Debates of 14 Dec 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:50 a.m.
CORRECTION OF VOTES 10:50 a.m.
AND PROCEEDINGS AND 10:50 a.m.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings, Tuesday, 13th December, 2005. Pages 1. . . 6.
Nii Amasah Namoale: Mr. Speaker,
page 6, item 4 (22), hon. Felix Twumasi- Appiah was listed as absent but yesterday, he was present -- [Uproar] -- He was present yesterday.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Members, is the
hon. Member for Sene present here?
Nii Namoale: Yes, yesterday, he was
present.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon. Member, are you
his advocate?
Mr. F. Twumasi-Appiah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I am the hon. Member for Sene. I was present yesterday; in fact, I was seated at the front desk and I was listed absent. So he is correct, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Order! Pages 7. . . 26.
Hon. Members, we have the Official Report for Wednesday, 30th November,
2005.
Mr. J. Yieleh Chireh 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
the copy I have, we do not have columns 35 and 36, columns 85 and 86. I have minor corrections also on some of the things.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Thank you for that.
Item 3 - Business Statement for the First Week of the First Meeting of the Second Session.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 10:50 a.m.
Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee met on Tuesday, 13 th December 2005 and determined Business of the House for the first week of the First Meeting of the Second Session ending Friday, 20th January 2006.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee presents its report to this honourable House as follows 11 a.m.
Arrangement of Business
Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has scheduled twenty-two (22) Questions to be answered by various Ministers of State during the week under reference.
The details are as follows:
No of Question(s)
i. Minister for Energy 5
ii. Minister for Trade and Industry 2
iii. Minister for Works and Housing 5
iv. Minister for the Interior 5
v. Minister for Road Transport 5
Total Number of Questions 22
Statements
Mr. Speaker may allow Statements duly admitted to be made in the House.
Bills, Papers and Reports
Mr. Speaker, Bills, Papers and Reports may be presented to the House for consideration. Mr. Speaker, those which have already been submitted to the House may be taken through their various stages of passage.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr. Speaker, motions may be debated and the appropriate Resolutions taken where required.
Parliamentary Calendar
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee has prepared a proposed Parliamentary Calendar for the year 2006. Mr. Speaker, this calendar has been attached to the Business Statement for perusal of hon. Members and on acceptance I want to crave your indulgence that the Hansard captures it.
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee wishes to express gra t i tude and appreciation to Mr. Speaker and all hon. Members for their sterling performance during the Session.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Conclusion
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160 (2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee submits to this honourable House the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

Questions --

Minister for Energy - 121, 122, 123, 124 and 125.

Minister for Trade and Industry

- 64, 212.

Laying of Papers

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Works and Housing - 228, 229, 230, 272 and 273.

Laying of Papers --

Report of the Committee on Gender and Children on Ghana National Commission on Children (Repeal) Bill.

Second Reading of Bills

The Food and Drugs (Amendment) Bill.

Subvented Agencies Bill.

Committee Sittings
Mr. Speaker, the Committee presents its report to this honourable House as follows 11 a.m.
Questions --
Minister for the Interior - 224, 225, 226, 227 and 268.
Statements
Laying of Papers
Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Road Transport - 129, 131, 132, 133 and 134

Statements

Laying of Papers

Second Reading of Bills --

The Ghana National Commission on Children (Repeal) Bill.

Consideration Stage of Bills --

The Food and Drugs (Amendment) Bill.

Subvented Agencies Bill

Committee Sittings.
SPACE FOR CALENDAR 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Item 4 - Statements.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member for Kade,
do you have any observation on this?
Mr. Asamoah Ofosu 11 a.m.
Yes, Mr.
Speaker, I realize that on the Provisional Order Paper of yesterday, for today's business, motion number nine, which is to do with the Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) is missing from today's business; and I wish to draw your attention and the attention of the House to it.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Majority Leader, do
you have any comment to make on this?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 11 a.m.
I am trying
to verify from yesterday's - I am trying to find out - Which item number was it?
Mr. Ofosu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, item number nine.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, item number nine was a motion dealing with the Indian loan.
SPACE FOR CALENDAR 11 a.m.
Mr. Ofosu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the Provisional Order Paper for yesterday.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
In any case, you may
wish to resolve it with the Leadership.
Mr. Ofosu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is in
relation to timber concessions lost by timber companies.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I will discuss with my Colleague the Minority Leader and if he thinks that we can take it today, we will get an addendum.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member for
North Tongu, do you have any further observations?
Mr. Hodogbey 11 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I think that there have been several occasions where the Provisional Order Paper was not followed. So in this particular issue, if we are trying to set a precedent that anytime something comes into the Provisional Order Paper it has to
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Thank you very much
for that, but let us continue with our business.
STATEMENTS 11 a.m.
Mr. Joe Baidoe-Ansah (NPP - Effia Kwasimintsim) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, hon. Members of Parliament, I am honoured and happy to make a Statement today on the day the Africa Union has set aside as Africa Sports Day and to state that this year has been very fruitful for Ghana Sports.
May I first be permitted to congratulate Africa for the observance of Africa Sports Day today, 14th December which is the founding date of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, founded in 1966. It is hoped this day will be used to raise awareness of the importance of sports in achieving development and peace in our respective countries and throughout the world.
Mr. Speaker, this year is also significant because the United Nations has declared the year 2005 as the International Year of Sports and Physical Education, and Ghana has fully participated in all the activities. Ghana has adopted the slogan “Sport for Life” to emphasize the essence of keeping fit through sports.
Mr. Speaker, no doubt, the biggest achievement in sports in Ghana this year is the qualification of the Black Stars to the prestigious World Cup in Germany. The players and technical team of the Black Stars deserve tonnes of congratulations for qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in

Germany.

The beautiful game of football is the most popular sport in the world and has become the most effective tool for portraying success in sports. Because of its mass appeal, it is also a strategic medium for the promotion of development and peace.

For the Black Stars, qualifying for Germany 2006 offers the most excellent opportunity to market the country, promote its abilities, expose its capabilities, attract investors and tourists and generally contribute to Ghana's growth economically, socially and politically.

Mr. Speaker, remarkably, for one of the best teams in Africa, Ghana had never really come close to qualifying for the finals of the FIFA World Cup. This is even more amazing as Ghana first participated in the qualifying competition for the 1962 edition.

The Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency President J. A. Kufuor has been fully committed to ensuring the success of the team by providing resources and the encouraging environment to excel. Indeed, President Kufuor has been the chief supporter of the Black Stars.

The hon. Minister for Education and Sports and his able Deputies, and the Ghana Football Association must be highly commended for achieving this historic feat and confirming that with the right management Ghana sports can go very far.

Mr. Speaker, may I also use this opportunity to express our appreciation to our major sponsors, Goldfields for believing in us and investing in us to the tune of one million dollars per annum

for three years beginning from this year, 2005. We must also congratulate Guinness Ghana Brewery and other firms who have supported us.

We must congratulate all Ghanaians, Amakye Dede, and also the national supporters union for travelling far and wide to offer support to the Black Stars.

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in our

existence as a nation, Ghana won silver and bronze medals at the Helsinki World Athletics Championships in August, 2005. Also through the heroic feats of Ignatius Gaisah and Margaret Simpson, Ghana won silver in the long jump and bronze in the heptathlon events.

Mr. Speaker, our Starlets, the National U-17 soccer team also deserve praise for being losing finalists, under bizarre circumstances at the African Junior Championships in The Gambia. We qualified for the World Cup in Peru in September, 2005 but did not go beyond the group stage. Our boys however performed gallantly and must be congratulated.

Our female and male hockey teams have also recently won silver and bronze medals at the African Hockey Championships in South Africa in October, 2005, while our Under-20 soccer team has qualified for the ECOWAS finals in Nigeria this month.

In November, 2005 the U-15 cricket team won the ECOWAS tournament in Ghana. Mr. Speaker, on 3rd December, 2005, Ike Bazooka Quartey demolished his opponent Carlos Bojorquez in a non- title bout.

Ghana has been elected to represent West and East Africa of the Commonwealth Nations on the Commonwealth Advisory
Mr. Abuga Pele (NDC - Chiana/ Paga) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is an appropriate Statement coming as i t does, to commemorate Africa Day of Sports.
Africa has every reason to be proud as far as sports is concerned. In all sporting disciplines, Africa has distinguished itself; but this is even more glaring when you consider football and athletics. Deservedly, the world football federation, FIFA, decided to increase the number of participating teams in Africa from three to five.
Mr. Speaker, Germany 2006 will be a very interesting and tough forum for West African States. We know Ghana, Togo and la Cote d'Ivoire have all qualified and they are participating in the World Cup. This is something to be proud of.
The Minority has had occasion to congratulate the Black Stars for qualifying for the World Cup and I think that we would take this opportunity again to also congratulate the Black Stars for qualifying to participate in the Germany 2006 World Cup. Whilst I do this, I would also like to congratulate, as the hon. Member who made the Statement did, the Football Association (FA), the Management Committee of the Black Stars and players, the Minister and his deputies. But also we should not forget the role the former Minister, hon. Rashid Bawa played in laying the foundation for the Black Stars' qualification.
I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Sam Arday, Mr. Afranie, Goldfields in particular for making it possible and putting at the disposal of the national team vast amount of resources -- something unprecedented -- which enabled us prepare adequately for the qualification.
But also when I mention Mr. Afranie and Sam Arday for their role in laying the juvenile foundation that made it possible for today's Black Stars to be where they are, I would not forget the hon. E. T. Mensah - [Hear! Hear! ] - for under his able administration stars like Essien, Muntari, Appiah, the captain of the Black Stars, and many others, in fact, majority of the players now in the World Cup squad of the Black Stars, were all unearthed through the foundation that was laid during hon. E. T. Mensah's administration, in the various academies and institutions.
Mr. Speaker, when the draw was made for the World Cup competition, Ghana, I must say, incidentally found itself in a very tough group, made up of the Czech Republic, the United States of America (USA) and Italy, which I think is a very tough group. But the Black Stars, with the amount of discipline and the totality of football they play, should remain undaunted; and I think that they should be able to make it.
Mr. Speaker, I would however sound a note of caution. It is not enough that we have qualified for the World Cup today. We should not make it a one-time thing -- go there and come back and then have a long period of layoff, as has happened in the case of some other countries.
Mr. Speaker, a firm foundation should be laid. This means that we must take our juvenile soccer seriously and make
adequate preparations. The attendance should be well co-ordinated and we shall have everything that goes to make a nation a football nation. The example of Brazil is clear. They do it throughout the year; they prepare, they lay the foundation, they put at the disposal of the various organizing committees resources; and today Brazil is noted for what it is because of their repeated winning of the various World Cup competitions. Mr. Speaker, Ghana can surpass Brazil if only we can also emulate their example.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to urge the hon. Minister to be much more serious and vigilant about the preparations towards the CAN 2008. Mr. Speaker, as we speak today, the various infrastructure are still not in place for us to prepare adequately to host the CAN 2008 competition, and this is very serious because we know how long it takes to get a stadium ready for a major tournament like that.
So the hon. Minister should be very serious about the infrastructure and also be a bit more open -- communicate with the citizens of this country so that they know the processes that are taking place. Otherwise, it leads to all kinds of rumour- mongering; it leads to speculations. And probably, this is the reason why some people think that there has been some underhand deals in the way the contracts were awarded. If the Minister can constantly brief the press and the whole of Ghana on the preparations we are making towards the CAN 2008, it would be in the interest of everybody.
Mr. Speaker, once more, I want to congratulate the Black Stars and all Ghanaians and the supporters union and everybody who has in one way or the other contributed to the success of the Black Stars.
Minister for Education and Sports (Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I think it is fitting and proper for us to congratulate the Black Stars for this feat and I am happy that the two previous contributors all think the same.
It is also important to mention that the German Government has offered ten days free stay in Germany for the Black Stars and all their handlers free of all charges leading to the period of the matches and training. [Hear! Hear!] Two other countries in Europe have also approached us to offer similar facilities. We are looking at all these offers.
On the home front, a number of corporate bodies are also contributing towards the training of the Black Stars and I want to use this opportunity to thank Ghana Commercial Bank for contributing a seed capital of ¢100 million and opening an account for other Ghanaians to pay into it. Areeba has given us ¢100 million, Zenith Bank ¢100 million and some other banks have also offered ¢50 million each. I believe that these payments are necessary to strengthen our preparations towards the World Cup.
As the hon. Member who last spoke said, we are in a very tough group. But we believe that we can make it beyond that group. Their first match would be in Hanover with Italy on the 10th of June and I think all of us would pray for the Stars and we believe that preparations would be made to give us that confidence to do a good job.
Mr. Speaker, the current Black Stars team is in very good spirits, very well disciplined and committed; and in football these are the attributes you need to make a headway, and I believe that we can.

On the preparation towards CAN 2008, I think a lot is being done. As was said

some weeks ago, Shanghai Construction Company has been given the contract to build the two new stadia in Sekondi/ Takoradi and Tamale. We are to hand over on the 20th of December, which is about a week from now, serviced sites, meaning that the sites should have water, electricity, telephone, et cetera. The sites would be handed over to the company on schedule for construction works actually to start. From the workflow, the stadia would be completed in September 2007, three clear months before the matches start, and therefore, we have enough time to make any adjustments here and there.

As you are aware, we need to carry out refurbishment of Accra and Kumasi stadia also to make them four. We need four stadia for this purpose. We are also working very hard on this, but unfortunately, the league will have to be played on other fields because these stadia will be closed for the necessary refurbishments to be made.

I just heard somebody talking about Cape Coast. Yes, Cape Coast is also in the reckoning but it is not going to be a stadium for CAN 2008 and therefore, that may be completed a couple of weeks or a couple of months later; it would not really matter. But Cape Coast is included.

Mr. Speaker, I think that this is the period for us to use football as a tourist bait. Most countries who have had the chance to do so are thinking through ways and means of mobilising resources to do this. We think that Ghanaians would rise to the occasion; we only pray and hope that things would move well for this country.

Mr. Speaker, it is also interesting to mention that the golden cup, the World Cup, would be taken to a number of countries at the beginning of next year, on the 6th and 7th, and this Cup would be brought to Ghana. Ghana would be the first country to see the World Cup - the original. [Hear! Hear!] And this would
Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to take one minute to endorse the commendation by the House of our success in football and to draw the attention of the House and the country to the fact that we ride very high in Germany; and they are not expecting anything from us apart from being in the finals with them.
Mr. Speaker, this was the view conveyed to me by some hon. Members of Parliament from the German Federal Parliament when I recently visited Germany. They are so enthused by the fact that we have qualified and that it is being hosted by them, because of the gallant efforts of one of our sons, Tony Yeboah. They recollect vividly the performance of Tony Yeboah in Germany and Ghana is a household name in Germany. The hon. Members of Parliament told me that the German public would be rooting for Ghana in all our matches and that they are expecting that we would meet them in the finals, where they would then disagree with us.
Mr. Speaker, I assured them that, yes, Ghana would strive to get to the finals and that when we are at the finals, we would score the goals like how Tony Yeboah used to score goals for them in Germany.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to add that it is
important that when we go there, all of us should be advised to be of good behaviour because of the level of respect the people in Germany have for this country. I hope the players, the officials and the supporters would conduct themselves very well so that it would further increase the respect the people of Germany have for Ghanaians.
It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I endorse the commendation.
PAPERS 11:20 a.m.
- 11:20 a.m.
Mr. F. K. Owusu-Adjapong 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you can defer items (c) and (d). These are the things we said we would suspend Sitting somewhere along the line and allow the Finance Committee to look at.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Items (c) and (d) are
deferred.
By the Chairman of the Committee -
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 17.3 million (US$25 million equivalent) for the Economic Management Capacity Building (EMCB) Project.
Suspension of Standing Order 128 (1)
Minister for Finance and Economic
P lanning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah- Wiredu): Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, That notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 128 (1) which require that when a Bill has been read a Second time it shall pass through a Consideration Stage which shall not be taken until at
least forty-eight hours have elapsed, the Consideration Stage of the Appropriation Bill, 2006 may be moved today.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
BILLS - CONSIDERATION STAGE 11:30 a.m.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 1, last line, delete “the Schedule” and insert “Schedule 1”.
Mr. Speaker, this amendment is informed by the discussions on the floor of the House yesterday at the Second Reading. Mr. Speaker, what we want to do is that in the last line, delete “the Schedule” and insert “Schedule 1”. Mr. Speaker, the essence of the amendment is because we are now having more than one Schedule. So we just should delete the Schedule and insert Schedule 1.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 1 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Mrs. Grace Coleman 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Adjaho 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, point of
order. Mr. Speaker, you have not yet mentioned clause 2.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
No, I have not. You may
resume your seat at the moment. [Pause.] Clause 2.
Clause 2 - Internally-Generated Funds.
Mrs. Grace Coleman 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I beg to move, clause 2, delete and insert “That the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) be permitted to retain and use an amount of ¢1,566,507,- 130,000.00 during the financial year commencing the 1st day of January and ending on the 31st day of December 2006 as specified in Schedule 2.”
Mr. Adjaho 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I support the amendment. Mr. Speaker, we are deleting all the words in the original Bill and inserting the one that she has just read. Mr. Speaker, the essence is for this House to give authority to the MDAs to retain a certain percentage of their internally- generated funds and use them in line with article 176 (2) of the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I support the amendment.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, exactly what the hon. Deputy Minority Leader said has been long outstanding and we believe Parliament as an institution should, for once, confront this matter. It is important that we give them the enablement, via the relevant legislation, to carry this forth. Mr. Speaker, so I fully support the amendment moved by the hon. Chairperson of the Committee on Finance.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to add that the Government should bring the appropriate law in due course. Even though this is going through,
we expect the Government to accelerate the pace and bring the appropriate law.
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in discussing the matter with the Committee, it was noted that Cabinet had already prepared the appropriate paper work and when Parliament resumes the next time, it would be brought here.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 2 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 3 - Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Funds.
Mr. Adjaho 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 3, item (2) (iv), delete “46,000,000,000” and insert “57,500,000,-
000”.
Mr. Speaker, this is a consequential amendment based on the discussion at the Committee. What we intend doing is with regard to the figure forty-six billion cedis as captured in clause 3. In fact, item 4, we have two hundred and twenty-seven billion, seven hundred and eighty million cedis of which Members of Parliament share is forty-six billion cedis. We are deleting the forty-six billion cedis and inserting fifty-seven billion, five hundred million cedis. Therefore, the Members of Parliament share has gone up from forty- six billion cedis to ¢57.5 billion.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh 11:30 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise to support the amendment -- [Interruption.] It is noteworthy that hon. Members of this House are benefiting
immensely from the HIPC funds. We believe that this would enable us to assert our influence in our constituencies; and I urge all hon. Members to support, and in supporting it to laud the people who brought the HIPC initiative.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Mr.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, do you have a point of order to raise?
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:40 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading the House. I think the share has gone up from 200 to 250 million - [Hear! Hear!] So it has gone up.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I am not to dispute with him. By the agreement that we have come to, that is why I am saying that it has not gone up. Because we are only conforming to what we have agreed to and if we are talking about upward adjustment, it should be more than 57.5. So we are only righting what went wrong and that is what I am
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, just as our friends in Government, when they opposed the GETFund, but they are now benefiting immensely by providing infrastructure and even buses. And it is not direct benefit but they are also benefiting from what they opposed. I think that this is important for the records.
Question put and amendment agreed
to.
Clause 3 as amended ordered to stand
part of the Bill. Clauses 4 to 6 ordered to stand part of
the Bill.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon. Members, Schedule
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
Mr.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon. Majority Chief

Whip, are you moving an amendment?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, with your indulgence, even though you have called for the vote and the vote has been taken, that is why I said I would want your guidance, if I can move it now.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
I think this is a matter, I am sure, we would have to leave with the legal draftsmen.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I would want to signal that we will move an amendment during the Third Reading of the Bill.
Schedule I --
Mrs. Grace Coleman 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, Schedule 1, Footnote, pages 1 to 52, delete “include” and insert “are”.
Mr. Speaker, the reason being that, the
“include NHIS and VACS” there, means there could be other organizations but there are only these two organizations and therefore, we say “they are” and not “include”.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I

Mr. Speaker, with the greatest respect, some hon. Members have just drawn my attention to some discrepancies, in terms of what the House has approved by motion to certain sectors and what is in the Schedule 1 which is under consideration. And maybe, they can raise it and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning might give explanation for it and then we will do this thing.
Mr. James Klutse Avedzi 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if we look at the Schedule 1 on page 39 of 52, that is for the Ministry of Health -- Under the donor component, the figure in the Schedule is ¢838.782 billion. And if we compare it with the Schedule that we have for the Ministry of Health, which we debated at the committee level and on the floor, the figure for the donor component is ¢545.058 billion, giving a difference of ¢293.724 billion. Now, these two figures do not tally and if the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning can explain the discrepancy in the two figures.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I need your guidance and some clarification from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on a similar issue at Appendix 1 on the National Health Fund. Mr. Speaker, on page 225 of the Budget Statement that we approved we have put the figure at ¢1,513.660 million as coming from the National Health Insurance Scheme. Mr. Speaker, if you look at Appendix 1 and the National Health Fund, you have ¢1,513,700 million. I want clarification as to whether we should go with what is in the Appropriation or what was provided for and approved in the Budget Statement. One is ¢700 million and the other is about ¢660 million as was approved per the Budget.
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on the
first issue concerning health, the amount is ¢838 billion and not ¢538 billion. And if you can look at page 381, it will be confirmed. The amount that was approved for donors is ¢838billion and not ¢538 billion. [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, you
just give me a minute to check the relevant page for him. I will come back and answer the other one.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi 11:50 a.m.
: Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the figure the hon. Minister is talking about but at the committee level, when we attended the committee meeting, the figure that the Ministry submitted to us was short by ¢293 billion and they were not able to provide the reason why the difference in the two figures and that is what I am calling the Ministry's attention to.
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
The one that was approved by this House included the ¢838 billion, the discrepancy at the Committee notwithstanding. This House approved the donor component of ¢838 billion as is indicated in the Budget Statement.
Mr. Adjaho 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, really,
Schedule 1 is a summary of what we have approved on the floor of the House and so if the Chairman of the Health Committee is here, let us find out from him the exact figure that we approved on the floor of the House when the motion for that particular Ministry of Health was moved on the floor of the House and that is the figure that should find expression in Schedule 1 to the Bill. And so if they know the figure, they should let us know then we can make progress.
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we took
pains to check each of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA's) approvals as they were being approved and this is what we recorded on the day it was being approved by this House. My staff, myself and the hon. Member for Nkawkaw (Mr. Kwabena A. Okerchiri) were making these checks everyday as we sat here. This was what the House approved.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Schedule 1 - ordered to stand part of
the Bill.
Mr. Adjaho 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we do not
want to go back but the hon. Deputy Minister was supposed to give an information with regard to the point raised but then you have put the Question so, rather to make progress, when we come to the Third Reading, then we can tie it up so that we can make progress.
The Long Title ordered to stand part
of the Bill.
Suspension of Standing Order 131 (1)
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, That notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 131 (1) which require that when a Bill has passed through the Consideration Stage, the Third Reading thereof shall not be taken until at least twenty-four hours have elapsed, the motion for the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill, 2006 may be moved today.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question proposed.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thought that I was seeking some information from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning officials to clarify as to what we approved in the Budget in relation to the National Health Insurance Fund. We have ¢1,513,660 million as approved in the Budget yet in the appendix we have ¢1,513,700. That discrepancy ought to be explained to this House; thank you.
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this
House approved an amount of ¢1,513,660 million in the book. Mr. Speaker, this House approved on page 1 of the Budget Statement ¢1,513,660. In the book I am holding, it is rounded up to ¢1,513.7 but we approved the amount that is in Schedule 1. The rounding up is what puts us at point 7 - to one decimal place.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, should I
answer him?
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
If you have the answer
Dr. A. A. Osei 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Member is a Member of the House which has approved ¢1,513,660 billion and this is what has been approved and that is what we are looking at. I think maybe, he is new to the House and so we can forgive him.
BILLS - THIRD READING 11:50 a.m.
MOTIONS noon
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) noon
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Concessional Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Export-
Import Bank of India for an amount of US$60 million for the financing of rural electrification and the construction of the office of the President at the Flag Staff House.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah noon
Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order on this motion. Mr. Speaker, this is a motion being moved by the Chairman of the Committee, which is not a consensus motion. So I will suggest that she reads the full report for Members to follow so that we can debate this matter fully on the floor of the House.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong noon
Mr. Speaker, there is a reason why these documents are circulated in advance and the reason given is not a valid reason because there is no consensus, the hon. Member has to read them. If he said that because personally he has not got his copy now, and he wants it read then that is a different matter.
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Member for Upper West Akim, I will give you the opportunity to highlight certain paragraphs of which you think are of interest to you. But in the meantime, let her go about her work.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah noon
Mr. Speaker, I have my copy. I am a member of the Finance Committee. I know what transpired at the committee level, but my other colleagues who are not members of the Committee - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker noon
Order! Order! Let him go on.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah noon
So Mr. Speaker, what I am saying is that it will not take five minutes to present the full report. So what are they trying to run away from?
Mr. Speaker noon
Order! Order! Let her
go on.
Mrs. Grace Coleman noon
Mr. Speaker, the above Concessional Credit Agreement was laid in the House on Tuesday, 29th November 2005 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
To consider the credit agreement the Committee met with the Minister for Energy, Prof. Mike Oquaye and the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Prof. George Gyan- Baffour, and a technical team from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and reports as follows:
2.0 Background
Hon. Members will recall that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed during the Techno-Economic Approach for Africa-India Movement (TEAM 9) ministerial meeting in New Delhi on 1st March, 2004. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the Indian Government made available a sum of US$500 million credit financing to eight (8) West African countries including Ghana.
In pursuit of this Memorandum of
Understanding, US$60 million credit was offered to Ghana by the Indian Government through the Exim Bank of India in July 2005 for the purposes of financing rural electrification and the construction of the office of the President.
Under the Agreement, US$30 million will be used to finance rural electrification under the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP-4 Project) and the remaining US$30 million for the construction of the office the President.
3.0 Terms and Conditions
Loan Amount -- US$60 million
Interest Rate -- 1.75 per cent per annum
Grace Period -- 5 years
Repayment -- 20 years
Commitment Fee -- 0.50 per cent per annum on the
unutilized amount
Grant Element

-- 49.27 per cent

4.0 Observations

The Committee agreed by consensus that the $60 million Exim Bank Credit was concessional because the terms of the credit were very concessional with a Grant element of about 49 per cent.

The Committee again agreed by consensus that the portion of the loan of US$30 million for Rural Electrification was laudable. It was observed that the rural electrification project will help alleviate poverty by the way of employment generation and impact positively on national development in infrastructure and regional integration.

The Committee also agreed that there is the need to construct new Offices and

Residential Accommodation for H.E. the President to replace the current facilities.

The Committee further observed that the repayment of the principal amount of the credit shall be made in forty (40) equal half-yearly instalments on the 15th May and 15th November in each year in accordance with the amortization schedule. The first instalment shall be due for payment on 15th May 2010.

However, the Committee failed to reach a consensus on the portion of the loan of $30 million which is meant to finance the construction of office and residential accommodation for H.E. the President of the Republic.

The Minority view on the Committee present at the meeting was that, rebuilding the office of the President is a good idea but currently not a national priority since there are other competing demands. They argued that the priority of the nation at this time in our development effort is the provision of safe drinking water, credit for agriculture, poverty alleviation and growth of industry, et cetera, and not the construction of Presidential offices and accommodation.

The Minority further argued that funds for such a project should be taken from Government of Ghana (GoG) funds or domestic resources. Additionally, the sum of US$30 million was excessive for the construction of the office of the President and residential accommodation.

The Minority observed that since funding is to be obtained from Exim Bank of India as a loan and not a Grant, the Indian Government or Exim Bank of India should not be allowed to dictate to us as to what to do with the funds. They further

questioned why an Indian company should be contracted to produce the designs for the Office Complex whilst there are very capable architects in this country who can produce excellent designs for such a complex.

They contend that the portion of the loan of US$30 million which is to be used for the construction of the offices for the President be repackaged to provide water and roads to needy areas.

Alternatively, the Minority stated that the Presidency should renegotiate the portion of the loan of US$30 million as a Grant in order to be able to use it for the construction of offices for the President since the Government of India wants visibility as stated by the Energy Minister.

The Majority view on the other hand argued that the provision of office and accommodation for H.E. the President is part of good governance. This, Members agreed, will save the President time from shuttling between his house and the office in traffic.

On the issue of accepting the US$30 million for Rural Electrification and rejecting the other US$30 million for the construction of the offices of the President, the hon. Minister for Energy explained to the Committee that the loan of US$60 million from Exim Bank was one facility and therefore inseparable. He further stated that the terms of the loan with its grant element of 49.27 per cent is for the total amount of US$60 million and for that matter the loan cannot be separated.

The hon. Minister indicated that we either accept the total amount of US$60 million with the terms stated or leave it.

The view of Majority members on the Committee was that at the moment, there is no adequate official accommodation for the President of the Republic and therefore there is the need for the construction of

one.

The Majori ty members on the C o m m i t t e e f u r t h e r a rg u e d t h a t the Government in its development programme is already providing water, electricity, roads, et cetera throughout the country as stated in the review of the performance of the economy by the hon. Minister for finance and Economic Planning when he presented the 2006 Budget on Thursday, 10th November, 2005.

They also argued that the office and residential accommodation to be built are not for the exclusive use of the current President but whoever becomes the President of this nation will use it. The Majority stated that good governance reduces poverty in many ways.

Conclusion

In view of the importance and the concessionality of the Credit Agreement the Committee by a Majority decision recommends to the House to adopt this report and approve by Resolution the Concessional Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Exim Bank of India for an amount of US$60 million for the financing of Rural Electrification and construction of the Office of the President at the Flagstaff House in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335).

Respectfully submitted.
Mr. K. Agyei-Addo noon
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question proposed.
Mr. K. T. Hammond noon
Mr. Speaker, may I beg your indulgence and step down my request to speak for a second to enable
me contact my Leader.
Mr. Moses A. Asaga (NDC - Nabdam) noon
Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the motion and also to oppose it in its entirety except the one that is meant for electrification - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker noon
Order! Order! Majority Leader, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong noon
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe my hon. Colleague is misleading the House. He can either oppose the motion in its entirety and then there is nothing else. Therefore, he should make his position clear so that we move on with the matter. This is simple English.
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Member for Nabdam, please go ahead.
Mr. Asaga noon
Mr. Speaker, the credit facility is between the Republic of Ghana and the Export-Import Bank of India. There are two purposes for raising this loan facility of $60 million. The first one is for electrification in the rural areas and we think that that is a good position. We think that we need to provide electricity to the rural areas and we know that apart from the 110 districts previously connected, there are new districts that will need to be connected to the national grid.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.
We differ in the fact that
there is a second tranche of the sixty million dollars which is supposed to be
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.


used to construct the residence and the offices of Presidents of Ghana. And we are saying that this facility of sixty million should have been used for the electrification of the rural areas, or it could have been used for the modernization of agriculture.

Thirdly, I proposed that since this loan facility was coming from India, and since India is now showing a way in ICT, we could have rather asked the Indian Government that we wanted a replication of a smaller Silicon Valley ICT in Ghana with the thirty million dollars.

I believe that in five years' time,

this thirty million dollars would have generated enough resources that Ghana would not need to even borrow a second thirty million to construct the offices of the President and the residency. This is the point that we are making.
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, we want your ruling on this matter. Is it appropriate for a senior Member on the other side to speak for the voices of all the other Members on that side? [Uproar] - He keeps on saying “we”, “we” - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Order!
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:10 p.m.
He was elected to this House to speak for himself, not for the rest of us - [Interruptions] - So Mr. Speaker, after him, would the others speak or nobody on the other side would speak? [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Member for Nabdam.
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that
if you look at our budget, total revenue this year is almost thirty-nine trillion cedis. Why can we not take two hundred and seventy billion out of the thirty-nine trillion cedis and swap it with the thirty million dollars so that we can build our own palace and the office of the President, which we would be proud of. Rather than going to take a loan of thirty million dollars, which is scarce foreign exchange to come and then build it.
Mr. Speaker, we think that the Government has collected enough taxes that can do the construction of the office of the President and also the residence of the President.
Mr. Speaker, opponents to this position say that we need to build a residency and an office of the President because the Castle is not enough or the refurbishment there is not adequate. But I disagree because in 2001, we sat here and Ghana Television showed how the President's office at the Castle had run down and billions of cedis were voted on government expenditure to refurbish the Castle. And I do not see how today we can say that the refurbishment we have done is not enough at least to take us to the next two years.
Mr. Speaker, I think that we should invest resources in productive areas. There should be priority and in view of that priority, I think that we must go back and renegotiate the facility and make sure that we invest this facility in other social services and productive areas. I would want to recommend to the Minister for Communications that this is the time for us to get the Indian Government interested in relocating a small Silicon Valley in Ghana. I believe in five years time, that thirty million dollars can build us two to three palaces, Mr. Speaker.
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Member for Ahafo-Ano South, do you have any point of order?
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 12:10 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member has just said that he has contacted some Members from this side of the House who agree with him - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Manu 12:10 p.m.
They better keep quiet and
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, this is not a point of order. Let him continue.
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.
So Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I would continue with my submission.
This is not the time for Ghana to take a loan to build an office for the President and then a palace for the President. I know very well that - [Interruption.] I am not saying that building of the palace is not good. It is going to benefit Ghanaian Presidents. It may even not be President Kufuor who would be using that palace - [Interruption.]
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu - rose
- 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Chief Whip? Hon. Member for Nabdam, there is a point of order, let us hear him.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. My hon. Colleague says that he has contacted some people from this side and they are saying that his position is a good one. Without doubt, his position is a good one. But the point is that there is a better position; there is a better position. His may be good but there is a better position - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, continue, please.
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.
So Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, I do not think this is the right time for such a project. And as I have already alluded, this would be a good idea in three or four years but not presently when we are HIPC - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for Adenta, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Opare-Hammond 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I overheard my hon. Colleague over there saying that we are building or constructing an office for the President. Please, this is building of an office for Presidents of Ghana -- [Interruptions] -- it is not - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Opare-Hammond 12:10 p.m.
Please, our hon. Colleagues on the other side should not mislead the House and the whole of Ghana. We are talking about building offices and palaces for the Presidents of Ghana. Maybe, in the next thirty years, it may be Mr. Moses Asaga who may go and live in that place. So he should support the motion.
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, please, continue.
Mr. Asaga 12:10 p.m.
So Mr. Speaker, this is a loan facility; we will be repaying it; it is not meant to be free and it is not a grant; if we really want to take loan facilities to build a palace and the office of Presidents, then we should rather go for - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Minister for Private Sector, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Bartels 12:10 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I heard the hon. Colleague referring to a palace. Mr. Speaker, the report together with the motion talks about an office for the presidency and residence. But Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of difference between asking for residence for the President and a palace. I think the hon. Member should restrict himself to the express words for which the loan is being sought.
Mr. Asaga 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Minister for Private Sector Development and PSI was not at the Finance Committee meeting, so he did not know the terminology that was used to discuss this facility -- [Uproar.] So Mr. Speaker, I think that my point is a good one; Ghanaians would support my point that at this present time we need to shift the $30 million either to the modernization of agriculture or to the building of an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Silicon Village, which I want the hon. Minister for Communications to listen to -- [Laughter.]
So Mr. Speaker, on this note, I thank you for giving me the opportunity and urge all my hon. Colleagues in this House to vote against this loan facility.

Minister for Energy (Prof. A. M.
Mr. A. W. G. Abayateye 12:20 p.m.
On a
point of order. Mr. Speaker, when the hon. Minister for Energy was briefing the Finance Committee, he referred to the phrase “construction of the Office of the President”, and we asked whether it was for refurbishment, and he said cons- truction of the Office of the President. And now, he is telling us that it is project- specific -- [Uproar.] Project-specific in which way? Because construction of the Office of the President at the Flagstaff House means that the whole place is going to be razed; we want to know -- [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Order!
Prof. Oquaye 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, a little
Mr. M. Asaga 12:20 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker, the loan facility is not project-specific. It is Ghanaians who must go and tell them what we want the loan for so it cannot be project-specific, and if it is project-specific we want a project-specific agreement loan, one for electrification and one for the other. So it is not project-specific and we are just lumping it together and the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning knows that when we are negotiating loans, we
negotiate them on a stand alone basis; even where it is one bulk loan the agreements come one after the other. The agreements do not come together and lump everything in one agreement.
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, there
cannot be a point of order against another point of order, so you may resume your seat.
Prof. Oquaye 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, there
are two items in the project-specific agreement. That is the matter. One for rural electrification and one for the presidential - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, the background to this facility with a 49.2 per cent grant element is very relevant. Mr. Speaker, earlier on, the Indian's had themselves given us $42 million for a number of projects. Then Mr. Speaker, there was a policy to establish a special relationship with French-speaking Africans by India and this led to the formation of what became to be known temporary as Team 8. Ghana intervened in view of our special relationship with them and India Translated the Team 8 into Team 9.
Dr. Kwame Ampofo 12:20 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is trying to mislead the House but I will not let him do it -- [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, there is a specific motion on the floor of the House and the hon. Minister is not speaking to that motion. All the background information he is giving is neither here nor there. Let us consider what the report is saying and what the
motion is saying and speak directly to it.
Prof. Oquaye 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, unless
you understand the special relationship between Neru and Dr. Nkrumah which has been strengthened between President Kufuor and the present Indian Government - you will not know where we are coming from. Mr. Speaker, I give the background of the $250 million because if you divide 250 by 8, you would know otherwise what others would have got.
Prof. Oquaye 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Lee Ocran 12:20 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Professor is giving us voodoo mathematics; 42 + 30 is not 60. 42 + 30 becomes 72 and that is not the 30 million dollars he is talking about. The so-called bonus is to be paid for; the bonus is not free. Mr. Speaker, he should not mislead us. He should not mislead us at all. He went and arranged for the loan and he should tell us something better.
Prof. Oquaye 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it means
therefore that if we do not want the $30 million extra, that goes to chest in India -- [Uproar.] That is all. Mr. Speaker, there is a rationale behind this. Mr. Speaker, as a policy of the Finance Corporation, India decided that they also want certain projects of visibility, just like the Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in Information Technology (I.T.), it is visible -- [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Members, let us have order in the House.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 12:20 p.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the hon. Minister for Energy has made a statement that is confusing all of us even more. He says the $30 million for rural electrification is a loan; the other $30 million is a bonus. Mr. Speaker, we are here to approve a loan. So if we are here to approve a loan and he is making us to understand that it is the $30 million that is the loan, that is what we should discuss here. We should not discuss the bonus now. We cannot take the two together. So Mr. Speaker, we have no business taking the two as we are doing now. We should discuss the loan and not the bonus.
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
It was very clear that if we were to look at apportionment on pro rata basis of the eight African countries after the Team 9, we are fortunate; and that is why we are saying that there was an addition given to us out of goodwill. Of course, it is all a loan, a soft loan with 49 per cent grant element.
But Mr. Speaker, we are speaking of a country which appreciates the need for a decent place for the Presidency -- [Interruptions.] And Mr. Speaker, a country which has got a presidential palace -- Mr. Speaker, what they are giving us is just something small - [Interruption.]
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think the issue why there is so much opposition from both sides is the lack of transparency -- [Interruptions.] Now, the hon. Minister who went to negotiate for this loan is telling us the true picture of what is coming to Ghana. In one
Mr. Hodogbey 12:30 p.m.
If they are can separate the two -- the free loan and the one which is a loan -- and bring it back to this House, I think it would be very much easier for us to debate on.
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, you have not raised any point of order; let him continue.
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a most gracious loan with 49.2 per cent grant element -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Order! Hon. Members, let us have order in the House.
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
Because, the terms are gracious -- 49.2 per cent grant element. And Mr. Speaker, the other side, nevertheless, agrees that in one form or the other, we need a place for our presidency. They are saying that money must come and Mr. Speaker - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
I cannot call anybody when there is no order. I cannot call anybody.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the point of order I raised is very fundamental to what we are discussing here. Mr. Speaker, I am also a member of the Finance Committee and we discussed a loan at the Finance Committee for $60 million. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister for Energy who went to negotiate a loan of $30 million is telling us on the floor of this House that
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Order! Order! Minister for Energy, continue and wind up.
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the first place, I did not negotiate for my Ministry. I am speaking from my experience as the High Commissioner at that time for the Ghana Government. And Mr. Speaker, what we are simply saying is that if you put simple arithmetic together, if eight countries were being given the first tranche of 250, we would not have got 60; apart from the first 30 that would have been the average for us. We, as Ghana, were particularly more favourably looked upon and given another $30 million -- [Interruptions.] That is what we call the bonus; can they not understand? [Interruptions.]
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is what we mean. And Mr. Speaker, therefore, we have gotten over and above -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Moses Asaga 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is doing this simple arithmetic, which I appreciate very much. But what I want the hon. Minister to know is that, it is because Ghana chose to go by what the Indians wanted, to come and build and give the contract to their people, that is
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Asaga 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the other countries refused to be cajoled into projects that they did not think were necessary, and that was why there was excess money for Ghana to take -- because we were willing to sell our sovereignty cheaply to take another $30 million; that is the difference.
Prof. Oquaye 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, what the hon. Member is saying is totally misplaced. Whether it is for building or for buses or for tractors, the goods will nevertheless be Indian goods. It is not a matter of it being a building. Mr. Speaker, it is simply that this facility is project- specific; it is in our interest to accept it as it is, in its entirety.
Mr. Speaker, if my hon. Friend is
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Let us have order in the House.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we would need guidance from you. Mr. Speaker, we were told on this floor that instead of the Minority Leader speaking for the Minority, it was hon. Moses Asaga who was given the mandate to speak for the Minority; and they all responded that way. Mr. Speaker, we would need to have a clarification on it so that at least, it will then become more clear that hon. Moses Asaga, otherwise known as “Osaga”, spoke for himself and not for the rest of the Minority. We would want this clarified so that we can then move on.
Mr. Adjaho 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Members, let us have some order in the House.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the light of this clear statement, I believe that we have to be economical with time too. In this case, we have heard their views and, therefore, the Question should be put, because having spoken for -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Order! Order! Majority Leader, whatever it is in the agreement, even if there is an agreement or not, I am entitled to call some Members to contribute.
Prof. A. Wayo Seini (NDC - Tamale Central) 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I happen to be a member of the Finance Committee, but I was not around when this thing was debated.
But Mr. Speaker, I am at a loss as to why people keep on referring to a project which has nothing to do with electricity, and the other one which has to do with the office of the President, as a specific project. Mr. Speaker, we are all aware that we have a lot of visitors here, some of them including journalists, and I think we should desist from providing them with misinformation. Most of us in this Chamber know that when you are doing project analysis, you have to first of all identify the specific project, and I do not see how we can lump together a rural electrification project with the President's Office as a specific project.
So Mr. Speaker, I would like us to consider seriously breaking this project into its specific elements. And there are two specific projects in this, that is rural electrification and the Office of the President, so that we do a background information on both of them before we bring it to the House. I would suggest that this motion should be withdrawn and be repackaged into two specific projects and brought back to the House for approval.
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I rise with the utmost of respect to draw attention to our Standing Order 91 and under what circumstances we could have this debate. It is quite clear that if you look at Standing Order 92, there is an abuse of process here, and that is why we are having a lot of difficulty in the House with regard to getting a coherent sort of argument that we can advance.
I would like to plead that we would in this instance go by Order 92 (a) and (b); in fact, (b) even says that provided the Member speaking is willing to give way, so that we can -- The way the interruptions are coming from the other side, we are not making any progress and the coherence of the argument is lost. A point of order must be specific as the rules say, and not to elucidate the point and make arguments like most of them have been doing, which is completely out of order. So Mr. Speaker, I would like your ruling on this issue.
Mr. Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon. Minister, I do not have any ruling to give; I will give a ruling when we come to it.
Mr. E. K. Salia (NDC - Jirapa) 12:40 p.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise to oppose this motion for the approval of $60 million mixed credit from the Indian Government.
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon. Minister for
Energy, do you have any point of order?
Prof. Oquaye 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my
hon. Friend on the other side is being speculative and misleading us. What makes him think that the Indians would have ensured - [Interruption] -- There is no basis for that. Mr. Speaker, I am a better person to tell him, in the circumstances, that they will not have.
Mr. Salia 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Minister probably has special knowledge of Indians because he was the High Commissioner there. But I believe that we have accessed loans from various other countries -- and they are always accepted -- including India, long before he became High Commissioner. This is not the first time we are accessing resources from the Indian Government.
I believe that it is the defective shopping list that we sent to India that gave them the opportunity to choose this particular project. If it had not been in the list -- for instance, if rural roads were in the list, if more money for electricity were there, if water or health were in the shopping list, I am not too sure that out of that list, if there was no presidential palace, they would have insisted that what we wanted as a visible project was the presidential palace.
Prof. G. Y. Gyan-Baffour 12:40 p.m.
On a
point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. Friend, a very good friend is actually misleading the House. Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that we have taken about $102 million loan from the Exim Bank of India. In 2003, this House approved of $15 million which was for rural electrification; in 2004, we also contracted $27 million and this was for the private sector, for Food and Agriculture, for the Ministry of the Interior, for Local Government and Rural Development, for the new Ministry of Road Transport; and then now we are contracting a third one which is for rural electrification as well as the Flagstaff House. It is not that we are only contracting a loan from India to do just two items.
All the areas that the other side of the House is saying is priority, yes, it is part of the priority, but then we have to allocate them according to how much it costs to do any of the priorities. So it is not a question of one being bigger than the other, but a question of how much each one costs. That is the essence of the whole thing.
Mr. Speaker, with this, I would have to sit down.
Mr. Salia 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend has actually strengthened my argument that whenever we have gone to the Indians and they know it is a national priority, they have actually acceded to our requests. It means that this particular money that we are asking for is not because they want to give it to us for that purpose but because we asked for it. I
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah 12:50 p.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member on the other side is trying seriously to mislead this House; and he is misleading the public. He is making allegations that the Government's priority is only the construction of the presidential offices and residence, which is erroneous.
Mr. Speaker, maybe, they have not read the Budget. If you go under the Ministry of Works and Housing, it has given a number of provisions for rural and urban water projects. Under the Ministry of Energy, we have also provisions for rural electrification. All these things have been provided for in the Budget and as they have been arguing that the source of funding should have been from Government of Ghana (GoG), which is the most reliable to this Government, the Government would have to use the most reliable sources of funding to finance the most needy projects for this country.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Please, go ahead and wind up.
Mr. Salia 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, today, we will
approve other loans because we believe that they are of utmost importance to the economy of this country. I am convinced that if we are to ask the majority of Ghanaians what our priorities are, the choice of a presidential palace would not be ranked high on the priority list. I am not
sure that it would even feature in people's choice of what is important for Ghana at this point in time.
Dr. A. A. Osei 12:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure which motion we are debating on. The one that I have on my Order Paper talks about the construction of the Office of the President. My hon. Colleague keeps referring to the “presidential palace”. Is this the motion that we are talking about? I need your guidance, sir.
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Member for Jirapa, are you yielding to the Deputy Minority Leader?
Mr. Salia 12:50 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised. The hon. Member who just spoke is the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and he is from the Ministry where this Agreement is coming from; and he does not know that the Agreement talks about residential accommodation? [Interruption.]
Dr. A. A. Osei 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, “residential palace”.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Order! I have not called you.
Mr. Adjaho 12:50 p.m.
What is the difference? [Uproar.] Should I tell the hon. Member?
The difference is like sending the money and the kickbacks.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Deputy, I did not call you.
Mr. Adjaho 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
It is all right. Hon. Member, please wind up.
Mr. Salia 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy if Ghanaians felt that this was a priority but from my contact with various people and from my constituency, what they prefer to have is the road from Wa tarred all the way to Bolgatanga; they would prefer to have electricity; they would prefer to have the Jirapa Hospital rehabilitated; they would prefer to have the Tamale Central Hospital upgraded to a teaching hospital status; they would prefer to have a Regional Hospital in Wa and not to have a presidential palace.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Member, I thought you were winding up.
Mr. Salia 12:50 p.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was going to draw attention to the fact that he was misleading the House. Misleading the House in the sense that at the time we were talking about the car loans for Members of Parliament, almost every radio station was condemning us but when I went to my constituency they said it was one of the good decisions we were taking here.
I can assure you that I have done a sample of what happens in my constituency and they are convinced that building residences for chiefs is one of the noble exercises you do for every town or city -- [Hear! Hear!] Putting up a building - [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Order!
Minister for Communications (Mr.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.


Albert Kan-Dapaah): Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to contribute to this motion. I think it is very important because the hon. Ranking Member of the Finance Committee who has been designated by his side to be the major speaker on this subject did make a lot of references to me, in particular, and to my Ministry. So I think it is important that I come in with this short intervention.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that I was most disturbed when my hon. Friend, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee started by giving the impression that this project for the presidency is totally unnecessary and it is, indeed, misplaced priority. I was most relieved when towards the end of his intervention, he changed sides and said that, yes, it is a very, very important project, except that it should have been postponed by about three years. And then he buttressed his point by saying that if any sector needed this money, it probably should have been the ICT sector.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank him for that. My hon. good Friend, I know, has been a very, very great supporter of the ICT sector and I was not surprised that he was making that reference.

Mr. Speaker, in deciding what to do with this particular facility, I must confess that ICT was a very, very strong candidate but it did become necessary for us to withdraw for very, very good reasons. It was found out that this, probably, is not the best medium to address the concerns that we had in the sector.

As my hon. Friends, hon. Mahama and hon. Salia would probably agree, our greatest challenge, and this has been underscored by the President, is to have the opportunity to wire up our country to be able to move with other nations in this journey to the ICT. The money that we need to wire up our country, which basically is to take over the Voltacom facility, extend the fibre to the north, probably link it with sub three and provide cheap band waves in this country, in fact

And then also providing the architecture for e-government infras-tructure. It is a project which probably requires as much as about $80 to $100 million. So clearly, this was not the facility that we could have used. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I can confess that arrangements have almost been completed to get the full amount of about $80 to $100 million from the Chinese Exim Bank to provide that facility and I am hoping that very early next year, I will be able to provide that particular facility. So we have, in fact, taken care of that -- the need to wire up the country.
Mr. John Mahama 12:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague, the Minister for Communications is clearly filibustering. If you have almost secured the need for the ICT sector, laying the fibre is not the only need of ICT; and we are not talking about only ICT. We are talking of all sectors. He is just filibustering and wasting the time of this House.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Minister, please continue.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, filibustering was the word that my hon. Friend used and I think this is about the best example of filibustering that I have ever heard.
Mr. Speaker, hon. Moses Asaga was very, very, emphatic. If there is any sector that should get this money, it is the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. That was hon.
rose
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Tamale South, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 1 p.m.
Rightly so, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a motion before this House, which motion is specific, for this House to consider approving a loan of sixty million US dollars to undertake two itemized activities. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister for Communications seems to be highlighting the progress report of his Ministry and what he is doing for ICT -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker, I am raising this on relevance; he should speak to the matter. Mr. Speaker, I do so on the authority of Order 92 (4) of our Standing Orders. That the issue the hon. Minister is raising, this is not the forum for us to hear the excellent initiatives and worthy initiatives he has to develop our ICT. At the appropriate time, we will consider a larger debate on the subject.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I normally would not be talking about ICT when we are discussing a facility which has got nothing to do with ICT, except that on this occasion, a special person was selected out of the Minority group, and hon. Doe Adjaho has confirmed that they have decided that hon. Moses Asaga should speak for them on this occasion.
rose
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Deputy Minority
Leader.
Mr. Adjaho 1 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think that the hon. Minister is misleading the House. In fact, he has nothing to say apart from lecturing us on his Ministry. He should kindly advise himself. Mr. Speaker, as regards what the hon. Ranking Member said, we are opposed to this motion. He spoke for this side of the House, that is the point, because he is our Ranking Member.
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Let him continue. Hon. Minister for Communications, continue.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we got this thing right. Hon. Moses Asaga was elected to speak on this subject. The major thrust of his argument was that this is a case of misplaced priority; this is money that we should have given to the ICT sector. And I am simply explaining to him the number of interventions that have been laid for the ICT sector. If you do say that this is not relevant, I do not know what relevance is. Unless of course, hon. Moses Asaga now wants to say that, “no, that was not what I wanted to say”. [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Asaga 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I did mention three sectors, including ICT. I did mention modernisation of agriculture; I also did mention productive sectors. So there were multiple sectors which are of priority. [Interruptions.] So Mr. Speaker, if he thinks his sector does not need it, I believe that modernized agriculture may need it -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Yes, hon. Minister.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. Friend for this clarification. I am sure, if my hon. Colleague, the hon. Minister for Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City were here, he also would have - [Laughter] - But Mr. Speaker, I am happy that my hon. Friend now seems to concede that this is not a case of misplaced priority and that the ICT sector in which he is so much interested is being taken care of.
Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, can I just say a word about what hon. Edward Salia also said, with respect to the need for value for money audit before this facility finally is used. Mr. Speaker, I could not have agreed more with him. I think for the facility that we are debating, value for money audit is very, very important. But he seems to be giving the impression that the value for money audit has to be done at a particular stage of the process.
Yes, it is a very good advice that at some point in time - Otherwise, Mr. Speaker, we really would be going contrary to the procurement laws. His is not something to stop the loan; it is only an advice that he is giving, that the House should be reminded that at some point in
time, during the process, there will be the need for this kind of audit which, Mr. Speaker, I think we are aware of and which we are going to do, anyway.
So Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to intervene and I want to thank my hon. Friend, hon. Moses Asaga, for being gracious enough to accept that this would not have qualified to be referred to as a case of misplaced priority.
Dr. Benjamin Kunbour (NDC - Lawra/Nandom) 1 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this rather important debate that seems to be discussed more on the lighter side.
Mr. Speaker, there are very serious issues that this particular loan agreement entails and it is very important for us, as a House and the elected representatives of the people, to sit back briefly and reconcile ourselves with our conscience and decide whether approving this loan for the construction of either a palace, a residency or an office for the President is a very significant matter now.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that my hon. Colleagues are not capable of seeing the contradiction in their own conduct, in terms of what is happening in relation to this particular loan agreement.
Why am I saying that? We have just passed an Appropriation Bill that is supposed to be based on growth, that is seeking to actually reduce poverty in this country. And the essential tenets of that particular policy framework suggest that you must be involved in a type of investment drive that yields very, very quick returns.
That is why when you look at the entire Budget Statement and you look at the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II) document, it becomes quite clear that we are becoming very circumspect in actual social sector investment drive.
rose
Mr. Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, do you have a point of order to raise?
Ms. Theresa Tagoe 1:10 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I am very flabbergasted - [Uproar] -- that my hon. Friend on the other side could be appealing to the people that we should be doing things for them instead of doing things for our President. He forgot they broke down a sixty-room hotel which could have housed over three hundred thousand people. What do they do today?
Mr. Speaker, the hotel at the Airport -- he is speaking now to us; we did not break down any hotel because -- [Hear! Hear!] -- we believe in employing the people, giving employment to the people to reduce poverty. So how can he talk like that to us?
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Member, please continue.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you definitely have friends like the hon. Member who has just spoken, you do not need to go far to look for enemies. What I was saying basically is that the entire economic framework of the Budget we have just approved a few minutes ago, is supposed to be dealing with investment outlets that bring very quick returns. And that is everybody's effort to ensure that the 2006 Budget actually succeeds. After having approved such a budget, your first line of loan contraction is to go
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for Asokwa, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Maxwell Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member on the other side is seriously misleading this House.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member, if he reads through our Budget will know that construction forms a major component of our development process here - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker, I also wonder why the
hon. Member on the other side attempts to trivialize the building of a monument like a presidential office - [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, not long ago -- and I am beginning to understand certain things -- in this country, we put up a Mausoleum for Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah that has become a monument in this country

Mr. Speaker, this Government in its
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this hon.
Member did not find anything wrong when this honourable House approved a loan to purchase a twenty-million-dollar plane -- eight million - [Interruption] -- and that was a priority -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Asokwa, I was calling on you all the time and you paid no attention.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry,
it was because of the noise I could not hear the call from you. Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
In any case, it was not a
point of order, so let him continue.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:10 p.m.
Thank you very much,
Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess the best way for me is to allow you and this House to make the difference. And I do know that we are going to Sit for some time in this House, so comic relief of this nature becomes quite - [Uproar.] I would have been more alarmed because when my hon. Colleague said I did not understand growth, I was getting worried that our Hansard might be spoiled when he started talking about how trees grow - [Laughter.] But he has actually graduated beyond that and he was a little bit more sophisticated and I think that it is acceptable - [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker, on a more serious note, we should be talking about a country in which we admit in our own national statistics that there are parts of this country in which out of every ten people, nine are considered very poor.
Mr. Speaker, that particular situation
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Northern
Regional Minister, do you have any point of order to raise?
Mr. Boniface 1:10 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr.
Speaker, my hon. Colleague is grossly misleading this House by saying that nine out of ten people are said to be poor in this country. I would want to know the source; and in any case, I believe -- [Interruption.] Yes, give me the page.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Boniface 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in any
case, he would agree with hon. Members for Nabdam, Chiana/Paga and Jirapa (Mr. Moses Asaga, Mr. Abuga Pele and Mr. Edward Salia), that this particular loan is one of the best one can get - [Uproar.] Technically, he has been talking about the concessionality; You work out the net face value of the loan, then the face value - [Interruption.] So let us accept it - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Northern Regional
Mr. Boniface 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
sorry.
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
This is not the time for
you to contribute; let him continue.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I guess
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Minister for
Communications, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is on
this question of the hon. Member trying to mislead the House.
Mr. Speaker, I believe statements that
are made in this House are taken very seriously by students and by people who are trying to learn. And Mr. Speaker, when a statement comes from an hon. Member who is acknowledged to be one of the best scholars that the House has got, it is obviously taken very seriously. And I am really concerned about this issue that he is trying to trivialize, with respect to construction not contributing to economic growth and that it is not -- If he did not say that then he must withdraw it because even - [Interruption] -- The hon. Member said it.

Mr. Speaker, that was what our learned scholar said and this idea that poverty alleviation programmes can be carried out without good governance is also debatable to the extent that this project is going to contribute to good governance, obviously, it is something that is going to

lead to growth; and I think coming from this particular Member who is respected as one of the best scholars in this House, it is important that he concedes and withdraws and avoids trivializing what the hon. Member for Asokwa said.
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
I did not hear what he said. What was the point?
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member who just spoke, his point of order is actually directed towards the hon. Member for Asokwa because what I said was about returns on investments. The hon. Member for Asokwa introduced the idea of construction and said that I was unaware that one could achieve growth from construction. And I said that construction could take place anywhere and if that was his sense of growth, I must as well just concede with him because I thought he was going to talk of growth in terms of trees - [Uproar.] And once he has stayed at the level of construction - So I did not introduce construction, it was introduced by the hon. Member for Asokwa.
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
But in fact, I thought that was on the lighter side.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Yes, that was on the lighter side but he had raised a point of order on that matter. Mr. Speaker, all that I am saying is that the conscience of this House is going to be at stake and that is what is important and that is how we should look at this loan.
I say so because what is very significant is that we must be very clear in our minds that in all our investment drives, constructing an office or a residential accommodation for the presidency or His Excellency the President is our national priority as at now. When you actually go to contract a loan, article 40 of the Constitution enjoins you to ensure that
Ms. Cecilia A. Dapaah 1:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think we need to be careful about how we express moral issues. I would like to understand that when we built the Accra Conference Centre, were we saying that at that time, hundred per cent of Ghanaians were not poor? Are we saying that at that time all rural areas had electricity? Are we saying that all rural areas had potable water? [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, I want to be advised.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not belong to the category of people who are so extreme to the extent of wanting to justify and glorify what was wrong yesterday - [Interruptions.]
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
If that particular policy in relation to the priorities of this country was wrong yesterday, it was wrong and it cannot be right today. Nobody is running away from the fact - [Interruption.]
Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, hon. Dr. Kunbuor cited article 40 and Mr. Speaker, I want to put it on record that there is nothing in article 40 of the Constitution about what he is saying. He is misleading himself and should check article 40 and know what is there. He is misleading himself and what he said is not true. Article 40 is about international relations and it is not about taking loans or anything - [Interruption.]
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I guess that my respectable Colleague and Chairman has really baffled me today that a loan agreement between Ghana and India is
not international - [Interruptions.] It is particularly amazing - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Hon. Member for Lawra/ Nandom, you may wind up.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
That is so, Mr. Speaker. But once he raised this matter, I want you to rule on it, whether it is really a point of order that can be sustained.
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Please, I say continue.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Very well, Mr. Speaker.
Prof. Mike Oquaye 1:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, the connotations are wrong. When you come to imply that some people do not care for the people and some people care for the people, it is unfortunately playing to the gallery. Mr. Speaker, such statements are tantamount to playing to the gallery; it is populist talk; it is not dignifying to this House and I will want the hon. Member to honourably withdraw it - [Inter-ruptions.]
Let us make our points clear but not to say what is against the people and what is for the people. This loan with all its contents is most people-oriented.
Forty-nine per cent gross grant element and others, if not a point, make it, but do not say that some people are working for the people and others are not working for the people. That is not fair and it is very populist; it should be withdrawn.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
I will wind up, Mr. Speaker, because I am not permitted to continue with this debate.
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Yes, wind up.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
But all that I can say is that very soon the Question will be put and we will know those who are for the people and those who are not for the people - [Interruptions.] In sum, all that I am saying in relation to this essential element is that, let us, the elected representatives of the people -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member has created the impression that the Government and for that matter we on the side of Government are against the people because according to him, while we are telling the general public to tighten their belts, we at the top are enjoying. But he has forgotten - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Manu 1:20 p.m.
But he has forgotten that when the gulf stream jet was bought, Ghanaians were still being told to tighten their belts - [Interruptions.]
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
Well, Mr. Speaker, since it is becoming very clear that I cannot - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, you are winding up, I suppose.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:20 p.m.
That is so. I just intend to wind up with a proverb that the antelope in my village, which says that it is crying for the bush to hear and not for the bush - [Interruptions.] It is not because I think
Mr. Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Minister for Commu- nications, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1:30 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think in discussing this particular facility, we want to make sure that the message we carry to the outside world is correct.
Mr. Speaker, the thrust of the argument which we have already brought to his attention, the thrust of his argument which is very valid and acceptable is that for goodness sake, let us wholly invest in outlets that will bring good returns. That is what he is saying.
But Mr. Speaker, what is wrong with that is that he is assuming very wrongly, that there cannot be economic returns from social investment; it is a very dangerous story to carry out there, especially coming from one of our most articulate scholars in the House. And Mr. Speaker, he must withdraw that; he must withdraw that. It is wrong, the theory is wrong and it cannot be sustained in any way. It is a dangerous message to carry out there to the students who are always so willing to learn from scholars such as my hon. Friend.
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Members, please, let us have order in this House. I may be forced to curtail further discussions and put the Question.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:30 p.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope that my hon. Colleague will consult the Senior Minister that the next time they are having consultations with donor agencies and particularly the Bretton Woods institutions, he should indicate
Dr. Kunbuor 1:30 p.m.


that investing in some aspects of the social sector brings the level of returns that investing in non-social sectors will bring and see whether that will be acceptable.
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Members, I will take only two more contributions - two more excluding Leadership. [Some hon. Members: P. C., P. C., P. C.] Order! Hon. Members, order!
Minister for Presidential Affairs (Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani) 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to contribute to the debate in this House for the first time.
Mr. Speaker, I support the motion before this House and in fact, I am extremely surprised about the argument, especially put up by my hon. Friend who just spoke before me.
Mr. Speaker, poverty, I believe, is something we all want to eradicate. But I believe, Mr. Speaker, pockets of poverty will be with us for quite a long time.
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Minister for Presidential Affairs, please, continue.
Mr. Mpiani 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if the hon. Member will want to know, I want to tell him that in 1976 - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
You continue.
Mr. Mpiani 1:30 p.m.
In 1976, the British Government took a loan from IMF. Mr. Speaker, when I went to Washington, the first place I wanted to see was the White House. And Mr. Speaker, when I went to the then Soviet Union, the first place I wanted to go - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member for South Dayi, do you have a point of order?
Dr. Ampofo 1:30 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will appreciate it for the hon. Member to - [Interruption.] Please, please.
Mr. Speaker, I will appreciate it if the hon. Minister in addition to talking about the pictures that he took, would add the status of the economies of those countries at the time that he took those pictures of the palaces. Then he would have put his argument in context. Otherwise, he will be misleading this House.
Mr. Mpiani 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, these
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member for Kwadaso, do you have a point of order against what the Minister is saying? Is it a point of order to what he is saying?
Ms. Addoh 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, a point of information to the Minister's, please.
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Go ahead.
Ms. Addoh 1:30 p.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Minister said that pockets of poverty will be with us; it is true. Poverty cannot be eradicated and I am saying that pockets of poverty are with even the most advanced countries and I want that to be on record.
Thank you.
Mr. Mpiani 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, at the time these monuments were built in these countries, from history we know that these countries were poor countries but they believed that they were essential and therefore, they put up these monuments - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member for Sene, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Twumasi-Appiah 1:30 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addressing the question that the hon. Member for Ashaiman put, the hon. Minister did say that yes, Britain took a loan in 1976. Did they take that loan to build Buckingham Palace or not? That is what we need to know.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, please continue.
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, when these monuments were put up, we know from history that these countries were very poor yet they decided that they needed these monuments. These monuments have become set pieces which hon. Members of this House and others when they visit those countries, they want to see those monuments - [Interruptions.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon. Member for Lawra/ Nandom, do you have a point of order?
Dr. Kunbuor 1:40 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague on the other side is misleading this House seriously with a very timeless history. When he talks about these countries being poor, what period is he talking about and in relation to which countries were they poor?
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, to repeat what I said, when these monuments were put up, these were very poor countries that we know from history.
Mr. Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon. Minister, you do not have to repeat. You have to continue.
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
We all have these old structures and we all go there, look at them and admire them. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity of talking to hon. Members on both sides of this House and they are always astonished whenever they travel outside this country - [Interruption.]
Mr. Moses Asaga 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
Mr. Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Minister for Presidential Affairs, please, continue.
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, when we were students at the University of Ghana - [Interruptions] - Mr. Speaker, it was a delight to go to the Flagstaff House to see the lawns, the zoo and the white residents of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker, what do we see now?
Mr. Mahama Ayariga 1:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. Minister is seriously misleading the House - [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, the issue that is before this House is about a loan to construct an office and a house for the President. But what he is talking about is about monuments. He should tell us whether the loan is for a monument.
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
So Mr. Speaker, I believe as a nation, we should put partisanship aside and look at the nation as one entity
to which we all belong.
Mr. Speaker, when I looked at the report presented by the Committee, I realized that there is a consensus in this House. Mr. Speaker, with your leave, I would read that portion. And this is an excerpt from the report of the Finance Committee:

The controversy, Mr. Speaker, is the timing.

With even the timing, Mr. Speaker, there seems to be consensus because if you read the same report and with your permission, I would want to read that:

“Alternatively, the Minority stated that the Presidency should renegotiate the portion of the loan of thirty million dollars as a grant in order to be able to use it for the construction of the Office of the President.”

So what the Minority is telling us is that, if we can get this as a grant, why can they not vote for it? So what is the problem, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. A. W. G. Abayateye 1:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs is misleading the House. The Minority's view here -- I am the deputy Ranking Member of the Committee - [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Abayateye 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the proposition of the Committee, when he was talking about Minority and Majority was not referring to NPP and NDC. I want to make it clear that when we are talking about Majority and Minority at the Committee level, it is not on party lines. So we want it to be clear if he is referring to the Minority as NDC which was not the happening of the House.
Mr. Mpiani 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is a consensus. It looks like the problem is the timing. Mr. Speaker, let me take hon. Members into our history. At one time in our history, even though those who kicked against it are my ancestors -- [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. The hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs, I believe, will begin to appreciate the rudiments of the work of Parliament - [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker, I do acknowledge that he was a respected Member of Parliament as far back as 1979. He was a respected Member of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, I am saying that the Minister for Presidential Affairs has not stayed long on Parliamentary work, but for the records, by referring to the Committee's Report, I would like to urge you and hon. Members to refer to page 3 and the second paragraph in particular of the Committee's Report, please and I quote, Mr. Speaker --
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, maybe, I want the hon. Member to know that when
I was a Member of Parliament, he has not been born at that time - [Hear! Hear!] -- And therefore, I know the rudiments of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, there is a consensus and I repeat, there is a consensus. The Majority agreed that there must be this facility and therefore, we should take the loan. The Minority is saying that we agree that there is a need for the facility but we do not have to take it now. So there is a consensus that this thing is needed -- [Hear! Hear!] That is the consensus I am talking about. Mr. Speaker, it is just a matter of timing, that is what they are quarrelling about.
Mr. Yieleh Chireh 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to speak on a point of order. What the Minister is saying about consensus and timing, obviously, is not the position. Secondly, he is making a speculative statement that people will agree if it is free for the thing to be constructed. The argument that was advanced is that if you look at the priority needs of this country, loans cannot be used to construct a presidential palace.
Thirdly, the issue again is that it is not the argument about if it is free; if it is free the Wa- Bamboi road is in a very bad state - [Uproar] -- Indeed, the priority for all of us is that people cannot get good drinking water and therefore, we would not have agreed that there should be a presidential palace; no, it cannot be so and it is not a matter of timing. It is just that it
Mr. Yieleh Chireh 1:50 p.m.


is incorrect and it should not be agreed to.
Mr. Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Order! Order! Minister for Presidential Affairs.
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, let me take
Mr. Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Order ! Order!
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
In more recent times when this Government introduced HIPC in this House, there was hue and cry; why should there be any HIPC? We all believe anyone with a clear conscience in this House would believe that there was the need for HIPC and in fact, HIPC is helping us well.
Mr. Speaker, this building in which we are was put up in 1965, at that time there were so many Ghanaians, especially people who were outside this country who thought that there was no need for this JOB 600. Without this, where would Parliament be sitting? Without this building, where would this Parliament be sitting now? Our Parliament building is too small for this job.
Mr. Speaker, if we are talking about taking every money for water, for electricity -- Mr. Speaker, last time, when hon. Members of this House were being given money to buy their own vehicles, the whole press houses in this country wrote against it; if we were to listen to them then we would have used that money for water - [Uproar] -- then maybe, hon. Members of Parliament would have ridden to this House on bicycles.
Mr. Lee Ocran 1:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Minister is misleading the House. He is saying that at the time this House was being built - 1965, yes, JOB 600, people said. It was his people that said it was of no use - [Uproar] -- Mr. Speaker, this property we are in now, the whole complex was built by Ghanaians at a cost of one million Ghanaian pounds without a loan. That is the issue. [Hear! Hear!] The desire must be made by Ghanaians; the building must be put up in nine months by Ghanaians, that is the issue. We are not going to take a loan of $30 million whilst people are lying on the streets, to build a presidential palace. We will never do that. [Uproar.]
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, fortunately for us, hon. J. H. Mensah is in this House -- [Hear! Hear!] -- And he can tell the hon. Member that this country went for a loan to be able to put up this; the records are there. So hon. J. H. Mensah is here. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we give water to our people and this Government is very conscious of that. And this Government will continue to give water to the citizens of this country but it is also very, very important - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Are you over? Not yet. Senior Minister, is it a point of order?
Mr. J. H. Mensah 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes. The hon. Member made a statement and I have a duty to correct the historical inaccuracy that he has got into our Parliamentary - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Senior Minister, are you referring to the statement by -- [Interruption.]
Mr. J. H. Mensah 1:50 p.m.
It is historically incorrect to say that the late President Kwame Nkrumah built this complex for the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
Mr. Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Minister, I have not called you. Yes, Mr. Mpiani.
Mr. Mpiani 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, let me make one last appeal. These offices and residence are not being built for President J. A. Kufuor. He has three years and he may not work in the offices or live in the residence but we are building something for Ghana, for now and for the future and therefore, I appeal to my colleagues that we should sink our differences and partisanship and look at Ghana as a nation and support this motion.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDC - Avenor/ Ave) 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, with the greatest respect, you called for two - [Inter- ruption.]
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I perfectly well understood your ruling to have meant one on each side and that the two Leaders were going to speak. Some of us on this side would have
wished to speak too. I wish to understand, Mr. Speaker, that you have revised your ruling otherwise, he is out of order. Is it on a point of order? What is he trying to do? He is out of order because most of us here would also like to speak, Mr. Speaker. So I suggest that if he is out of order, let him sit down and let us go on.
Mr. Speaker 2 p.m.
Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, you do not know what I intend to do, so resume your seat.
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, when this
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, it is a point of order to get your guidance. It is 2 o'clock and in pursuance of our Standing Orders, you ought to do what is appropriate.
Mr. Speaker 2 p.m.
Hon. Members, we shall have extended Sitting -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, therefore, it is important that as captured in the memorandum of the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to this House, as captured in the Committee's Report and indeed, as captured in the terms of the agreement that we are discussing, we should capture the motion to capture this idea of the residential accommodation
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.


for the President and the motion did not capture this. Mr. Speaker, I would want to make that point.

Mr. Speaker, the second point that I would want to make is that up to this point, nobody in this House has told us how they arrived at the $30 million for the construction of the Office of President. Why not $40 million? Why not $20 million? Why not $10 million? How did they arrive at the $30 million? Nobody in this House has informed the House as I am talking now. Maybe, they have the information to give us.

Mr. Speaker, I am a bit worried especially about the residential aspect of giving this loan. Mr. Speaker, on 29th May 2001, the then Minister for Works and Housing, at that time we did not add Water Resources to the Ministry, came to this House with regard to the renovation of the Castle and this is what he informed the House about and we can find it in columns 389, 390 of the Official Report of that day. And Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I want to quote very briefly. It was the hon. Kwamena Bartels now Minister for Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives:
Mr. Osei-Prempeh 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member did make reference to the contract agreement. Mr. Speaker, I want to draw his attention to page 2 of the contract agreement. If he has it, I am reading it -
“eligible goods and the first part in terms of eligible contract means equipment, goods and services from India to Ghana for rural elec-trification and construction of President's offices”.
That is what is in the contract. So that if he chooses to add residential and hammer on it, he is relieving himself and if he has
not read the contract then he should read it.
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is the memorandum from the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and I am happy that he is here and page 2 of the memorandum, with your permission, I quote --

Mr. Speaker, I am a member of your Committee on Finance. At the committee level the representative of the Government side informed us that it includes residential accommodation. Mr. Speaker, and this is the report we are being called upon to adopt and this report did not delete residential accommodation. The motion is to adopt this report and page 2 of the report talked about residential accommodation. If they now want to change their mind, I will permit the Chairman who moved the motion to delete residential accommodation from the Committee's Report and that makes it worse.

Mr. Speaker, if we agree that residential accommodation is in the Committee's Report, which the motion says we should adopt, then I have a problem because when hon. Kwamena Bartels came to this honourable House, this was what he told this House. Mr. Speaker, with your permission I quote:

“ We were faced with the problem of wanting the President to move from his private residency at airport residential area because everyday, when he was going to work, he was forced to block traffic . . .”
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe the
hon. Member, apart from misleading the House, is straying into irrelevance. With all due respect, the Chairman of the Committee of Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs pointed out to him that the contract itself did not talk about residential premises. He is insisting that the contract had residential component.
If that is the case, it will be fair to this House for him to point out what sections of the contract referred to residential accommodation, but to just gloss over it and proceed tediously that a Minister came and addressed this House on a matter of residential accommodation, I believe that he is misleading the House and also straying into irrelevance.
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. former Attorney- General is talking about. Mr. Speaker, this is the motion to adopt the Committee's Report; this is the Committee's Report I am holding in my hands. Mr. Speaker, if you have it, I indulge you to look at the third paragraph under Observation at page 2 and let me quote for record purposes. Mr. Speaker, I quote:
“The Committee also observed that there is the need to construct new off ices and res ident ia l accommodation . . .”
Mr. Speaker, it is there. Mr. Speaker, it is in the memorandum. We have the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning here and his deputies; let them deny that it is not true.
Mr. Speaker 2 p.m.
You continue.
Mr. Adjaho 2 p.m.
Very well, Mr. Speaker. So Mr. Speaker, this is what hon. Kwamena Bartels told us and with your permission I quote:
“We were faced with the problem of wanting the President to move from his private residence at airport residential area because everyday, when he was going to work, he was forced to block traffic and we believe that this was something which he actually resented and he wanted as quickly as possible to move to the Castle.”
Mr. Speaker, this was the time we asked them why the Castle renovation was not put on tender. This was the answer he gave to this honourable House. Mr. Speaker, we want to take our Ministers serious that when they come and say that this is the position, we want to believe that this is the position.
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Hon. Minister, do you have a point of order to raise?
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2:10 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. The motion says for the financing of rural electrification and construction of the Office of the President. That is the motion. He is talking about residence of the President, referring to what hon. Kwamena Bartels told this House. Mr. Speaker, he is completely wasting the time of the House because that is not the subject-matter before us.
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Minister for the Interior, the Deputy Minority Leader is referring to the Committee's Report, so let him go on.
Mr. Adjaho 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this was the renovation and we believe that our President should be put in a very good place. We do not have problems with that at all. We believe that he should get a good office; we believe that he should get a good place of residence. Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Adjaho 2:10 p.m.


because of that - to block traffic and - and the reasons being given here in this Hansard, the thing was not put on tender; we allowed it to go through.

Billions of cedis, more than six billion, the phase I, phase II, phase III of the rehabilitation - [Interruptions.] I am informed that about ¢16 billion was involved in that. Five years on we are taking $30 million for office and residential accommodation for our President.

Mr. Speaker, so clearly, I believe that yes, there should be a time that all of us would have the privilege of reading the Country Review Report on the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. Look at the Executive Summary, page 17 of the Report. We are missing certain critical targets with regard to the Millennium Development Goals and with regard to Poverty Reduction Strategy I - new setting categories.

This morning, I received an invitation to attend an economic dialogue on Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II. Mr. Speaker, those are the things this House should be pushing towards.

Another point that I want to raise on this Committee's Report is that they are telling us that this would promote good governance. Mr. Speaker, I do not know who put that thing there - [Laughter.] When we are talking about good governance the most powerful institution is the Executive; it is the other institutions of state who have to be resourced so that they keep a
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my senior Colleague just referred to good governance. In trying to so oppose the motion, he forgot why the good governance was used, and I want to remind him. Mr. Speaker, the Castle that we have known in the past was known for haircuts - [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, this is a historical fact - [Interruptions.]
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this Government, this nation must move from places of identification haircuts to places of blossom and solace - [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, my senior Colleague has lived in this country for very long. In 1996, he saw the elections. I had the rare privilege of visiting the premises of the former Head of State, Mr. Speaker; I cried. In 2000, I visited the same place - small office, small bedroom. Is this a place for Head of State? [Interruptions.] It is for this reason that we found it expedient to keep his family away from the Castle -[Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, if you go to the Castle now, there are two bedrooms and the rest are dungeons. That is not a place for good governance. Mr. Speaker, he is a senior Member of this House; he knows the sentiments associated with the Castle. We want to move away from that so that our children and grandchildren would not fear going to the Flagstaff House - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Adjaho 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, whilst there might have been haircuts and identification marks, now it is the headquarters of alleged kickbacks - [Uproar!]
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Adjaho 2:10 p.m.
We said it at the Committee and the suggestion was that they should get this loan, go and repackage it - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minority Leader, there is a point of order here. Deputy Attorney-General?
Mr. Owusu-Ansah 2:10 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member on the other side, an eminent lawyer that he is, he chose his words very advisedly. He said, “alleged kickbacks”. So the matter remains alleged. But the haircuts were facts and there had been haircuts indeed at the Castle - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Order! Order! I had the impression that the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing wanted to contribute?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will speak after him.
Mr. Speaker 2:10 p.m.
After the Minister for Education and Sports, then the Minority Leader.
Minister for Education and Sports (Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo) 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have been amazed at some of the arguments being put up today. Mr. Speaker, a loan involves two partners - the giver and the taker; every loan, even a grant involves same. Each has interests to be protected. And therefore, donors all over the world and development partners have specialized in certain sectors and areas.
Mr. Speake r, we have t oday
development partners who would only give loans for the social sector. Others would give it for good governance; others would give it for whatever. And therefore, we always talk about the interest of the giver and the taker.

Mr. Speaker, here we are, we are taking a loan from a very senior member of Commonwealth Group of Nations, India. India at the back of its mind has certain interests to protect and Ghana, the taker, also does. In fact, the beauty about this loan is that it covers both the social sector and a sector I call “friendship”. India wants to be as close as possible to Ghana and India sees that the presidency is in a mess.
Mr. A. K. Agbesi 2:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is portraying to this House that it is India that came to Ghana to ask whether we wanted a house for the presidency or not. India cannot come and ask us whether we wanted a house for the President or not.
It is Ghanaians or for that matter the hon. Ministers who went to India. He should not give the impression that India is sitting somewhere and thinks that we want a house for the President. He should give the proper impression to the House. He is misleading the House and he should tell us the correct thing. The correct thing is that it is the Ghana Government which went into India, not the Indian Government coming to Ghana. He is misleading the House.
Mr. Osafo-Maafo 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I better ignore that comment. There was a discussion and a negotiation between Ghana and India and as I said, the giver and the taker have certain interests to fulfil; that is the fact. And the fact that part of the loan was set aside for rural electrification clearly shows that India had in mind, and Ghana had in mind also the social sector. The question of offices for the presidency and accommodation was seen by both sides to be very relevant.
Mr. Speaker, you visit any village in Ghana. The most impressive building you see in the village is the palace -- [Uproar.] Yes. Mr. Speaker, I have visited, say, Wa. If you go to Wa where I have been and you want to be attracted to anything, it is the palace at Wa. It is international; it is at the top. Life is not all about fighting poverty -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Moses Asaga 2:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have two points of order. The first point of order is that it is not true that every village or town you go to - When I went to Akyem Swedru it was the Catholic Church that was the most impressive. [An hon. Member: It was not a palace.] [Laughter.]
Then, Mr. Speaker, the second one is that the hon. Minister for Education and Sports, this time, was not the one who negotiated the loan with those excellent skills of his and that is why we are having the problem. [Laughter.] No, I have not finished.
Mr. Speaker, the loan is a $30-million loan for electricity and the other $30 million is for the Office of the President and the residence. The two are different and they were not negotiated in bulk. We went in, took the $30 million for the electricity, and as the hon. Minister for Energy is saying, the other one was a
bonus. It was a bonus so it is not the same.
So we did not go to negotiate $60 million for two projects at the same time and he, the former hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, knows that projects stand alone. You do not go and negotiate for two different projects and lump them together. We are supposed to have two different agreements with two different projects. Therefore, we think that he is misleading the House.
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:20 p.m.
Hon. Minister for Education and Sports, are you yielding to him?
Mr. Osafo-Maafo 2:20 p.m.
Yes, I am.
Mr. Speaker 2:20 p.m.
All right.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:20 p.m.
The Majority Leader.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, a statement has been made here which does not conform with our decorum standards, that the current hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning did not negotiate with the type of good skills. I think this is not a statement we should allow to be made on this floor and I believe that notwithstanding whatever it is, he should withdraw that and apologise sincerely to the current hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. He is as competent as the former hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
Mr. Asaga 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, actually, I did not intend to impute any impropriety. So if that is the meaning, I withdraw and, tomorrow, Thursday, I will be in his office
Mr. Speaker 2:20 p.m.
He has withdrawn; let him go on.
Mr. Osafo-Maafo 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Member who last spoke knows better than that and he should be careful with the type of words he uses on the floor of this House.
Mr. Speaker, I think this loan, to me, in terms of packaging, is excellent. It satisfies the social sector and also satisfies what I will call “Building bridges on friendship”.
Mr. Speaker, for you to condemn the loan on the grounds of not carrying out due diligence is trivial. A loan when granted, goes through processes which are handled by the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. Therefore, the question of due diligence and all those things, of course, would be carried out as part of processing the loan after approval. And if there are any tender systems to go through, those would be done in accordance with our Procurement Law and, therefore, you cannot condemn this loan on the grounds of not having satisfied procurement criteria. Therefore, I expect the hon. Minister to do exactly that.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to emphasise that we have a problem in this country and the problem is that if any of us visits any of our neighbouring countries, Togo, la Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, he will see the offices and palaces of the President. You know that we have a problem, and that problem can be resolved and must be resolved. I believe that this loan is timely.
As the Chief of Staff rightly pointed out, the Report of the Committee brought out a very interesting thing. They agree
that there is a need and went further to say that if they would get grants, then the facility should be taken. You either have a need or you do not. If there is, indeed, a need, then what we are interested in is to access the resources for it. Whether it is a loan or a grant, we have all established the need and we must as Parliament confirm that there is a need and we should therefore vote massively for this project.
Mr. Speaker, the country lacks, seriously, proper accommodation and offices for the presidency and there is the need for us to do it. After that we may also need to extend same for the Speaker of the House. [Some hon. Members: Yes.] These are things which are obvious. Where are the premises of the Speaker of the House? So I think these are things that we should all look at and do.
Mr. Speaker, the last but not least, this loan has a 49 per cent grant element. What does it mean? That we have about 50 per cent of the loan coming to us as free. So what are we talking about? How do we let this go? Mr. Speaker, we should vote massively for this. It is cheap; it is proper. Ghana deserves a better place for its presidency and people should not, I want to repeat -- We cannot talk about eradicating poverty before we talk about other things. In the United States of America today, you have poverty; in the United Kingdom today, you have poverty. Poverty will continue to be with us as long as we remain a nation, and therefore we must have these things pari pasu. We must do things that will give us the image as a nation, that will make us stand up as a nation and do things that will fight poverty. We cannot do one against the other.
Mr. Speaker, we should vote for this loan; it is important. It is cheap and it is timely.
Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin) 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to try to convince my hon. Colleagues here that this is not a loan that we should approve for Ghana. Mr. Speaker, I therefore stand to seriously and vehemently oppose the motion. [Hear! Hear!]
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, do you have a point of order?
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my hon. Senior Colleague, he just said that Ghana has a per capita income of three hundred and ninety dollars, without making reference to a particular year. That statement would be misleading this House. So if he would point to that particular year, as I stand at this particular point in time, it is way above three hundred and ninety dollars. So if he wants to make reference to three hundred and ninety dollars he must attach the year so that he would not mislead the House, otherwise, he should withdraw.
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the World Bank report, 2004. I am not talking about people's impressions. The President himself said we are way above six hundred dollars; the President himself said that but I am talking about credible evidence from the World Bank report, the whole world. They have been
analyzing it and I am referring to that.
Mr. Speaker, this is a country in which the total GDP for 2004 was only eight billion dollars - only eight billion dollars - 2004. Mr. Speaker, this is a country in which we have presented a document and managed to convince our development partners that one of the most critical issues in the country is poverty and based on that poverty, we have drawn a programme - Poverty Reduction Strategy Document which we are implementing as our medium-term development programme.
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 2:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think we are being misled inasmuch as the hon. Minority Leader does not articulate what was the per capita income in United Kingdom, in the United States of America, in everywhere before they built all their presidential accommodation. If you go into history - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, if you go into history, when Buckingham Palace was built, when the White House was built, the per capita income was much less than three hundred and ninety dollars. If he goes, he would find that the point he is making is absolutely incorrect. He cannot continue to argue that way. When the White House was built, the per capita income in the United States of America was much less than three hundred and ninety dollars.
Mr. Baghin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is just for lack of time otherwise, I can supply him with all these statistics that at the time that the Buckingham Palace was built, the per capital income in the UK was higher than it is today in Ghana - [Interruption.] Yes, I can give him the documents on that.
Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh 2:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is enumerating some effects to portray the poverty in this country. This is a country which has those characteristics but it is a country in which the hon. Minority Leader of Parliament had taken a loan and topped it up to buy a V8 Land Cruiser at sixty-five thousand dollars - [Uproar.] Money which can make impact in his village and constituency - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, you may continue.
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is for the records. I have not taken a loan of sixty- five thousand dollars to buy a V8 Land Crusier. He must withdraw that.
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, you may continue
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
He must withdraw it - [Interruption.] He is a lawyer - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, do not be distracted; you may continue.
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I said so because of the Hansard; he should withdraw what he has said, because it is not true.
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
You continue.
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
If it is the point of order, I have overruled him.
Mr. Osei-Prempeh 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, what I said was that - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
I have not called you. Please continue, hon. Minority Leader.
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that as leaders of this country - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Order!
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
As leaders of this country, we have - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, please, continue. Order!
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a country in which one-third of our children are malnourished. Mr. Speaker, we have in this House approved over two hundred loans; we have just opposed a few. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this is about the fourth loan that we are opposing. And it must be made clear that anytime we are raising an opposition to a loan, there must be good reason.
Mr. Speaker, even the Works and Housing loan we opposed in 2002 and it was surreptitiously approved by this House, never found the light of day. It is important that we listen when we are in
Mr. Bagbin 2:30 p.m.


government. The IFC loan is still on the back burner; the CNTCI - [Laughter.] I do not know where it is. Today, we are saying that there is this trend now in Government - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Hammond 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is giving the House only half information. Since he is making a comparative analysis of the development in the various countries, why is he not talking about Togo, Burkina Faso, la Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia, who all constitute the community, at least in West Africa, of the developing and the supposedly poor countries when they all have these presidential offices we are talking about? Why is he not talking about them but restricting himself to Ghana?
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am saying that we have to reject this loan. Mr. Speaker, one other reason -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have a very serious point of order. Mr. Speaker, my very good hon. Friend said that this House surreptitiously approved the loan and that connotes wrongdoing on the part of this House and, indeed, casts a slur on the integrity of this House. And unless he can prove that it was surreptitiously done, then he must withdraw it. Because he was part and parcel of it and all of us were here. The
House works together, how can the House surreptitiously approve a loan?
This is an indictment on this House and so he must prove it, otherwise he must withdraw; and we have to take a very serious view of the point that he is making. The House could not have surreptitiously done that; it was done as per the rules. And then again, it casts a slur on the integrity of whoever was in the Chair at that time. And so I would want him to prove that it was surreptitiously done, otherwise it is very unparlia-mentary.
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Minority Leader, the hon. Member is taking objection to the use of the word “surreptitiously”.
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared at any time, anywhere to lead evidence to prove it. [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared at any time, anywhere to lead evidence to prove it. And Mr. Speaker, let me just tell you a few of it and if they want I will just tell you now.
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Order! Order! Order!
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, when we raised the issue of quorum, the register got missing up till today and the Speaker ruled that there was no register for Parliament -- [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Members, let us have order in the House.
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the then Speaker, ruled that there was no register in the House, and that was the beginning of why hon. Members decided that then there was no need signing that document down there.
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Minority Leader, I never ruled on this matter - [Laughter.]
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the time the loan was approved and Right Hon. Speaker -- you were then not the Speaker. I am talking about your predecessor. I am sorry if the reference was to you. I am talking about your predecessor. Mr. Speaker -- [Interrup- tion.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, do you have any point of order to raise?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 2:40 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious statement. And we are guided in this House by rules and the Standing Orders. If Mr. Speaker in the Chair at that time approved that it be done, then it cannot be said to have been surreptitiously done.
But Mr. Speaker, when we decided to boycott the Parliamentary Elections in 1992, they came here and passed their laws. Was that surreptitious? We were not here and you passed your laws! Was that surreptitious? No, it was not.
Mr. Speaker, so if they walked out unadvisedly and we passed it, does it mean that it is true? It could not have been surreptitious. Whatever was done was prim and proper and unless he is able to
prove it, it casts a big slur on the integrity of this House; and he has to withdraw it. Because, it means therefore that decisions taken in this House sometimes can be done the zu za way -- the eye zu, eye za way -- and we do not work that way in this House.
So Mr. Speaker, we have to understand that he has not proved it so he must withdraw it; and that is not the proper way to go. He should not impugn the integrity of this House.
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Minority Leader, at that material time, I was not around but it appears this word is rather too strong. “Surreptitiously” is a very strong word; it is too strong a word.
Mr. Adjaho 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, he is a presidential aspirant so he should not talk that way. [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, he used the word zu za way and I do not understand. Mr. Speaker, for the records the hon. Minister said that we do it the zu za way; I do not understand, so I would just want him to explain for the records.
Mr. Speaker, in his contribution, the hon. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing indicated that they do it in the zu za way. I do not understand what the zu za means. So he should explain it for the records so that we will understand exactly what he is talking about - zu za way.
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, I am not too happy about the use of that word.
Mr. Bagbin 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, please, I take a cue from what you have said. Mr. Speaker is saying that it is a strong word to use. So Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the word “surreptitiously”. And it is this, Mr. Speaker; it was brought back behind the back of the Majority Members

because they did not have a quorum - [Interruption] Majority of hon. Members of Parliament -- because they did not have a quorum and then they passed it without this thing.
rose
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon. Majority Chief Whip, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:40 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minority Leader is persisting in misleading this House. He says that when they walked out an item was introduced; it was voted on and he has withdrawn the strong word that he used. But then he goes on further to suggest that approval was given to the issue that he raised, by a minority membership in this House - minority of Members sitting; that is the implication. Hon. Collins Dauda, you do not understand - [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon. Member, go on.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is the effect of what the hon. Minority Leader said, and he agrees with me. And Mr. Speaker, he goes on further to say that the Register which hon. Members signed to indicate their presence in the House was missing; and that amounts to some kind of fraud and therefore, there was no quorum.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot really get the connection. Indeed, custody of the Register is not in the bosom of the Majority.
Mr. Speaker, Standing Order 35 provides and Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence I quote:
“The Clerk to Parliament shall have custody of all records and other documents belonging or presented to Parliament which shall be open to inspection by Members under such arrangements as may be made by Mr. Speaker.”

Mr. Speaker, the custody of that document resides in the Clerk to Parliament and so if he had any issue to raise, he should have raised it with the Clerk to Parliament and not try to afflict the kind of sin on the Majority at the time.

Mr. Speaker, there was a quorum; there was a recognized quorum and the fact that the Minority walked out notwithstanding -- there was recognized quorum and we transacted business. It was their right to have walked out; nobody challenges them on that. But once they did walk out business went on because without them this country must move forward.
Mr. Bagbin 2:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, business has to go on, not by the order of the Majority Chief Whip. We are guided by laws in this country; the Constitution gives us the number of people that can transact business and take resolutions in this House -- [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, I am happy that he has conceded that there was such a document called a Register which is contradictory to the ruling of the former Speaker that there was nothing like a Register.
And Mr. Speaker, it is important for my Colleague to know that I am not just basing my argument on the document called Register; we also have
in this House a document called the Votes and Proceedings and the Votes and Proceedings records the number of Members of Parliament that attend a Sitting in a day.
Mr. Speaker, we had taken note of all that and we even submitted a memorandum on the issue to the Clerk to Parliament. But because of the Speaker's ruling the Clerk could not produce the document, because he said there was no document like that. Mr. Speaker, these are the things that I am saying and I am also saying that at any time, at any place I am prepared to lead evidence to prove it.
Mr. Speaker 2:50 p.m.
Hon. Members, too many of you are standing. Hon. Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious and dangerous indictment on the Chair of this House. Mr. Speaker, the former Speaker never ruled that there was nothing like a Register in this House. He never did. [Interruptions.] Let the Minority Leader prove it.
The ruling was to the effect that that should not be the authentic evidence of attendance. He never said there was nothing called a Register in this House; and these are two different matters. The Minority Leader knows this and he knows he is deceiving himself and deceiving the
Mr. Bagbin 2:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I understand the position of the Majority Chief Whip but it is important for him to know that these are records of the House and I am saying that anywhere, any day, anytime, we will produce the records to prove the case.
But Mr. Speaker, let me repeat what I said before the point of order. People are equating palaces to good governance. Iraq has 12 palaces and Saddam Hussein would have had the best government in the world - [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, people were referring to Togo, saying that if you go to Togo, you can get palaces, if you go to la Cote d'Ivoire, there are palaces; it is not for nothing that Ghana is leading in good governance. It is not because of palaces that we are leading the other countries -- [Laughter.] It is important for us to know that there are essentials of good governance and there are essentials of development.

Mr. Speaker, again, an issue was raised -- a very important issue. The issue that was raised was the value for money audit. That is a very, very important issue because as the former Minister for Finance and Economic Planning himself admitted, during the processes you have to do something of that nature, and after the approval you continue because you have some reason for giving the figure $30 million.

Some of us are very worried that today, we are told that even though we used over ¢16 billion to renovate the Castle,

it was a small office and a small space for the President -- [Interruptions.] That is from the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning -- that what the President is using is a small place -- [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, that is why the call for a value for money audit is very critical so that our monies are prudently utilized.

Mr. Speaker, the third reason why this
Mr. K. T. Hammond 2:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have a very serious and constitutional point of order and that is why I have been standing up all this while. Mr. Speaker, we would implore you to examine this matter and rule accordingly.
Is it proper for this House, or an hon. Member of this House, and a leader for that matter, to seek to impugn the reputation and integrity of a Speaker, even though now spoken of in the past, when a ruling on a matter has been made by the Speaker for better, for worse? Mr. Speaker, somebody did say over there that a very senior Minister of this side of the House did not have a rudiment of procedure of this House even though that Minister was in Parliament apparently before he was born.
Now, Mr. Speaker, somebody who should know better gets up in this House and says that a procedure which was gone through, properly, legally and a Bill enacted in this House, stands up here, in the absence of that Speaker - and Mr. Speaker, it is very curious that this same Speaker who has now come under attack was the Speaker who was nominated by this House to be re-elected to that seat.
Mr. Speaker, under the constitutional dispensation, if a Speaker rules and
everything is concluded and the necessary motion has not been moved to challenge the ruling of the Speaker, the only recourse left to anybody who challenges the constitutionality of that procedure in Parliament is to go to the Supreme Court. What is he talking about?
Mr. Bagbin 2:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was on my third point and I talked about the value for money audit, which is critical, I said that even the purpose of the loan is not clear to us in this House. While some maintain that there is a presidential residence, others disagree and say it is only for offices and rural electrification. Mr. Speaker, some produce the contract documents and some produce reports - some are talking about palaces. The Minister for the Interior himself insisted that there is no residential facility in the loan. So as to what the terms are, they are unknown to this House - [Interruption.]
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the hon. Minority Leader is misleading the House. What I said was this: a point was raised that the agreement did not include a residence and the motion itself spoke about office. But the hon. Deputy Minority Leader had not responded to it and as a House, we needed to get a full and accurate picture of what we were doing. I never insisted as the hon. Minority Leader is saying. I said the issue ought to be addressed by the hon. Member who was on his feet.
Mr. Bagbin 3 p.m.
Actually Mr. Speaker, he has just confirmed what I was saying. I am not saying he insisted on anything; I am saying that he is saying - even the motion, the motion did not talk about residential facility. Now, Members in the Report of the Committee, talked about residential facility. The memorandum from Cabinet talks about residential facility and offices.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 3 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. Minority Leader does not even appreciate the point I made. I have no confusion whatsoever in my mind as to the motion that is being debated. So for him to say that I was confused, if he is confused then he needs to clear the cobwebs from his mind. I am not confused at all. I was raising a point to make this debate more meaningful; that is the point and the hon. Minority Leader should not misunder- stand me at all.
Mr. Bagbin 3 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I did not say the Minister for the Interior did not understand. I am talking about the House and I am saying that from the motion that we moved and the evidence before the House, there are differences and he pointed to those differences in his objection. That is the import of my submission.
Mr. Speaker, again, I believe strongly
that nobody in this House will oppose a loan for rural electrification. This is an issue that has been accepted by both parties which have ever governed this country. The NDC Government; started it seriously, it is being pursued vigorously by the NPP Government, nobody will oppose that. But Mr. Speaker, we are opposing the $30 million meant for the offices of the President and what they are now referring to as palace.
Mr. S. Osei-Mensah 3 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Minority Leader is misleading this House and is not understanding the things clearly. Mr. Speaker, the motion and the contract, they are in line and now let us come to the Report, Mr. Speaker. Under the “Observations”, page 2, the last but one paragraph states and I beg to quote -
“The Committee also agreed that there is the need to construct new offices and residential accom- modation for His Excellency the President to replace the current facilities.”
Mr. Speaker, the Report never went ahead to state that the current loan is for both offices and residential accom- modation for the President. But it is saying that there is the need. But maybe, at the moment we have a facility for the first 40, which is the Presidential Offices. So there is no contradiction in this Report,
Mr. S. Osei-Mensah 3 p.m.


the motion and the contract agreement. So Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Minority Leader is seriously confusing himself, misleading this House and misleading the whole public.
Mr. Bagbin 3 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that as hon. Members we resist the temptation of importing into this House what was referred to as -- [Interruption] - I am saying that it is important that we do not import into this House what has been referred to as ‘action troopers' - very, very important -- because this is a House of reason, this is a House that we expect that we use the dignity and everything to reason out and get the best for the country.
Mr. Speaker, the motion is here, the motion is item 10 and the motion says that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Concessional Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Export- Import Bank of India for an amount of $60 million for the financing of rural electrification and construction of the office of the President at the Flagstaff House. Mr. Speaker, that is the motion.
Mr. Speaker, read the Report of the Committee; read the memorandum that was made available to the Committee and you will see that in those two documents they are adding residential premises, and that is what I am saying. Mr. Speaker, I am saying that if we are restricting it to only the motion, without residential premises, the amount of $30 million for office of the President is unacceptable.
You cannot accept ¢270 million to build offices in a country where people are dying of hunger. It is not being populist. It is being sensitive to the feelings of the people; it is not being populist at all. Mr. Speaker, I want to once again, urge my Colleagues that we have set ourselves
towards attaining middle-income status and we have given ourselves some years. Now, what is coming out is about 2015.
Mr. Speaker, we need to invest in the pillars of growth. I disagree totally that such an investment is one of the pillars of growth and, Mr. Speaker, it is important for us not to keep on trumpeting the $1,000 per capita as an indication of a middle- income country. Botswana has passed that but Botswana is not a middle- income country. That is not what you use to - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, it is because we set a good foundation that she is a Minister now. People must understand that when you are a baby and you wear napkins, it does not mean that when you grow up and you are big you should still be wearing napkins -- [Hear! Hear!]
Mrs. Gladys Asmah 3 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minority Leader has been preaching to us about poverty in this House. Mr. Speaker, in the midst of our poverty, when people were struggling to feed themselves, Makola was bombed - Mr. Speaker, Makola was bombed, aggravating the poverty situation in the country. Mr. Speaker, time was when women were given 22 million dollars to grow rice for Ghana - [Interruptions] - Mr. Speaker, we did not get our money; we did not get the rice - [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 3:10 p.m.
Order! Order!
Mrs. Asmah 3:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, that 22 million dollars never came to Parliament for approval. Mr. Speaker, the Gulf Stream aircraft was purchased without it being passed through Parliament. It was when a company called Ring Aviation refuted that it has sold any plane to Ghana that hon. Moses Asaga brought documents to this House that the plane was purchased
from a company from the Cayman Islands.
rose
Mr. Speaker 3:10 p.m.
Minority Leader, are you on a point of order?
Mr. Bagbin 3:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am just winding up. I am very happy that the hon. Minister for Fisheries has now seen the document on poverty reduction so she is now referring to it. [Laughter.]
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:10 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Minority Leader has just sat down. He is one person who has expressed concern about decorum in this House. Mr. Speaker, just before he sat down he had his left hand firmly stuck in his pocket - [Interruptions] - And Mr. Speaker, just behind him we had a wild chorus of what I consider to be obscenity and yet it was in this House. He has been talking about decorum. Was it decorous for his people to be chorusing at the time he was talking? [Interruptions.] That was most indecorous - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 3:10 p.m.
Minority Leader, you should be winding up now.
Mr. Bagbin 3:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it was actually sonorous and decorous - [Laughter.] It was not only decorous but it was also sonorous. Mr. Speaker, the Senior Minister gave us information about the fact that there was a loan that was contracted to build these edifices we are still using way back in 1965. Mr. Speaker, by then he had left Ghana and was working somewhere else - [Laughter.] Mr. Speaker, because the Senior Minister
Mr. J. H. Mensah 3:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order of factual inaccuracy. Mr. Speaker, I worked in this country under the late President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah until July 1965 - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Bagbin 3:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is confirmation of what I said. I said from 1965 when he disagreed with the former President and left this country.
Mr. Speaker 3:10 p.m.
Minority Leader, wind up.
Mr. Bagbin 3:10 p.m.
The Senior Minister knows that I know a lot about him - [Hear! Hear!]
Mr. Speaker, let me just wind up by saying that it is extremely important that we send a message to the good people of Ghana that we are actually committed to the programme that we have drawn for ourselves. And if you go through the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy document, you will see the areas that we have committed ourselves into investing so that we can get rapid growth above the 6 per cent GDP before we can get to the thousand dollars per capita by 2015.
Mr. Speaker, I think that this kind of investment is, to say the least, not the prudent use of the scarce resources of this country, in our possession. I believe strongly, Mr. Speaker, that if we voted against this motion, we would be sending a very good signal to the people of Ghana that multiparty democracy is about the interest of the people, not about the interest of the leadership. It is very important.
Mr. Speaker, it was not 22 million dollars that we used for the rice project. The first tranche of the rice project was seven million dollars which was approved
Mr. Bagbin 3:10 p.m.


by this House. The other tranches were not approved by this House but the total amount was a bit below twenty thousand dollars. The Senior Minister is here; it is not twenty-two thousand dollars; the documents are there and I want to correct the records - [Interruption] -- Sorry, not thousand but million. But it is important that this last day of our Meeting, the last day of the Session, we send a strong message to the people of Ghana that we intend taking their interests as supreme, not the comfort of leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I am ending here by saying that we on this side of the House will not be part of that decision. We will advise ourselves accordingly.
Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is just unfortunate, possibly sad, that our former Speaker who was the candidate of my Colleagues in the Minority on January 7th 2005 is now virtually being condemned for whatever position he played in this particular House. But I am not too surprised.
Mr. Speaker, when we came in 1997/2000 Parliament, an hon. Member of the group now in the Minority, speaking in one of the radio stations, I believe JOY FM said that but for the coming of NPP into Parliament they would have been content with second-hand cars; and that it is we who are pushing them to take this new stand. That was the hon. Member
- was that Mr. Akuamoah Boateng?

Mr. Speaker, we have lived in this country where possibly some of the hon. Members, my Colleagues in the Minority, took their inspiration from people who had indicated that given the chance they were prepared to bomb the airport or to destroy any property that had three or two toilets in the area. Mr. Speaker, some of us will continue to support whatever is going to make this country look a glorious country -- [Hear! Hear!] And as I know, in any typical Ghanaian village - [Interruption.]
Mr. Bagbin 3:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I stayed for some time and allowed him to be casting the insinuation. He has started by saying how our side which rather proposed the former Speaker as the Speaker, and I am now talking against him. Mr. Speaker, this kind of twisting of things should not - [Uproar] - Mr. Speaker, the Majority Leader has forgotten that he was the one that proposed the former Speaker for us to approve in 2001 from this side, and they were the same people that turned against him -- [Hear! Hear!] They were the same people who turned against him.
Mr. Speaker, he is talking about people saying they will bomb the airport and the rest. They were saying they will bomb. They actually bombed -- [Laughter.] We did not do it but they did it. They bombed Dr. Kwame Nkrumah all around this country. [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 3:20 p.m.
Minority Leader, I pray that we leave the name of the former Speaker alone. Let us go ahead.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised my Colleague who is also a lawyer is not trying to appreciate that the former Speaker served his full term and there was no time he himself
was butchered anywhere. Mr. Speaker, I think it is sad when people do not see the difference between what happened on January 7 and what he is saying. On January 7, there was a vacant seat of the Speaker and that is what we were doing, but if he says that he was butchered, that is out.
Mr. Adjaho 3:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, with the greatest of respect, I think that I will refer you to Standing Order 92 (4) with regard to relevance. Giving us lectures on January 7 and all those things, is not advancing the course of this motion. He is the Leader of the Majority. We are asking him to produce the value for money audit for the Report -- how they arrived at the $30 million. Those are the things that we expect the Majority Leader to address.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, if you go to any typical Ghanaian settlement, among the important properties, you will see the people aspiring even in the midst of poverty and occasionally through communal labour, financial contribution, to develop places of residence and office for chiefs which in our area we call Ahenfie. [Interruption.]
Dr. Kunbuor 3:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Majority Leader is making rather very sweeping statements that are misleading this House. In one
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, when people begin to look at KVIP as a traditional edifice, anyway, I would not want to argue with them because that is where we may differ. Mr. Speaker, the next set of property you will have in our Ghanaian society is either a church building or a mosque. All these are done not because the people living in that community are fabulously rich but because they believe that just like the Romans used to have their primary straight street with a termination feature, every country must also have similar things. [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 3:20 p.m.
Minority Chief Whip, do you have any point to raise?
Mr. Tia 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if it is elucidation then I am not yielding. So I can continue.
Mr. Speaker 3:20 p.m.
Hon. Majority Leader, I must first of all call the Minority Chief Whip before you speak. I must call you before you speak.
Minority Chief Whip, you were making a point. What point were you making?
Mr. Tia 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to raise a point of order on the contribution

made by the Majority Leader in reference to traditional edifices in relation to this loan agreement. I want to know from him - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, my point of order is that, are we here talking about building traditional edifices or we are contracting a loan for this country? I want to know from the Majority Leader whether we are talking about building traditional edifices or we are dealing with a loan agreement.
Mr. Speaker 3:20 p.m.
Let him continue. You have not raised any point of order.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe when the proper notice is filed for Question Time, I will appear to respond to this. It is not very difficult at all.
Mr. Bagbin 3:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague is misleading this House. The traditional edifices and palaces he is referring to, he himself has quoted that the people contribute to build them. Mr. Speaker, no traditional area will go to another traditional area to borrow money to go and build its traditional edifices. He is misleading this House by saying that we can not build it ourselves using our own internally-generated resources and not to go for a loan from somewhere to build our traditional edifices.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I never expected my Colleague, the Minority Leader at his level to be interrupting just like we would have got from other back-benchers, therefore, we can make progress.
Mr. Speaker, all that I am preaching is this, that we must occasionally be bold as a country. Now, we have for over 20 years-plus left these properties unkempt just because at a point in time
it was fashionable to be seen wearing charlie wote as against designer shoes and therefore, for you to see a good building was not something we were expecting in this country.
Let us try and move away from this. And what we need to do - [Inter-ruption] -- That we wear designer shoes, all those things have been abandoned. Now, let us try to continue to abandon all those old philosophies which would not have been abandoned by all those who brought them into being - [Interruption.]
Mr. E. T. Mensah 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether the Majority Leader, upon the consultancy that he got from the regime that he is talking about, that there was wearing of charlie wote -- [Inter- ruption.]
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time we can answer this question but for the moment, all that I am trying to persuade all of us to accept is that - [Interruption.]
Alhaji Mubarak 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the impression the Majority Leader is creating is misleading. Why do I say so? Everyone of us here would agree with me that the biggest mansion we still have is a country, Ghana -- and I can say on authority that not even the Manhyia Palace can compare itself to the Castle. We still have a very beautiful place for our President and almost all of us will agree that it is big enough and cannot be compared to a charlie wote. This is a very beautiful place, our Parliament here does not even have offices for Members of Parliament and we are talking about another mansion for the President. This cannot be accepted; and he is misleading this House. And therefore, he should direct himself.
Mr. Speaker 3:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, you did not raise any point of order.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time and in consultation with my Colleague, the Minority Leader, we will organize a tour for you to see the Castle; you will notice that it is meant more for offices and afternoon relaxation possibly; there is only one room. Mr. Speaker, let me plead with my Colleagues - [Interruption.]
Dr. Kunbuor 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Majority Leader is actually misleading this House. Charity must begin at home. He should organize us to go round the facilities in Parliament first and we will use that as a standard to judge him before he takes us to the Castle. [Interruption.]
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to support a system where people will want to pretend because at a point in time, we were all made to believe that the former President was living at the Castle, only for us to realize -- in fact, the truth of the matter is that, he had commandeered about five or six bungalows as his accommodation. We would not want to have that false pretence - [Interruption.]
Mr. E. T. Mensah 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Majority
Leader is misleading this House. If he has nothing to say, he should give us a break. I do not want to say he lied by saying that the impression was created that the former President was not living in the Castle. He was actually living in the Castle. There were human beings there guarding him when he was living in the Castle; and that is the fact. It is not true that there were five, six, seven bungalows. Where are the bungalows that he is talking about? It is not true, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:30 p.m.
At least, we all know where he stays or where at least, the family was staying. If he knows that he was running two accommodation, that is his decision.
Mr. Speaker, we do not have to allow our poverty to always make us decide in a way that will not work for this country. When we declared HIPC, yes, we said so; they challenged it and we said it was good for us. Out of this it was agreed that the HIPC money should go to other places where the people are more poor. So please this is one of the good decisions that this Government is taking.
We have secured the loan to do the electrification programme; we are going directly according to the concessionality of the loan. It is almost equal to grant because if you have a concessionality of 49 per cent and we are talking about an amount of $30 million, it means that all that we are going to pay for this Flagstaff House which we are making noise of now is less than about $2 million, by all mathematics. In fact, it is less than $1 million.
Therefore, this is how some of us who have been seriously involved in property development, would want us to take note of -- that we will rather be making a big mistake if we tell them that they should take their money away. Let us all agree that notwithstanding the fact that possibly, you
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:30 p.m.


would have wanted to do it at your time, or even in many years to come, we have been convinced that it is today that we need to decide on the matter. And I would want to plead that my Colleague the Minority Leader will not encourage his people to go by the last statement that because of this we are boycotting these proceedings.

Therefore, when that project is completed - I am told that if you want to lead the people you must occasionally be either with them or most of the time, be slightly ahead of them. I always take a cue from the first President; former President Kwame Nkrumah said that perhaps in his case, he was too far away from his people or ahead of them; that was why they could not understand him.

Here, we are just ahead but we need this; if they think that they need more time to support it, they should just give us their blessing that we could go ahead and then in four years time, possibly, they would say if we had known we would not have allowed for these three four hours to be spent on this very simple request.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we thank all hon. Members for the contributions that they have made towards this loan. [Interruption.]
Mr. Bagbin 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Committee moved the motion and if it is winding up, it is the person who moved the motion who does the winding up. It was not the Minister who moved the motion; It is the Chairman of the Committee who should do the winding up.
Mr. Baah-Wiredu 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think this is a good loan; all the conditions are relevant - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 3:30 p.m.
There is this point of order. I want to find out whether the Chairman is - [Interruption.]
Mrs. Grace Coleman 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the hon. Minister - [Uproar.]
Mr. Baah-Wiredu 3:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, this is a very good loan. It is in the best interest of Ghana to have rural electrification and then the Flagstaff House to house the President.
Mr. Speaker, whatever points that have been made by hon. Members are on record; we are all making history. Some of us will keep some and at the right time we will make references to it.
Mr. Speaker, this is the best that we can do for this nation and I am convinced that having a loan of $60 million, interest rate of 1.75 per cent, repayment of 20 years and five years grace period, and then the commitment of just 0.5 per cent and then a grant element of 49.27 - [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, going into details shows that we as a House having varied views just conform to the last page of the Budget for 2006 and Mr. Speaker, this is what I said,
“No nation is ever perfectly
prepared before it embarks on major initiatives.”
We need to move and on that note, Mr. Speaker, I move that we approve this loan that we have placed before the House.

Question put and motion agreed to.

Resolved:

That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Concessional Credit

Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Export-Import Bank of India for an amount of US460 million for the financial of Rural Electrification and Construction of the Office of the President at Flagstaff House.

Concessional Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and

the Export-Import Bank of India
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning 3:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335), the terms and conditions of any loan raised by the Government of Ghana on behalf of itself or any public institution or authority shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution
supported by he votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;
PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of the Concessional Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana AND the Export- Import Bank of India for an amount of US$60 million for the f inancing of Rural Electrification and Construction of the Office of the President at Flagstaff House.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 3:40 p.m.
H E R E B Y R E S O LV E S A S 3:40 p.m.
Mr. K. Osei-Prempeh 3:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Speaker 3:40 p.m.
Majority Leader, which item now?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:40 p.m.
We would definitely need to work on the loans. We want to work on the loans for the water sector - [Pause.]
Mr. Speaker 3:40 p.m.
Order! Order! [Pause.] Yes, Majority Leader?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Works and Housing and the Committee on Finance are going to meet on the five loans.
Mr. Speaker 3:40 p.m.
Is it your wish that we suspend Sitting?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 3:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would be very grateful, sir. Mr. Speaker, I think one hour should be enough.
Mr. Speaker 5:30 p.m.
Hon. Members, at this stage, we will suspend Sitting for one hour.
The Sitting was suspended at 3.45 p.m.

Sitting resumed .
MR. SPEAKER
Mr. Speaker 5:30 p.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Members, let us move to the Addendum.
PAPERS 5:30 p.m.
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Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr. Asamoah Ofosu) 5:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Replacement of Timber Concessions Lost by Timber Companies may be moved today.
Alhaji Collins Dauda 5:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Lands and Forestry Committee Report on Replacement of Timber
Concessions Lost by Timber Companies
Mr. Ofosu 5:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Replacement of Timber Concessions Lost by Timber Companies.
Introduction
1. The request to Parliament to ratify TUCs as replacement for concessions lost by Timber Companies was submitted to Parliament on 27th July 2005 by the hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines.
The request was accordingly referred to the Committee on Lands and Forestry for consideration and report in accordance with Order 177 of the Standing Orders of the House.
2. Your Committee met with the hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines and his staff during the deliberations. The Committee also met with Forest Watch, an NGO to solicit the views of Civil Society with respect to the subject matter.
3. Your Committee wish to place on record its appreciation to all those who assisted it in its deliberations. Your Committee is particularly grateful to Forest Watch for the valuable information given to the Committee.
Reference
4. The following Legal Instruments guided the deliberations of the Committee:
i. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana;
i i . The Standing Orders of Parliament;
iii. The Timber Resources Mana- gement Act, 1997, Act 547;
i v. The Timbe r Resou rce s Management (Amendment) Act 2002, Act 617;
v. The Timber Resources Mana- gement Regulations, 1998,
L.I. 1649;
vi. The Timber Resources Mana- gement (Amendment) Regu- lations, 2003, L.I. 1721.
Background
5. The Timber Resources Management Act, 1997, Act 547, permits holders of timber rights to apply for the replacement of such rights in the event that such rights have been taken over by the Forestry Commission for reasons other than a breach of the terms of the contract or the conviction for a forest-related offence (Section 15 (1)). The holder of a contract terminated under section 15 (1) is entitled to a placement.
6. The Ministry, as part of its sustainable forest management programme, terminated a number of concessions that had not expired at the time of the termination.
7. The reasons for the termination ranged from change in status of the forest area to a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) to conversion of the forest area to a convalescence status. Others were conversion of the forest reserve into a hill sanctuary or a protected area for wildlife and nature conservation whilst others were as a result of divestiture.
8. In accordance with section 15 (2) of Act 547, a number of timber companies petitioned the Ministry for replacement of lost concessions under section 15 (1) (c), (b) and (e). The petitions were accordingly reviewed and recommendations made for replacement.
Observations
Termination of Concessions
9. Your Committee noted that the concessions were terminated for reasons other than the commission and conviction of forest-related offences or a breach of the terms of the contract. The concessions

were lost as a result of a change in the management decision of the Forestry Commission in an effort to ensure the sustainable harvesting of timber and also conserve nature and protect wildlife. Your Committee is thus of the opinion that the beneficiaries were bound to suffer unduly if the concessions were not replaced.

Payment of TRF

10. Your Committee also noted that under the Timber Resources Management (Amendment) Regulations, L.I. 1721, holders of TUCs are required to pay a Timber Rights Fee (TRF) to be determined by the Forestry Commission. The concern of your Committee and other Civil Society organisations was that the non-payment of TRF would defeat one of the objectives of the reforms of the F.C. in relation to the allocation of timber resource, which was to ensure that Government and landowners derive maximum benefits from timber resources.

11. Further, companies awarded TUCs by way of replacement are likely to have a competitive urge over companies awarded TUCs under competitive bidding. Holders of TUCs awarded under competitive bidding are required to pay TRF annually in addition to other related taxes, fees and levies; the TRF add to the cost of production of these companies.

12. Your Committee was assured that the law requires holders of TUCs to pay annual TRF and this is to be complied with by all companies allocated TUCs.

Criteria for Replacement

13. The Committee noted that the criteria used by the Ministry for the replacement of lost concessions was the stock level in a particular reserve area and the species of trees.

14. The Ministry however admitted at the sitting of the Committee that it was practically impossible to achieve an exact proportionate replacement for all lost concessions; it is practically impossible to have the same stock level in terms of trees and species for a lost and replaced concession areas.

15. The Ministry however assured the Committee that appropriate measures were introduced to ensure that the replacement process was fair and equitable, with due congnisance given to the limited resources available.

Need to Protect Jobs and the Resources

16. Your Committee further observed that following the cancellation in 2001 of the first batch of TUCs, the timber industry has been starving for raw material to feed the mills. The result has been the lost of jobs and the imminent collapse of the industry.

Further, the cancellation and delay in the subsequent award of TUCs also led to an increase in the activities of chain- saw operators in reserves in an effort to satisfy market demand and also as a result of the inability of the F.C. to effectively protect reserves earmarked for award as TUCs.

17. Your Committee is thus of the view that in order to ensure adequate protection of both jobs and the reserves, it is imperative that appropriate measures are introduced to ensure that timber rights are granted to deserving companies who would in turn protect their respective TUC areas.

This will relieve the F.C. of resources for other activities (resources that otherwise would have been used to protect such reserves).

Recommendation

18. Your Committee, upon careful consideration of the request from the Minister and with hindsight of the above observations, respectfully invites the House to approve by Resolution the attached 40 replaced TUCs.
Alhaji Collins Dauda (NDC - Asutifi South) 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and in doing so, permit me to make a few observations.
Mr. Speaker, Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) have always been controversial in this House. The first batch of TUCs that were ratified in this House was on 31st October, 2000. After Parliament resolved on the 2nd of November to ratify these TUCs and with the coming into power of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), these TUCs were cancelled. The reasons that were assigned by the then Minister, Prof. Kasim Kasanga for the cancellation were that the TUCs were not awarded in a transparent manner; and also the hon. Minister indicated that the TUCs were awarded in violation of some laws of the country.
Mr. Speaker, two issues therefore arise here. Indeed, I am at a loss as to whether if Parliament ratifies a contract by a Resolution, a Minister of State can change that decision of Parliament. It is an issue that I believe will have to be looked at. I am not too clear in my mind if a Minister of State can change a decision of this House which was taken by a Resolution.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the second issue of transparency, on the floor of this
House, Prof. Kasim Kasanga indicated that TUCs would be allocated by a competitive bidding process to ensure transparency, and accordingly he took steps to cause an amendment to Act 547, that is, the Timber Resources Management Act and its attendant Timber Resources Management Regulations, to allow for competitive bidding to be used as a means of allocating timber utilization contracts.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the TUCs that were cancelled were not put into the pool, as was suggested by the hon. Minister, for reallocation by competitive bidding. We find today TUCs allocated by means of replacement. I do not see why the hon. Minister would not want to use a transparent means of allocating TUCs but would find comfort in replacement. But luckily, my hon. Colleague the hon. Minister is in the House and I believe that he would have the opportunity to explain these things.
Mr. Speaker, this aside, it is important to know that the last batch of timber rights that were granted in this country was done in 1992, and after that no timber rights have been granted again and, therefore, timber industries have been suffering. They are suffering from lack of raw materials and therefore companies continue to fold up.

Mr. Speaker, there is also this issue of continuous and aggressive attack on timber resources in this country as a result of the fact that these timber areas, most of them are unencumbered. Mr. Speaker, if a timber land is said to be encumbered, what is called timber circles, it means that the area is a free area and therefore, it becomes an area for everybody.

Mr. Speaker, if we do not rectify these TUCs to enable timber contractors or companies have access to raw materials,
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Mr. Kojo Armah (CPP - Evalue Gwira) 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise to support the motion on the floor and to make a few remarks.
Mr. Speaker, my constituency and, in the larger picture, the district, also has timber, a number of timber concessions in the Western Region. The problem we face is the attitude of the technocrats, the bureaucrats and the experts in the timber industry who are leading a lot of our timber concessions in the region who may possibly not understand all the laws about timber concession in the country.
Mr. Speaker, when you are talking about timber utilization contracts, you are talking about the welfare of the owners of the land, who give their land for concessions, for timber exportation. You are talking about social responsibility of the timber concessionaires to the people out of whose lands they are exploiting the timber.
Mr. Speaker, my constituency and indeed the district has a lot of timber concessions which are being exploited by quite a number of timber concessionaires whose names I do not want to disclose on the floor, because they are not here to defend themselves. But the problem is that because of the rainfall pattern of the district and the constituency, it is extremely difficult for the ordinary citizen
of that area to move about, except upon the generosity of the timber concessionaires to either make a road by tractor or by some other equipment so that they can cart their timber away.
After they cart their timber away, they leave such a mess of the roads that ordinary vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, KIA trucks and the rest cannot even pass on. Mr. Speaker, I believe that as we want to give advantage to these timber exploiters, so that we can make value for our money for the resources that we have, we should also insist that they should accede to their social responsi-bilities to make some good for the people out of whose land they are exploiting this timber.
Mr. Speaker, as I speak now, I can confirm that there are a number of timber that have been cut down and are going to be carted away to wherever they are to be carted to. I also can confirm that the promises made by some of these timber concessionaires that, “if you give us access to your timber, we would give you schools, we would give you roads and we would give you water” have not been fulfilled. How do we ensure that our people also get some back-to-back benefits from the concessions that they give to the timber contractors?
So Mr. Speaker, as I support the motion, I also want to appeal that, whatever it is we need to assure our people that it is not a question of pure exploitation but a question of taking timber and then giving them something in return for their welfare and for their benefit is done.
With these few remarks, Mr. Speaker, I want to support the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved:
That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Replacement of Timber Con- cessions Lost by Timber Com- panies.
RESOLUTION 5:40 p.m.
R 5:40 p.m.
Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines (Prof. Dominic Fobih) 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 268 (1) of the Constitution, any transaction, contract or undertaking involving the grant of a right or concession by or on behalf of any person or body of persons howsoever described, for the exploitation of any mineral, water or other natural resource of Ghana made or entered into after the coming into force of the Constitution is made subject to ratification by Parliament.
IN PURSUANCE of the said article 268 (1) of the Constitution, the Government of Ghana has caused to be laid before Parliament through the Minister responsible for Lands, Forestry and Mines the agreement in respect of Replacement of Timber Concessions Lost by Timber Companies.
NOW THEREFORE, this House in accordance with the said article 268 (1) of the Constitution hereby resolve to ratify the said agreement in respect of Replacement of Timber Concessions Lost by Timber Companies.
Mr. Ofosu 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
Chairman of the Committee (Mr. Asamoah Ofosu) 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions
of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) Allocated Through Competitive Bidding Process may be moved today.
Alhaji Collins Dauda 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on Timber Utilization
Contracts
Mr. Asamoah Ofosu 5:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) Allocated Through Competitive Bidding Process.
Introduction
1. The request to Parliament to ratify TUCs as replacement for Concessions Lost by Timber Companies was submitted to Parliament on 27th July 2005 by the hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines. The request was accordingly referred to the Committee on Lands and Forestry for consideration and report in accordance with Order 177 of the Standing Orders of the House.
2. Your Committee met with the Hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines and his staff during the deliberations. The Committee also met with Forest Watch, an NGO to solicit the views of Civil Society with respect to the subject matter.
3. Your Committee wish to place
on record its appreciation to all those who assisted it in its deliberations. Your Committee is particularly grateful to Forest Watch for the valuable information given to the Committee.
2.0 Reference
4. The following Legal Instruments
guided the deliberations of the Committee:
i. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana;
i i . T h e S t a n d i n g O r d e r s of Parliament;
iii. The Timber Resources Mana- gement Act, 1997, Act 547;
iv. The Timber Resources Mana- gement (Amendment) Act 2002, Act 617;
v. The Timber Resources Mana- gement Regulations,
1998, L.I. 1649;
v i . T h e T i m b e r Resources Management (Amendment) Regulations,
2003 L.I. 1721.
Background
5. The Timber Resources Management
Act, 1997, Act 547, permits holders of timber rights to apply for the replacement of such rights in the event that such rights have been taken over by the Forestry Commission for reasons other than a breach of the terms of the contract or the conviction for a forest-related offence. (Section 15 (1)). The holder of a contract terminated under section 15 (1) is entitled
to a placement.
6. The Ministry, as part of its sustainable forest management programme, terminated a number of concessions that had not expired at the time of the termination.
7. The reasons for the termination ranged from change in status of the forest area to a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) to conversion of the forest area to a convalescence status. Others were conversion of the forest reserve into a hill sanctuary or a protected area for wildlife and nature conservation whilst others were as a result of divestiture.
8. In accordance with section 15 (2) of Act 547, a number of timber companies petitioned the Ministry for replacement of lost concessions under section 15(1) (c) (b) and (e). The petitions were accordingly reviewed and recommendations made for replacement.
Observations
Termination of Concessions
9. Your Committee noted that the concessions were terminated for reasons other than the commission and conviction of forest-related offences or a breach of the terms of the contract. The concessions were lost as a result of a change in the management decision of the Forestry Commission in an effort to ensure the sustainable harvesting of timber and also conserve nature and protect wildlife. Your Committee is thus of the opinion that the beneficiaries were bound to suffer unduly if the concessions were not replaced.
Payment of TRF
10. Your Committee also noted that
Mr. Asamoah Ofosu 5:40 p.m.


under the Timber Resources Management (Amendment) Regulations, L.I. 1721, holders of TUCs are required to pay a Timber Rights Fee (TRF) to be determined by the Forestry Commission. The concern of your Committee and other Civil Society organisations was that the non-payment of TRF would defeat one of the objectives of the reforms of the F.C. in relation to the allocation of timber resource, which was to ensure that Government and landowners derive maximum benefits from timber resources.

11. Further, companies awarded TUCs by way of replacement are likely to have a competitive urge over companies awarded TUCs under competitive bidding. Holders of TUCs awarded under competitive bidding are required to pay TRF annually in addition to other related taxes, fees and levies; the TRF add to the cost of production of these companies.

12. Your Committee was assured that the law requires holders of TUCs to pay annual TRF and this is to be complied with by all companies allocated TUCs.

Criteria for Replacement

13. The Committee noted that the criteria used by the Ministry for the replacement of lost concessions was the stock level in a particular reserve area and the species of trees.

14. The Ministry however admitted at the sitting of the Committee that it was practically impossible to achieve an exact proportionate replacement for all lost concessions; it is practically impossible to have the same stock level in terms of

trees and species for a lost and replaced concession areas.

15. The Ministry however assured the Committee that appropriate measures were introduced to ensure that the replacement process was fair and equitable, with due congnisance given to the limited resources available.

Need to Protect Jobs and the Resources

16. Your Committee further observed that following the cancellation in 2001 of the first batch of TUCs, the timber industry has been starving for raw material to feed the mills. The result has been the lost of jobs and the imminent collapse of the industry.

Further, the cancellation and delay in the subsequent award of TUCs also led to an increase in the activities of chainsaw operators in reserves in an effort to satisfy market demand and also as a result of the inability of the F.C. to effectively protect reserves earmarked for award as TUCs.

17. Your Committee is thus of the view that in order to ensure adequate protection of both jobs and the reserves, it is imperative that appropriate measures are introduced to ensure that timber rights are granted to deserving companies who would intend protect their respective TUC areas.

This will relieve the F.C. of resources for other activities (resources that otherwise would have been used to protect such reserves).

Recommendations

18. Your Committee, upon careful consideration of the request from the Minister and with hindsight of the above observations, respectfully invites the House to approve by Resolution the attached 40 replaced TUCs.
Alhaji Collins Dauda (NDC -- Asutifi South) 5:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and in doing so, I would want to indicate that these particular contracts went through the proper process, very transparent process of allocating timber utilization contracts as required under our laws.
Mr. Speaker, the only aspect that has
to be looked at is that whilst the 57 TUCs that have just been approved which were allocated administratively, the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines may have difficulty in applying, particularly, the law that requires timber utilization contract holders to pay timber rights fees. It is important for the hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines to take note of that with the view of realigning those who hold timber utilization contracts under the replacement and timber utilization contracts, under the competitive bidding process.
Mr. Speaker, we are creating two
parallel systems under the replacement; holders are not required to pay timber rights fees.
Mr. Speaker, under the replacement,
rose
Mr. Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon. Member for Ahafo
Ano South, do you have a point of order to raise?
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 5:50 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member speaking is one of the people, if I am not mistaken, who have contributed to deforestation in this country -[Laughter.]. He has cut down all the trees from Miami to Domeabra. [Laughter.] So what is he talking about -- chainsaw operation - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Asutifi South, please go on.
Alhaji Dauda 5:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I take
a very strong objection to the comments made by the hon. Member.
Mr. Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon. Member, please
continue.
Alhaji Dauda 5:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is
important for me to comment on it. It is something that is directed to me.
Mr. Speaker, I have never cut a tree
Mr. Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon. Member, you may
continue now.
Alhaji Dauda 5:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
imploring the hon. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines to take a look at the issue of timber rights fees with the view of synchronizing the two systems such that we will not create parallel markets in the timber sector.
Mr. Speaker, with these comments, I second the motion.
Question proposed.
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Mr. Asamoah Ofosu (NPP -- Kade) 5:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion. And Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I must say that today we are making history because the allocation of TUCs has not only waited for time or whatever, but it is done today and done in transparency, as the Ranking Member has said. Mr. Speaker, we are making progress because for sometime now, the forest has been without owners.
Mr. Speaker, the Forest Services Division, which in a way managed forests and policed them as well had almost been short of staff, especially those in the protection unit. So that our forests had been left at the mercy of chainsaw operators and even some of the established timber companies who go into the forests at night, fell the trees, report later to the Forest Services Division of illegal activities and they are then auctioned to them.
Mr. Speaker, there was no sense of ownership, but today, as we approve of these TUCs, the forests will not only be owned but most of these companies, as they have been doing in the past, are going to employ private security and other devices to manage the forest and make them sustainable. Mr. Speaker, the forests will be sustainably managed if we get what we need today from the forests and leave some for the next generation.
Mr. Speaker, I second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Speaker 6 p.m.
Hon. Members, we go
back to the Order Paper.
Majority Leader (Mr. Felix Owusu-
Adjapong): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe we can take item 12.

Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)

Chairman of the Committee (Mr. K.

Osei-Prempeh): Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, That notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption may be moved today.
Mr. K. A. Okerchiri 6 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating
Corruption
Chairman of the Committee (Mr.
K. Osei-Prempeh:) Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
1.0 Introduction
Mr. Speaker, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption was laid in Parliament on Wednesday, 2nd November 2005 under
article 75 (2) (b) of the Constitution and subsequently referred to the Joint Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and Foreign Affairs for consideration and report, pursuant to Standing Orders 179 and 183 of the House. 2.0 Reference
During its deliberations the Committee had recourse to the underlisted documents:
a) The 1992 Constitution; and
b) T h e S t a n d i n g O r d e r s o f Parliament
and reports as follows:
3.0 Deliberations
In considering the referral, the Committee held a total of two sittings. The following officials were in attendance at the invitation of the Committee:
a) Hon. Joe Ghartey - Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice
b) Hon. Akwasi Osei-Adjei - Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
c) Mr. L. K. Christian - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
d) Mr. Sayuti Yahaya-Iddi - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4.0 Background
The Convention in reference dates back to the 1990 Declaration of the Organisation of African Unity on the Fundamental Changes Taking Place in the World and their Implications for Africa. African Governments at this forum expressed the need to uphold democratic governance and
Mr. K. A. Okerchiri 6 p.m.
The Cairo Agenda for Action, that is, Relaunching Africa's Socio-economic Transformation; and the Plan of Action adopted by the Nineteen Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights Against Impunity of some Member States in 1996 and endorsed by the Sixty-fourth Ordinary Session of Council of Ministers held in Yaounde, all re-echoed the need for Member-Countries to observe principles of good governance, the primacy of law, human rights, demo- cratization and popular participation by the African Peoples in governance.
Central to these deliberations was a major concern about the negative effect of corruption and impunity on political, economic and social development; and accountability and transparency in the management of public affairs.
Member-States therefore expressed the need to formulate and pursue as a matter of priority, a common panel policy aimed at protecting the society against corruption; including the adoption of appropriate legislative and adequate preventive measures.
The Thirty-Fourth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in June, 1998 in Ouagadougou, requested the Secretary- General of the OAU, now the AU to convene, in co-operation with the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, a high level meeting with experts to consider ways and means of removing obstacles to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights including the fight against corruption and impunity; and to propose among others, appropriate legislative measures to curb such vices.
The cumula t ive e ffec t o f the aforementioned initiatives resulted in the formulation and adoption by the African Union, the Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in Africa at the First Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the Union on the New Partnership for Africa's

Development in Durban, South Africa.

Object of the Convention

The Convention seeks among others to: i. promote and strengthen the

development of Africa by each State Party, mechanisms required to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption and related offences in the public and private sectors.

ii. Promote, facilitate and regulate co-operation among the State Parties to ensure the effectiveness of the measures adopted.

iii. Co-ordinate and harmonise the said policies and legislations between State Parties.

iv. Promote socio-economic development by removing obstacles to the enjoyment of political, economic, social and cultural rights.

v. Establish necessary conditions to foster transparency and a c c o u n t a b i l i t y i n t h e management of public affairs.

6.0 Observations

The Commit tee observed that corruption has become a social canker eating the fabric of the society and thus undermining socio-economic develop- ment in the African Continent. Its prevention ranks high on the national agenda and requires concerted efforts by the African Union to fight it.

It was further observed that by October 2005, ten Member States of the African Union had ratified the Convention. It is the expectation of the Committee that Ghana, being a founding member of the OAU and the AU, would be counted among the leading countries to ratify the Convention

having appended its signature to it.

The Committee also considers the ratification of this Convention part of the efforts being made by the State, in collaboration with other Member States for the eradication of corruption.

Conclusion

The Committee has carefully examined the provisions of the Convention and considers them necessary for the establishment of appropriate mechanisms to combat corruption and therefore recommends its ratification in accordance with article 75 (2) (b) of the Constitution.

Respectfully submitted.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 6 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
beg to second the motion. I believe both sides of the House are in agreement and so you may put the Question.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 6 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I believe this is one thing we all agree on and therefore, you may put the Question.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
RESOLUTION 6 p.m.
Mr. Adjaho 6 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 6 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will just go and check up from the Committee but whilst waiting, I believe we can continue with the Minerals and Mining Bill. I will go and check up with the Committee as to what progress they are making.
Mr. Speaker 6 p.m.
Hon. Majority Leader, what about items 21 and 22; do you have the reports on them ready?
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the rest of the items, I believe we need to find from the Finance Committee Report. These are the decisions relating to the
Mr. Speaker 6:10 p.m.
Majority Leader, I am aware of that but items 21 and 22, I am sure we have the Reports.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 6:10 p.m.
Anyway, if we have the Report already then we can take that one.
Mr. Speaker 6:10 p.m.
Item 21 - Chairman of the Committee on Finance - Deputy Minority Leader.
Mr. Adjaho 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know exactly what we are doing. In fact, the Chairperson of the Finance Committee is there; let us find out from her the status of those committee reports dealing with the water projects; let us find out the status. That will inform our decision as to what to do.
Mr. Speaker 6:10 p.m.
Majority Leader, what do we do? Chairperson, please.
Mrs. Grace Coleman 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we are ready with motion No. 21.
Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the 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 17.3 million (US$25 million equivalent)
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:10 p.m.


for the Economic Management Capacity Building (EMCB) Project may be moved today.
Mr. Osei-Prempeh 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Development Credit Agreement between the GOG and IDA
Mrs. Grace Coleman 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts 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 17.3 million (US$25 million equivalent) for the Economic Management Capacity Building (EMCB) Project.
1.0 Introduction
Mr. Speaker, the above development credit agreement was laid in the House on Thursday, 8th December 2005 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
To consider the agreement the Committee met with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Akoto Osei and officials from his Ministry and report as follows:
Mrs. Grace Coleman 6:10 p.m.


reform;

support the Aid and Debt Management Unit of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to enhance its debt management functions;

separate Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning's borrowing activities from Bank of Ghana monetary policy, and restructure Government's borrowing patterns.

The Committee again observed that the project when approved would be completed by 31st December 2010.

6.0 Conclusion

Having satisfied itself with terms, and the benefits to be derived from the project, the Committee respectfully recommends to the House to adopt its report and approve by resolution the Development Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) for an amount of SDR17.3 million (US$25.0 million equivalent) for the Economic Management Capacity Building Project (EMCBP) in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act 1970, Act 335.

Respectfully submitted.

to approve the motion.

But I would want to sound a note of caution to the Ministry involved that all the districts have to be properly categorized in terms of need and in terms of accessing these loans so that no district would find itself excluded from the larger sharing of the cake of this nation.

With these few words, I beg to second the motion.
Mr. S. K. B. Manu (NPP 6:20 p.m.
None

Ano South): Mr. Speaker, I also rise to add my voice to the motion on the floor and in doing so Mr. Speaker, I would want to urge the Ministries that the rural districts are the food baskets and the areas where we can develop and retain the youth. If we do not do that they troop down to the cities to add to the unemployed youth there. So if we want to stem the tide and actually develop this country then we should turn attention to the rural areas.

We are talking about Urban I, II, III and IV; I want to see the day that we shall be talking about Rural I, et cetera, because that would be the time that we shall be tackling the rural-urban problem. So my little advice is that we should turn attention to the Rural areas where the economy of the nation is based and where the poverty is higher.
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:20 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my hon. senior Colleague this loan has
nothing to do with rural-urban divide. This is a capacity management programme for the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning and Public Sector Reform. This is not Urban I or SHEP-4. It has nothing to do with the rural areas.
This credit facility essentially enhances the capacity of the regulatory bodies - [Interruptions] - It has nothing to do with projects that go to selected districts. So, please, when we get to those areas, we can talk about the rural-urban divide.
Mr. Manu 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, let me say that if we are talking about what he is talking about, I would want to believe that there is decentralization and the districts are centres where capacity building can also take place. And that is where I want attention to be - [Interruption.]
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning does not have offices in the districts. Right now, it is a centralized Ministry. If he wants us to decentralize, it is a different matter. As I speak, we have not passed any law to decentralize us, so I do not see how we can enhance capacities of offices which do not exist in the districts.
Mr. Manu 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think through telepathy, he got what I was going to say. If we send those big monies from the Ministry of Finance to the districts and we have not decentralized well enough and the District Planning Officers are there, and we are not caring to build their capacity, then what are we saying to the funds that we are sending there? That is what I am talking about.
In effect, I am suggesting that we decentralize down to the districts so that
Mr. Osei-Prempeh 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and to urge all Members to vote for it.
Question proposed.
Mr. K.ojo Armah (CPP - Evalue- Gwira) 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I support the motion and I will urge the House to approve it. But in doing so Mr. Speaker, I want to again reiterate the concern of some of us from the rural constituencies. We approve these loans and facilities for the running of the country and for the people of this country. Mr. Speaker, invariably, when these are approved, when it comes to selecting the districts and the towns to benefit from these loans, we are not made aware of the criteria for selecting these districts.
As a member of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, we have had cause to complain as to how some districts have been selected, almost
every year, to benefit from certain facilities of Government. We also have the problem of finding out how some districts continue to be selected for some other facilities of Government.
Mr. Speaker, what I am saying is that if this SDR17.3 million is being approved today, we would want to have a very transparent manner of providing the criteria for selecting them. The Constitution and the Directive Principles of State Policy enjoin us to have development in tandem with all developments. But it looks like certain districts, whether it is Urban IV, Urban V or whatever, are beginning to get more advantages over other districts.
Mr. Speaker, my position is that we must look at how these facilities are disbursed, how these facilities are financed and also facilitated by the loans that we are approving. Otherwise, I do not have anything against this motion being approved and I think that this House needs
on the principal amount of the credit not withdrawn from the time to time at a rate to be set by the Association as at June 30 each year, but not to exceed the rate of one-half of one per cent (1/2 of 1% per annum)
three-fourth of one per cent (3/4 of 1%) per annum is payable on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time
of the principal amount of the credit by semi-annual instalments shall commence on December 1, 2015 and end on June 1, 2045. Each instalment and including the instalment payable on June 1, 2045 shall be one per cent (1%) of such principal amount, and each instalment thereafter shall be two per cent (2%) of such principal amount.
we build the capacity of at least the District Finance Officers, the District Planning Officers so that they can take better care of the funds we take down there.
That is my piece of advice and I rest my case here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDC - Avenor/ Ave) 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I support the motion. I only want one clarification from the Committee with regard to item 4 on page 4. When they said support for studying of Legislation for the Governance of the Pension Sector through SSNIT and the Presidential Commission on Pension, I do not know -- because my understanding of the Presidential Commission on Pension was that, they submit their final report, a White Paper is then issued and that ends their responsibility.
Now, we are taking a loan to strengthen them. That is the impression created, so if they can clarify it. Mr. Speaker, I support the motion. This is the only area where I need clarification because it is not a permanent institution. After their work is completed and the White Paper issued, that would be the end of the work of the Presidential Commission on Pension. And yet they are going for a loan to strengthen the Presidential Commission on Pension, I do not understand.
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the work of the Presidential Commission as of now has not ended. In anticipation that some group must be agitating for better deal even after they are out of place, we negotiated with the World Bank to ensure that in the implementation of their work, there would be some money available to do that work. Their work as of now is not completed.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved:
That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Development Credi t Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) for an amount of SDR17.3 million (US$25 million equivalent) for the Economic Management Capacity Building (EMCB) Project.
RESOLUTION 6:20 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 6:20 p.m.
HEREBY RESOLVES AS 6:20 p.m.
Mrs. Grace Coleman 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the resolution.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Speaker 6:20 p.m.
Item 24, Chairman of
the Committee on Finance.
Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
Chairman of the Finance Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Health on the Buyer Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Fortis Bank of the Netherlands for an amount of €3,828,409 for the supply of District
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.

Buyer Credit Agreement between GOG and Fortis Bank of the

Netherlands
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Health on the Buyer Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Fortis Bank of The Netherlands for an amount of E3,828,409 for the supply of District Dental Facilities.
1.0 Introduction
The above Buyer Credit Agreement was laid in the House on Tuesday, 13th December 2005 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
To consider the credit agreement, the Committee met with two Deputy Ministers for Finance and Economic Planning, Prof. G. Y. Gyan-Baffour and Dr. Akoto A. Osei and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and reports as follows:
2.0 Background
The provision of oral health services in the country has low service coverage in rural communities though these rural dwellers form the majority of the
population. Oral health facilities and personnel in these areas are also few and are unable to meet the basic dental needs in these areas.
Out of the fifty-five (55) dental facilities in the country, (both public and private), only 16 (29 per cent) are in the districts where 70 per cent of the population dwell. The regional distribution of rural health facilities and the personnel are skewed in favour of the urban areas where most of the oral health care providers work and this has denied the majority of the rural dwellers access to oral health care.
As a result of this unfairness in the distribution of dental facilities in the country vis-a-vis, the rural and urban areas, the Ministry of Health engaged Enraf- Nonius Projects of The Netherlands in an extensive discussion on the possibility to collaborate for the funding of district dental facilities aimed at bringing dental health care to the rural people (dwellers) population. This was agreed in principle, and Enraf-Nonius Projects sponsored a feasibility survey to collect data on the oral health situation in 10 selected deprived districts in the country.
3.0 Financing Scenario
The financing scenario of the project is as follows:
Total Cost
-- E6,342,660
Commercial Loan (Fortis Bank)
-- E3,828,409
Grant (Dutch Government)
-- E2,514,251
4.0 Terms and Conditions
Loan Amount
-- E3,828,409
Interest Rate -- Euribor + 0.5 (2.14+0.5)
= 2.64 per cent Commitment Fee -- 0.25 per cent per annum
Management Fee -- 0.5 per cent flat
Repayment Period -- 10 years Grace Period -- 2 years
Grant Element -- 50.29 per cent.
5.0 Observations
The Committee observed that district dental health care would be set up in all the ten (10) regions. In each of the ten regions, 10 selected district hospitals have been chosen to provide the healthcare.
The Committee observed that in addition to the chosen districts, eleven (11) facilities were also chosen in the ten (10) regions to be manned by Community Oral Health Officers (COHOs.) The Middle Level Trainees will make periodic visits with their mobile dental equipment to rural communities to perform periodic dental examinations on school children and adults in the communities. Serious dental problems will be referred to the dentists manning the clinics.
The Committee observed that the objectives for this project are:
to provide facilities to carry out dental services;
to supply and install equipment for the twenty-one; (21) selected sites;
to provide training for selected personnel to man the sites;
to equip the middle level rural Health Training School at Kintampo to facilitate the training of personnel.
The Committee was informed that lack of oral health facilities have caused the rural folks to travel long distances to have access to dental care. It was noted that this project will go a long way to help ease the pain and prevent dental problems that the rural dwellers have faced over the past years.
The Committee further noted with satisfaction the fact that the project aims at addressing the dental problems facing rural dwellers and has for its main
components the following:
1. Civil Works -- provision of physical facilities for ten (10) dental clinics and eleven (11) community Oral Health Officers (COHO) clinics;
2. Instalation of Medical Equipment -- the twenty-one dental facilities will be installed with new dental and laboratory equipment by the contractors (ENRAF-
NONIUS PROJECTS);
3. Training -- all the ten (10) regional medical technicians and engineers of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health would be trained under the project.
The Committee was informed that the project would be executed within a four (4) year period in terms of civil works, equipment and training. Furthermore, a four-year maintenance period would also be taken care of by the cost of the project.
Mr. Speaker 6:30 p.m.
Item 26 -- Minister for Finance and Economic Planning?
RESOLUTION 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Baah-Wiredu 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335), the terms and conditions of any loan raised by the Government of Ghana on behalf of itself or any public institution or authority shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution supported by the votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;
PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act,1970 (Act 335) and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of the Buyer Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana AND Fortis Bank of The Netherlands for an amount of E3,828,409 for the supply of District Dental Facilities.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 6:30 p.m.
HEREBY RESOLVES AS 6:30 p.m.
Mr. E. K. Salia (NDC - Jirapa) 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and in doing so, I wish to urge the House to vote massively for the approval of this particular loan.
Mr. Speaker, this particular loan is
IN ACCORDANCE with the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) this House approves the Buyer Credit Agreement between the Govern- ment of Ghana and Fortis Bank of the Netherlands for an amount of E3,828,409 for the supply of District Dental Facilities.
Mr. Osei-Prempeh 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Speaker 6:30 p.m.
Item 27 - Chairman of
the Committee?
Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Mines and Energy on the Finance Contract between the Government of Ghana (GOG), Volta River Authority (VRA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an On-lending Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Volta River Authority for an amount of E10,500,000 for the Aboadze- Volta Transmission Line Project (Coastal Transmission Backbone of the West Africa Power Pool Programme) may be moved today.
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Dr. A. A. Osei 6:30 p.m.


Procurement Act. As a result of this, the Committee requested that a Value For Money (VFM) Assessment Report on the project be presented to the House before the implementation of the loan agreement.

The Deputy Minister for Finance assured the Committee that the Ministry of Finance would not allow the disbursement of the Credit unless a Value for Money (VFM) assessment is provided.

Attached, please find the proposed list of beneficiary areas as Appendix I.

6.0 Conclusion

Having satisfied itself of the urgent need for dental facilities to be provided under the loan agreement and also

going to help in the provision of dental services throughout the country. Every region will benefit from this and apart from the existing clinics that will be assisted, there will be at least two new clinics in each of our regions, and if you look at the terms of the loan, it is clear that this is a very concessional loan. And like he said earlier today, we believe that the taking of loans for investment in social services of this nature is the way forward.

I therefore urge my hon. Colleagues to support the motion and to take note that because this was just not the loan but also the approval of the procurement on the choice of the sole source, there is the need for us to see the value for money assessment. We have been assured by the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Health that this value for money assessment would be made available as a precondition for the procurement of the various services and materials.

With this, I wish to urge everybody to support the motion.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDC - Avenor/ Ave) 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we support the motion and by way of emphasis, in fact, the Chairperson has emphasized it but by way of emphasis, I want to indicate that we support it, we support the purpose of the loan; the terms are acceptable. The only component is the sole sourcing aspect and we say that there should be value for money assessment before the implementation of the project and this has been well captured in the Committee's report and therefore Mr. Speaker, you may put the Question.

Finance Contract between GOG, VRA and European Investment Bank
Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Grace Coleman) 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Mines and Energy on the Finance Contract between the Government of Ghana (GOG), Volta River Authority (VRA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an On-lending Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Volta River Authority for an amount of E10,500,000 for the Aboadze-Volta Transmission Line Project (Coastal Transmission Backbone of the West Africa Power Pool Programme).
Dr. Kwame Ampofo 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I am on a point of order that the motion being moved concerns a matter that was supposed to have been brought to the Mines and Energy Committee under Standing Order 188. Issues pertaining to the VRA are matters for the Mines and Energy Committee. I am the Ranking Member of this Committee and this issue never came to us for consideration. So Mr. Speaker, I do not think procedurally, the right thing has been done here.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that my hon. Colleague the Ranking Member possibly should have discussed with his leadership when this Paper was being laid; occasionally, such
consultations help. Mr. Speaker did in fact refer this particular loan agreement because it is dealing with finance to the Finance Committee. If he thought that there would have been an input, the best thing he should have done at that time was to have possibly discussed with the Leadership that he wanted to have a contribution in the joint committee.
Now, this has been treated purely as a finance matter but when it comes to the time of discussing and debating the matter, if there is any input just like any other Member, he can say it, perhaps, for the moment just let the thing be done and then in future he should be watchful on such matters.
Mr. Speaker 6:40 p.m.
Hon. Member for South Dayi, at the appropriate time you can raise your concern, but in the meantime, let her go on with her motion.
Mrs. Grace Coleman 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present the Report of the Committee.
1.0 Introduction
The Finance Contract was laid in the House on Tuesday, 13th December 2005 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
To consider the document, the Committee met with the two Deputy Ministers for Finance, Dr. A. A. Osei and Prof. Y. G. Gyan-Baffour and officials from the VRA and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and reports as follows:
2.0 Background
There has been an increase in the demand for energy and this necessitated an increase in generating capacity in the energy provision and also the reinforcement of power transfer capability
of the section of the transmission which directly links the non-hydro generating stations south-west to the load centres in the south-eastern part of the country, that is from Takoradi (Aboadze) to Tema.
Government of Ghana and other West African countries have embarked on the development of a West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) to increase their supply of energy. The WAPP is a regional infrastructure development programme of the ECOWAS, fully aligned with the goals of the NEPAD. The WAPP will ensure the interconnection of the electricity system of all the countries in the ECOWAS region and consequently allow for energy trading among the countries. This will ensure the optimization of investments and also the use of the energy resources of the participating countries.
The WAPP also provides the power utilities of the region with a vehicle to achieve the vision embodied in the ECOWAS Economic Protocol. It will establish a well-functioning, co-operative, power pooling mechanism for West Africa, as a means to increase access of the citizens of ECOWAS to a stable and reliable electricity at affordable cost.
Under the WAPP, a number of transmission lines and power sector- related projects are to be implemented in Ghana. These projects will form the backbone for power exchange and trading with the subregion. These projects include:
i. AboadzeTema 330 kV trans- mission line.
ii . Kpong hydropower plant rehabilitation project.
The 330 kV Aboadze-Volta trans-
mission line was identified in 1999 as the least-cost option for increasing the power transfer Capacity of the transmission grid from the West to the East of the country. The Implementation of the project will support the evacuation of 660 MW from the Takoradi Thermal Power Station and also imports from la Cote d'Ivoire, especially during periods of reduced supply from the Akosombo and Kpong hydroelectric facilities to the main load centre in Accra and Tema.
As part of sourcing for funding, hon. Members may recall that the Aboadze- Volta Transmission Line Project facility was approved by the House on 22nd July
2003.
The Government of Ghana (GoG) on behalf of Volta River Authority (VRA) is further engaged in the process of securing a long-term credit from the European Investment Bank (EIB) as additional funding for the 330 kV transmission line from Aboadze to Volta Substation (Tema). The Government intends to execute the Finance Contract with the EIB and VRA and to on-lend the proceeds of the credit to Volta River Authority (VRA) under terms and conditions agreeable with the EIB.
3.0 Project Cost and Funding
The estimated cost of the project is approximately E47,300,000 and will be financed as follows:
Kuwait Fund loan to Borrower to be on-lent to VRA
-- E13.2 million
International Development Associa- tion loan to Borrower to be on-lent to
VRA 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and to say that it is a very good arrangement. I therefore urge all Members of the House to give their support to the Agreement.
Question proposed. Dr. Kwame Ampofo (NDC - South
Dayi): Mr. Speaker, I am still on the point that I raised that if you look at the Order Paper, it is clearly stated that - that is motion number 28 on page 17. It is stated that the matter has been referred to the Joint Committee of Finance and Mines and Energy.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at the issues being discussed and even being reported in the report, it is not only on finance matters but also of a technical nature, which discussed the capacity development arrangement of the country and the transmission capacity which is an area that the Mines and Energy Committee has jurisdiction.
So Mr. Speaker, I am still on the point that perhaps, this thing ought to be referred to the Joint Committee again to look at the technical issues involved in this matter, and that it is not only for the Finance Committee to look at.
Alhaji A.B. Sorogho (NDC - Abokobi-Madina) 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to comment on the motion.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at page 2 of the Order Paper, it is clearly written that the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Mines and Energy. And to be frank with you, we have not seen that Report; we have never had any discussion on this Report. In fact, I went to the Chairperson when I saw the Order Paper and complained to her. She is sitting here and she agreed with me that it is not correct because the Paper had not come before us; but I also agree that she cannot get up and talk for one reason or the other. She is supposed to have gotten up to talk but she is not talking.
I am saying that we are not against it per se but if the Paper is indicating that it was referred to the Joint Committee whilst in effect it never came to us, then there is a problem; that is what we are talking about. So the proper thing must be done. We were not invited; if anything at all, it would have been a Joint Committee but nothing of that sort was heard of. And then when you read the Report, it does not only talk of just a straight loan, there are so many technical issues involved and that one comes directly under the purview of the Mines and Energy Committee.
For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I would

wish that we revisit this particular loan agreement and send it back to the Committee to do it well before it comes back to the House.
Mr. Samuel Sallas-Mensah (NDC - Upper West Akim) 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this Committee meeting was duly advertised on the Order Paper for that day. So I expected that if you knew that you are a member of the Mines and Energy Committee, you should have attended this meeting. And at that meeting, Mr. Speaker, we had the necessary quorum to do our business. So we did have the meeting and the Committee actually recommended to the House for the passage of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, some of us are also on the Mines and Energy Committee and at the same time on the Finance Committee, so we thought the Mines and Energy Committee people were duly represented. It does not mean that the Ranking Member must be there by all means, and the Chairman must also be there before you know that the Mines and Energy Committee is duly represented.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved:
That this honourable House adopts the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Mines and Energy on the Finance Contract between the Government of Ghana (GOG), Volta River Authority (VRA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an On-lending Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Volta River Authority for an amount of E10,500,000 for the Aboadze-Volta Transmission Line Project (Coastal Transmission Backbone of the West Africa Power
Pool Programme).
RESOLUTION 6:40 p.m.
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu) 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335), the terms and conditions of any loan raised by the Government of Ghana on behalf of itself or any public institution or authority shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution supported by the votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;
PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of the Finance Contract between the Government of Ghana (GOG), Volta River Authority (VRA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an On-lending Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Volta River Authority for an amount of E10,5000,000 for the Aboadze-Volta Tranmission Line Project (Coastal Transmission Backbone of the West Africa Power Pool Programme).
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 6:40 p.m.
HEREBY RESOLVES AS 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 6:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as we await the report from the committee, we may go back to the Minerals Bill? [Pause.]
MR. FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
BILLS - CONSIDERATION STAGE 6:50 p.m.
  • [Resumption of Consideration from 13-12-05]
    • Mr. First Deputy Speaker 6:50 p.m.
    Hon. Members, shall we have a little order? I understand we are now at clause 18.
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we should begin from clause 49. [Pause.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 6:50 p.m.
    Deputy Majority Leader, I understand yesterday there was a little problem over clause 18 and then you stood it down for a while. However, some kind of agreement has been reached. Can we take that now?
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I propose that we begin from clause 49 and proceed therefrom.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 6:50 p.m.
    Very well.
    Clause 49 - Development Agreement.
    Chairman of the Committee (Mrs. Gifty Eugenia Kusi) 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, subclause (1), line (1), delete “on behalf of the President” and insert “on the advice of the Commission”.
    Mr. Kojo Armah 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am aware that in our laws in this country, all minerals on land, under the land, under the sea are held on behalf of the President of the Republic. The amendment proposed appears to take away this constitutional provision that the President holds all these things on behalf of the people and invests them on the advice of a commission that we are not sure of. Mr. Speaker, I think that the Chairman of the Committee ought to give us better particulars of this issue for us to be able to decide. Otherwise, we should not do anything to take away from the President what the Constitution gives to him.
    On this score, Mr. Speaker, I want to oppose the amendment.
    Mr. Osei- Prempeh 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the amendment. If you read the amendment proposed by the Committee Chairperson, Mr. Speaker, the rendition in the law reads: “the Minister may on behalf of the President . . .”
    Mr. Speaker, the Minister is already an agent of the President; he is appointed and never acting on his own; he is always acting for the President. To put it that the Minister acting on behalf of the President, Mr. Speaker, makes it nebulous. That is why it is necessary to propose that amendment and say that “on the advice of the Commission”, that is, the Minerals Commission would have to act because already the Minister is acting for the President and I believe that that is a neater way to carve it and the amendment must be supported.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think the explanation offered by the hon. Member for Nsuta Kwamang really clears the doubts in the mind of the hon. Member for Evalues Gwira, that the Minister is an appointee and indeed, an agent of the President and he is supposed to act on behalf of the President at any given time, for which reason, it becomes superfluous to have this construction that the Minister on behalf of the President may enter into a development agreement.
    Mr. Speaker, indeed, we want to empower the Commission and so the Minister may do that on the advice of the Commission. Mr. Speaker, we note that in this case it is not in consultation with the Commission; it is on the advice of the Commission and I believe that makes the picture clearer. And I hope my dear colleague understands it now and we should allow it to go. Mr. Speaker, I so submit.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 6:50 p.m.
    I would take two more contributions. Hon.
    Member for Tamale South?
    Mr. Iddrisu Haruna 6:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think that this is not a contentious proposal and I urge hon. Members to support this particular amendment. Indeed, it would be superfluous to put in the law that “on behalf of the President”, because that is what the Constitution requires us to do. So I think it is proper that way; it strengthens the Commission by substituting “on behalf of the President” with “on the advice of the Commission” as the Committee recommends.
    Mr. K. Osei-Adjei 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I stand to oppose the amendment because it is saying here that US$500 million; that is the caveat. If the investment exceeds $5 million -- So the hon. Minister even though is appointed by the President is acting on behalf of the President, it is deemed that the President should be in the known to authorise such an investment. So Mr. Speaker, I think it is the best direction. It should not be by the Commission but it should be on behalf of the President as it is originally in the Bill; so I oppose the amendment.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 49 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 50 -- R e c r u i t m e n t a n d training of Ghanaians
    Mrs. Kusi 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to
    move, clause 50, Insert a new subclause “(2)” as follows:
    “(2) The programme to be submitted under subsection (1) shall be a part of the conditions under which a mining lease is granted and be monitored for compliance by the Commission.”
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, clause 50 has two subclauses, that is (1) and (2) and she is saying that - [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    You are
    absolutely right. It is a new subclause, maybe (2) and not (3).
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7 p.m.
    That is precisely what I am saying, so she should clarify this. Is it that she is proposing the deletion of subclause (2) or adding a new clause which shall be subclause (3)?
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    That is the case. Hon. Chairperson, you agree with what is being suggested?
    Mrs. Kusi 7 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    Very
    well. Hon. Members, it is still for your consideration that a new subclause (3) be added.
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    support the amendment but I want to propose a new rendition.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    You want
    to propose a further amendment to the proposed amendment?
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 7 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker.
    I propose that we refine this amendment to read as follows:
    “The programme to be submitted under subsection (1) shall be a condition under which a mining lease shall be granted and be monitored for compliance by the Commission” --
    instead of what we have now. It should have been “a condition under which a mining lease shall be granted” or “is granted”.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    So what
    you are saying is that the words “a part” should be deleted and in its stead “shall be a condition under which a mining lease is granted and be monitored for compliance by the Commission”?
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 7 p.m.
    That is so, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    Hon.
    Chairperson, are you opposed to that?
    Mrs. Kusi 7 p.m.
    No, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, I believe we have several other conditions listed, so I agree basically with what the Deputy Leader has said, except that I believe we can further refine it by structuring it this way:
    “The programme to be submitted under subsection (1) shall be part of the conditions for the granting of mining lease and it shall be monitored for compliance by the Commission.”
    Or, if you like, “shall be one of the conditions”.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    Please let
    us be certain as to what you want to do.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker,
    “The programme to be submitted under subsection (1) shall be one of the conditions for the granting of the mining lease and shall be monitored for compliance by the Commission.”
    Mr. Speaker, beyond what I have said,
    if we understand the kernel of this matter, we can leave the construction to the drafts- people to do it for us.
    Mr. A. O. Aidooh 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in
    drafting terms, my rendition is much, much better - “it shall be a condition” and not “conditions”. We do not say “shall be one of”. it is never done; “it shall be a condition”. There can be a million other conditions but this one is one of them.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    That is
    the proposed rendition for the amendment.
    Mr. Bagbin 7 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to humbly plead with you and the House that we adjourn the consideration of this Minerals and Mining Bill. The language that is being used here is so inelegant for legal language. Even this one that they are proposing to amend - [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, we need to, because - [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7 p.m.
    The
    hon. Chief Whip has already proposed that we leave that one for the drafting officer to consider, but let us have a fair idea. Are you proposing that we defer the consideration of the Minerals and Mining Bill; is that what you are saying?
    Mr. Adjaho 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I believe
    that some of the Committee reports regarding the loans are in and therefore, I would seriously suggest that we defer consideration of this matter and go back because that is what we were going to do and they told us that the Committee reports were not available. Now that the Committee reports are available, I am pleading that we defer the consideration of this matter and go and take the loans so that - The reports are ready. I am talking of the reports.

    M r. F i r s t D e p u t y S p e a k e r : Hon. Members, we would defer the Consideration Stage of the Minerals and Mining Bill and go back to item

    30 on the Order Paper. Hon. Chairman for the Finance Committee, item 30. [Interruption.] Yes, I am listening to you, hon. Chairman of the Committee.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minority Leader is brandishing a report which we do not have. Mr. Speaker, not even the Chairman has it and my hon. Colleague, because he has it, he wants to - [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:10 p.m.
    I have been reliably informed that hon. Members have that report. Let us continue with it. Yes, hon. Majority Leader, what do you say?
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we agreed that whilst waiting for these reports, we could do business, through the Consideration Stage. If, in fact, we have got the report relating to these other matters, that is our priority for the moment, in which case we can go back and look at them.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:10 p.m.
    I have already said that we should consider item 30 on the Order Paper.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my concern is whether the item 30 is ready. What I have is rather item 39. So if we can do item 39 then when the item 30 comes, we take it.
    Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
    Mr. K. Adjei-Addo (on behalf of
    Chairman of the Commit tee ) 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least 48 hours have elapsed between the date on which the notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, that
    Mr. Osei-Prempeh 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved accordingly.
    Loan Agreement between Ghana and the Kingdom of Belgium and KBC
    Bank NV Belgium
    Mr. Kwadwo Agyei-Addo 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, That this honourable House adopts the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing on the loan agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Kingdom of Belgium and KBC Bank NV Belgium for an amount of €12,138,185.00 for Immediate and Medium Term Measures on the Elmina Benya Lagoon Restoration Project. 1.0 Introduction
    Mr. Speaker, the above Credit Agreement was laid in the House on 13th December 2005 and referred to the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing for consideration and report in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
    To consider the document, the Committee met with the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing,
    Mr. Kwadwo Agyei-Addo 7:10 p.m.


    Grace Period -- 1.5 years

    Repayment Period -- 5 years

    Management Fee -- 0.5 per cent flat

    Commitment Fee -- 0.25 per cent per annum

    Grant Element -- 40.5 per cent

    5.0 Observations

    The Committee observed that currently the lagoon is heavily silted up and the dry- dock quay wall has deteriorated due to the aging phenomena. Also the protecting breakwater at the entrance of the lagoon is heavily damaged by the ocean waves and its present degraded condition forms a hazard for the local fishing community, including safe passage of visiting fishing vessels into the Benya Lagoon of Elmina.

    The Committee further observed that the segmentation in the Benya Lagoon and its entrance had deteriorated such that the five hundred (500) local and seven hundred (700) visiting fishing vessels are no longer safe navigating in the lagoon. This situation has greatly impacted negatively on the fishing industry, the environment and social development of the area. At present, almost all the bigger canoes moor offshore for want of better facilities on shore, while smaller canoes are only able to enter the lagoon and moor at higher tides.

    The Committee observed that the dredging of the lagoon would improve the safety of the fishing community at Elmina thereby improving the economic activities
    THE COMMISSIONER 7:10 p.m.
    MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT 7:10 p.m.
    FOR 7:10 p.m.
    THE ELMINA BENYA LAGOON 7:10 p.m.
    RESTORATION PROJECT 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. K. Osei-Prempeh 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion and urge all hon. Members to vote massively for it.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    Question proposed.
    Mr. Kojo Armah (CPP - Evalue-Gwira) 7:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion and would urge hon. Members to vote massively for the motion. But in doing so, Mr. Speaker, I want also to draw attention of our Government, of the hon. Minister for Finance

    and Economic Planning for that matter, to the fact that along the coast all the fishing communities have had almost similar problems like Elmina. Over the years, people getting into fishing have increased. In other words, there have been massive concentration of fishermen along coast.

    I am talking, not only of Elmina but particularly of Moree, Sekondi and Axim. I would want to say that in considering such facilities that will, in the light of the Report at page 2, “improve the working conditions of the inhabitants of Elmina … deepening the harbour area from the lagoon mouth, till the dry-dock basin up to a depth of approximately 2m below chart datum” through dredging, we should also consider that we have other people who would need to be also considered for their working environment.

    We would support this loan for the meantime, but expect that in the process the Government would also look at the other settlements along the coastline so that we can all have our working conditions and environment improved for the betterment of our citizenry.

    With this short comment, Mr. Speaker, I want to support the motion.
    Alhaji Seidu Amadu (NDC -- Yapei/Kusawgu) 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion.
    Mr. Speaker, almost all the lagoons we
    have in this country are dying, for several reasons. Most of them are losing their marine life and therefore, the ecological balance, as a result of discharge of effluent materials into their spillway.
    Mr. Speaker, if we go to Tema and
    visit the Chemu Lagoon, it is virtually gone. And there is another Chemu Lagoon
    at Chorkor; that Chemu Lagoon is completely silted and it has lost its ability to function as a lagoon. Our Korle Lagoon here, which is even under construction or rehabilitation, has noticed some form of lack of marine life.
    Mr. Speaker, I would wish that the
    Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing is able to contract more loans in future to restore all the lagoons we have in this country, so that they will be able to function as far as the political system is concerned.
    Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that we have with Elmina is the issue of poor drainage and I would have loved that as part of the component of this particular project, additional resources should have been sourced to tackle the entire drainage system in Elmina, so that in future, it will prevent much of the household waste getting into the lagoon.
    Mr. Speaker, again, there is a salt
    industry and it would have been lovely if Ghana had found money also to promote the salt industry in Elmina, so that we have a kind of integrated project.
    Mr. Speaker, with this, I support the
    motion.
    Mr. Kojo Armah 7:20 p.m.
    On a point of
    information. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to inform my hon. Colleague that only yesterday, in the newspapers, we were told that some three point something billion dollars has been sourced for the salt industry in Elmina. So that matter is under control.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.
    So that
    will be for your information, hon. Member for Yapei/Kusawgu.
    Hon. Members, on that note --

    Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDC --

    Avenor/Ave): Mr. Speaker, the motion that we are to approve, if it is item 40, I would want to place on record that there is nothing in the advertised motion at item 40 indicating the fact that tax exemption too is part of it. But the Committee's Report is adding everything together with tax exemption.

    Mr. Speaker, we can only handle what has been expressly referred to the Committee by
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee, what your Colleague is
    saying is that the addition of tax exemption, and so forth, are not expressed in the motion that we have debated; and we are going to vote on. What do you say to that?
    Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I would agree to some extent with
    my hon. Friend, but sometimes we have to move. Indeed, we were advised that way and if we put in the tax together it facilitates the work of the House. We do not have to come back again; so in this instance CEPS obliged and gave us the tax calculation and that is why we included it. But if he insists that we must come separately, we will so come and just make progress.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.
    Hon. Member, I think you have misunderstood him; he
    is not saying that you should come separately. He is saying that the tax exemption should have been part of the motion. Is that what you are saying?
    Mr. Adjaho 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the tax exemption has not been referred to the Committee.
    It is the loan agreement, which I support, which has been referred to the Committee. The issue of tax exemption has not been referred to the Committee. We support the motion as advertised in item 40, and that is the true position. If they had wanted a change, they would have asked Mr. Speaker for an additional reference to the Committee -- [Inter- ruption]. No, we are saying the same thing. So what we would want is that the Question that will be put will be put on what is in item 40. The issue of tax exemption, we can take it subsequently.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.
    Hon. Member, the issue of tax exemption is part of the
    Report that has been submitted.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.


    In case of reply the number and date of this letter should be quoted

    P. 281
    Mr. Adjaho 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the
    Standing Orders are very clear; you cannot go and do something that has not been referred to you.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    I think my Colleague, the Deputy Minority Leader raised this question too early. We are now dealing with item 40 and I believe we will take the Resolution on item 41. It is only if we want to really take item 42 today, that this matter will come. In the light of what he has said, we can take the items 40 and 41and then by the time we finish we would have known whether we would want to defer item 42 which deals with taxes and see whether that Report is ready. So we can do items 40 and 41 and then go on whilst I talk to my Colleague in leadership.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:20 p.m.
    Hon.
    Deputy Minority Leader, are you all right with that situation?
    Mr. Adjaho 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I do not
    have any problem with what the hon. Majority Leader is suggesting.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved:
    That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing in the Loan Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Kingdom of Belgium and KBC Bank NV Belgium for an amount of €12,138,185.00 for Immediate and Medium Term Measures on the Elmina Benya Lagoon Restoration Project.
    RESOLUTION 7:20 p.m.
    R 7:20 p.m.
    Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu) 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that
    WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335), the terms and conditions of any loan raised by the Government of Ghana on behalf of itself or any public institution or authority shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution supported by the votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;
    PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act,1970 (Act 335) and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the Kingdom of Belgium and KBC Bank NV Belgium for an amount of €12,138,185.00 for Immediate and Meidum Term Measures on the Elmina Benya Lagoon Restoration Project.
    THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 7:20 p.m.
    HEREBY RESOLVES AS 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the Resolution.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved accordingly.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    in the light of the reservations expressed by the hon. Deputy Minority Leader, we defer item 42 with the hope that they will come back properly on the matter. So if we can take item 33 which has been with us for some time.
    Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
    Mr. Kwadwo Agyei-Addo (on behalf
    of Chairman of the Committee): Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the motion is given and the date on which the motion is moved, the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing on the Credit Facility Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Fortis Bank NV of The Netherlands for an amount of E26,850,000.00 to finance the Baifikrom (Mankessim) Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project may be moved today.
    Mr. Edward Salia (NDC -- Jirapa) 7:30 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved accordingly.

    Credit Facility Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Fortis

    Bank NV of The Netherlands
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr. Kwadwo Agyei-Addo) 7:30 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing on the Credit Facility Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Fortis Bank NV of The Netherlands for an amount of E26,850,000.00 to finance the Baifikrom (Mankessim) Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project.
    Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I would want to present the Report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing:
    1.0 Introduction
    The above Credit Facility Agreement was laid in the House on Tuesday, 13th December 2005 and referred to the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing for consideration and report.
    To consider the credit facility the Committee met with the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, two Deputy Ministers for Finance and Economic Planning, Prof. G. Gyan-Baffuor, Dr. A. A. Osei, and officials from the two Ministries and reports as follows:
    2.0 Background
    The Baifikrom (Mankessim) water
    supply scheme was constructed in 1972 based on surface water from Ochi Amissa River serving about 22 localities in three (3) districts in the Central Region of Ghana.
    The installed capacity is 2,270 cubic metres per day, but presently produces 1,700 cubic metres per day as a result of diminished efficiency.
    In 1999/2000, Messrs Bateman of South Africa, and Messrs SPAANS BABCOCK of The Netherlands submitted proposals to develop the Baifikrom water project based on the CONTRASIMEX study for $62 million by Messrs Bateman and $46 million for Messrs SPAANS BABCOCK respectively.
    The scope of works and proposals were however different based on price consideration therefore Messrs SPAANS BABCOCK was invited for negotiations.
    The scheme covers some communities in three (3) districts in the Central Region namely, Mfantsiman, Ajumako/Enyan/ Essiam and Asikuma/Odoben/Brakwa with water supply to about 65,000 people.
    The amendment of the contract was priced at €25.763 million. Further negotiations have been held to agree on the scope of works.
    The Nether lands Government expressed support to the project which is to be financed on concessionary terms by FMO ORET, and Fortis Bank (Nederland) of The Netherlands.
    3.0 Terms and Conditions
    The terms and conditions of the loan are as follows:
    Loan Amount -- €13.43 million
    Interest Rate -- €6 M Euribor + 0.50 per cent
    Grace Period -- 3 years
    Repayment Period -- 10 years
    Commitment Fees -- 0.25 per cent
    Management Fees -- 0.50 per cent flat
    Grant Element -- 69.0 per cent
    4.0 Observations
    The Committee observed that the project, if implemented, would expand the existing capacity, including replacement and extension of transmission and distribution network, and construction of a fence and treatment plant which will improve the water supply to Mankessim and its surrounding villages.
    The Committee observed that upon instructions from the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Ghana Water Company Limited in 2001 requested both firms to quote for their scope of works, using pipe materials specified in the CONTRASIMEX REPORT. The firms were also to quote separately for use of alternative material for the pipelines.
    The Committee observed that the funding of the project is in two parts:
    ORET Grant -- (€13.43 million) Fortis Bank Buyer Credit
    -- (€13.43 million)
    Mr. K. Osei-Prempeh (NPP -- Nsuta/ Kwamang/Beposo) 7:30 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and to urge all hon. Members to support it to enable the people of Mankessim and its surrounding areas enjoy some good drinking water.
    With these few remarks, I second the motion.
    Question proposed.
    Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDC - Avenor/ Ave) 7:30 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am not too much happy with what is before us and what we are being invited to approve. But water is life and it is only on that basis that I am trying to say that we are like giving a limited authorization to the Ministry to go ahead to finish the process.
    Mr. Speaker, if you look at page 4 of the Committee's Report, there is no agreement; and that has to be made clear. We are being told that the document will be made available to the House immediately after approval of the loan agreement. In other words, there is an
    indication like “go ahead and approve it” before we bring you the loan agreement.
    How do you ensure, as a House, that the final agreement will tally with these forms that they bring; and that is why I disagree with the portion of the Committee's Report that states in the second paragraph, at page 4, that they should give the finalized loan agreement and the value for money assessment should be given to the Committee. It should be laid in this House alongside this amendment so that once we look at it we know that these terms that are
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:30 p.m.
    Hon. Moses Asaga, what is happening? The hon. Member is on his feet - [Interruptions.] Hon. Adjaho, I am giving the floor to hon. Moses Asaga. Hon. Moses Asaga -
    Mr. Adjaho 7:30 p.m.
    Just as the final document is not available, we are also not giving the final approval to the details, but we are not opposed to the loan agreement if these terms are the terms that would be captured in the final agreement. I find myself in a very difficult situation; and so we are expecting that immediately the loan agreement is available, they will bring it to us, then we compare what is in the document with what is in the final loan document; then we will all have peace. Until then, my view is that this House is also giving them an indication that we are not opposed to the loan agreement.
    Mr. Speaker, these are the observations I want to make. The Committee's Report has made allusions to it and we must be sure that things are done properly in this House.
    Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 7:30 p.m.
    On a point of clarification. Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify one point. Mr. Speaker, I want to explain that first of all the situation was explained perfectly to the Finance and Water Resources Committee - [Interruptions.]
    rose
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:30 p.m.
    Hon. Moses Asaga, are you on a point of order against what the hon. Minister is saying?
    Moses Asaga: We got up at the same time.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:30 p.m.
    But he is on the floor. Please, take your seat. Hon. Minister, continue.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we did explain to the Committee that we had to take this under a Certificate of
    Urgency because we have been told by the FMO/ORET Grant facility that the facility was for the end of this year, so if we did not do it - so we explained it to hon. Sallas-Mensah and everybody who was there. He was not there. He came and we explained it to him that the agreements with Fortis Bank and all these banks, we have signed more than 20 in this House; they are all standard. And that the Finance and Economic Planning Minister
    the load of work on Members and taking into consideration what we have done so far, and looking at the time of day, I beg to move, that this House adjourns till tomorrow so that we can continue on the other items.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I have no objection to any of such suggestions except that I believe this is the type of decision that at least, in fairness to Mr. Speaker, not that we do not recognize your office, there is consultation; for which reason I have asked my Chief Whip to discuss this issue with Mr. Speaker, and get him to be in the know as to what we are doing.
    And whilst we are doing that, whilst we are waiting on the emissaries, I thought that we could at least finish with the Resolution and then at least, when they come back to report that this also finds favour with him - We occasionally have to respect the Chair, so I have no objection. So let us put the Resolution and let us await the emissary who is to inform the Speaker of this understanding of Leadership; that we will come tomorrow at 9.00 o'clock to complete the remaining two loans and then the Minerals and Mining Bill. I have no objection, but at least let us do the item 35 and wait for the emissary from Mr. Speaker. That is what I want to suggest.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    Minority Leader, what has been proposed by your counterpart is that definitely, the two
    sides have agreed but then, the Speaker must also be in the know; and he has sent emissaries to consult him on that matter. Meanwhile, we cannot continue waiting without doing some work. Why do we not consider item 35 - the Resolution?
    Mr. Bagbin 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I believe strongly that we would want to have our heads on top when we are doing business. To be frank with you, I think that my brain is tired. [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    You are definitely not suggesting that our heads are falling down.
    Mr. Bagbin 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my head is falling off. I am talking about the sanity of the brain now to appreciate the issues and argue well. Mr. Speaker, there was consultation before I moved the motion.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    I agree with you but the only thing that we are doing is the Resolution.
    Mr. Bagbin 7:40 p.m.
    It is not the only one; there is another loan - [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    After the Resolution then we will stop. So I will entreat you, let us continue.
    Hon. Members, let us consider item 35.
    RESOLUTION 7:40 p.m.
    Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. K. Baah-Wiredu) 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, i beg to move, that
    WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    Fair enough, let us assure the Committee that as soon as the final agreement is ready we will make it available to the Committee; that is fair enough.
    Mr. Edward Kojo Salia (NDC - Jirapa) 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge all Members of this House to approve of the motion on the floor.
    Mr. Speaker, we know as a matter of fact that there can be no contract between the Government of Ghana and the FMO unless and until there is a formal agreement approved by this House.
    Mr. Speaker, we have told the Minister and he has been able to convince the Committee that in the supreme interest of the people of our country, if we wait till we get the agreement itself, we are likely to lose the opportunity to secure these funds for the people - [Interruption] - of Mankessim and other sister towns which agreements will be coming soon, namely the Barekese Dam and Tamale water projects.
    It is in the light of our conviction that it is a reality, that if we do not approve this particular facility today, we are likely to confound issues because we might not benefit from this year's allocation by the FMO. It is in the light of this that I urge all the Members not only to approve this particular loan but also the subsequent ones because - so let us approve the Mankessim loan because it will help the people of Mankessim to solve the perennial water problem that they have been suffering from for some time now.
    With this, I urge all of us to approve
    this particular motion.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we have had the opportunity to discuss this loan very well. Mr. Speaker, as has been said by other hon. Members who have spoken, we have water crises in the towns concerned and we should not be seen to be sending any signals that we are also talking about technicalities.
    Mr. Speaker, by the rules, under the Constitution, we are the makers of our own rules and I believe that we should develop a system where committees should be sufficiently empowered. I believe that when the Committee secures the final document, they will not take it as their private property; they will report.
    It is in the light of this that I will urge that you put the Question for us to endorse the motion as presented, hoping that the Joint Committee will never fail this House.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:40 p.m.
    Hon. Members, on that note I will put the Question.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved:
    That this honourable House adopts the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing on the Credit Facility Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Fortis Bank NV of The Netherlands for an amount of €26,850,000.00 to finance the Baifikrom (Mankessim) Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project.
    Mr. Bagbin 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in view of

    335), the terms and conditions of any loan raised by the Government of Ghana on behalf of itself or any public institution or authority shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution supported by the votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;

    PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of the credit facility agreement between the Republic of Ghana AND Fortis Bank NV of The Netherlands for an amount of €26,850,000.00 to finance the Baifikrom (Mankessim) Water Supply Rehabilitation and Expansion Project.
    THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 7:40 p.m.
    HEREBY RESOLVES AS 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Osei-Prempeh 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    Resolved accordingly.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:40 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I crave your indulgence to give me five minutes to meet Mr. Speaker, at the lobby.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 7:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, much as I accept direction from the Leadership of this House and as a full Member of this House, I believe that what is left is not so much that we cannot handle.
    Mr. Speaker, I believe that the issues are straightforward and the conditions are the same. I do not see why, whilst we are waiting, we cannot go on and approve what we have to do. If we want to come back tomorrow, we can do so but the conditions are the same and we can go ahead and approve it. And then if the Minority Leader is still tired, he can go and take a rest or possibly we can put it to the vote; and I think he is strong enough to vote.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:50 p.m.
    I understand he says that this has been discussed between the Leadership itself; that is, some kind of understanding has been reached and therefore that must be respected. I agree with you that as a full Member of this House you can - but sometimes we need to respect some of these accords -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 7:50 p.m.
    The point I was making is that, because today is a very special day, when we finish and we adjourn, most of us have programmed ourselves for other things but if there are certain items left, we have to do them. But
    if we have to change it - that is why the consultation is going on - the Speaker must be in the know that the final date has been pushed forward by one day. And whilst we are waiting we can do some business.
    Mr. Asaga 7:50 p.m.
    I think let us continue.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 7:50 p.m.
    I do not see why - [Interruption.]
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:50 p.m.
    Hon. Minister, the suggestion is that we should continue working whilst there is consultation - [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Bagbin 7:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I moved the motion after consulting my Colleagues on the other side and there was an indication that we would have to adjourn so that we could even get time to do the Mining and Minerals Bill for a good reason. And Mr. Speaker, that is why we agreed to adjourn till tomorrow.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, as the Leadership discussed, it has been accepted that tomorrow we would take the Tamale and Kumasi together; these are the two left - [Interruption] -- together with the Mining and Minerals Bill, except that the Sitting would start at 9 a.m. to enable us start and finish in time. On that basis we can do adjourn now.
    Mr. J. H. Mensah 7:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, just to suggest that we might complete our work tomorrow, Resolution 42 ought to be preceded by motions for suspension of Standing Orders so that we can deal with the import duty elements regarding the Elmina Lagoon Project.
    Mr. Speaker, just for completion of our work, if tomorrow morning we can have the necessary motion for suspension of Standing Order number 80 (1) and take 42. I am making this request because sometimes the lack of assurance about duty-free importation may hamper the execution of the project, especially during the vacation. So we need a Resolution to make this possible tomorrow.
    I thank you very much if that could be arranged on the Order Paper.
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:50 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we would look at the suggestions made except that I am not too sure, because I am told that the Finance Committee would need to have a Schedule of the Tax Element and things like that. But if they are there, then we would add them to the Order Paper and work on them.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:50 p.m.
    So we cannot do much today on that. Is that not so?
    Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 7:50 p.m.
    No, Mr. Speaker, tomorrow 9 o'clock.
    Mr. First Deputy Speaker 7:50 p.m.
    Hon. Members, on that note, the House stands adjourned till tomorrow at 9 o'clock before noon.
    ADJOURNMENT 7:50 p.m.