Debates of 5 Jul 2006

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS
CORRECTION OF VOTES
AND PROCEEDINGS AND
THE OFFICIAL REPORT
Mr. Speaker
Correction of Votes and
Proceedings of Tuesday, 4th July, 2006. Pages 1 …. 7 -- Yes, hon. Chief Whip?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Mr.
Speaker, page 6 -- the hon. Members who have been listed as being absent -- the hon. Member for Mpohor Wassa East, hon. Anthony Evans Amoah -- Mr. Speaker, he is the Western Regional Minister and I do know that he has sent a leave of absence request which has been duly relayed to your Office. The hon. Member is even here today with us. Hon. Yaw Barimah as well, the Eastern Regional Minister -- In the case of hon. Owusu-Ansah, even though I submitted one leave of absence request form which he has duly signed, yesterday he was in the Chamber.
Mr. Ibn Mohammed Abass
Mr.
Speaker, I have been marked absent but yesterday I was here.
Mr. Speaker
Pages 7, 8, 9 . . . 15
-- Yes, hon. Member for Sunyani West?
Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko
Mr.
Speaker, sorry to take you back. At page one -- I was not present but I have been marked present so the change should be done.
Mr. Speaker
The correction would be done.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Mr.
Speaker, I just wanted to know the status of the meeting of the leadership caucus. It was held yesterday but it has not been reflected in the Votes and Proceedings and I wanted to know the status of such a meeting.
Mr. Speaker
Hon. Members, we have
the Official Report for Wednesday, 28th June, 2006. Yes, hon. Member for Ahafo Ano South?
Mr. S. K. B. Manu
Mr. Speaker, back
Mr. Speaker
Hon. Member, are you
taking us back?
Mr. Manu
Yes, Mr. Speaker, with
your indulgence. So I want the Clerk's Office to take note of it next time.
rose
Mr. Speaker
Hon. Member for
Tamale South, are you taking us back too?
Mr. H. Iddrisu
Mr. Speaker, the
Official Report, column 1484, third paragraph, lines 7 to 9 -- “Department of Town and Country Planning”, the “Planning” is spelt “Planting” if you look at it -- “Department of Town and Country Planting”.
Mr. Speaker
Thank you. Hon.
Members, item 3 -- Questions, hon. Minister for Energy. Hon. Majority Leader, is the hon. Minister for Energy in the House?
Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjapong
Mr.
Speaker, I was advised by the hon. Minister that he was out of Accra so his
Deputy would be coming, but when the hon. Chief Whip checked up it looked like he was still in traffic. So if we can take Statements and when he comes, we can go back to it.
Mr. Speaker
Hon. Members, let us
take item 4 -- Statements.
STATEMENTS
Mr. Emmanuel A. Gyamfi (NPP -- Odotobri)
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to make this Statement on nation-building and indiscipline with regard to sanitation, work attitude and road accidents.
Mr. Speaker, acts of indiscipline have become so pervasive that they are gradually becoming accepted as normal in our society. People behave in very unacceptable ways and walk away freely without being ashamed and any law being applied to them. The situation is as if there are no laws, bye-laws and regulations governing our conduct as a people.
Mr. Speaker, His Excellency the Vice President launched a national campaign against indiscipline in the society a few years ago. This awakened many people up but there are still so many acts of indiscipline being perpetuated in our society. People's attitude, thinking, and behaviour towards work, time management and environmental sanitation affect development and nation-building.
Therefore, indiscipline which is lack of control in people's or individuals' behaviour has a negative effect on attempts to break away from the shackles of poverty which has bedevilled our dear
nation. Indiscipline is a serious affront to development and a nation with much indiscipline cannot progress as expected.
Mr. Speaker, one area where acts of indiscipline can be seen is at the workplace, especially in the public sector. The attitude of many to work is nothing to write home about. That Ghanaian workers are figured among the lowest product workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa as was reported in the Daily Dispatch of 30th May, 2006 is an unfortunate revelation.
Some of these workers, especially those in the public sector are involved in so much bureaucratic inertia that people feel very frustrated whenever they have something to do with the public sector. There are so many unnecessary delays that work that can be done in a few days ends up taking months. Some workers, especially those at the front desk have no regard for good customer care; they behave so rudely to visitors that they become uncomfortable if they should return to them for further transactions. Such irresponsibility and lack of diligence scare away potential investors and slow down the growth of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, poor sense of timing and inefficiencies at workplaces must be addressed. Workers report to work very late with so many excuses yet they do not want to do extra hours to compensate for the time lost. They discuss TV programmes and funerals during official working hours. They work lotto and unilaterally extend their lunch break whilst some do not even report at work at all. Sad to relate that these workers are among the first to leave office even before closing time, forgetting that productivity and good condition of service are mutually intertwined and cannot be separated.
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah (NPP -- Bosomtwe) 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to support the Statement made by the hon. Member for Odotobri constituency. Mr. Speaker, indiscipline is costing this country a lot of resources in that many of the activities which result from indisciplinary acts do result in either loss of lives or loss of material resources.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me deal with road accidents which, for me, to a greater extent, are the result of carelessness on the part of some of our drivers. Mr. Speaker, some of these drivers, especially the commercial vehicle drivers, because a relative has bought a vehicle, decides to be an apprentice or a driver's mate. After a few months or years he gets behind the steering wheel and the next day the person is a driver.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is time that we made conscious effort to train most of these drivers. We have a number of driving schools that have sprung up in this country but, in the case of the commercial vehicle drivers, I strongly feel that there should be a driving school which is established by the Vehicle Examination and Licensing Division (VELD) so that these people could be trained. Anybody who wants to drive a commercial vehicle could be trained in such a school to acquire the
Mr. Joe K. Gidisu (NDC -- Central Tongu) 10:20 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to associate myself with the Statement. Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I would like to focus on work ethics as an instrument for nation-building. And I would want to say that every country, every society has special forms of reacting to work situations.
In Ghana we may also have the Ghanaian attitude towards work just like other countries that form the model
for reference. For example, we have the Japanese model of work ethics, the Swedish model, the British model and the American model. In the same vein one can also pin down the Ghanaian attitude towards work which is manifested in the informal sector.
From the traditional point of view, the Ghanaian farmer, his attitude towards work, which one can therefore refer to as the work ethics, is unique in its own way. That is how our farmers have been able to sustain the food situation in the country from time immemorial. The Ghanaian fisherman has his own attitude towards work which makes him very responsive. But when it comes to the formal sector, the public and civil services, when one is referring to their attitude towards work, their work ethics do not meet the standards and for that matter undermine the set standards at the work- place. Mr. Speaker, that is where one would be looking at the type of indiscipline that the maker of the Statement refers to.
But Mr. Speaker, it is quite refreshing for one to identify factors that influence workers' attitude at the workplace which in effect sums up their work ethics. Therefore, I would want to say that the reward system at any workplace goes a long way to influence the attitude of workers towards work. It is the farmer's reward on his farm that influences his attitude. The fisherman in a way is influenced by the reward that comes out of his toil. When you come to the Public and the Civil Service, what is the situation that we are working with? I want to say that employers and for that matter those in supervisory position have the responsibility towards setting those standards that ought to be met at the workplace; one cannot divorce those set standards from the reward system.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite mind-boggling
that for us in Ghana what has worsened
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have a point of information. The hon. Member should appreciate the fact that the public sector or the Government pays small depending upon the national cake, the situation of the economy. He should bear that in mind and not mislead the whole nation.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for
Kwabre East, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Kofi Frimpong 10:30 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member on the other side is seriously misleading the House and the whole nation. Mr. Speaker, he is in a way alluding to the fact that workers
Mr. Kofi Frimpong 10:30 a.m.


can be indisciplined because, maybe, as it were, the amount of money that they are getting is not enough for them. Mr. Speaker, that does not augur well for nation-building. We are saying that there is indiscipline -- [Some hon. Members: You and who?] -- The whole House -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Kofi Frimpong 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
for him to say that workers can be indisciplined because of the lack of enough funds is unfortunate and he must therefore withdraw that statement because he is inciting workers to be indisciplined.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for
Central Tongu, please, continue.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
member who made the Statement noted among other things what he considers to be the indiscipline at the workplace; lateness to work, going to funerals during working hours and also not working effectively according to rules. And I am saying that the reward system at the work- place would go a long way to influence workers' attitude towards work and for that matter, it will be very important for us to look at what reward system we have to put in place.
Mr. Speaker, this is not to forgo the fact that there are two types of reward, the psychological reward and the material reward. The psychological reward is what satisfaction the worker derives for completing or accomplishing a task; that is psychological. The material reward is what one gets by way of payment for work done or any other reward that will be manifest in material terms to the worker. Mr. Speaker, these two situations; one cannot divorce one from the other. And I am saying that the package for workers at a particular time goes a long way to influence their attitude towards work.
Mr. Speaker, for us in Ghana, we cannot condemn our farmers for being indisciplined; so also are our fishermen. Those in the informal sector, the type of indiscipline that we talked about in the public and civil services is not very prominent in those informal sectors; and I am pinning down the situation that the reward system in the formal sector is contributing, among other factors, to the form of indiscipline that has been the focus of the hon. Member who made the Statement.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
You may wind up.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to go further by saying that the President in his first State of the Nation Address to this august House, promised workers of this country a debate on the wage packet. And up till now, for five, six years now, that debate is yet to start. And one can -- [Interruption.]
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, these are some of the factors that we would have to address seriously now that we are talking about public sector reforms -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Order!
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to say that a good reward for work done, especially in the civil and public service, will go a long way to promote healthier discipline among our workforce thereby leading to productivity.
With these few comments, Mr. Speaker, I would want to associate myself with the Statement.
Mr. David Oppong-Kusi (NPP -- Ofoase/Ayirebi) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the Statement made by my hon. Friend from Odotobri. Mr. Speaker, he made a lot of references to lack of discipline in so many areas of our lives. But I would like to dwell on that of poor sanitation practices.
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in the cities is an aggregation of the sort of things that we have been doing in our rural settings. There are certain negative cultural practices that have contributed to what we are seeing today. The way we have traditionally disposed of our waste is something that we cannot continue to do. In the rural areas, traditionally, we build places of convenience outside our villages and outside our towns. But as our villages grow bigger, as our towns enlarge, this mode of disposal of waste has become out-of-date and it is about time that we reviewed the way we have been doing our things.
When you go to the villages, the place of convenience is about a kilometre or half a kilometre outside but now it is no more a place of convenience but a place of inconvenience. Mr. Speaker, it is surprising to find out that somebody will find the resources and the money to put up a house, put up a kitchen, and money to put up a bathhouse but does not think of putting up a place of convenience within the household. This practice is something which is creating problems within our rural areas and even in our cities.
The time has come for us to educate our people. But once you find the resources to put up your house, you find the resources to put up a kitchen and a bathroom; the next thing you should provide is a place of convenience for the people who are going
to live there. This is something we must encourage in all our households.
Again, Mr. Speaker, when we go to our villages, we have some place called bola. A bola is not a Twi word. It is a corruption of the word “boiler”. It means that those days, when we sent our waste outside, it was to be managed. There was a boiler there that made sure that the waste you sent there was burnt away. These days, as our waste become more sophisticated, as we have more inorganic materials in our waste, we need to have a different attitude towards the way we manage our waste, especially in the rural areas.
I am saying this because most of us migrate from the rural areas and we come here with all the negative practices that we have been practising in the rural areas. It is about time that we went back to see how we manage our waste at that level -- [Interruption] -- Mr. Speaker, I come from a rural area, so I know what I am talking about. Now, as our towns enlarge, as our towns become bigger, it becomes very difficult for children who have to send our waste to the bola which is a corruption of the English word “boiler” or the dumping ground to continue doing that. So you will find them trying to shorten the journey by placing the waste anyhow and at any place at all. You will find towns expanding without giving any thought to how we are going to dispose of our waste. This is something that we must put a stop to.
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Okere, do you have a point of order?
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading the whole House and the
Mr. Oppong-Kusi 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I already have that information and Mr. Speaker, I would go on to say that even the way that we treat our liquid waste is bad. When you go round our various bath houses in the rural areas we just allow the water to drift anywhere and at any place even though like he is saying, our villagers are neat, and they keep their houses clean, my point is how we manage the waste that we take away from our houses. Beyond our houses, we do not seem to care. We are very neat, we take our bath but where does our waste water go? Just behind the house you have to step over these waste waters which have been allowed to flow anywhere. This is what I am talking about. So as we develop -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member, please wind up.
Mr. Oppong-Kusi 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, so as we continue to keep our environment clean we need to find a way to manage our waste in our local communities. This kind of attitude would then impact positively on the way it is done even in the cities.
Nii Amasah Namoale (NDC -- Dade Kotopon): Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the Statement on the floor.
Minister of State (Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in associating myself with the Statement, I would want us to look at indiscipline in a much wider perspective.
Mr. Speaker, if you look into the Good Book -- the Bible -- Proverbs 13 10:40 a.m.
18 says that indiscipline leads to poverty and shame. We are always talking about poverty here and there, but have we really looked at the root causes or some of the root causes of poverty? Mr. Speaker,
I would just want to give two or three examples. The first one I would like to talk about is even how we manage our personal finances, whether we are disciplined as individuals or not.
You go to our communities where we always tag the people as poor and, you have most of our menfolk who everyday, before they go to eat in the evening, going for “quarter”. [Laughter.] It is a popular term for the local gin, and that measure, I understand, costs about ¢2,500. If this person who is always talking about poverty would have to spend ¢2,500 minimum a day on “quarter”, at the end of the month it totals up to ¢75,000, but the same person would not be able to buy one exercise book for the child under the guise of poverty.
This is what I am driving at, I am not saying that those who have the money and would want to drink should not drink, but if under the guise of poverty, you cannot buy one supple-mentary reader for your child or one exercise book for your child but you can spend ¢75,000 a month on “quarter”, that is where the indiscipline comes in.
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. Member very well; he does not drink yet he is misinforming the public. He is saying that before some people go to eat they go and buy “quarter” and he said that is a local drink. Please, there is no local gin called “quarter” -- [Laughter.] The “quarter” is the quantity of the stuff that the person is taking -- [Laughter.] You can take “Alomo Bitters”, you can take “Waist and Power”, you can take “Akpeteshie” or “Onetouch” or any of them. The “quarter” is only the quantity. So he should be informed.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Member, you have no point of order, let him continue. [Laughter.]
Mr. Adjei-Darko 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Member for even supporting what I am saying by elaborating on it.
Mr. Speaker, in most of our so-called poor communities, especially in the Akan areas, almost every weekend when there is any funeral, people would go for new funeral cloth. For every specific funeral, they may even have two, one for Saturday and a special one also for the thanksgiving service on Sunday. They would buy them on credit so when they are even working, that petty trading and the small item that the person is selling, they would now use the capital to pay for them; yet at the same time their children cannot have access to a supplementary reader, a school uniform or an exercise book.
I consider all these things as indiscipline. If you are not able to discipline your finances and then you have your children just roaming about under the guise of poverty, what are you building? You are building a family tree where there is poverty, and poverty and once you are poor, sometimes when you have to go round begging even for little things, you do not feel shy, and that is what the Bible is saying.
Mr. Speaker, again still on financing, there are a lot of people in our communities who have had access to small-scale loans starting from the 1990s when we started with poverty reduction monies from the District Assemblies. Some get these monies, start the petty trading and before they even start selling one item, they have already credited cloth and other things, waiting or banking on the profit they would make to go and pay for them, and before they are aware the capital is also gone. All these can be classified as indiscipline.
When you come to environment, the way we dispose of our refuse, we forget that they tell us that malaria is number one or one of the top killers in this nation. And if you also take the statistics, you would find that the so-called “poor communities” are the areas where you would have the prevalence of malaria very much on the ascendancy.

Look at the way we dispose of our refuse. It rains, and instead of water flowing, we provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and when you as a farmer are down with malaria, during the planting season and so you do not plant, what are you going to harvest during the harvest? Either you go to beg or you go to steal from other people's farms and that is confirming what the Bible says. So if we are talking about indiscipline, I will want us to look at it in a much wider perspective.
Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin) 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think this is a very welcome Statement giving us an opportunity to look at our lifestyles as a people in this country.
Mr. Speaker, in making my comments on this Statement, I want to look at two areas. One, there is a wise-saying that “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself”, and this is a typical example. We are leaders, let us show the way; if we are disciplined, our followers will be disciplined. How is our work culture ourselves? How is our attendance to work? How is our productivity as leaders? Is it commendable? And that is what is happening.
So please, let us start by showing it ourselves in Parliament. How many attend Parliament promptly? How many attend Parliament daily? And we are talking about the work output of others in Public
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Item 3 -- Questions.
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, shall we seek your permission to permit the Deputy Minister to act for the Minister?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:50 a.m.
MINISTRY OF ENERGY 10:50 a.m.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite disheartening to have such rhetorical answers from the Minister to almost every Question. What is the current status of the SHEP programme within his Ministry?
Mr. Hammond 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, I do not understand what he means by rhetorical answers from the Ministry. Can he clarify what that means?
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
I thought he asked a question. What was your question, please, hon. Member for Central Tongu?
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my
worry is that if you look at all answers from the Ministry to questions on electricity, it is the same, either the SHEP-4 programme is taken on and is of limited scope. I want to find out from him as the Deputy Minister for that Ministry, the current status of the Self-Help Electrification Project in the country. Within what phase are we operating now? Whether SHEP- 3 Phase 4, SHEP-3 Phase 2 or SHEP-4 Phase 1, which is which?
Mr. Hammond 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, maybe, we should be very careful with our choice of words. To simply get up and say that the Ministry is simply giving rhetorical answers, to me, is not appropriate. In any event, I am not quite sure what he means by identical answers. The answers are very specific to the individual and various communities in the country.
Mr. Speaker, if he wants me to give a broad outline or explanation of what SHEP programme is all about and where we are getting to, that should have been a basis for a different question altogether.
Mr. Speaker, those days when I was giving answers in Parliament and when the other Ministers have been here -- Mr. Speaker, the point has been made very clear what the SHEP is about, where we are in SHEP, the various phases that we have gotten to. He asked a specific question about his area and then we answered that and he said that well, maybe, it was not appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what he wants me to say; what it is, what I know and what the Ministry knows is what is indicated there. This is the position with respect to the communities that he has asked for in his particular area.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, at what level of the Self-Help Electrification Project (SHEP) are we operating within the country? I am asking this because I know of some communities in my constituency which are still under SHEP- 3, Phase 3 and he is talking of SHEP-4, Phase 1 for others and others in SHEP-4 without phases -- whether Phase 2 or Phase 3. I just want to know from him as the Deputy Minister, what is the status of the Self-Help Electrification Project, whether we have completed SHEP-3, Phase 3, or 4 before coming to the SHEP- 4, Phase 1, which is limited in scope.
Mr. K. T. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we said it in this House that we have finished with the various phases of SHEP- 3. When I last spoke in this august House, I did indicate that we were just doing a mopping-up exercise of the third phase of SHEP-3.
Mr. Speaker, along the line, I believe in November or December, 2004, we indicated in this House that we moved on to the fourth SHEP. So we are now in SHEP-4. For reference, we divided it into phases so we said that we are now in the first phase of SHEP-4. So clearly, this House has been informed that we have moved away from the third SHEP and now we are in the fourth SHEP and we are on the first phase of it.
I am not sure about the ones without phases but all of them, SHEP-1, SHEP-2, SHEP-3, SHEP 4 are phased from Phase 1, Phase 2. For the third SHEP, we indicated that we have some mopping-up and I have already reiterated that. In the second phase of it, we went on, we completed it and then the mopping exercise is in the third phase of the third SHEP.
There may be some other communities around which due to problems with the low tension poles, have not been
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, how does the Minister reconcile himself with an uncompleted mopping-up exercise with SHEP 4, Phase 1 which is limited in scope when the mopping-up exercise had not been completed for SHEP-3 as a result of the shortage of materials?
Mr. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, what the hon. Member should appreciate is that the process in which a SHEP takes place is twofold. The individual communities have their own responsibilities just as the Ministry has also got its responsibility. It is for the individual community to provide the low tension poles. It is then for the Ministry to provide the high tension poles and of course all the other relevant cables and the other accessories.
So, when the Ministry has completed its part of it and it is waiting on the community to provide the low tension poles and the low tension poles are not coming, the Ministry and for that matter the country could not just wait on a particular community to the extent that they have not provided their low tension poles.
Mr. Speaker, we have moved on; and so in this particular case, we made sure that we have done all that there is to be done in the various communities at the second and the third phases of SHEP-3. We have finished with that and we are waiting on the communities.
We have done our part, so we have moved on to the fourth and fifth of SHEP- 3, and further into the first phase of the SHEP-4. When other communities are waiting and they are waiting for us, we give these other communities as much patience as we can, but we do not wait. The country does not stand still because these communities have not provided their low tension poles.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Deputy Minister, are you a teacher? Hon. Member for Nkwanta South?
Mr. G. K. B. Gbadiame 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the Minister if he can give us the phases of SHEP-4, that is, the various communities that have been slated for the electrification project there. There are so many communities that have been slated for SHEP-4; we want to know if you can give a list of those communities in the various phases of SHEP-4 including the communities that have been asked of.
Mr. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just said that there were 193 communities in the first phase of SHEP-4. Mr. Speaker, obviously, I cannot rattle all the 193 names.
Mr. F. K. Agbotse 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the Deputy Minister what is preventing his Ministry from completing the projects that have been started in SHEP-4, Phase 1. What is preventing those communities from being connected to the national grid?
Mr. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there has not been an issue about not being able to complete the 193 communities that I have talked about. There are about 193 communities which we are dealing with. The answer I gave has nothing to do with whether they will be completed or they will not be completed. If it is about the general problem that we have, then I heard it whispered over there; it is money.
Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 11 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us how many communities are left in SHEP-3, Phase 3 which are yet un- completed, SHEP-3, Phase 3.
Mr. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would not be able to give a direct answer to that effect because as I said, as far as the Ministry is concerned, all that we are supposed to do, we have done our bit. It is the various communities which have not as yet completed the other things that they have to do to make sure that the whole package is effectively completed. But Mr. Speaker, the Minority Leader can be assured that if he is able to get to my office, I will be able to find out from the Director of Power which communities we are still waiting on for the projects to be completed.
Mr. Bagbin 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, when we ask questions here, it is not just for our personal consumption. It is for everybody and the community and the country. So me coming to his office is different from him answering the question here. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister aware that we still have over 60 communities in the Upper West Region under SHEP-3, Phase 3 which are not yet dealt with by the Ministry?
Mr. Hammond 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it may be more than that countrywide but as I have indicated, that is nothing to do with the Ministry's part of the bargain; it has to do with the communities' end of the relationship.
Mrs. Alice Boon 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
want to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister whether all those communities that were under SHEP-3 with low and high tension poles lying in their communities -- I want to find out from the hon.
Minister whether those communities are now under delayed SHEP-3 or SHEP-4. And if they are under SHEP-4 are they under Phase 1, 2, 3 or Phase 4? I ask that because those poles have been lying there for centuries now -- I do not know under which SHEP they are, especially those in my constituency.
Mr. Hammond 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there
may well be the case that the hon. Member is talking about but that again is also because the Ministry has rejected certain poles in certain communities which were supplied some years ago. For whatever reasons, Mr. Speaker, they do not measure up to the Ministry's specifications for the projects that we are undertaking.
But to the other leg of the questions,
as soon as we are aware that a particular community that we are waiting on has provided the low tension poles for us to move in, we go and deal with it not as part of the subsequent phases but as part of the phase in which it fell.
So in the hon. Member who asked the question's case, even if it is SHEP-3, Phase 2, we will go there and mop it up.
Electricity to some Central Tongu District Communities
Mr. Joe Kwashie Gidisu asked the Minister for Energy what was being done to connect the following communities to the national electricity grid:
i) Mafi Agorve
ii) Wudzrolo
iii) Seva and
iv) Zongo.
Deputy Minister for Energy (Mr. K. T. Hammond): Mr. Speaker, the Mafi Agorve and Wedzrolo communities have been earmarked for connection to the national electricity grid under the SHEP- 4. These communities however do not

form part of the SHEP-4, Phase 1 project. The communities would therefore be connected to the national electricity grid in the subsequent phases of the SHEP-4 programme subject to the availability of finds.

As a result of the construction of a water treatment station at Mafi Zongo, the Ministry of Energy has awarded a contract for the extension of power supply to both the water station and the Mafi Zongo community to ensure the effective operation of the plant. Further, since the water plant would be serving a number of communities within the environs of Mafi Zongo, we have also considered the extension of electricity to the Agbadzikope/Seva communities under the project.

A c c o r d i n g l y, t h e f o l l o w i n g communities will also benefit from the power project: Adziepe, Bakpa Kpokope, Agbendakope/Yevukope, Mankukope and Agbadzikope/Seva. The project is planned to be completed by the end of the year 2006 depending on the availability of funds and also the provision of the LV poles by the beneficiary communities.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Wudzrolo is one of the cluster of villages in the Zongo area which the Deputy Minister mentioned. Why would not Wudzrolo equally be considered as part of the present extension exercise within that community?
Mr. Hammond 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I will
investigate that.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. Deputy Minister pointed out in terms of the SHEP programme, I hope by now, the Ministry might have phased out the SHEP-4 programme in terms of the communities that he talked about that come under SHEP-4. Having noted that some of those communities form part of the SHEP-4 programme, would he be very explicit on the phase under the SHEP-4
which they come?
Mr. Hammond 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
be happy if he explained the point again. I did not quite get it.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member, your
question again, please.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
hon. Deputy Minister noted that some of those communities are under the SHEP- 4 programme and according to him, the SHEP-4, Phase 1 is limited. I would want to find out, under which of the phases of SHEP-4 are those communities placed.
Mr. Hammond 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
not be able to, at this stage, tell the hon. Member which phase. Mr. Speaker, there are two thousand communities that they have earmarked for electrification project under SHEP-4 and we indicated that it is all subject to the availability of funds. We have got two or three more phases to complete but it is a question of the availability of funds.
So Mr. Speaker, I would not be able to tell the hon. Member who asked the question specifically under which of the phases they are under in SHEP-4.
Mr. Charles S. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
Mr.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for North
Tongu, this cannot be a supplementary question. If you have other questions, you may please ask.
Mr. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I can
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Please, rephrase it.
Mr. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would
like to know about the communities which were in Phase 3 since 1998. Where they are now, Phase 1 of SHEP-4?
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for North
Tongu, kindly ask the question properly in the appropriate way but not now.
Mr. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
In other words, Mr.
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Please, go ahead.
Mr. Hodogbey 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
villages mentioned in the Question asked by the hon. Member for Central Tongu (Mr. Joe Gidisu), were originally in Phase 3. Are they now being moved to SHEP-4, Phase 1?
Mr. Hammond 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I
have already indicated, if that particular community is ready with the materials that we are waiting on, we come in there and complete it as part of that particular phase. And so if one community was originally in SHEP 3, Phase 2, we will come back there and finish it as such. They do not come and join the other two thousand communities.
Mr. E. K. Bandua 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister if it would be possible for him to provide this House with a list of all communities under SHEP-4. The list should indicate the phases under which they all fall.
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we
would not be able to do that because as I have said, we do not know which ones are going to fall under which phases. We do know as an umbrella head so many
communities would be completed subject to the availability of funds under SHEP-4 but for the various phases, I would not be able to give him the list now.

Kpoviadzi, Bakpa Avedo, Mafi Avedo Communities (Electricity)

Q. 306. Mr. Joe Kwashie Gidisu asked the Minister for Energy when Kpoviadzi, Bakpa Avedo, Mafi Avedo, which are communities in the Central Tongu constituency, would be connected to the national electricity grid.
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Kpoviadzi, Bakpa Avedo and Mafi Avedo communities have been earmarked for connection to the national electricity grid of the SHEP-4, Phase-1 project, which is of limited scope.
The communities would therefore be connected to the national electricity grid in the subsequent phases of the SHEP-4 subject to the availability of funds.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am again worried. I want to find out from the hon. Minister what arrangements his Ministry has made towards this SHEP- 4 programme which is embedded in ambiguity in terms of phasing out. If these communities are part of SHEP-4, under which of the phases do they come?
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we have got to get this thing right. There is a SHEP programme and then there is the division into phases. These communities are in SHEP-4, but they are not in the first phase. The 193 that we are doing, these communities are not in there so they will be done in the other phases. I have indicated in the House that I cannot, now, tell him, which ones these communities are going to go in, because to start with there is the question of funds and they
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite worrying that for six years now we have been static on SHEP-3 without even completing the SHEP-3 mopping-up he is talking about, let alone moving into the limited Phase 4. Mr. Speaker, the past six years -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
What is your question?
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question is, what is the way out of the SHEP-4 programme the hon. Minister is talking about? Because it is so bleak, nothing in terms of effective work under even the limited Phase-1 that he is talking about, let alone the others that he is talking about which have no phases --
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would entreat my hon. Friend to be a little bit less emotional because in the same way he feels so strongly about these in connection with his communities -- He knows how many communities there are in the country so I plead with him -- But it is also wrong to indicate that, there does not seem to be anything going on. The amount of money that we have -- There was a debate in this House about whether it is kwankyen adeefe or Kwakye adeefe or what?
They say that yede sika na eye. Mr. Speaker, if you do not have l'argent, you cannot do these things. The money that we have now can cope with about 193; that is what we are doing. When the money is available and we bring a motion to the House and it is passed by the House we would make sure that all these communities among which is his own community would be completed in the fullness of time.
Towns in Pru Constituency (Electricity)
Q. 308. Mr. Baba Abdul-Rahman Masoud asked the Minister for Energy what arrangements the Ministry had to extend electricity to the following towns in the Pru constituency:
(i) Ajarja;
(ii) Abease; and
(iii) Zabrama.
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Ajarja, Abease and Zabrama communities do not form part of the electrification programmes currently being carried out by the Ministry of Energy. However, upon a request to the Ministry by the District Assembly, the Ministry of Energy has carried out a feasibility study on the connection of the Abease, Zabrama and other communities to the national electricity grid.
Through the studies, it was found out that the distance from the souce point at Prang to Abease through Beposo, Darmang Nkwanta and Bupe is 38.3 km. This distance however falls outside the scope of the criteria for SHEP (which is 20 km from the source point). Also, the distance from Abease to Zabrama through Kofuokrom was found to be 26.9 km, which similarly falls outside the SHEP criteria.
There has however not been any request for connecting the Ajarja community to the national grid. The community may apply to join the SHEP if it meets the eligibility criteria.
Mr. Masoud 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the hon. Minister when the request from the District Assembly was made to
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have the date on which the request was made. I do have it on record that the District Assembly made a request for the community to be surveyed for the possibility of extension of electricity to the place and the study was accordingly undertaken.
Mr. Masoud 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know that Ajarja is within the 20 km radius from the point, that is Prang. So I want to know whether it is the community or the District Assembly that has to make the application to the Ministry.
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, what normally happens is that the community would make the suggestion -- write the letter, give it to the District Assembly which would then forward it to the Ministry. So I guess if the community wrote the letter and took it to the District Assembly it would be sent to the Ministry.
Mr. Masoud 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to further ask the hon. Minister -- He did mention that Zabrama and Abease are out of the schedule. I want to know at what point in time these communities would actually qualify to benefit from the national grid of electricity.
Mr. Hammond 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that particular criterion is that you have got to fall within a radius of 20 km. What we have discussed is that -- [Interruption.] He can be patient about this matter. There are some other communities, I am told, within the area; so as they make their requests and power is extended to these areas -- and these areas fall within the 20 km point, at that stage you qualify on the distance criterion.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Question number 309
-- Hon. Iddrisu Zakari Alidu, Member for Walewale?
Nii Amasah Namoale: Mr. Speaker, hon. Iddrisu Zakari Alidu asked me to ask the Question for him. He is indisposed.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Yes, go ahead.
Communities in the Walewale Constituency (Electricity)
Q. 309. Nii Amasah Namoale (on behalf of Mr. Iddrisu Zakari Alidu) asked the Minister for Energy when the following communities in the Walewale constituency, which were connected to the National Electricity Grid since 2000 will become operational:
(i) Tinguri/Gbani;
(ii) Kparigu;
(iii) Wungu;
(iv) Janga; and
(v) Guabuliga.
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Tinguri/Gbani, Kparigu, Wungu, Janga and Guabuliga communities form part of the ongoing electrification projects being carried out by the Ministry of Energy.
Both the High Voltage (HV) and Low Voltage (LV) network construction have been completed in these communities. Customer service connections are also in progress in these communities.
The projects at Janga and Guabuliga have however been completed and paid-up customers have already started enjoying power supply.
The unavailability of Low Voltage (LV)
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the various communities.
Nii Namoale: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the hon. Deputy Minister, if there were to be a by-election today at that place, whether he would provide low voltage poles or he would still ask the community to buy the low voltage poles.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Dade- Kotopon, no hypothetical questions.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale South?
Mr. H. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have been trying to catch your eye on a point of order. I do not know whether it will be prudent for me to raise it. I was up on a point of order. It appears that the hon. Deputy Minister's answers are inconsistent with the Policy Statement that his own Minister made on this floor only two weeks ago regarding some of the answers he was giving; and I thought I would have had your leave to draw his
attention to it.
The hon. Minister was here two weeks ago and gave an indication of a policy review which would no longer require communities to provide those high tension poles. He was very categorical here the last time but in all his Answers -- low tension poles. In all his Answers he says “communities”. I wonder whether he is not in contact with his Minister or he has his own policy he is pursuing and the Minister too is doing another thing.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, we are dealing with the Questions; when we come to the appropriate Question he may raise the question again but not at this stage.
Communities in Sawla-Kalba (Electricity)
Q. 310. Mr. Donald Dari Soditey asked the Minister for Energy when the following communities in Sawla-Kalba constituency would be connected to the National Electricity Grid:
i) Tuna,
ii) Kulmasa,
iii) Yipala,
iv) Kalba
v) Gindabuo,
vi) Nyoli Blema,
vii) Jentilpe; and viii Goyiri.
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Tuna, Kulmasa, Yipala, Gindabou and Nyoli Blema are to be supplied with electricity using the shield wire technology under an electrification project being executed by the Volta River Authority (VRA). This installation will require a 34.5/20 kV interposing transformer at the Sawla substation as well as shield wire transformers in the beneficiary communities. Since these transformers are

not the conventional type, they must be designed to serve the particular purpose.

The Ministry of Energy and the VRA are collaborating to make these transformers available for installation at the Sawla sub- station and also in the communities so they could be connected to the national grid. The Volta River Authority has already initiated the process for the procurement of the transformers. These are expected to be delivered in early 2007, after which the project for the connection of the communities will be implemented.

The Kalba, Jentilpe and Goyiri communities have not been listed under any of the ongoing electrification projects currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Energy. The communities may apply for consideration under the SHEP, if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Mr. Soditey 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister if he knows when this project started.
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know when it started. It started during the reign of the then Government of which he is a member of its party. Mr. Speaker, for whatever reason that project could not be accomplished. I can appreciate maybe the difficulties attending to that; it is a very technical project; it is a very difficult thing to accomplish; they started it and it was abandoned. So this Government has thought it proper to make sure that that project is effectively executed for the benefit of the people in the society. So I know it; it was started by them and they abandoned it.
Mr. Soditey 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Tuna, Kulmasa, Yipala, Gindabuo and Nyoli are parts of SHEP-3 and had their poles erected and wired as far back as the year 2000. What has accounted for this delay in the VRA providing self-wire trans-formers to complete the project?
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, the kind of transformers
required for that particular job is not the one that takes off the shelf. It is purpose- specific and that is the reason why it has taken VRA all this time to procure the transformers.
Mr. Speaker, we are now very close to the completion of the project. As I have indicated, by early 2007 those specific transformers would be brought to the country and to the various communities.
Mr. Soditey 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the last paragraph of his Answer, the hon. Deputy Minister spoke about eligibility criteria. I would like him to explain the criteria he is talking about in his Answer.
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, first of
all, the community must request that it wants to be part of the SHEP programme; secondly, it must be within 20 km threshold, the radios that we are talking about; thirdly, and Mr. Speaker, more importantly, they must show willingness or ability to provide their low tension poles. These three requirements, Mr. Speaker, are paramount.
Mr. M. A. Puozaa 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
hon. Deputy Minister's Answer really makes one very confused because at Tuna, Kulmasa, Yipala, Gindabuo and Nyoli -- all these communities are wired, transformers have been fixed and even metres have been supplied to the various homes. I do not know whether they are going to rewire the whole place; it is really confusing. So can he explain what is going to happen to the materials that already exist there?
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Member will see from the second line of the Answer that we are talking about a particular technology. The existing technology cannot properly deal with the situation we face in these communities, so we are using a different technology. That is why we talked about specific purpose transformers and we talk about a specific
Mr. A. K. Agbesi 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to know from the hon. Deputy Minister why they have resorted to this particular technology in that constituency.
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is a bit
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ashaiman, what was your supplementary question?
Mr. Agbesi 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister,
in his Answer, has said that they are using the “shield wire technology”. He went on to say that “since these transformers are not the conventional type…” My question is, why have they resorted to this type of technology which is not the conventional type we know in that particular area?
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Deputy Minister, will
you be in a position to briefly explain?
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, I can. Mr. Speaker, the normal transmission we do in the country or the extension to the various communities, uses just the main pylons; we step the power down at particular sub-stations and then we carry them from there using specific types of other stations. So for example, we have 161, we go to 33, then we step it down to 11 and then we have the stringings.
Mr. Speaker, in the case of these particular communities, it has become pretty clear that we would have to string about so many kilometres of cables before we get to the little communities. It is thought that maybe the most viable and economical way of achieving the same result of getting power to them is to look at the VRA pylons themselves. If anybody
has had the opportunity to look at the big lines he would see some two tiny little wires on them.
Mr. Speaker, what has now been decided is that instead of doing what I have just described, which in the context of these communities would not be feasible, we will draw power from the VRA pylons themselves and in dropping that we would need an interposing transformer to go through the solar transformer itself and then we will need specific service wires. Mr. Speaker, that is part of the reason why we said this is not the ordinary conventional kind of thing that we do.
Communities in Tain Constituency (Electricity)
Q. 542. Mr. Joe Danquah asked the Minister for Energy when the following communities in the Tain constituency would be connected to the National Electricity Grid:
(i) Bongase,
(ii) Wewa,
(iii) Masana; and
(iv) Adamu.
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Masana and Adamu communities form part of SHEP-4. These communities however do not form part of the SHEP-4 Phase 1 project. The communities will therefore be connected to the national grid in the subsequent phases of SHEP-4 subject again to the availability of funds.
The Bongase and Wewa communities have not been listed under any of the electrification projects currently being carried out by the Ministry of Energy.
Mr. Danquah 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister when the SHEP-4 Phase 2 is going to start.
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is
subject to availability of cash.
Mr. E. A. Gyamfi 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to find out from the hon. Deputy Minister -- As part of the MOE the communities are required to provide low tension poles and this has been a very big obstacle to the implementation of the SHEP project. I want to know from the hon. Deputy Minister what the Ministry is doing about it. Can the Ministry not help the local poor communities to procure these poles for the programme to go on successfully?
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, hon.
Haruna Iddrisu is not here but that deals precisely with the point that he raised. The Minister had come to the House -- I was not here but if what he himself said is anything to go by, he said that “there was a policy review”; those are exactly the words that he used. Now how can a policy review be confused for the specific policy on the ground that I am talking about in the House? So I do not have one policy; the Minister does not have his own policy; and the Ministry does not separately have its policy.
Mr. Speaker, there is a difficulty; we appreciate it. Some of the very poor communities are struggling with the provision of the low tension poles. I have made the appeal so many times in this House that the Members of Parliament, instead of using their District Assemblies
Common Fund and whatever for whatever it is that they want to -- They should bring their Common Fund.
Mr. Speaker, the District Chief Executives (DCEs) should also bring part of the Common Fund and the Ministry will supplement and then help the communities. Mr. Speaker, they decide to use their District Assemblies Common Fund for whatever they want to use their Common Fund for -- [Interruptions]-- and they are creating all the wahala for me.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Order!
Mr. Hammond 11:40 a.m.
So Mr. Speaker, it is a policy review; we are thinking about it but it is not yet a policy that the Ministry will provide every community with low tension poles; hon. Members of Par- liament should help.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Deputy Minister for Energy, thank you very much for appearing to answer the Questions. You are discharged.
BILLS -- FIRST READING 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Item 6 -- Committee Sittings. Leadership, at this stage, any indication?
Mr. K. A. Okerchire 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it
does seem to me that we have done quite a lot today and there are other committee sittings. So I beg to move, that this House do now adjourn till tomorrow at 10.00 in the forenoon. I so move.
Mr. John Tia 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, before I
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Minority Chief
Whip, that is the only motion, which is on the floor.
Mr. Tia 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second
the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 11:50 a.m.