the fact that the road too is not too good for the fire tender to move in good time to save the situation, as the hon. Deputy Minister has said in his Answer, would he consider giving some incentives to some fire volunteers to assist the fire station whenever there is fire outbreak?
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr.
Speaker, there are two aspects of his question. In the first place, it is important for my hon. Colleague to appreciate that the first aid vehicle that they are talking about is a Land Rover which is fully equipped, almost like the fire tender, except that its capacity is small. So unless the fire that has occurred is of a serious magnitude, the first aid vehicle is capable of handling it. But that notwithstanding, his suggestion of giving incentives to volunteers would be looked at.
Mr. S. A. Kwao 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my town Asesewa is in dire need of a fire station. May I know from the hon. Deputy Minister the requirements the town should meet to be provided with one?
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, I am not too sure I got his question correctly but I have already made the point that there are some districts which do not have fire stations; and we have a policy of making sure that every district capital gets at least, a fire tender. And so the decision to acquire more fire tenders is not just because of Nkwanta, it is for all the districts which are not yet covered. So if Asesewa has not yet got a fire station, I can assure him that when the fire tenders come and we look at the priorities, Asesewa would be considered alongside others. Provision of a Police Station at Jema
Q. 144. Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi asked the Minister for the Interior what plans the Ministry had for the provision of a police station at Jema, the capital of the newly created Kintampo South District.

Deputy Minister for the Interior (capt . Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (retd)): Rt. Hon. Speaker, the Police Administration has embarked on an

exercise aimed at creating more police divisions, police districts and stations nationwide as part of the programme for improving the efficiency of the Service. These new police districts will be reorganized to coincide with the political administrative districts.

As part of the reorganization, the Police Administration is also reviewing the types of resources to be made available at each police facility. These resources will include manpower, office and residential accommodation and equipment.

Police stations are to be established in the capitals of all newly created districts such as Jema as soon as these exercises are completed over the next few weeks.

It is my hope that my colleague Member of Parliament would assist the Police Administration with some contributions from his MP's Common Fund to have the Jema Police Station opened as soon as practicable.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister whether he is aware that the availability of a police facility is a prerequisite for the establishment of a banking institution, one of which is in the offing at Jema.
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, with the greatest respect, if my hon. Colleague can repeat his question.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister whether he is aware that the availability of a police facility is a prerequisite for the establishment of a banking institution, one of which is in the offing at Jema.
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, I am aware.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish

to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister whether I can infer from the response to my question that by the end of the year 2005, something concrete would have been done at Jema.

capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, the use of the word “concrete” makes it difficult for me to give him that assurance. I can assure him that by the end of 2005, something would have been done but as to whether something concrete, I cannot guarantee.
Mr. E. K. Salia 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Deputy Minister's Answer to the Question he said that efforts are being made to establish police stations in the newly created district. Is he aware that some of the established, existing old districts do not have police stations?
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, honestly, I am not aware that there is an existing old district that has not got a police station in the district capital; I am not sure. In fact, before our Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development created twenty-eight new districts, Ghana had one hundred and ten districts; and I am finding it difficult to believe that of the then existing one hundred and ten districts, since 1988, there was a district capital which had no police station. Maybe not a district police headquarters, but a police station in a district capital. Mr. Speaker, I do not think there is any; but I am not aware of that.
The policy of the Ministry of the Interior is to make sure that in each of the twenty-eight newly created districts that has not got a police station, like Jema, as early as practicable a police station is put in that district.
Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed (retd): Mr. Speaker, I would like to know
from the hon. Deputy Minister whether there are provisions in the 2005 Budget to capture the construction of these new police stations in the new districts created, as he has mentioned in the answer.
capt. Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, in order to give a reliable answer to this question, I need notice.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, thank you very much for appearing to answer hon. Members Questions. You are discharged.
STATEMENTS 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Stephen Kunsu (NDc -- Kintampo North) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity given to me to make a Statement on the deplorable state of affairs at Kintampo town in particular and the constituency in general.
Mr. Speaker, Kintampo is an important tourist destination in Ghana. It is endowed with two (2) magnificent Waterfalls, a British War Cemetery, a Monumental Centre of Ghana and relics of the Ancient Slave Market. These endowments coupled with the strategic location of the town, buttressed by a rich historical background makes Kintampo the cynosure of all eyes. It epitomizes the pride of Ghana.
As a cosmopolitan town characterized by linguistic fragmentation, it has diversified culture. It might interest the House to know that Kintampo used to serve as administrative headquarters for the then Western Ashanti in the colonial era, and around the late 1970s, was also the administrative headquarters for the Techiman Nkoranza-Kintampo District
Council until the dismemberment of the Council to give the individual districts autonomous status.
Kintampo, Mr. Speaker, had the largest market in the then Western Sudan which included the ancient empire of Ghana, according to V.S. Gouldsbury in his “Report on visit to Salaga (23/01/1876), Public Record Office (P.R.O.), Colonial Office (C.O.) 879/0.”
During the Second World War, Kintampo served as military barracks. Other important landmarks that have popularized and magnetized outsiders to the town are its position as Base Workshop for the Ministry of Health for the northern sector of the country, Regional Medical Stores for Brong Ahafo, the proposed medical campus for the University of Development Studies.
Others are a Health Research Centre under the Health Research Unit of Ghana Health Services, the only Rural Health Training School in West Africa that trains medical assistants, technical officers and field assistants, et cetera, a medical field Unit that used to serve the whole nation, the now dissolved School of Hygiene that trained health inspectors popularly called “nsaman-saman” in Twi, and the National Headquarters of the Wangara Association.
In addition, Kintampo has one of the largest Yam Markets in Ghana and as such, attracts traders from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Mr. Speaker, despite these socio- political and economic distinctions, the town has not been accorded the necessary respect commensurate with its status. The following are examples of the neglect:
i. Poor Drainage System: erosion is causing considerable damage to property. Deep gutters and pot- holes have been created, rendering most of the streets inaccessible to vehicular movement. Foundations
of buildings have been affected, leaving the affected buildings literally hanging in the air.
Mr. Speaker, with the onset of the raining season, the fear of general insecurity has gripped everybody in the town. Tongues are wagging as landlords as well as tenants spend sleepless nights thinking about the safety of life and property. Soon, the office of District National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) will be inundated with reports of disaster and requests for relief assistance for disaster victims.
During the last rainy season, the inhabitants of Kintampo witnessed a very horrible scene when two young pupils were drowned in one of the overflooded gutters when they attempted to cross the main Kintampo-Tamale highway. In fact, the sad and painful death of these two innocent pupils will rankle in the minds of family members, friends and sympathizers for a long time.
ii. Congestion on the main road: the main street which is also part of the international road linking Ghana to Burkina Faso is so busy that movement of both pedestrians and vehicles is impeded.

iii. Electrification: the single- phase transformer installed in the town cannot cope with the power demand. This is a serious disincentive to investment as the single-phase cannot set the machines in motion. Mr. Speaker, for the past eight (8) months, the people of Kintampo do not view television, owing to poor reception caused by the incompatibility of the single- phase power system. The completed GBC FM Station

has become a white elephant as the power supply is not adequate enough to make it operational.

With regard to the rural electrification programme started in 2000 for a number o f communi t ies , namely Kadelso , Abogyesekrom, Portor, Gulumpe, Kawompe, Dawa-dawa No. 1, Dawadawa No. 2, Yabraso, Asantekwaa, New Longoro, Kyinyakrom and Ayorya, work is still at a standstill. The communities have been thrown into a state of despondency as the hanging electric cables only provide comfortable resting places for birds to display their acrobatic feats.

iv. Sports: Kintampo has con- tributed immensely to sports development in the country. It has produced great and brilliant sportsmen for the national teams in the various disciplines in sports. Notwithstanding this contribution, the town has no sports stadium.

v. The Police: Mr. Speaker, permit me to comment on the inhuman treatment the police in the constituency are being subjected to. The rented district police headquarters which currently serves two districts, Kintampo North and Kintampo South, is seriously under the threat of ejection by the landlord and only God knows what will become of the District Police Administration. Not only this, Mr. Speaker, but the police are facing acute accommodation problems especially at New Longoro where the policemen live in a dilapidated building with leaking roofs, cracked
Mr. Stephen Kunsu (NDc -- Kintampo North) 11:30 a.m.
walls, rotten rafters, doors and windows.
vi. Feeder Roads: Mr. Speaker, Kintampo district is one of the most important food producing areas in Ghana. Yams, beans, cassava, maize and vegetables abound in numbers. Unfortu- nately, output is affected by the difficulty of carting the produce to the marketing centre at Kintampo.
The only means of carting is either by head portage or by bicycle as the roads are too bad. Tractors can only use the roads during the dry season. Two very important roads that had been approved for construction in the year 2000 are the Soronuase-Ntareban-Busuama and the Kunsu-Miawani-Dabaa roads. Users of these roads are disappointed by the long delay of implementation.
Suggestions/Recommendation
i . The Government should give Kintampo a face-lift by constructing all the town roads. A dual carriageway should be constructed in the main street which is also part of the highway in order to decongest the road and minimize the rate of accidents.
ii. To deal with the poor drainage system, strong culverts and gutters should be constructed.
iii. The Ministry of Energy should handle the power supply system for Kintampo with urgency. A three-phase system should
replace the single-phase system. Immediate steps should be taken to complete the rural electri- fication projects started by the NDC Government.
iv. The police in Kintampo district must be treated with dignity so that they can function effectively. Their accom-modation problem should be solved immediately in order to avoid a possible close- down of the District Police Headquarters and the New Longoro Police Post.
v. In prioritizing feeder roads which are to be constructed by the Government this year, the two feeder roads, the Soronuase- Ntareban-Busuama and the Kunsu-Miawani-Dabaa roads must engage the attention of the Government.
vi . The Government should construct a sports stadium for the town.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, as the issue of finding a new national capital for Ghana is gaining publicity so that Accra assumes the position of commercial centre, I recommend Kintampo in the future as the best substitute to Accra as national capital, for it satisfies all the requirements needed for the establishment of national capital, considering its geographical position as the most central point of Ghana, its rich and impressive historical background and its economic importance, among other factors. The rehabilitation of Kintampo should therefore be seen as a useful exercise.
Thank you once again, Mr. Speaker.
Deputy Minister for the Interior (capt. Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (retd)): Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself
with the Statement.
Mr. Speaker, I have been to Kintampo several times and it is important to remind ourselves that as the maker of the Statement rightly pointed out, geogra- phically speaking, Kintampo is the central part of Ghana. From Accra to Paga, the topmost part, Kintampo is the centre. And indeed I will say it is the Abuja of Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, apart from that, Kintampo has been blessed by God to have one of the most beautiful natural scenes in the form of Kintampo Waterfalls. Mr. Speaker, if one goes to Kintampo and sees the waterfalls, after descending the one hundred and fifty-one steps built by the contractors, one will be amazed at the awesome look of the waterfalls. For me, Mr. Speaker, I do not understand why, with this great natural asset - a tourist attraction that everybody would want to come and look at - Kintampo in spite of this is poor. It does not make sense to me.
But Mr. Speaker, when we probe further, one point that the maker of the Statement made - I am sure because of his position he could not say it - is that Kintampo has a traditional problem. I understand there are four chiefs in the town and each of them is angling for influence.

We have the Mole chief claiming to be the owner of the land. We have the Nkoranza chief claiming to be the owner of the land; and we have those settlers who came from the North claiming to be owners of the land; I hear there are some other interest groups. In fact, I am, told and I stand for correction that Kintampo is the only traditional settlement in Ghana where, when they are having a political function, no chief is invited at all just for
Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi (NDc -- Kintampo South) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to identify myself with the maker of the Statement who incidentally is a brother whose constituency is coterminous with mine.
Mr. osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Colleague has made two statements. First, he said he is identifying himself with the maker of the Statement. He is not identifying himself with the Statement but with the maker. He also says that his constituency is coterminous with his own constituency. Mr. Speaker, it can only mean that it is a congruent constituency -- it is one and the same constituency -- and it cannot be. Perhaps, he wants to say it is adjacent to his constituency; so the constituency is adjacent to his. It cannot be coterminous. So Mr. Speaker, if he would make this clarification for us. He is misleading us.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will ignore his comments.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Are you dealing with the matter he raised? -- [Interruption.] All right, continue.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:40 a.m.
The fact of the matter is that I am identifying myself with the maker of the Statement, the Statement itself, and I am making an observation.
Mr. Speaker, my first observation borders on the relationship of food production to the quality of the roads.
Mr. Speaker, Kintampo is endowed with varied vegetational zones ranging from pockets of secondary forests, through transitional vegetation to a vast zone of savannah. Mr. Speaker, as a result of these varied vegetational zones, the constituency is favoured with the production of different types of crops in commercial quantities. Mr. Speaker, we produce a lot of tubers, a lot of roots, a lot of cereals, legumes and vegetables.
Mr. Speaker, our market day is Wednesday but we start loading cargo trucks from Sunday, through Monday to Wednesday. For every week, not less than sixty truck loads of yams leave the market to other parts of the country. Mr. Speaker, it is therefore important that a second look is taken at the nature of our roads.
Mr. Speaker, the hinterlands from where food crops are brought to the market centre have very bad roads. The roads are very bad and we are appealing to the Minister for Road Transport to take steps to put things in order.
Mr. Speaker, my second observation has to do with the poor drainage system. The terrain of Kintampo township itself is such that at the end of every down- pour, the slightest rainfall, it becomes erosive and unfortunately the major road that passes through Kintampo to
Tamale becomes a receptacle of eroded materials. So Kintampo becomes an eyesore after every downpour, all because of the bad drainage system. It is therefore important that the Minister for Road Transport assists the constituency with the construction of roads, in addition to the improvement of the drainage system, so that the accumulation of debris after every rainfall ceases.
Mr. Speaker, another observation I am making borders on the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) FM Station which was constructed recently by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government. Mr. Speaker, the construction has been done, equipment have been installed, but it has not been operationalised because we are told that the power at the moments, which is single phase, cannot energise the equipment to operationalise it. It is therefore important for the single phase system to be upgraded to three phases so that the equipment can be energized into full operation. We are therefore calling on the sector Ministers to intercede on our behalf.
Mr. Speaker, the last observation I want to make is on the dilapidated nature of the Police Commander's accommodation. Mr. Speaker, the Police Commander is housed in a wooden structure that was constructed in the late fifties. The floor is made up of a platform which is basically of a wooden material; about 25 per cent is rotten so Mr. Speaker, it has become a death trap.

I once visited the residence of the Commander with my hon. Colleague and we have vowed not to go there again because for each and every step that we took, when we got to the sitting room, we had to be extra careful so as not to fall into a pit. So we are on this note appealing to

the hon. Minister for the Interior as well as the hon. Minister for Works and Housing to take steps to put things right to increase the dignity we have for the police.

chieftaincy Disputes and Land Guards

Deputy Minister for Information (Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway): Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity. This Statement is about three interrelated issues -- chieftaincy disputes, the indiscriminate sale of lands and the activities of land guards.

Chieftaincy is a sacred institution bestowed on us by our ancestors. As custodians of our traditions, culture, heritage and values, chiefs are given much respect and the dignity that they deserve.

Unfortunately, there are some chiefs who by some actions bring this sacred institution into disrepute and ridicule. The courts, national and regional houses of chiefs are inundated with incessant chieftaincy disputes which have raged on for several years. In many communities and towns, one finds that it has become impossible to install a chief for many years due to one dispute or the other. Because the position of a chief in Ghana is considered prestigious and in some cases is associated with wealth, many people aspire to the position.

Unfortunately, sometimes, people of questionable character succeed in becoming chiefs and do not rule justly.

Chiefs, particularly those in the south of the country, hold land in trust for the people they lead. This situation leads to the lease of lands which make some of them become involved in land disputes, some of which turn into chieftaincy disputes. Some chiefs, in pursuit of their selfish
Mr. Effah-Baafi 11:50 a.m.
interests, have become the emblem of land litigation by indulging in indiscriminate sale of lands, forgetting that they are the custodians of the land and not the owners.
The rules of succession and certain traditional practices are sometimes not clearly defined and this can fan these disputes.
Permit me, Mr. Speaker, to recount recently such distressing events in my constituency (Weija).
A chieftaincy conflict between two factions at Tetegu exploded on 1st April this year and has left more than 2,000 people displaced. About 120 houses belonging to members of the feuding factions were set ablaze and many of the residents, especially women and children, sustained gunshot wounds and many others have fled the village. Eight electricity poles, which I provided for an electrification project in the village, were also destroyed.
Soon after the Tetegu tragedy, there was another tragic event at Bortianor, a town near Kokrobite in Accra, where two people belonging to different chieftaincy factions were shot and killed whilst eight others were brutally wounded.
These disputes and litigations plunge towns into chaos. They stifle and retard development and progress since certain projects and programmes cannot be carried out in an atmosphere of tension and hostility. The livelihood of people in the affected areas, such as farming and other income generating activities are negatively impacted on by such disputes.
Chieftaincy disputes are wasteful. Money that could have been spent on such development programmes as education
of children is wasted on unnecessary disputes. Besides, precious time and energy is needlessly wasted on such disputes.
Mr. Speaker, closely related to these conflicts and disputes is the criminal activities of land guards, which have reached an alarming level. Some chiefs employ the services of boisterous and muscled young men as land guards to defend their interests. In such cases, the land guards are heavily motivated to use any means to chase away people they consider as encroachers. At certain places, rival claimants engaged their own land guards to protect the same piece of land and when the guards clash, there is mayhem and massive destruction.
The youth are increasingly finding this profession as a quick source of making money. Some of them use firearms in terrorizing, harassing and intimidating law-abiding citizens. The situation promotes the proliferation of illegal arms in the country. In the clashes at Tetegu and Bortianor some of the weapons used were not locally made, it has been revealed. This poses a serious threat not only to the inhabitants of the areas, but indeed the national security as a whole.
It is unacceptable for sophiscated arms to be in the hands of unauthorized and lawless persons given the fact that the sub-region is conflict-prone and the least provocation could trigger a cataclysm and that is why the Ghana Police Service must be encouraged to mount an all-out war against the operations of land guards and the individuals who hire them.
Mr. Speaker, another issue of concern is the encroachment of land earmarked for social purposes such as schools, clinics and even cemeteries. Regrettably, this is sometimes done with the connivance of the traditional rulers. In my constituency,
there are reports of graves being desecrated and the parcels being prepared for sale for construction purposes.
It is reported with pictures on the front page of The Independent of Tuesday, May 3, 2005 under the headline: “Disorder, battle leaves cemetery corpses exposed”. According to the news item, the Mile 11 Cemetery, along the Accra Winneba road revealed a scary and horrifying scene of human skulls, because corpses have been left lying in very shallow graves of the cemetery. Visitors to the cemetery and passers-by are met with the pungent stench of putrefying human flesh from mass graves which are polluting the air in the neighbourhood around the Akwasa cemetery. In view of this, the people of Akwasa neighbourhood and New Bortianor are now grappling with the imminent epidemic of great proportion, if immediate steps are not taken to avert it.
The indiscriminate sale of lands has resulted in some communities, particularly the new developing ones not having such vital social amenities as schools, clinics, markets, police stations and recreational grounds even when provision has been made for them in their plans.
Mr. Speaker, it is very sad to state that these acts of vandalism, atrocities, wanton destruction of properties, arson and killings emanating from these disputes affect the vulnerable in society, especially women and children. Their husbands are either killed or they run away. They become victims and thus live in abject poverty, dejection and become displaced.
May I take this opportunity to advise the youth to desist from engaging in acts that are detrimental to their growth and development. They should channel their energies into useful ventures since they
are the future leaders.
Mr. Speaker, the laws of succession and other customs and traditions must be clearly defined to avoid misinterpretation.
The laws on landownership and acquisition must be streamlined and enforced to not only reduce litigation over lands. Chiefs should play key roles in ensuring the development of litigation- free land as well as encourage investment. They should also promote a friendly land tenure system in the country since they are the custodians of major portions of land in the country. They should collaborate with the Office of Stool Lands Commission to ensure transparency in land allocation and be encouraged to develop their areas with their royalties, for development is not the task of the Government alone. The modern Ghanaian chief must be a partner in development -- they must co- operate with Government and move away from the never-ending court warfare and focus their energies on raising the hopes and aspirations of the people in their communities. There are many chiefs in the country who consciously take steps to enhance the lives of their people. Such chiefs deserve our support and respect.
Mr. Speaker, public education on the negative effects of chieftaincy disputes should be carried out by the regional houses of chiefs, Information Services Department -- I will see personally to this -- and the National Centre for Civic Education (NCCE).
I thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (Mrs. Akosua Frema osei-opare): Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the Statement just made; and my focus will be on chieftaincy and development.
Mr. Kojo Armah (cPP -- Evalue- Gwira) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Member for Weija. I think that the issues that she raised are very, very important, especially to our national cohesion.
Mr. Speaker, chieftaincy is at the core of our national cultural heritage. Indeed, our Constitution recognizes in article 270 that chieftaincy is guaranteed. The unfortunate aspect that we face is that the chieftaincy institution has been so much bedevilled by a whole lot of inconsistencies, a whole lot of unsafe practices that is also making our democracy and governance very difficult.
Mr. Speaker, if one is at the district level, one of the major problems that confronts one is spending valuable time in resolving problems that are known constitutionally and because one is not supposed to deal in chieftaincy matters, one cannot spend one's energy in those areas, otherwise one would be accused of meddling in chieftaincy affairs. But invariably, when the two chiefs clash, when there is a chieftaincy dispute, it is the security of that area that is at risk and therefore the District Chief Executive invariably will have to come in with the District Security Committee to try to solve the chieftaincy aspect; it is a very dicey situation.
But Mr. Speaker, it is important for us also to recognize that chieftaincy must have a certain type of foundation from which it flows; as one hon. Member said, the line of lineage must be made clear. We know that the National House of Chiefs has a Research Department that is going into the possibility of documenting lines of lineage, but this project has taken so long
that we always have confusion as to who succeeds a deceased chief and that is the source of the problems.
In my own area there is a small town with a population of less than 1,500 where there are three contending chiefs and this dispute has been going on for almost the past six years to the extent that a non- governmental organization (NGO) that has done so well to accumulate almost ¢300 million for them does not know what to do with this money, because they do not know which of the three contending chiefs must go in and be a signatory to the bank account. And, of course, the District Assembly is also disabled because by law they cannot enter a chieftaincy dispute. This is a clear example of what the hon. Deputy Minister referred to. So Mr. Speaker, our plea is that we hold our chiefs in very high esteem but they themselves should also begin to realize the importance of that institution through our democratic practice.
I believe that in Africa, Ghana, perhaps, is the only country that accords so much respect to our chiefs so as to give them a central position in our governance. But the way the disputes go, every time you go to the courts there is one type of chief or the other raising issues of technical nature, filing appeals and spending their energy and the little money that they have on disputes as to who is the rightful successor to a particular stool. We appeal to our chiefs to take development into consideration and try to eliminate as many of the disputes as possible so that we can go ahead with our development.
I also want to support the Statement that land guards should as much as possible be eliminated from our system. In Accra particularly, land guards have caused a lot of havoc but my emphasis is on the spate of chieftaincy disputes and what we ought
to do to remove these conflicts from our system so that governance can have its smooth course to pass on.
Mr. Speaker, with these few remarks, I want to associate myself with the Statement.
Minister for Lands, Forestry and
Mines (Prof. Dominic K. Fobih): Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a contribution to the Statement on the floor. And my contribution will emphasize not the institution of chieftaincy itself directly but some of the associated activities that have been mentioned here. And one of them is the double sale of land, the use of land guards and encroachment on public acquired lands or public occupied lands.
Mr. Speaker, it is important not only to
examine the roles the chiefs play but also to question why they and their subjects perform some of these illegal acts. And therefore one should also search for the solution to the root of the problem. By our analysis, we have come to the conclusion that some of these illegal acts cause a rebellion -- they lead to the non-payment of compensation by govern- ments -- It is also a rebellion against the urban landless because most of these communities happen to be urban areas. The general thing is that most Ghanaians live off the land, that is, either by fishing or by farming.
In some of these urban areas their lands may have been taken for social development or for providing some other public amenities. An average family member in these communities who may not have had all the type of education that may be necessary to put him or her in a particular stead, or even if he is educated he is not given some kind of quota in our employment system, may end up being deprived of the very livelihood, that is, the farming or the basic land that he lives on.
Mr. Kojo Armah (cPP -- Evalue- Gwira) noon
For that reason, at some point there is a kind of social pressure in some of these urban communities so that the oncoming generation have no place and no activities to perform to live on except maybe some trading and so on; there must be a limit to that. So you find that this pressure on the chiefs and the family members and leaders also create tension amongst them to do the unforeseeable, let us put it that way. And therefore, to me, there must be a search to solving and addressing this social problem which is also engendering this anti-social behaviour amongst some urban community members.

Therefore, I would suggest that, just as the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines has come to the point that in those fringe forest communities where we think that because they have been declared forest reserve areas, the people are denied the use of the natural forest on which they live, we try to introduce alternative livelihood programmes to such communities so that majority of them will also find alternative ways of earning their livelihood.

I think that the time has come for us also to begin to think of these alternative livelihoods for most of the urban poor who may have been denied the use of their land for some of these basic livelihood activities. And to me, that aspect has also to be addressed in order to encourage the youth who are lured by, maybe, the chiefs, as is being said, to do some of these illegal acts to refrain from them to see that there is no point in getting into those things.

Mr. Speaker, that is the focus I would also like to contribute to enrich the contribution on the floor.

World Population Day
Mrs. Grace coleman (NPP -- Effiduase/Asokore) noon
Mr. Speaker, this is a Statement on the occasion of the World Population Day.
Mr. Speaker, today, Ghana joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Population Day, which falls on the 11th of July every year. The UN has earmarked this day to highlight critical population issues affecting the growth and development of people in order to adopt appropriate strategies and programmes to address them.
The global theme for this year's celebration is “Equality” from which Ghana has derived her theme “Equality: Meeting the Needs of Women”. This theme is appropriate and relevant considering the fact that though females form the majority of the total population of Ghana, society discriminates against them.
Mr. Speaker, gender equality and women's empowerment are recognized worldwide as crucial and as critical to population management. Women suffer the risks associated with maternal morbidity, mortality and sexual and reproductive health in general. Every year an average of about 214 out of 100,000 women die through childbirth in this country. These deaths could have been prevented if women were empowered to take control of their reproductive health and rights. These rights include the right to decide on the number, timing and spacing of their children, and the enjoyment of other human rights.
The spread of HIV/AIDS, especially among the female population, is another major concern. It is estimated that 720,000 Ghanaians, representing 3.6 per cent of the adult population are living with the infection. The sad thing is that 63 per cent of this number are women and girls. HIV/
Mr. J. A. Ndebugre (PNc -- Zebilla) 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement on the floor, and I crave the indulgence of my hon. Colleague to widen the scope of the Statement a little bit.
I share the sentiments expressed insofar as the female population is concerned. I am saying that I want to crave the indulgence of my hon. Colleague to expand the Statement a little bit because I consider population to be a very important statistical item; and we all know that we need statistics in order to solve problems; and the dearth of population figures in this country impedes the development of the country to a very great extent.
The current development process that we are pursuing is based on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) of the current Government. We cannot successfully implement this strategy without knowing in any one particular time the population that we have and the kind of population that we have and, therefore the importance of population as a statistical index in our development process.
I think that if one were to be asked to state the population of Ghana at one moment, one would be hard put to stating an accurate population figure and that undermines our development efforts. We are not adopting a down-to-earth approach to population management because of this dearth of statistics and I want to use this occasion to suggest that we tie up the management of our population movement with the decentralisation process. I believe that it is possible for every district in this country to know its population on a weekly basis and therefore it is possible for
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, I hope you are winding up?
Mr. Ndebugre 12:10 p.m.
That is so, Mr. Speaker. I am making my last sentence.
If we were to approach population matters in this manner we would then be able to tie it up with the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy that we are struggling to implement.
Mr. Speaker, with these few words, I wish to associate myself with the Statement and to wish everybody a happy World Population Day.
Minister for Women and children's Affairs (Hajia Alima Mahama) 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in 1947 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provided for all persons, irrespective of sex, race, ethnicity, to be equal, it also sets standards that all nations should aspire to achieve that equality. Our Constitution and various laws in the country also promote the status of equality. However, there is still enough to be done towards achieving the goal of equality.
This year's celebration of the World Population Day, as noted in the Statement, is on the theme, “Equality, Meeting the Needs of Women”.
Mr Speaker, in addition to this celebration, the World Health Day was also celebrated on the theme, “Every Mother and Child Counts”. This implies that this year the international institutions as well as nations are demanding that there should be concerted action towards promoting the status of women in achieving equality, equity, peace and development in this country.
Mr. Speaker, we have the millennium development goals. Six of the goals relate directly to women and children. Our ability to meet these goals implies that Ghana has to do more. We have to invest more in women; we have to ensure that information about women, their sexual and reproductive health rights, education and economic empowerment from all agencies as well as civil society must reach women.
The Minis t ry for Women and Children's Affairs is proposing that this year we continue to collaborate with the Legislature and the Ministry of Information to ensure that we organise regional and district durbars to enable women access information.
Information is the key to anything that we can do and if women do not have information about matters that would enhance their status, their capacities to work, mobilise and realise their citizenship as well promote their own status would be limited.
Mr. Speaker, everyday we talk about budgeting and budgeting directly for women and ensuring that our Budget is gender sensitive or responds to gender needs. As part and parcel of this theme and to ensure that this concerted action takes place, we would want to see more of this responsiveness in our Budget this year.
We may start by assessing the contribution of women in Ghana -- the way we take care of the children, the way we look after the sick, the way we cook for our people, the way we ensure the nutritional status of everybody. We may want to start by analysing and imputing into the Budget the contribution of women to the development of Ghana and even to the status of the welfare of everybody else in Ghana.

Mr. Speaker, if we are able to do
Mr. T.A. Ibrahim 12:20 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, it is not
a point of order; let her continue.
Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, in
assessing the contribution of women, definitely, taking care of men must be part of it and a monetary value should be placed on it so that at the end of the day, the quantum of our contribution should be reflected in the Budget and that would make sound argument for us when we talk about putting money in women activities and investing in women.
Mr. Speaker, the celebration would be in Dzodze on Monday, 11th July and hon. Members of Parliament who happen to be around Keta and Dzodze, even in Ada area and Accra, we would entreat them to be part of that celebration. And hon. Members of Parliament who would be in their constituencies on Monday, 11th of July, I would entreat them to do some work around the theme of “Equality -- Meeting the Needs of Women”.
Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with that Statement and request the House to work concertedly towards promoting equality and meeting the needs of women.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
At the commencement of Public Business, item 6 -- Motions -- Chairman of the Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs --
Dr. M. K. Antwi 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, with
your permission, I would want to withdraw the original Report of the Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission covering the period of January-December 2003 and to replace it with the corrected version of the report. Mr. Speaker, this has come about because of typographical errors in the earlier report, and I wish that we take it up next week.
Mr. owusu-Adjapong 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, with the withdrawal, perhaps we would reschedule the motion to be taken next Thursday. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of committee meetings, especially that of the Committee on Finance. I therefore move that this House do adjourn till next week Tuesday at 10.00 a.m. to enable the various committees to meet and submit their reports next week. I so move, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Lee ocran 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to
second the motion.
ADJoURNMENT
The House was accordingly adjourned at 12.25 p.m. till 12th July 2005 at 10.00
a.m.