Debates of 14 Jul 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members, we have the Official Report for Friday, 8th July, 2005. If there are any corrections or omissions, you may bring them to the attention of the Clerk's Table.
Hon. Members, item 3 -- Questions. Do we have the hon. Minister for the Interior here? [Pause.] We begin with him.
Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. owusu- Adjapong) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the first Questions were to the Minister for Works and Housing. The hon. Minister has asked that I seek your indulgence to allow his Deputy Minister to respond to them. That is why I would want you to be aware that the hon. Deputy Minister for Works and Housing is around. But if you want to start with the hon. Minister for the Interior there is no problem.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
The Deputy i s representing the hon. Minister?
Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, but you can start with the hon. Minister for the Interior.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
I did not hear what you said.
Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, you can start with the hon. Minister for the Interior, as you have directed.
oRAL ANSWERS To QUESTIoNS
MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR 10 a.m.
Minister for the Interior (Papa owusu-Ankomah) 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to crave your indulgence so that I make a slight correction. It is in respect of paragraph 4 of the Answer, the last three lines. I would seek to delete it; and that is: “Additionally, compensation has been paid to the families of the deceased as well as the two injured persons”. I would want to delete that. [Pause.] With that correction, Mr. Speaker, I proceed to give the Answer.

Mr. Speaker, on the night of 13th June 2002, a Joint Police/Military Patrol Team, in response to a call for assistance from a resident of Taifa-Burkina, in a purported armed robbery, encountered a group of seven men in a taxi whom they suspected to be the armed robbers. They exchanged gunfire with the occupants of the taxi resulting in the death of five of them, with two injured survivors.

Subsequently, the then hon. Acting Minister for the Interior appointed a five-member Committee to enquire the circumstances that led to the incident.

The Committee made a number of recommendations relating specifically to the incidents as well as some general ones, which were to help in the organization of neighbourhood watch committees and the mangement of the joint police/military patrols. Among the specific ones were the following:

1. The families of the deceased as well as the survivors should be paid an adequate compensation by the Government for the loss of lives and injuries sustained; and

2. Members of the joint patrol team should be reprimanded and dealth with internally for their unpro- fessional conduct in dealing with the suspects.

It is worth noting that at the request of the various families of the five persons who died in the incident, the Government provided financial support towards their burial. However, the recommendation on the issue of compensation is awaiting the Attorney-General's advice.

The Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces internally disciplined the personnel involved in the incident. The police have also submitted a docket on the case to the Attorney-General for advice.

As part of the lessons learnt from the incident, the Ghana Police Service has reviewed its guidelines on the esta- blishment of neighbourhood watch committees to provide for greater police involvement in the activities of the committees.

There has also been an improvement in the Standard Operating Procedures guiding the organization of the joint

police/military patrols.

Mr. Speaker, this incident is definitely something which the Government would wish had not happened. On the floor of the House, Government once again, on behalf of the personnel involved, apologizes to the families of the deceased and the injured persons. It is the hope of the Government that as a country, we will never have to go through such an experience again.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Minister's Answer, he says there was an exchange of gunfire. I would like to ask him, were the inmates of the taxi or the people who were killed as a result of this incident armed?
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:10 a.m.
Well, according to police investigation, they were armed, certainly, but not with the weapon that could result in death to the patrol team.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want a proper clarification of that Answer. Mr. Speaker, if he says there was an exchange of gunfire, it means that there was an exchange of gunfire between two parties; I would like to ask whether the inmates of the taxi were in possession of guns.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have that detail; I will supply it later.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would have expected that if the Minister was coming to answer this Question, he would have acquainted himself with all the details of the incident but I will proceed to my next question.
Mr. Speaker, is the Minister aware that at the time the deceased were killed, they had actually been instructed to leave the taxi and had been ordered to lie on the
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if I had known that these details were being requested, I would have brought a copy of the investigative report and also obtained a copy of the docket; but I have just been informed that the occupants of the taxi were armed and one was even wearing a military-style uniform. As regards his suggestion, I am not aware.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will just make a point. Mr. Speaker, Question time for Ministers is a very serious exercise and when we ask Questions in this House, we require detailed Answers. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that -- [Interruption.]
Mr. A. o. Aidooh 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with all respect, this commentary is unwarranted and it is unnecessary. He must ask questions; he cannot run commentaries.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker -- [interruption.]
Mr. A. o. Aidooh 10:10 a.m.
He must ask questions. [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Order!
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to crave your indulgence that you advise Ministers coming to this House that when they come to answer our Questions, they be equipped with the details of the issues that we are enquiring into, so that this House carries out its mandate to the people of this country. Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Bole/ Bamboi, you leave that to me.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is
exactly what I am doing.
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Go ahead, hon. Member.
Mr. Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this incident happened in 2002; we are in 2005. Is it the case that three years after the incident, the advice of the Attorney- General has not yet been procured in order that action can be taken on this matter?
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I also with due diligence crave your indulgence to say that indeed as Ministers, we take this House extremely serious and certainly, for me who has occupied the Majority Leader's seat, I take this House seriously; and we endeavour to do our best. Unfortunately, we cannot anticipate all details and because we seek to be fair and candid with this House, we try as much as possible to be sure of our Answers.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Minister's Answer, he said that the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces internally disciplined the personnel involved in the incident. I would like to know what internal discipline was taken against the persons involved.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I know that one of them faced the Service Enquiry. The others, the last time I checked had also been facing the Service Enquiry. That is the process. I have not got the names and ranks of the officers with me but I promise to get the details.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon.
Minister's Answer, he said that the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces internally disciplined -- It means that certain sanctions have been applied.
I know that the process is that the Service Enquiry takes place and at the end of it some sanctions are applied. I am asking what sanctions have been applied to the persons involved.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I promise to supply that details later. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to some of these matters relating to the career of officers, some information, with all due respect, if we give openly, may unduly prejudice those careers; but I promise I will supply the details.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you will
Mr. osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
On
a point of order. Mr. Speaker, if an hon. Member asks a Question, he is entitled to three supplementary questions. This is about the fifth supplementary question that my Colleague is asking -- [Interruptions] So Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:20 a.m.
Mr.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Thank you very much,
Chief Whip.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, our
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, ask your
question, please.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, finally,
considering that the hon. Minister has not provided the kind of details I expected,
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
when I am called upon, I will supply the details.
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in
the hon. Minister's Answer, he said that one of the people in the taxi wore a military uniform. I want to know whether investigations were conducted as to how that person came by the military uniform.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
it was part of the Commission of Enquiry's mandate and I am certain that they made certain findings in respect of that. Unfortunately, I cannot be certain as to the source, as determined by the Commission of Enquiry.
Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my
good Friend is not certain about anything in this Question. I just want to know the type of guns that were in the possession of this watchdog membership team.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I cannot say presently.
Mr. J. Y. chireh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the
hon. Minister's Answer, he talked about the Police and the Military disciplining their staff who were involved in this incident. Incidentally, he has also asked the docket to be given to the Attorney- General for advice. Would it not have been prudent, in the view of the hon. Minister, that the matter was looked at globally before any sanctions were issued, in order that we may not have to punish people twice?
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not proffer an opinion on this matter.
Mr. Bagbin 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want
to know the type of vehicle that was being used as a taxi by the neighbourhood watchdog committee.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
it was a vehicle --[Laughter] -- a motor vehicle.
Mr. c. S. Hodogbey 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
my question to the hon. Minister is that, most police administrations all over the world normally have a criterion or kind of punishment which is meted out to a police officer or a law enforcement officer when he or she violates a particular order. I would like to know if the Ghana Police Service metes out that kind of punishment to any police officer who violates a particular order.
Papa owusu-Ankomah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
there are police regulations. The police regulations set out offences, set out procedures for punishment and set out even the punishments applicable. I believe that the Ghana Police Service, being one of the acclaimed services in Africa has this set of regulations. It has had this over the past 50 years, even in colonial days.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Minister for
MINISTRY OF WORKS 10:20 a.m.
AND HOUSING 10:20 a.m.
Minister for Works and Housing) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, La Koo and Adobeto Electoral Areas are two communities in La, a suburb of Accra. These two communities, have virtually merged into one, and are administered by the East Accra Region of the Ghana Water Company Limited
(GWCL).
Water supply to the La Koo and Adobeto communities is from the Accra- Tema Water Supply system with supply from Kpong. The two communities lie within the Medium Pressure Zone (MPZ) of the Accra Water Distribution Network and are served with water through a 250 mm (10”) diameter pipeline.
Generally in Eastern Accra area, water supply is inadequate owing to insufficient production to meet demand in the Accra- Tema Metropolis. GWCL currently produces a total of about 360,000 m3/ day from its two headworks at Weija and Kpong, whilst total demand of the metropolis is estimated at about 540,000 m3/day.
To ensure equitable distribution of the limited water produced, water is rationed in some parts of the metropolis. For most areas in the metropolis, therefore, water does not flow uninterrupted throughout the week.
In addition, the La Koo and Adobeto area is on a slightly higher elevation compared to the nearby communities in La. As a result of the higher elevation, flow to the nearby communities is more regular than that to the two areas.
Water is therefore rationed to the two communities two (2) times in a week. This occurs on Wednesday (24 hours) and Sundays (24 hours). Although this situation is not ideal, it is the most appropriate for now, given the supply situation generally in the metropolis and
the residents have been sensitized on this state of affairs.

To improve the water supply situation generally in the metropolis and the East Accra Region in particular, GWCL intends to carry out major expansion works at the Kpong Water Treatment Plant (a 100 per cent capacity expansion is envisaged); it is when this is done that the uninterrupted supply situation can be obtained in the East Accra Region.

This is however, a long-term solution, as construction works (which will last about three years) are scheduled to commence in the year 2006/2007. International Competitive Bidding for the works has almost been completed. Funding is however, yet to be secured for the works which are to be carried out on BOT/Turnkey basis.

As a medium term measure to help improve the supply situation in the East Accra Region however, there are plans to transfer some amount of the water produced at the Weija Headworks for the Western Accra area to the Eastern parts of the metropolis.

This proposed project , termed the “GWCL West-East Transfer” is scheduled to commence soon (selection of Consultants has been completed and discussions on source of funding are now ongoing). This project, when completed, will lead to some improvement in the supply situation in the Eastern Accra Area. The people of La Koo and Adobeto should benefit from this when completed.

It is important to emphasise that uninterrupted supply of pipe borne water to most areas in the East Accra Region including the La Koo and Adobeto areas can only be obtained after the Kpong Expansion Works and all necessary steps
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Dade
Kotopon, I cannot get your question; are you saying she is aware? Is that the question?
Nii Namoale: We are being told that
water flows only two times; that due to the problems on the ground they supply water only twice in a week. But as at now, for about one and a half months, we are getting uninterrupted water in that area. Is she aware that we are getting uninterrupted supply of water in these two communities?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in all
humility, I do not think I got my hon. Colleague as to what he was trying to say or ask.
Nii Namoale: Mr. Speaker, all what I am asking is, that is she aware that La Koo has been getting uninterrupted supply of water for the past one and a half months. Is she aware?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if I got my hon. Colleague right, is he saying that - [Interruptions] - I have made a statement, and he has also made a statement that there is uninterrupted water supply now in La Koo and Adobeto; and I am saying that according to my brief I have done my homework -- it was being rationed twice
a week. If for God's sake it is being done, uninterruptedly, I think we welcome that.
Nii Namoale: Mr. Speaker, may I know when she was given the briefing?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
What was the question?
Nii Namoale: May I know when the
technical men briefed her on this La Koo and Adobeto electoral area, when.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this was
after the Question had been submitted.
Mr. J. Y. chireh 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Deputy Minister has given the Answer and with your permission I cite the particular example:
“This is however, a long-term solution, as construction works (which will last about three years) are scheduled to commence in the year 2006/2007 if enough funds are secured for the works.”
Then immediately following that it says, and with your permission I quote:
“International Competitive Bidding for the works has almost been completed.”
There seems to be a little controversy. Is the hon. Deputy Minister saying that they now have enough funds?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if I may
quote from by brief: “Funding is however yet to be secured for the works”.
Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed (retd): Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Deputy Minister whether in view of the difficulties that she has enumerated and the long-term and medium-term measures to help improve the water system in the two mentioned areas and other areas within Accra, she will consider in the interim the use of water tankers to supply water to such
places including Nima and Maamobi.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that can
be definitely considered but as at now, as I said, our position is that it is being rationed twice a week.
Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K.
Bagbin): Mr. Speaker, just a simple question. Mr. Speaker, could the hon. Deputy Minister tell us the name of the consultants for the Ghana Water Company Limited West-East Transfer project?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
crave the indulgence of this House that I would need notice to supply this information.
Some hon. Members -- rose --
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
All of you are standing
up; I can recognize only one for the time being.
Mr. Bagbin 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am referring to her Answer, which talks about the consultant. It is not I who brought in the consultant; she mentioned the consultant and I just wanted to know the consultant; this one she needs notice? Oh my good lady?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think this supplementary question was not immediately relevant to the Question in the House and that is why I cannot give it now.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
May we make progress.
Mr. John Tia 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in her Answer she is stated that funding has being sought for the works, which are to be carried out, but competitive bidding is almost completed. May I know from the Minister what the cost of the project
will be.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the cost will be definitely known after the bidding.
Provision of Safe Drinking Water to Tamale Municipality
Q. 166. Mr. Haruna Iddrisu asked the Minister for Works and Housing what steps the Ministry was taking to ensure that the people of Tamale have access to safe and potable drinking water.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Tamale Water Supply System comprises an Intake on the White Volta at Nawuni, located 37 km from Tamale, and a conventional treatment plant at Dalun, 31 km from Tamale. The current demand for water in Tamale and its environs is about 40,903m3/ day as against a supply of 19,545m3/day. The 19,545m3/day supply is achieved with two (2) pumps each operating at Nawuni and Dalun respectively.
Tamale therefore has access to safe drinking water. The problem is that it is not enough.
Mr. Speaker, on 27th June, 2005, one of the two pumps in operation at the intake works broke down, leaving only one in question. This resulted in a reduction in production and hence shortages in some parts of Tamale. Meanwhile, repair works on the broken unit have been completed and as at yesterday, the pump had been transported and it is being installed.
Mr. Speaker, if I may crave your indulgence, in my Answer, we said it would take two weeks, but fortunately it has been finished way before schedule; and is being installed.
1. Remedial Measures
(a) Mr. Speaker, remedial short-term

measures have been put in place to stabilize Tamale Water Supply. Engineering expertise is being sought from firms with the requisite capability to rehabilitate and refurbish all the existing pumping equipment at Nawuni and Dalun or replace them with new units. It is expected that this will take about 20 weeks from signature of contract which will likely take place in two weeks.

(b) The medium to long-term solution to the water supply problems of Tamale is the implementation of the Tamale Water Supply Rehabili- tation and Expansion Project to meet the increasing demand for potable water in the Metropolis.

Under the proposed project, the following will be undertaken:

(i) Construction of a new treat- ment 25,000m3/day treatment plant to meet demand up to the year 2015;

(ii) Provision of new raw water pumping equipment;

( i i i ) C o n s t r u c t i o n o f a new transmission pipeline;

(iv) Conversion of the existing 450 mm transmission pipeline to supply water to the village; and

( v ) I n c r e a s i n g t h e distribution network and storage facilities.

Mr. Speaker, Dutch affiliated company,

Messrs Biwater b.v., has already agreed technical proposals with GWCL, and is currently pursuing ORET funding for

implementation.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it appeares from the Minister's Answer that Tamale and its environs get less than fifty per cent of their water requirements. I would want to find out from the hon. Minister whether she is aware that the Minister was in Tamale recently and gave an ultimatum of sixty days to the Ghana Water Company Limited to ensure that the people of Tamale had access to water. My question is whether the Minister is reviewing that directive against the promise that we can only wait till 2006 and 2007 when funding is available for the execution of the project.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we have any problem with that. I was with the Minister when we undertook that particular tour and he did give the ultimatum. That was in connection with the fact that one pump had gone out of service. This is the reason why he gave that ultimatum. The programme for the long-term solution is still on.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I crave your indulgence to refer to the 2005 Budget Statement and to seek to see how the Minister reconciles it with the answers that she has given. At page 102, item 313 of the 2005 Budget Statement it is stated, and Mr. Speaker, with your permission I quote:
“Detailed designs and tender documents were prepared for thirteen urban systems in seven regions including Northern Region.”
I believe Tamale was included in this programme. In any case Tamale is the only urban city in the Northern Region. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is now saying, and this is where I have a problem -- engineering expertise is being sought with firms with the requisite capability to rehabilitate -- How does she reconcile
this with what was reported to this House in the Budget Statement for 2005?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
I will definitely, with your kind permission, go and find out whether Tamale was specifically named as part of the towns that were included in the budget documents that he has refered to.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is my final question. Is it a firm assurance that the Minister is giving this House, that twenty weeks from today, we should expect that a contract would be signed in relation to the project, in the short-term, as she indicated in her Answer?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think we have given a clear answer and we stand by that.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to what hon. Haruna Iddrisu said, the Deputy Minister said that expertise was being sought to either replace or repair the unit and she ended by giving us twenty weeks. There is a contradiction here and we would like her to clarify the contradiction. They have not yet sought the engineering expertise yet she says within twenty weeks. So what we would like to know is whether she is sure that within the twenty weeks, she would secure the engineering expertise and also award the contract.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I reiterate that we stand by our programme.
Prof. Al-Hassan W. Seini 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, she has indicated that at the moment, they are producing far less than what is required for Tamale. At the same time, in the medium to long-term plan, they are planning to install water supply that is going to produce even far less than what is required today, that is, 25,000m3 per day. What I want to know from the
Minister is this 10:40 a.m.
Why is it that a plan which is from the medium to long-term is not even catering for what is required today in the Tamale municipality?
Mrs. Dapaah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if we did state that this would take care of supply up to the year 2015, definitely it is an addition.
Alhaji Seidu Amadu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
availability of raw water for treatment for supply to the people of Tamale is one major concern. But I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether they would consider relocating the new treatment plant to another location where there would be enough raw water for treatment as a formidable solution to this problem affecting Tamale.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think I
missed the earlier part of his submission so if he could kindly repeat it.
Alhaji Amadu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, what
I am saying is that availability of raw water is one major problem affecting the treatment and supply of water to the Tamale municipality. In her Answer on page 13, paragraph b (i) we have been told that there are plans to build a new treatment plant and I want to find out from her whether they are considering the possibility of relocating this new treatment plant at a site where raw water would always be available for sufficient treatment and sufficient supply to the people of Tamale as a formidable solution to the issue of water shortage affecting Tamale municipality.
Mrs. Dapaah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, according
to our experts there is enough raw water supply at the intake.
Prof. Seini 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon.
Minister's Answer she says the 25,000m3 is just an addition -- if you add it to what is being currently produced it comes only to 44,000m3. Does it mean that the requirement of water in Tamale is going to grow by only 4,000m3 between now
Mrs. Dapaah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if I got
the question correct, I think if you add the two it is even more than the required amount of water.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister
for Works and Housing, thank you very much for appearing to respond to these Questions. You are released.
MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, 10:50 a.m.
YOUTH AND EMPLOYMENT 10:50 a.m.
Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (Mr. J. K. Adda) 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, youth unemployment is a global problem facing both industrialized and developed countries. The problem is, however, more pronounced in developing countries like Ghana.
Ghana is economically agricultural in outlook and it stands to reason that solutions to problems of unemployment among the youth must be geared principal- ly to what the agricultural sector can offer, which clearly includes farming.
But taking the drudgery of current tra- ditional agricultural production practices and the low level of incomes into consid- eration, farming seems to be unattractive to the youth.
The Ministry is currently engaged in looking at youth employment issues as priority areas including the need to

make farming attractive to the youth as a profession.

To give to the implementation of this programme, my Ministry is undertaking the following tasks:

1) Three teams were sent to the regions to undertake a survey of land avail- ability and types of crops to culti- vate. Feedback received indicates that lands acquired for the defunct State Farms are available and some chiefs and landowners are willing to release lands for farming.

2) It is proposed that pilot schemes be established this year starting from districts with avaiable irrigated lands as well as using some districts in the southern part through the minor cropping season.

3) The youth will be trained in basic agricultural skills and entrepreneur- ship through the Skills Training and Employment Placement (STEP) programme.

4) Assist the youth to set up agricul- ture-based businesses by organizing them, as much as possible, into viable co-operatives for production, processing and marketing.

5) Arrange micro-financing through the STEP and the National Youth Fund.

Tackling this problem requires a mul- ti-sectoral approach and my Mnistry is playing a central and coordinating role with Ministries of Food and Agcricufl- ture, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives, Trade and Industry, Science and Technology, Lands, Forestry and Mines, and Local

Government and Rural Development. This collaborative effort is part of the Youth-in-Agriculture Programme which my Ministry is following.

The multi-sectoral body will:

1) team up with financial institu- tions for additional micro-finance schemes to young farmers at rea- sonable terms;

2) provide mechanized services, equipment, seed, fertilizers and agrochemicals;

3) make extension services avialable to the young farmers for increased production.

Mr. Speaker, it is hoped that with these plans and measures, the youth will be attractive to the land and unemploy- ment among the youth would be largely reduced.
Mr. Agbenu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the Answer given by the Minister he said that the proposed pilot scheme would be established in the areas where there are land available for irrigation. I want to know from the Minister what plans his Ministry has for areas without irrigated land. For example, people at the areas where there are no irrigated land are anxious to go into farming. What plans has he for the areas without irrigated land, particularly Afram Plains?
Mr. Adda 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, indeed my
Ministry has explored certain parts of the country where there is no irrigation and our intention at this stage is to assess into detail which of the areas of the non- irrigated part of the country can take advantage of the minor cropping season. So we are considering some of these areas as well but we are not through with the final step, that is why we have stated that
we are testing the irrigated areas for now but we intend to extend it to all other areas of the country.
Mr. Agbenu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
know from the Minister whether these irrigated land would be given to them as individual lands or they are going to work as cooperative societies?
Mr. Adda 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, our mission
and intention is to bring them together and make them own the land as cooperatives and then wean them out of the cooperative arrangements to those who can eventually go into commercial farming; and in that context they can then begin to acquire the land themselves.
Mr. Agbenu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
ask the Minister whether he is aware that farms worked on cooperative basis bring a lot of problems and therefore if they have their individual plots, would that not be possible?
Mr. Adda 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have not
heard the question very well, if the hon. Member could repeat his question.
Mr. Agbenu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am asking
the Minister that normally cooperative societies particularly in farming bring a lot of problems to the farmers and therefore -- I am asking the Minister whether he would find it necessary to let individuals have their own plots.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the program- mes we are considering are aimed at mass employment arrangement but we are also considering supporting individuals who can acquire land on their own. Therefore, we are available to assist them if they approach us.
Mr. David Tetteh Assumeng 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister what led to the withdrawal of the National Youth Fund from the control of the National Youth Council.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not
aware of the National Youth Fund having been withdrawn from the National Youth Council. Indeed, what I am aware of is that the National Youth Fund which was with the then Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports until recently included the National Youth Council as part of the management arrangement. So it was controlled by the youth wing of that Ministry which is part of the National Youth Council; I am not aware that it has been withdrawn from the National Youth Council.
Mr. Bagbin 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Minister, in his Answer, spoke about districts with available irrigated lands. Could the hon. Minister tell us about these districts with available irrigated lands?
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with your
indulgence, I need some time to provide this list. Indeed, the team has just come back from the field and the initial findings were that they prefer to test the pilot programme in these areas. The detailed report has not come to my attention yet. When it is ready, I will share it with my hon. Colleagues.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
want to know from the hon. Minister whether the promise to raise the National Youth Corps which initially would create 100,000 jobs and subsequently create more is on course.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the creation
of the National Youth Corps is on course. There is a core team that is reviewing what has been done up-to-date and they also intend to work into that, the National Youth Policy that will be coming to this
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think
I heard the hon. Minister say that it is on course. The promise was made in 2000, the Agenda 2000, paragraph 215, and if it is on course, when is it landing for us to take advantage of it?
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with your
indulgence, I will need some time to give him the specific date on which that will land in this House.
Mr. Lee ocran 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
resort to agriculture as a means of solving youth unemployment problem has been with us from the First Republic -- the establishment of the Workers Brigade, the Young Farmers through the Second Republic to the National Reconstruction Corps of the Acheampong Regime, the Youth in Agriculture, the Oyarifa Project and so on.
May I know from the hon. Minister, how different is his new plan going to be from the previous ones. Secondly, has he any plans to let the youth who will go into agriculture have land title to the lands that they are supposed to be working on?
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my Ministry is mindful of what my hon. Colleague has said, and as I did indicate ealier, we are preparing our initial plan documents, which will address these problems; and therefore I need some time to come back to the House and answer the question.
Ms. Akua Sena Dansua 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I want to know from the hon. Minister how different this new Youth-in-Agriculture Programme is from the previous Youth- in-Agriculture programmes.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the
question is similar to what my hon. Colleague had asked before the hon. Deputy Chief Whip and my response was
that I would brief the House at the proper time when the final document is ready and then we will show the difference.
Ms. Dansua 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to know from the hon. Minister when, specifically, he will brief the House.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as soon as
the document is ready and I am requested to come here, I will be here to brief the House.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Last supplementary
question, the hon. Member for Mfantsi- man East?
Mr. George Kuntu-Blankson 11 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask this question. In the advent of “Positive Change Chapter I”, Ghanaian youth were asked to register for employment and I would like to know from the hon. Minister, whether they are going to use the list from that exercise in engaging them in the co-operative activities.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the list
prepared as part of the registration of the unemployed will be one point of reference. But certainly, we are not going to exclude any other youth who comes to express interest.
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
would like to know from the hon. Minister, whether he can provide us with the total enlistment of Ghanaian youth who registered at that time.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not
certain whether my hon. Colleague is asking for a list in terms of names or he is looking for a total number.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
You may clarify your question.
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 11 a.m.
I would like
to know the list and the number so that we will know the total number of youth -- [Interruptions] -- It consists of names, number and the list.
Mr. Adda 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I can make this list available if I am given adequate time.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment, thank you very much for coming to answer these Questions. Item 4 -- Statements -- A Statement by the Member of Parliament for Abirem.
STATEMENTS 11:10 a.m.
Mrs. Esther Dapaah obeng (NPP -- Abirem) 11:10 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to make a Statement on the protection of the rights of the child on the floor of this House.
A recent report by Plan International, an NGO, estimated that about 1.2 million children in Ghana are abused in one way or the other each year.
This may be the tip of the iceberg, given the fact that not all such cases are reported.
Even what Plan International has reported may be cases involving child abuse in urban areas. It may be worse and also on a larger scale in rural areas.
The abuse may be sexual, physical, emotional or sheer neglect. Not until the issues concerning the rights of children and women are taken seriously, democracy will be meaningless and incomplete.
I am making a particular reference to an article published in the Daily Graphic of 21st June, 2005 where a teacher at the Mother Mary's Preparatory School at
Mr. David oppong-Kusi (NPP -- ofoase/Ayirebi) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement. Mr. Speaker, concern for children's rights has given birth to many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and organizations which are working towards finding a solution to the plight of children. But in spite of the proliferation of such organizations the abuse of the child seems
to be on the increase. The maker of the Statement urges Parliament to ensure that these acts of cruelty ,whether they are in or out of the classroom.
Mr. Speaker, the abuse of children outside the classroom is much more acute. The evidence is all around us to see daily. As we drive through traffic, we see children who are either begging or assisting beggars; we see children who weave their way through traffic trying to sell iced water, biscuits and other things to those in traffic. Children who are supposed to be in school are virtually left either to sleep in the market or on the street not because opportunities for going to school are not available but because parents who are supposed to take care of these children have decided to use them for economic purposes.
We need to show leadership in this direction and I suggest that we ensure that, at least, as Members of Parliament, no child in our own family or no child in our vicinity suffers from such abuse as much as we are around to give guidance. I think we need to start somewhere. We see these people daily; we pass by without comments; we pass by without action.
These children are innocent; they need to be protected and I do suggest that the existing law on child abuse, the existing law that makes it a crime not to send the child to school is strengthened and properly implemented. We all talk about the problem without taking action. The laws are there but we seem to gloss over these things. As a Parliament we have a responsibility. The evidence is around us each day, but we seem to do more talking than action. I think that the time has come for us to ensure that the authorities charged with ensuring children's rights do their work and I think the Statement has come at the right time.
Mrs. Gifty Eugenia Kusi (NPP -- Tarkwa Nsuaem) 11:10 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute
Mrs. Gifty Eugenia Kusi (NPP -- Tarkwa Nsuaem) 11:20 a.m.
to the Statement on the floor. Mr. Speaker, children are assets to mankind. If we have children and we do not do anything to protect them, Mr. Speaker, the future of this nation will be at stake. We have all been children before and I am sure that if our teachers had not treated us in a better way, we would not have been here as Members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, we have a law in this country that protects children. The only thing we have to do is to ensure that whatever is due the children, they will have it. The child cannot wait because whatever is happening to a child today can affect his future. We congratulate our teachers for giving us the education that we deserve but I think that some of them are going beyond their bounds. If a teacher can subject a child to this then it leaves much to be desired.
Mr. Speaker, there was an occasion when a teacher even put ginger in some place that I do not want to mention here. Mr. Speaker, I think we all have to be each other's keeper. As Members of Parliament, in our various constituencies, we can sometimes pay visits to schools to interact with children to know what is going on there. It will complement the work of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Directorate of Education and the teachers as well.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity.

Mr. J. K. Gidisu (NDc - central Tongu) Mr. Speaker, I would equally want to associate myself with the Statement. And I would want to say that it is very necessary for us to put the situation in its proper dimension.

Mr. Speaker, teaching is a profession, and as expected, the members have
Mr. Albert Abongo (NDc - Bongo) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement on the protection of the rights of the children made by the hon. Member.
Mr. Speaker, the point I have here on the rights of children is that we as the affluent in society must realize that children, whether they belong to the poor or the rich, are children of all of us. This is because as we grow we will realize that at some point in time we may require the protection of these children who would also grow up in future irrespective of whether they are our own children or they are the children of others.
Mr. Speaker, the point I would want to make here is that if you look critically at the way the affluent in society treat the children of those who are poor, in fact, one would say that these children are more in slavery in the homes of these affluent people than if they were with their own parents where they are not even well fed and catered for properly.
Mr. Speaker, if a survey were to be conducted in the homes of very affluent people in this country, you would find children working as slaves in these homes. Those who know a lot about child rights - Children in these homes do not sleep on time. They sleep after their children are asleep; they do all the washing in the home; they do all the cleaning in the kitchen and in the toilets and what have you. Mr. Speaker, some are also even denied basic education and they are kept in these homes continuously to work as slaves.
Mr. Speaker, I would only want to raise these issues and call on Ghanaians, especially affluent Ghanaians that when we talk about child rights we are not only talking about those in the villages who are used by their own parents on their farms
but that to some extent those of us who know and understand must also protect the children we have brought from the poor homes with the intention to take care of, that these children need to be protected and educated as we provide for our own children.
Mr. Speaker, with these, I associate myself with the Statement.
Sustainable Agricultural Production - The Role of Irrigation
Mr. John K. Gyapong (NDc - Akan) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am making a Statement on sustainability of agricultural production - the role of irrigation.
Mr. Speaker, the concern about sustainable development has pervaded both developed and developing countries. Sustainable agricultural production and development has not been left out.
Mr. Speaker, the worldwide concern about sustainability has arisen from the increasing rate of environmental degradation and various related processes such as soil erosion and degradation and loss of genetic diversity which are known to have adverse effects on agricultural productivity.
Mr. Speaker, even though we are in the 21st Century, most developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa appear not to have developed or even increased the capacity to feed themselves.
Mr. Speaker, traditional methods of food production, subsistence in nature, characterized by slash and burn, the use of the cutlass and hoe, high post harvest losses and poor marketing of produce are still dominant features of the agricultural systems. And yet the agricultural sector is still the major employer in most of these countries, including Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, evidence of poverty, high illiteracy rates, disease and civic inertia
are to be found among the practitioners of this industry.
Mr. Speaker, the poor state of agriculture in these countries is accounted for by factors such as the lack of policy direction or inconsistency in the policy direction or inconsistency in the policies where they exist, rapid urbanization, and the reliance on the production and export of some particular crops.
Mr. Speaker, periodic droughts and the erratic nature of rainfall by far accounts for the worse predicament of the farmer and it is for this reason that a school of thought has advocated for irrigation.
Mr. Speaker, this school says it is one system that can maintain food production over a time in the face of social and economic pressures.
Mr. Speaker, it has often been argued that any well-balanced agricultural development policy must have irrigation as an indispensable element. This is so because, it is the only surest way of mitigating the effects of declining soil fertility, erosion, deforestation, steady decline in rainfall quantities and outright drought.
Mr. Speaker, the widespread concern about sustainable agricultural production has been underscored by the need to manage our agricultural resources that seem to be overstretched in the face of inadequate policies, unequal terms of trade among countries, rising demographic pressures on rainfed lands, and low technological know-how among others.
Mr. Speaker, in the face of these problems and changing human needs, it is important to maintain our natural resource base and avoid environmental degradation. Thus agricultural systems that involve slash and burn, reliance on rainfall and their associated negative effect on the environment, especially soil degradation and erosion need to give way
to systems that involve the application of water by human agency to the soil and its associated modern practices.

Mr. Speaker, irrigation is justified on the grounds that it ensures an all-year round cultivation of crops, especially where deficiencies of climate constrain agriculture.

Mr. Speaker, an important component of this system of agriculture that drives home strongly the sustainability factor is that it brings in the wake innovations and techniques that go to increase yields while ensuring sound environmental preservation. It necessitates the adoption of new agricultural practices by farmers which are radically different.

Mr. Speaker, FAO study in 1986 has it that irrigation farming brings about more settled type of agriculture, fixing the rural population in the countryside and slowing down the drift to towns and cities.

Mr. Speaker, irrigation allows for intensive methods of cultivation of crops, thus mitigating the effect of farming systems that involve extensive land clearing. In areas of increasing population, fallow periods become shorter and any further pressure on the farmlands lead to soil degeneration.

The result is that in typical rural settings, problems of hunger and poverty in their extreme forms become permanent features of life.

Mr. Speaker, Ghana has had an appreciable level of conern for irrigation as a prime mover for increased agricultural production. Unfortunately, Ghana's involvement in both major and small- scale schemes have yielded unsatisfactory results.

It was not that the schemes proved environmentally unfriendly but it was due
Mr. E. K. Salia (NDc - Jirapa) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with this very important Statement made by my hon. Colleague from the Akan consti- tuency. Mr. Speaker, in my tradition or in my language, it is often said, and I quote:
Saa la kuobo. This means without water, there can be no farming. Indeed, if one takes a look at most of the communities in which there are irrigation facilities, the tendency is for their feeding habits to improve and there is more or less food self-sufficiency in those communities.
Mr. Speaker, a long while ago,
particularly in the driest part of this country, even in the colonial times, particularly in the Bawku area, a lot of irrigation dams were constructed so that water could be harvested for use during the dry season to cultivate various food crops. Mr. Speaker, the Vea Irrigation Project and the Tono Irrigation Project, both in the Upper East Region, and the Bontanga Irrigation Project in the Northern Region has in no small way contributed to the improvement of the livelihood of the communities living around those areas. It is in this respect that I believe the Statement made by my hon. Colleague should be taken very seriously so that Government would take a new look at agricultural development in our country.
Mr. Speaker, the rainfall season in most parts of this country has grown shorter and quite often, from year to year the total amount of rain that falls has reduced and even the predictability of rainfall pattern is no longer easy to make. It is in this respect that I believe a new look, a new strategy of agriculture that does not depend on rain- fed farming should be taken a look at. Mr. Speaker, in this respect, I recognise that it costs a lot of money to construct irrigation projects but I believe that the maintenance of the scheme is also important.
At this point in time, particularly in the Vea and Tono irrigation areas, because of intensive use of the soil, a lot of them have been degraded, and even there are infestations of certain parasitic diseases such as nematode infections in the Tono and Vea area thereby affecting large-scale
production of tomatoes. I believe that whenever irrigation is undertaken, the land is used more intensively than in what we call large-scale rain-fed farming.
In this respect the extensive nature of farming destroys a lot of the landscape and most of the communities get involved in shifting cultivation rather than using land rotation as a method of farming. In this respect, I would like to call on Government, particularly to take a very keen look at areas that are now suffering from food shortages and undertake the construction of at least, medium-scale or small-scale dams that can harvest water, which mostly run waste during the rainy season, so that during the dry season such water can be used at least, for the cropping or the growing of vegetables and other food crops.
Mr. Speaker, in this respect, I believe that priority should be given to areas which have what we call, uni-modal rainfall pattern. It is true that in those areas where it rains twice in the season, they might also need some irrigation because that can be used more properly to time the growth of various crops. But I believe that at this point in time where irrigation infrastructure is still very low in our country, the start should be made with areas that have only one rainy season.
Mr. Speaker, in this respect, I would like to call on District Assemblies to take a look at the construction of dams using some of their Common Funds. I believe that in the area of small-scale dams, with a billion cedis, I am sure every District Assembly could at least, construct two dams or one dam every year. If this were done on a regular basis, by this time, a lot of communities could have had complementary water for their irrigation purposes.
I believe that the Irrigation Develop- ment Authority (IDA) as presently constituted has the technical know-how to do this. What I believe is lacking is budgetary allocation for the construction of these dams and I believe that with HIPC now generating a lot of funds, a lot more money should be given to the IDA to undertake the construction of small-scale dams in a lot of farming communities. I believe that if this were done, it will improve our agricultural sustainability and we would be more food-sufficient than is currently the situation.
With this, Mr. Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity.
Mr. Mahama Ayariga (NDc - Bawku central) 11:40 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by the hon. Member for the Akan constituency (Mr. J. K. Gyapong.)
Mr. Speaker, the Statement is very appropriate because certain parts of the country are facing serious crisis because of the rainfall pattern in those places. Mr. Speaker, the only way we can address the situation is to invest more in the development of irrigation facilities so that water can be cultivated for use for agricultural purposes.

Mr. Speaker, in the Upper East Region,

for instance, about five years ago, a project was initiated for the construction of a number of dams in the region. Unfortunately, within a very short period of time, the fuel price increase led to an astronomical increase in the cost of implementation of the project. So many of the contractors who were awarded the contracts to construct those dams had to abandon them halfway and, as we speak, many of the dams stand there uncompleted. This completely derailed the process of development of irrigation
Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (Mr. Joseph K. Adda) 11:40 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement

on the floor.

Mr. Speaker, a lot has been said by my hon. Colleagues but there is just one aspect of his Statement that I would like to concentrate on, and that is the aspect dealing with land degradation.

Mr. Speaker, over the years, whether we farm in the irrigated areas or non- irrigated areas, most of our farmers these days use chemical fertilizers and it is one practice that has degraded the nutritional value of the land. I would like to use this opportunity to make a special appeal to researchers in the agricultural institutes to look seriously into modifying farming practices to use more compost fertilizer rather than using chemical fertilizers.

Indeed, we have a unique opportunity, particularly in areas where rice is being farmed, for the rice straw to be chopped up and simply mixed with droppings of animal or poultry and converted into compost fertilizer. Indeed, in Europe and North America these days, people rather use that and we all probably know that the price of organic produce is much higher than those being farmed through the use of chemical fertilizers.

So for us to sustain agricultural activities and to ensure that the land stays rich enough for us to produce more food, I would like to conclude by making this passionate appeal to our renowned agricultural scientists from the various agricultural research institutes to intensify their research into that, and for the extension officers to take that matter up seriously for us to move more into compost fertilizer use than chemical fertilizers.
Ms. Akua Sena Dansua (NDc - North Dayi) 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself fully with the Statement made by my hon. Colleague (Mr. J. K. Gyapong)
and I say so because a great number of my constituents, especially in the Kpando area depend on the Kpando Torkor Irrigation Scheme for their livelihood.
Mr. Speaker, this scheme has enabled them to cultivate several acres of okro in the past and also, recently, some exotic vegetables for export, so as to earn income and cater for their families. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, over the years, the machines and the pumps have broken down and therefore they have reduced the areas under cultivation.
Upon several prompting by the authorities in the district including myself, the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority undertook to rehabilitate the scheme. The project was supposed to have started in December last year but as I speak, Mr. Speaker, this rehabilitation work has not taken off. Meanwhile, the farmers have been stopped from cultivating the land; as a result, they are in very big difficulty. They do not know what to do to earn income and take care of themselves and their families.
So Mr. Speaker, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Irrigation Development Authority to expedite action on the intended renovation works at Kpando Torkor. But in the meantime, they should try and liaise with the farmers there to see if they can help them with some alternative sources of income before the real rehabilitation works start.
Mr. osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (NPP - Suame) 11:40 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to associate myself with the Statement made by my hon. Colleague, the Member for Akan (Mr. J. K. Gyapong).
Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important that in this country, we wean ourselves from depending entirely on rain-fed agriculture and really avail ourselves of
the opportunity of irrigation systems.

Indeed, if one travels between Paga and Ouagadougou, one would realise that every stream or streamlet or river that crosses the road -- the main road from Paga to Ouagadougou--- has been dammed at one side of the road or the other.

Mr. Speaker, small water bodies are collected and the people depend on these small water bodies to irrigate small parcels of land adjacent to the water bodies that are thus collected. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we do that because, indeed, the local farmers are able then to depend on the small water bodies to irrigate the farmlands; and the effect on poverty alleviation, food security, afforestation; the effect on the control of land degradation and erosion, the effect on ecology and bio-diversity cannot really be glossed over.

So it is important that we resort to the construction of small-scale irrigation systems as opposed to the big ones that are capital-intensive. And of course, not too long after we start operation, normally, they break down and the facility becomes a waste; it becomes a - I would not want to say a white elephant, but perhaps
Mr. Ayariga 11:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Indeed, the hon. Member is misleading the House because those dams that I referred to are small-scale irrigation facilities. They are not large-scale irrigation facilities and to create the impression that they were abandoned because they were large-scale and therefore not feasible, is misleading the House.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Let him go on, please.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, when I was addressing the matter, my hon. Colleague was conversing; actually he did not hear what I said. He just jumped onto it and goes on a fanciful excursion.
Mr. Speaker, the point that I am making is that once we resort to the small-scale irrigation projects they have effect on the control of bushfires. Again Mr. Speaker, the very road that I alluded to, from Paga to Ouagadougou, even in the dry season the places at least adjacent to the main road are normally green. They are very leafy and the other day my hon. Colleague, the hon. Member for Jirapa (Mr. Edward Salia) alluded to the fact that Burkina Faso, to all intents and purposes, is dryer than Ghana.
Whereas we have allowed our sugar factory to collapse, they now use the irrigation system to produce cane sugar that feeds a sugar-making factory, and to that extent Burkina Faso is now self- sufficient in the production of sugar. But in Ghana, we are allowing the rainfall to run off, to erode the land, to run into streams and rivers, enter the sea and our waters go waste, literally and virtually unused.
Mr. Speaker, so I agree with my hon.
PAPERS 11:50 a.m.
Majority Leader (Mr. Felix owusu- Adjapong) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would seek your indulgence to lay the Paper but not to take the motion because I had the impression that the Report was distributed yesterday, but I am now told that it is this morning. So I am only laying the Paper.
By the Chairman of the Committee -
Report of the House Committee on the Welfare of Members and Com- position of Sub-Committees.
MoTIoNS
Report of the committee on Food, Agriculture and cocoa Affairs on the Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries commission
chairman of the committee (Dr. M. K. Antwi) Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission covering the period of January-December 2003.
1.0 Introduction
In accordance with the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625) the Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries
Commission (2003) was laid before the House by the Majority Leader, hon. Felix K. Owusu-Adjapong on Thursday, 26 May 2005. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to article 269 (1) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Order 175, referred the Annual Report to the Committee for consideration and report to the House.
2.0 Deliberations
The Committee held a meeting with the Minister and Chief Director of the Ministry of Fisheries as well as some Members of the Fisheries Commission to deliberate on the report. The Committee is grateful to them for their invaluable contributions during deliberations on the report.
3.0 Reference Documents
The following served as reference documents during the deliberations:
1. The 1992 Constitution
2. The Standing Orders (2000)
3. The Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission covering the period January-December 2003
4. The Fisheries Commission Act, 1993 (Act 457)
5. The Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625)
4.0 Background
The Fisheries Commission was established under article 269 (1) of the 1992 Constitution and the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625).
The Commission has the overall function of advising the Minister on issues relating to Ghana's fish, fish resources, the fisheries industry with their wise-use and development to the benefit of Ghana.
The Commission is again responsible for the regulation and management of the utilization of fishery resources and co-ordination of policies in relating to fisheries.
4.1 Performance and Achievements in 2003
4.2 Control of Overfishing
The Commission during the period under review made strenuous efforts at controlling overfishing and encouraged stocks resuscitation in order to attain sustainable fisheries, especially within the artisanal sector that contributes over 60 per cent of the country's fish landing. Management approaches employed in this regard included increase in the minimum mesh size from 60 mm to 90 mm, control of fishing capacity and formation of community-based management groups to complement Government's effort at controlling illegal fishing in the areas under its jurisdiction.
Progress was made in fisheries resource management through the formation of community fisheries management bodies and monitoring units set up under the fisheries sub-sector capacity-building projects. Subregional and regional bodies as provided under various UN conventions should be sought to facilitate the work of these bodies.
4.3 Aquaculture
According to the Commission, aguaculture failed to make significant growth and contribution to the country's fish production during the term of the Commission, despite efforts by the Fisheries Directorate and the Water Research Institute to promote, research and develop a concept on aguaculture.

4.4 Inland Fisheries

Productions from fresh water capture fisheries continued to be dominated by the Volta Lake, which generate about 80,000 metric tonnes of fish annually. Lake fishing, of late, has been seriously affected by environmental degradation and illegal fishing and overfishing. The combined efforts of these have significantly affected production from the lake as well as sizes of the fish landed.

The Commission initiated some of the intervention projects such as the Tree Cover Depletion Minimization Project to restore the vegetation cover of the lakeshore and ensure patrol and the lake to stop the catching of juvenile fishes.

Constant visits to fishing communities also enabled members of the Commission to obtain firsthand information about the Fisheries Sector. Such visits were very useful and must be encouraged.

4.5 Foreign Support at Fisheries Development

The Commission received foreign support from the World Bank Capacity- Building Project for the Fisheries Directorate. The project was aimed at building the Fisheries Directorate to manage the fisheries resources of the country to help it to contribute to the economy. The project was successfully executed under the supervision of the Commission and achieved a safisfactory rating from the Bank.

IDAF also successfully supported a project at Yeji, which sought to minimize the destruction of the vegetation cover of the Volta Lake. The project was aimed at restoring the vegetation along the lake, which had been destroyed by fishermen. The project was successfully extended

during the term of the Commission and several hectares of vegetation cover were replanted.

The UK Government sponsored a project aimed at finding sustainable livelihood activities for artisanal fishermen in twenty-five countries in the West African Subregion.

The Government of Japan also supported the sector to assess the stock levels of commercially-important marine species. The outcome indicated that most of the commercially-important marine species were overfished and a precau- tionary management approach must be applied to restore stock levels.

5.0 observation and Recommendation

The Committee during deliberations on the Fourth Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission (2003) made the following observation:

5.1 Annual Report

The Committee observed that, the 4th Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission (2003) presented to the House did not conform to the requirements in section 34 of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625).

According to section 34 of the Fisheries Act (2002), annual reports should be submitted to the Minister as soon as practicable and not more than eight months after the end of each financial year. The report should include the audited account of the Commission and the Auditor-General's report on the accounts of the Commission, a statement of the Commission's budget and operational plans for the next financial year as well as some other information as the Commission may consider necessary.

In the opinion of the Committee, what was submitted was only information that the Commission considered necessary. All

other requirements of section 34 of the Fisheries Act 2002 were not put before the Committee.

6.0 conclusion

Based on the Committee's observation, the 4th Annual Report of the Third Session of the Fisheries Commission (2003) was considered unacceptable. In that regard, the Committee, the Minister responsible for Fisheries and the Members of the Commission present at the Committee's si t t ing agreed that the report be withdrawn and rewritten to conform to the requirements of section 34 of the Fisheries Act 2002 (Act 625).

Respectfully submitted.
Prof. Al-Hassan W. Seini (NDc -- Tamale central) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion, and I agree totally with the comments that the proposer has made. The Committee duly considered the Report and decided that the Report should be referred back to the Commission to re-write it because it did not conform to certain sections of the Bill that established the Fisheries Commission.
Question proposed.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Members, items 7 and 8 are accordingly deferred. Item 9 - Committee sittings.
Deputy Majority Leader (Mr A. o. Aidooh): Mr. Speaker, there are six committees due to meet so I move at this stage that we adjourn proceedings to tomorrow morning at ten o'clock.
Deputy Minority Leader (Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho): Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
ADJoURNMENT
The House was accordingly adjourned at 11.59 a.m. till 15th July 2002.