Debates of 19 Jun 2007

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings, Friday, 15th June, 2007. Pages 1, 2 . . . 7 -- [Interruption.]
Mr. A. W. G. Abayateye 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take you back to page 6. My name appeared under Members who were absent but I was absent with permission. We were on duty at Elmina.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Which page are you referring to?
Mr. Abayateye 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am talking about page 6, number 4 (1). I have been recorded as being absent but I was absent with permission. We were at Elmina.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on page 6, number 17, I have been listed as absent. I was here on that day.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Thank you for that.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on page 6, number 10, I was also listed as absent. I was actually in a meeting at Elmina, so I was absent with permission.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Pages 8, 9 . . . 15. -- [Pause.] Hon. Members, we have two Official Reports, Tuesday, 12th June, 2007 and Wednesday, 13th June, 2007. [No
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10 a.m.
MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, 10 a.m.
WORKS AND HOUSING 10 a.m.
Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing (Mr. Hackman Owusu- Agyemang) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you sincerely for the opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, the payment of five per cent contribution to capital cost, including borehole drilling for rural communities is one of the sector policies adopted for the implementation of the National Community Water and Sanitation Programme by Government and this country and its Development Partners through a Sector Policy document in 1994. So Mr. Speaker, it has been in operation for close to 13 years.
Over the years, concerns have been raised on the five per cent contribution by rural communities. And I have the special privilege in this House of pronouncing my personal opinion on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, the review of the policy would require some time. In the interim, we have instructed CWSA to bring to the Minister's attention, any community that cannot genuinely pay the five per cent contribution for possible assistance from Government. Government would not allow any community to be denied access to potable water because it is unable to pay
its five per cent share.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask the hon. Minister whether there are other projects in his outfit that attract five per cent of the capital cost by the beneficiaries.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the only policy in place for the past 13 years, as I have said, is the five per cent contribution to the Community Water and Sanitation Programme. There is no other project facility in our Ministry that attracts the five per cent contribution.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to find out from the hon. Minister the total cost of drilling one borehole.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the cost of drilling a borehole is contingent upon the geological formation that one encounters. But on the average the minimum is something around 50 million cedis. It can go as high as 98 million cedis but it is all dependent upon what you are doing and what facility eventually you are putting in place. So they vary from place to place and how deep you have to go, the geological formation and other factors that must be taken into consideration. This sometimes does not include the provision of safe hand pump or mechanized pumps, for that matter.
Mr. E. P. Aidoo 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister what is making it impossible for the Ministry to pay the five per cent contribution for all communities.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, this policy had been in place since 1994; that was the consensus reached by the then government with the Development Partners. I have stood before
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.


That notwithstanding, Mr. Speaker, it was a decision by the then Government which we inherited and with which we are keeping faith; and the development partners are saying that we need to discuss it. So we are discussing it and I hope that at the end of the day the selective support that has been given sometimes by philanthropists would all come to play and we would then agree on the way forward.

For now the condition is what it is and the International Development Asso- ciation (IDA), the European Union (EU) and KFW, all of them have been insisting on it. But we have found a way to go about this, so I do not think we should really worry too much about it. Eventually, it would be resolved.
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Question No. 842 --
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Deputy Minority Leader, do you have a supplementary question?
Mr. Adjaho 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry. The hon. Minister in his Answer said that Government would not deny any community access to potable water because they are not able to pay five per cent of the capital cost. I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether he is aware that even before they come to drill in a community they have to open an account and deposit this five per cent? So when he says that Government would not deny them, what exactly is he saying?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the modalities are established. Therefore, if a particular community cannot afford the five per cent then it is ante, that is before the submissions are made to us and then -- [Interruption] -- Yes, that is Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA). It is either found or some kind of philanthropist is found. That is what is on the ground.
Unfortunately, most of the time in the project document, especially funding from our developing partners, because this has been the modus operandi for the past 13 years they would require that as one of the, if you like, conditions precedent; but this is what we are saying that where that cannot be met -- I give my word to this House -- we would review it and review it positively.
“Roundabout” to Feteagya Road Drainage Problem
Q. 842. Mr. Robert Sarfo-Mensah asked the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing what plans the Ministry had for solving the “round- about” to Feteagya road drainage problem.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the situation of the “roundabout” to Feteagya is a serious one. I have visited the site myself and instructed the Hydrological Services Department to undertake investigations into the causes of the drainage problems in the “roundabout” area. Detailed engineering drawings and designs have been carried out and subsequently the contract for the construction of the dam is to be awarded at the cost of something like ¢2.5 billion, and I am hopeful that this would be done as quickly as possible. The site was handed over to the contractor on the 7th of June
Mr. Sarfo-Mensah 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, according to the hon. Minister, he has visited the site and the problem is quite serious. May he tell the House when exactly the contractor is moving to site?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I speak now, the contract should be signed today; it was supposed to have been signed yesterday but we have not been able to get through to the constituency. But I am sure that it would be signed today.
Brewaniase, Bonakye, Nyanbong and Keri Communities (Potable Water)
Q. 843. Mr. Alfred W. G. Abayateye (on behalf of Mr. Gershon K. B. Gbediame) asked the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing what plans the Ministry had to provide the following communities with potable water: Brewaniase, Bonakye, Nyanbong and Keri.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the simplest answer would be that all these communities do have potable water. So I do not know the intention of the Question. If the hon. Member knows, our investigations show that all these towns do have potable water. I went further to assume that what he wanted to find out was when we could give them what we call “the small town water system”. Indeed, as far as Brewaniase is concerned the community has in excess of 7,000 people and therefore it would qualify for what we call “the small town water system” by our definition. As I said, for the time being NGOs are assisting; there were some wells and NGOs including HUPEF have recently drilled seven additional boreholes for the community. So indeed, there is potable water.
In the case of Bonakye, the town has close to 2,600 inhabitants and that would also qualify for small town water system. For now, Mr. Speaker, it has five boreholes, two of which are hand pumps. Therefore, that particular community has potable water. An NGO, APDU is also working in the district and drilling more boreholes.
With regard to Nyanbong, that town also has in excess of 2,000 inhabitants and qualifies for pipewater system. Presently there are five boreholes with hand pumps and these are providing potable water to the people. In the case of Keri, the town has approximately 2,800 inhabitants, and again it qualifies for the pipe water scheme. They have eight boreholes fitted with hand pumps supplying water to the people.
So I as I said, Mr. Speaker, I am not too sure what the intention of the questioner is. All these communities in his constituency are served with potable water.
Mr. Abayeteye 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member hails from the area and I believe if these things were in place, he would not have asked this Question. So my question is, within which period were the boreholes in the communities con-structed?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
presumptions in this instance are quite dangerous. Certainly, all these boreholes, the numbers that I have enumerated would not have been done in the last one week when I got the Question from the Clerk's Table; they have been in existence for sometime. If he wants to know precisely when they were drilled he would have to come properly and I will find out the details on a borehole by borehole basis. But certainly the hon. Member, maybe, did
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Mfantseman East constituency receives its water supply partly from the Kwanyaku and the Baifikrom Headworks. Water supply from the existing plant at Kwanyaku Headworks is completed and is presently producing 355,000m3/day (7.7 mgd), after the expansion project was completed and commissioned by His Excellency the President in February, 2007. Supply areas cover Swedru, parts of Gomoa, parts of the Senya area and parts of the Mfantseman East constituency which is at the tail end of the Kwanyaku supply area.
Mr. Speaker, prior to the completion of the Kwanyaku project, supply to the tail end of the distribution network was inadequate with the old plant producing 14,000m3/day (3.1 mgd).
The demand for water was not met, therefore making supply to some parts of the Mfantseman East constituency very erratic -- and indeed very difficult.
Mr. Speaker, the Baifikrom water system was also producing at about half the plant capacity due to an ageing plant and equipment. Distribution and Transmission pipelines were also inadequate. With the expansion and rehabilitation of the Kwanyaku Headworks which is completed, an additional 21,000m3/day (4.6 mgd) plant has been constructed, and
there is currently enough water that can be available to areas of the Mfantseman East constituency where the transmission and distribution pipelines are in good working condition.
This august House on 30th May, 2007 approved additional funding of 4.1 million euros under the project for replacement, improvement and also extension of distribution/transmission networks for that area.
Mr. Speaker, under the Baifikrom expansion, about 13,000m3/day plant (2.68 mgd) is to be constructed. Work is in progress in this instance, that is Baifikrom -- and is 15 per cent completed. After completion, all the towns in the Mfantseman District and beyond will enjoy daily uninterrupted supply of water.
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it seems my Question has not been answered. I would like to know from the hon. Minister what plans, specifically, has he got from Mfantseman East with regard to water supply to my people.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot agree with my hon. Colleague that I have not answered the Question. Maybe, he was not paying attention. I have said that Mfantseman East is at the end of the distribution network; that the Kwanyaku Water Supply Station, which is operational, is serving these areas. In addition, 4.1 million euros has been sourced to expand the water system to all the areas of the constituency; and if this is not a plan, then I do not know what planning is.
I am telling him that we are in the process of constructing the extra piping to reach that constituency. This is the plan, and approval was given by this House only
three weeks ago.
Furthermore, the Baifikrom, which is also to supplement the system, is also being constructed; and these are plans. So I want to assure him that plans are on with -- not on the drawing the board, but indeed they are being executed to provide water to all the areas in his constituency; and this is a fact which he can verify on the ground.
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the fact he has given on the ground, may I know from the hon. Minister when they are going to enjoy the water.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Would you be kind enough to repeat your question?
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, given the facts on the ground, may I know from him when my people will enjoy potable water.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, those areas in the hon. Member 's constituency that are not being served will be served within the next six months when we extend the pipelines from Kwanyaku Headworks to that area. As far as the little pocket which is left is concerned, which will be serviced by the Baifikrom water system, the timeframe is something like, another ten months and then the whole area will be serviced with the two headworks supplying the water system. So within six months, though that will be served by Kwanyaku, maximum another ten months the rest will be served.
Mr. Kuntu-Blankson 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I know from the hon. Minister; in his explanation he made mention of towns at the tail end which are going to be attended to. May I know from him the names of those towns?
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he is a member of the constituency so maybe he should know. But he should have to come properly so that I can get the detailed names of the place. Certainly, I have been there, but I do not know the names from the top of my head. So that will be done; if this is noticed, we will provide him with the list.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister whether those who are enjoying the water from the Kwanyaku area were also subjected to the same conditionalities as the District Water Project III -- that is, the payment of the five per cent which has been the problem in the District Water Project III in the eastern end.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Deputy Minority Whip, this is not a supplementary question.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether the people of Kwanyaku are equally making a local input into the supply of the water system, and if so how much.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Central Tongu, please your question again?
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to find out from the hon. Minister whether the people of Kwanyaku area are making any local input in terms of cost-sharing of the water supply, and if so how much?
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Would you be kind enough to come properly; this is not a supplementary question.
Sekesua, Akateng, Anyaboni (Small Town Water System)
Q. 873. Mr. Stephen Amoanor Kwao
asked the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing when the following towns in Upper Manya would be provided with Small Town Water System:
(i) Sekesua
(ii) Akateng
(iii) Anyaboni
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, attempts by CWSA to provide communities in Upper Manya and Yilo Krobo with potable water through the exploitation of ground water have been unsuccessful in some cases due to the unfavourable hydrogeological conditions encountered in the hon. Member's constituency.
To address the situation the Ministry as a policy has directed that all rural and small town communities along the new facility approved by this House for Koforidua water supply pipeline which takes its source from the Volta River at Kponyakorpe should be connected to the system.
Again, Mr. Speaker, CWSA under the on-going DANIDA/GoG financed project is to launch a feasibility study in July this year to cover all communities within 55-km radius from the proposed pipeline for the consideration of the Minister. So certainly, towns like Sekesua, Akateng and Anyaboni would be covered under the feasibility studies, and eventually connected to the scheme.
Mr. S. A. Kwao 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I know from the hon. Minister, whether apart from Sekesua, Akateng and Anyaboni, other villages within the catchment area will also be considered for the water.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes indeed, and I think I can assure my hon. Colleague that within the next eleven
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:30 a.m.
months the project will be completed and all these little communities will be connected to it.

Hitherto, communities en route were not provided for under such schemes, but the new thinking is that along the route each and every community will be connected. So indeed, those communities will be connected to the Koforidua water pipe scheme.
Mr. Kwao 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I know from the hon. Minister -- he talked about ground water which is impossible in our area. But even in the abundance of pipe- borne water ground water is still relevant. May I know from him if there is any technology to make the unfavourable hydrogeological conditions in the area favourable for accessing ground water.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, would you be kind enough to repeat your question, please.
Mr. Kwao 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he talked about ground water being very difficult to get in the area -- that is borehole water -- And I am asking if there is any technology to undo that problem in that area.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, when we encounter such difficulties the only way to go further is what we call bedrock exploration. We have some companies that we are speaking to, who are in the country and may want to engage in what we call the bedrock exploration that may go beyond stone formation to access water. For the time being we do not have the technology to circumvent that problem.
Be that as it may, fortunately we have a project which is being executed
by the same people who finished the Kwanyaku Project ahead of schedule and so I absolutely believe that latest within one year we should be getting water to the communities. But we do have three companies which are in the country and trying to see whether they can apply this technology and whether they can assist us, because in the north too we have a lot of problems sometimes with some of these hydrogeological formations.
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question is, since communities contribute their share towards provision of water what is the contribution of these communities concerned in this particular question? How much is their contri-bution?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, this cannot be a supplementary question.
Mr. Hodogbey 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the earlier questions which the Minister answered he made mentioned of five per cent in certain areas but in some other areas he never made mention of that five per cent. So I am trying to find out how much the communities here are paying towards the provision of water.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
I would want you to come back properly.
Hon. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, thank you for appearing to answer these Questions; you are discharged.
STATEMENTS 10:30 a.m.
Minister for Energy (Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to again address this august House in such a relatively short period after I had recently appeared in this House to give the Government's programme
that will end the current load-shedding programme. Mr. Speaker, this time, however, my Statement would be limited only to one aspect of the Energy Sector -- recent performance of the Petroleum Sub-Sector.
Mr. Speaker, I am certain that your goodself as well as some of my colleague Members of Parliament have perhaps heard over the airwaves as well as seen in the print and electronic media, news about the discovery of oil by an exploration team that has been prospecting for oil in the territorial waters of Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, as this matter is a very significant one for this dear country of ours, and as this honourable House has been instrumental in scrutinizing and approving the exploration Agreements, it is only proper to share the recent developments that have occurred in this particular aspect of our operations with the House.

Mr. Speaker, for the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of my hon. Colleagues, let me quote the Partner and Executive Vice President of Kosmos Energy who made the presentation to Government on behalf of his other partner, Mr. James C. Mussleman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kosmos.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Maxted said, and I quote 10:30 a.m.
“The quality of the commodity found is premium and its quantity is not un-commercial.”
Mr. Speaker, during his delivery he also compared the findings to those of Equitorial Guinea, Nigeria and Angola.
Mr. Speaker, indeed, this should be very good news to all Ghanaians, especially my hon. Colleagues who in this House helped to improve upon the Agreements that have come to the House.
On this note, Mr. Speaker, I think it is only appropriate for me at this stage to add a few remarks to those made by the exploration company.
Mr. Speaker, it is very important for us all to take note that it is not the Government that has come to make this declaration. The information was shared voluntarily by Kosmos Energy on behalf of their other partners, Anadarco and Tullow. As much as the Government is pleased about these findings, it is not overjoyed at this point in time since a considerable amount of work would still have to be done before we actually realize the benefits of this discovery.
The Government can only take comfort in the fact that Kosmos Energy has set a record in the industry in terms of the speed with which it has been able, in the case of Equitorial Guinea, to spend only fourteen (14) months between discovery and production as against the usual three to five years that applies in the industry.
Our hope and prayer is that they will either meet or beat that record to help Ghanaians see the benefits of this discovery. We pledge to support them as much as possible to enable them achieve this objective within the timeframe desired and I am sure this House will also lend its support in that regard.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Maxted said, and I quote 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, one cannot talk about this recent discovery without recounting a little bit about our recent history, especially in the area of exploration. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative for Ghanaians to know that the policy orientation of any government is important because it either helps to attract investors or drives them away.
In the case of exploration, I wish to state categorically that it is the policy shift of Government from direct state involvement in exploration and also from turning the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) away from a trading house outfit to an organization that has a clear focus on its core mandate that has led to the level of commitment and thus resulting in this discovery.
Mr. Speaker, before the Administration of His Excellency Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, the GNPC dissipated its resources in all types of ventures and on the acquisition of very expensive initiatives such as acquiring drilling rigs that did not work. The GNPC, before 2001, undertook investments in banking, gold mining, parks and gardens, telecommunications and even the salt business.
Today, Mr. Speaker, the mission of the GNPC is “to make Ghana a leading upstream sector investment destination in West Africa that will lead to Ghana becoming a net oil and gas exporter”.

Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin) -- rose --
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Minority Leader, I will call you.
Mr. Adda 10:40 a.m.
This shows the renewed interest in exploration by major global exploration companies. The recent announcement by Kosmos Energy and its partner firms, Mr. Speaker, no doubt, is a direct result of the good policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under His Excellency President Kufuor -- [Inter- ruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Adda 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have been told by friends but I have not heard it myself, that some Colleagues opposite have said good things about the Government on this discovery. I have also been told about the compliments a former Chief Executive of GNPC has also made on the findings and indeed cautioned on measures that we need to put in place as a nation to ensure effective management and utilization of the proceeds of the oil that hopefully will come out of these wells -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Minority Leader, you want to speak later or now? Hon. Members, as you know, it is normally my custom to invite anybody -- But if you have anything, if you want to draw my attention to anything of interest, you may do so.
Mr. Bagbin 10:40 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe strongly that my hon. Colleague the Minister for Energy is coming under Standing Order 70; and under Order 70 (2), with your permission, Mr. Speaker, I may quote:
“70 (2) A Minister of State may make an announcement or a statement of government policy. Any such announcement or statement should be limited to facts which it is deemed necessary to make known
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Hon. Minister, my view has always been that Statements must not provoke debate. So please go ahead.
Mr. Adda 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, indeed, I am stating only facts. I am putting before this august House the policy orientation of Government and backing it up with facts that exist on record. Mr. Speaker, it is a fact that the GNPC before 2001 invested in telecommunications, parks and gardens, salt production and banking. These are facts.
Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that this Government, the Government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Government of Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor has moved away from a non-focused GNPC to a focused GNPC on its core mandate.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to state that as responsibly as this Government has managed this country over the past several years, so shall we manage the revenues that will come from the production of oil from these discoveries.
Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I wish at this stage
to conclude by restating that there has been a clear policy difference between what existed in the country in the petroleum sub-sector before 2001 and what pertains now and I wish to demonstrate that by showing to this honourable House the
results of pre-2001 work at GNPC and the post-2001work from this Government.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Hon. Minister, please do not provoke any debate.
Mr. Adda 10:40 a.m.
I will not provoke any debate. I will put it away, Mr. Speaker -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Adda 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, after 2001 the same GNPC under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government -- The nation is now seeing premium quality oil “not in un-commercial quantities”. Mr. Speaker, the NPP has delivered; the choice is clear.
Mr. Lee Ocran (NDC -- Jomoro) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that in this House the hon. Minister for Energy has come to show us samples of salt and oil. -- [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, the first attempt to drill for oil along this coast was in 1956 by the Gulf Oil Company. Since that time, Mr. Speaker, efforts have been made to drill for oil on that coast.
Mr. Speaker, it is therefore ironic that we were given the announcement of the finding of oil along the same coast on the 18th June, 2007.
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
10 50 a.m.
Mr. Lee Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I will read a little bit --
“Oil and gas deposits in potentially significant quantities have been discovered in Ghana - the first oil found to have been hit since prospecting began several years ago. The find was made six days ago at a site miles off the shores of Saltpond, near Cape Coast in the Central Region and along the West Coast by a consortium of companies which has been test-drilling in the area. Surveys were being carried out to determine the commercial value of the find.

Some hon. Members: “The value is the same!”

“The print is the same!”
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Members, let us have decorum.
Mr. Lee Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Has the hon. Minister a point of order?
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 10:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Member is misleading the House. The oil was not discovered in fields near his constituency. The oil was discovered off the coast of Cape Three Points in the Ahanta West constituency.
Mr. Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, for the past two months, fishermen in the area have been asked not to fish because of this and nobody even thought of giving them something to subsist on. Let me go ahead.
We are happy. Of course, if you have struck oil, we are happy. I heard the news on Sunday night and I rushed from the area to come to Accra. On Monday, I watched the television carefully, I wanted to hear from the mouth of the Kosmos man say that they had hit oil in commercial quantities. Anaa mente brofo? But the language was very ambiguous, very cautious, along this same line.

Mr. K. T. Hammond - rose
Mr. Speaker 10:40 a.m.
Deputy Minister, do you have a point of order?
Mr. K. T. Hammond 10:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I can understand the difficulty of the hon. Member. The man was speaking American English. [Uproar.] So if he was listening, the man put two negatives together. He said “it was not unlikely to be something” - two negatives. In the English Language, two negatives make a positive.
Mr. Ocran 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not distracted. For his information, I studied at Havard University in the United States -- [Interruption.] We should be happy; he should be happy and allow me to talk. All of us should be happy. What I am trying to say is that let us tread cautiously. Let us not over-excite our people to suddenly think that we have had it.
I remember during Acheampong's time when oil was discovered at Saltpond, we all trooped to Saltpond; people started buying land and putting up hotels which ended up as nothing.
In October, 1981, I was Deputy Regional Minister in the Western Region. Phillips was drilling for oil in the Tano River Basin. They came to inform us -- As usual, their Vice President flew in and they came to inform me and the Regional Minister that they had struck oil in commercial quantities. Where is the oil? So I am saying that it is good news; we all want oil but we should not give our people false hope. Let us tread cautiously.
Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom (CPP -- Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with the
Statement made by the hon. Minister for Energy and wish to use the opportunity to commend the efforts of the workers and the management of GNPC.
Mr. Speaker, the workers and the management of GNPC have gone through some rather traumatic times. On some occasions, 1999/2000/2001 they had to go through a lot -- lack of money, lack of resources and lack of technical ability to carry on the important task that they had to do.
Mr. Speaker, if today there is an opportunity to even discuss this matter, it is due to the resilience and also the dedication of the workers of GNPC who, all this time, have had to deal with the change and the approach of GNPC; so that they can concentrate solely on the right purpose and mandate of ensuring that we look across the length and breadth of Ghana to find gas, petrol, oil and others. Mr. Speaker, this fact must not be lost on any one of us. This is because when you do concentrate on where your strength lies, there is opportunity, and indeed, you will find success.
We should not also deal with this along political lines because whatever works, it works for Ghana and all of Ghana. If something does not work, it also does not work for all of us. We all are people who will suffer the necessary negative consequences.
So Mr. Speaker, if today, the hon. Minister for Energy is informing the House formally about this, I think all that we all need to do is, if we have some advice to give, we give that advice; if we have some suggestions to make, we make those suggestions to strengthen what has been started and what needs to be continued. This is because to go from where we are, for us to actually see the gas and the oil come out from the ground, it will take some time. We should not
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Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minority Whip, do you have a point of order?
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister was here when the hon. Minister for Energy was making his Statement. He provoked controversies; he veered off and provoked debate and that is why he had the kind of response that he had. So if he has any advice, he must direct that to him.
Dr. Nduom 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, once again, it is important for us to put things in the proper perspective. What happened at Saltpond was not a negative thing. So we should not, if you will, jubilate that what happened at Saltpond and indeed what is going on at Saltpond was a failure. It was not a failure. Even today there is oil that is coming from Saltpond and it is being sold on the world market. We should take this as something that is significant, that is offering hope to many people in Ghana. Indeed, it shows that we can reap some significant benefits in the very near future.
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Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member for Bawku
help to make sure that this oil comes and it comes in the shortest possible time to help in our development efforts.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.
Dr. Kwame Ampofo (NDC -- South Dayi) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise to make a few comments on the Statement made by the hon. Minister for Energy. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this Statement is not a diversionary tactic from the debate that we are waiting to have. This is because currently, even though we are happy that we have struck oil, we are unhappy that we are in a very devastating power crisis.
Mr. Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon. Member for South Dayi, I am in charge; you are not.
Dr. Ampofo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in making those statements, I also want to place it on record that much as we are happy about this oil find, I am surprised that he was only able to bring a milk tin full of the oil. In any case, this is not the first time oil is being found because it has been known all along that there is oil in those areas.
Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I wish to refer the House to the USA Country Overview for Ghana in 1999. Those who are interested can also find it on the web, which is www. eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/ghana.html. Mr. Speaker, in this said article, it reads -- and if you would permit me I quote:
“Ghana's recoverable oil reserves are located in five sedimentary basins; the Tano, the Saltpond, Accra/Keta, the Voltarian and the Cape Three Points. Exploration offshore Ghana began in the 1970s
and discoveries were made in waters off western Ghana (South Tano in 1978) and central Ghana (Saltpond in 1977). Philips, the discoverer of the South Tano field made a second find with the North Tano field in
1980.
Although significant gas reserves were found in the Tano field, Phillips deemed the find commercially unviable and relinquished them in 1982. The GNPC, which is also responsible for the importation of crude (at that time) subsequently assumed operations of the Saltpond and Tano fields. In 1998, the GNPC produced an estimated 6,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the Saltpond field.”
Six thousand barrels of oil, not one cup of oil -- [Laughter] -- Mr. Speaker, it goes on to say:
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, our hon. Colleague is saying that it was 6,000 barrels of oil and not one cup. I was wondering whether my distinguished Friend was expecting the Minister for Energy to carry barrels of oil - [Inter- ruptions.] Mr. Speaker, he is misleading the House. If that is what he wants and then he wants to carry it, we would gladly give him the honour of carrying the barrels of oil into this House.
I think that we have to be serious in commenting on this issue. He knows very well that he can see the oil if he wants, but we certainly cannot bring the barrels of oil into this House. That we cannot do.
Central, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Ayariga 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is misleading this House. He made a point that some people are jubilating that what happened at Saltpond was a failure.
Mr. Speaker, nobody in this House has jubilated that what happened at Saltpond was a failure. Indeed, we are only asking that instead of carrying drums and jerry cans of dirty oil and demonstrating it to the public, let us be very cautious and careful in order not to raise unnecessary and unreasonable expectations and repeat what happened at Saltpond. Nobody is jubilating over what happened at Saltpond.
Dr. Nduom 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the hon. Member would listen a bit carefully. I was cautioning all of us about certain statements that people may make over Saltpond and I just want to make a point, once again, that what has been happening at Saltpond has not been a negative experience. Something positive has come from Saltpond. What we want however now, is that we want something more significant -- something much better than what had happened at Saltpond.
So the experience there is good experience and one that we should build upon. So if today, we are presented with this opportunity, we should together, as one House, take a look at it and recognise that some people have done well by streamlining GNPC, by sacrificing, by finding people who would put their money in Ghana and to ensure that we discover this opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good thing and it is a good thing that we must recongise and all of us must encourage this effort; whether we do it cautiously, whether we do it with exuberance, we should do it to
Dr. Ampofo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, for emphasis, I wish to repeat that quotation, that is - “In 1998, the GNPC produced an estimated 6,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the Saltpond field” and I am adding that they did not produce one cup of oil.
In any case, Mr. Speaker, before I wind up, I wish also to say that this type of announcement has come to us before and we have jubilated only to find out that it was a fuss. I am not saying that this one is a fuss because I believe it and I am extremely happy that this finding has been made.
Mr. Speaker, in a Voice of America Straight Talk programme, telecast live on GTV on Wednesday, May 25, 2005, our President, His Excellency Mr. Kufuor told the host, Mr. Shaka Sali that gas had been discovered in commercial quantities. He therefore assured Ghanaians that within the next few years the country would bounce back.
Mr. Speaker, we asked him to name that company which made the discovery of the gas; the name has not been forthcoming. We asked him why we are not putting in policies to develop it; the answers did not come. We tried to put an Urgent Question for the same Minister for Energy to come and answer and the question never saw the light of day.
Mr. Speaker, I must take my seat now and wait for the debate on the energy crisis. Thank you.
Minister for the Interior (Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, today, all things being equal, it should be a very happy day for the good people of this country. [Hear!

Mr. Speaker, I was most encouraged this morning as I lay in bed and listened to the words of the energy guru of the NDC, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata saying all good things about what happened yesterday and wishing the best for this country.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I am happy the hon. Minister for the Interior has acknowledged the positive contribution of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata this morning. Mr. Tsikata was happy because this one is one of his numerous good projects that he initiated for this country, and one of which he is being sent to court for. So I wish the Government would take its time, study his projects critically and then realise that he deserves an honour and not the courts. So Mr. Speaker, they should take this on board.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my hon. Friend, I want to repeat exactly what I said. Mr. Speaker, what I said was that I was very happy when this morning I heard Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata acknowledging the good news that Ghana had received and admitting that this should be a very happy occasion for all of Ghana. That was exactly what I said.
Mr. Speaker, it is said in the Bible that when a nation has a good leader, so many blessings flow into that nation. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are saying.
Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, I was privileged to be appointed the Minister for Energy when this Government assumed
power in the year 2001.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:10 a.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is misleading this House.
Mr. Speaker, is he saying that his quotation can be found from Genesis through Acts of the Apost les to Revelations? He should let us know where exactly he is quoting. He cannot just say “in the Bible” -
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend sits next to me at the Methodist Church every Sunday and he knows that what I am saying is something that our Reverend Minister will approve. But I did say that when you have a good leader in a nation, a lot of blessings which you will never get under a bad leader flow into that country. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are saying.
In the year 2001, the House will be interested to know, I had been summoned by His Excellency the President to discuss the future of GNPC and Mr. Speaker, I had taken a number of days to prepare for that important meeting to brief His Excellency on the state of affairs at GNPC and what he saw as the way forward.
Mr. J. A. Tia 11:10 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have been listening with keen interest to the hon. Member, because he has been a Minister of that sector before. But surprisingly he is veering off and the records must be set straight.
Mr. Speaker, he has just stated that under a good leader, blessings come and so on. I do not know whether he was in the Chamber at the time that the hon. Dr. Kwame Ampofo was quoting from the website of USAID and stated that in
1999, the GNPC together with its partners discovered and really produced 6,000 barrels of oil. So if he is saying that that was not a blessing then I am surprised and he should not mislead this House.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we are discussing a very, very important matter and I think it is important that we take this debate seriously. Mr. Speaker, it takes a huge amount of ignorance to compare what was found, the six thousand barrels a day that hon. Ampofo talked about to what we are talking about today. If he does not believe it he should have listened to what Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata said this morning.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Order! Order! Minister, please, this is a Statement. Please, comment on the Statement. Only comment; do not provoke any debate.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for all of us in this House to remember that the six thousand, five thousand Agripetco and other things that we talked about in the past is nothing to be compared with what we have today. Mr. Speaker, it is true that it has not been confirmed but anybody who understands the industry will confirm to you that the figures we are talking about are totally different. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important - [Interruption.]
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Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Minority Chief Whip, what is your point of order?
Mr. Tia 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is aware of the rules of this House. Uncomplimentary language, insulting language, insinuations, unparliamentary language is not permitted under the Standing Orders on this floor. Mr. Speaker, I refer to something he said, that if you are comparing six thousand barrels to the discoveries today then it amounts to huge ignorance on the part of that fellow.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think anybody is ignorant about anything. I made reference to that point because of the statement he made. He said that because an undisclosed quantity of oil has been found now under some leadership, that leadership is blessed, and I am saying that where we have had a disclosed quantity which is substantial, I do not think that that leader was not a good leader and I do not know what this has to do with ignorance.
I want him therefore to withdraw that, by that statement I am ignorant: He should apologise to the House. He should withdraw and apologise to the House.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Minister, it appears the Minority Chief Whip has taken objection to a word you used.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was very careful with my choice of words. I never said that my hon. Friend was ignorant. I said that it takes a lot of ignorance for somebody, huge ignorance for somebody to - Mr. Speaker, I could have said my hon. Friend was ignorant. My hon. Friend knows I will never say that. I never said that he is ignorant. But the amount of ignorance that an otherwise very good hon. Member can have is what I am talking about.
So I am not talking about his ignorance
and Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that I need to withdraw and apologise. I have not withdrawn.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
All right, then go on and apologise. He has done so just now -- [Some hon. Members: No]. Minister, I thought you had withdrawn and apologized.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I said that I will be the last person to call my hon. Friend an ignorant person. I never said that. I said that it deserves a lot of ignorance for somebody to argue that way and these are two different things.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Minister, I wish you go further and say that if he has taken offence then you do apologise; that is all.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. Friend has not taken offence. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that I have never regarded my hon. Friend as an ignorant person. If he has taken offence, if he misconstrued what I said to mean a personal attack on him then, please, I withdraw that and apologise unconditionally. But Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier - [Interruption.]
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Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Minority Chief Whip, I hope you will resume your seat at this stage.
Mr. Tia 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I have and I believe the House in general has accepted the withdrawal. But Mr. Speaker, he must understand that we have all at least read literature. Implied statements can be read - That was what I did and he has withdrawn.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Let him continue.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as the then Minister for Energy, I recall
the efforts that were made to restructure Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) to enable it to focus on its core mission of trying to get oil, hydro-carbons for this country.
Mr. Speaker, I remember how the attempts that were being made were misconstrued in certain quarters. I remember the staff of GNPC coming to my office and demonstrating. I remember Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata accusing me of “Kan- Dapaah onnim tee”. Yet I am very happy to observe that all the changes that we made -
GNPC was an institution that was involved in so many things.
Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor 11:20 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have been trying to catch your eye for a very long time. My hon. Colleague made a statement that has very, very far-reaching implications for leadership in this country and I wanted the impression to be corrected for the sake of the records.
Should he say that anything good that happens or whatever blessings come to a nation is the test of good leadership then he is also by implication saying that any disaster that the leadership might have nothing to do with, which befalls a nation is the source of bad leadership. [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, I think the measurement of our leadership should not be painted in colours of this nature because Ghana has had its fair share of blessings and
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that my hon. Friend will attempt to take something away from the Bible. The Bible says do not take anything away from it. This is something that the Bible said and I am most disappointed that my hon. Colleague is trying to take something away from the Bible. It is not a good habit and I want to advise my hon. Friend not to do that again.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognise that it is the change in strategy adopted by His Excellency Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor and his Government that has led to the significant find that we were told about yesterday. The restructuring which involved GNPC focussing mainly on its core business is what has brought us here today; and Mr. Speaker, it is important that this is recognized by everybody in this House.

Mr. Speaker, it is also important that as Members of this House we should not do anything which will dampen the spirit of the people of this country. Mr. Speaker, somebody even said to me yesterday -- and I am not necessarily saying I agreed with him -- “Mr. Minister, I can now understand why we had to go through the energy crisis and the power rationing. Apparently God wanted all of us to light up candles so that we would pray for this good news which was coming”.

Mr. Speaker, I would want to end by advising my hon. Friends that we should all get together; we should cheer the people of Ghana up; we should be very happy that we are going to find our country out of the woods as a result of this discovery. And we should all share in the joy of the discovery instead of giving very, very wrong, very very ignorant impressions to the good people of this country.
Mr. Moses A. Asaga (NDC -- Nabdam) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that as a ranking Member for Energy and Mines, today has been a very important day and we must make sure that we move in unison as a country.
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Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ahafo Ano South, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Manu 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order goes to the hon. Member. He opened his statement by saying “certain people”. Mr. Speaker, as a language teacher in this House, I quiver and shiver when such statements are made. Instead of saying “certain people”, I would have preferred him saying “some people”.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, please continue.
Mr. Asaga 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it does not take English language to discover oil; it takes petroleum engineering and science to discover oil. Mr. Speaker, the Chinese and the Russians have discovered oil but they cannot speak good English.
Mr. Speaker, on a more serious note, I was just saying that a lot of work has
been done in the past. The Tano Fields Development was executed in the mid- 1990s up to the year 2000 and there was gas as well as marginal oil finds in the Tano Fields.
Mr. K. T. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Ranking Member has been extremely conciliatory and I am very happy about that. Mr. Speaker, he should get the facts right. These are very important matters we are talking about so he should get the facts right. Mr. Speaker, I was always there with hon. Kan-Dapaah.
Mr. Speaker, the difference which has resulted in what we are discussing here today is not what GNPC and Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata were doing. It is an entirely different ball game. Mr. Speaker, we were directed by His Excellency the President to move over from that place, from the shallow water where they were wasting the resources of this country and go into the deeper sea where there was the potential. Mr. Speaker, that is what has resulted in what we are looking at.
Mr. Speaker, there was something I wanted your attention to be drawn to but you did not call me. They brought in this one and flashed it everywhere for everybody to see. Mr. Speaker, I have been given a copy. The whole country and the whole world have been misled by the document. No wonder when I called
for a copy they would not give me but I managed to get hold of a copy.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, this is not a point of order.
Mr. Hammond 11:30 a.m.
All right, maka ne nyinaa awie. Whan na ose bushman no? Wofri hefa? Wofri forest; wonim baabi a mefri?
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, please go on.
Mr. Asaga 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, i t is unfortunate that the hon. Deputy Minister for Energy, instead of getting involved in substantive issues is getting involved in geological demarcations which I know better than he does -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Asaga 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a more serious note, I was just alluding to the fact that the current find has been as a result of -- [ Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale South, are you taking a point of order?
Mr. H. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
Rightly so, Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order not necessarily against hon. Moses Asaga. But Mr. Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister for Energy has made a statement which is captured by our records -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
You know, I will give
Mr. H. Iddrisu 11:30 a.m.
No, I am not contri- buting, I want him to withdraw -- He made a very significant statement -- [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
That was a point of order he took; that was not a statement. I did not consider it as a contribution; it was a point of order so let him continue.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was still making the point that the discovery that we have made today is as a result of the intensive work that had previously been done on the continental shelf of Ghana to the Western Region. And we believe that the finding and location of gas at Tano North -- [Interruption.]
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Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Deputy Minister, do you have a point of order?
Ms. Tagoe 11:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend on the other side, hon. Moses Asaga, says that what we have found is very little. But what I want to tell hon. Asaga is that -- [Inter-ruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
Ms. Tagoe 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, they are afraid of what I am going to say. They are afraid. What I want to tell them is that in this world the English say that little drops of water make a mighty ocean. If they had got that little when they were in power they might have made it an ocean by now. Shame onto them. This is an ocean and not a drop -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Member for Nabdam, please continue.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting that we can have Bob Okallas in this Parliament. [Laughter.] Mr. Speaker, I was saying that the finds that we have made recently are finds that have come about -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe what we have before us is a very important matter and I guess my hon. Colleague, the hon. Member for Nabdam started on a good note. But to refer to a Member of Parliament, a lady at that, that we have Bob Okallas in the House, Mr. Speaker, I believe, is most uncompli-mentary and my hon. Colleague would better be advised to withdraw that description.
Mr. Speaker, it is offensive, it is derogatory, and it really affects the integrity of this House. Mr. Speaker, I plead with you to cause my hon. Colleague to withdraw those uncomplimentary words that he has used.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, which word did you use?
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I said that there are Bob Okallas in this Parliament -- [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, am I one of them? [Laughter.]
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
No, Mr. Speaker. [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Please, withdraw those words.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the words “Bob Okalla”. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Then continue.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I was
saying, on a good note, before my hon. Colleague interrupted and retorted -- [Inter-ruption.] I would also want Mr. Speaker to ask her to withdraw those rude words, “shame, shame unto me”; because it is on record.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Please, go ahead.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying on a serious note, which the Majority Chief Whip has acknowledged that I was really making a good presentation, I would want to continue on that note.
Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
But briefly.
Mr. Asaga 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, what I want to put on record today is that even though we have made the find we need to do a lot more work. Kosmos will need to do more work including Tullow. This is not the end of the story, and as the Minister for Energy already alluded to, we need to still drill some appraisal wells; we need to delineate the field properly, then we need to do the development of the fields and then subsequently we need to do a test production.
It is only at the test production that we will know the number of barrels that we can produce a day, and that is why the hon. Minister for the Interior should have known that when we were talking of six thousand barrels a day, whether small or big, it was the actual production through a test production.
But when you make a discovery you cannot tell what the test production will look like. So let us put that straight. You could find oil of 600 million barrels but if the reservoir is tight and you do not have the right technology, you may not be able to produce that volume at a rate that is economical.
So Mr. Speaker, it is one thing having the reserves in place, it is one thing having the right reservoir, and it is another thing having the right flow rates. Therefore, let us continue to believe in the technology that we will be getting from Kosmos.
Mr. Speaker, in Equitorial Guinea, they struck oil in the year 2001 -- the first oil. It took HESS Company four years to actually do the production. And in doing this production, it took a lot of capital investment. To drill one production well would cost almost 43 million dollars. Mr. Speaker, we should know that there is a lot of money to be spent and therefore we should continue to encourage foreign investors; we should continue to encourage independent oil companies to also come and take other blocks in Ghana.
With these few words, I support the Statement.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (NPP -- Suame) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to also associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Minister responsible for Energy.
Mr. Speaker, the announcement has been made elsewhere but we believe that Parliament is the arena for this announcement to be made so that the good people of Ghana, through their representatives here, would get the message first. And so I am pleased that the hon. Minister has come to Parliament to deliver this message.
Mr. Speaker, I believe we should use
this occasion to commend Government for the effort that they have taken so far. We must also commend Parliament
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (NPP -- Suame) 11:50 a.m.


for the involvement in this business of exploring for petroleum. I do remember that when the agreement involving Kosmos came to this House some three years back, Parliament, indeed, applied critical thinking and indeed amended many parts of the agreement just to protect the interest of this nation. And so today if we are seeing the fruits of this endeavour, Parliament must be congratulated.

Mr. Speaker, as has already been

mentioned, because the products that we are witnessing today is really foundationed on the previous efforts of GNPC, I think we must also commend GNPC for a good work done and that indeed has been stated by the hon. Minister.

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister was emphatic in his delivery when he said that the quality of the commodity found is premium and its quantity is not uncommercial. Indeed, he was quoting the experts; he was not quoting colleague politicians who perhaps made the announcement. So that is the difference.

In the past, politicians have come and

made announcements, often perhaps, in a hurry to make the announcement to please the people. This time around it is coming from the experts -- the engineers. So Mr. Speaker, I believe we have no cause to disbelieve what they have told this nation.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the point also

needs to be stressed again that nobody is overly agitated; nobody is overly tickled by the news that has been broken to us.

The hon. Minister, again I should quote him, said and Mr. Speaker, with your permission I beg to quote:
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Asaga 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, just a point of correction of information. I am very happy -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, if -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Asaga 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is a point of order.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member cannot be engaging in such somersaults.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Let me hear him.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he said ‘point of correction', ‘point of information', and ‘point of order'. Which is which?
Mr. Asaga 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, all of them.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this somersaulting cannot be allowed.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for Nabdam, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Asaga 11:50 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. My point of order is that the hon. Member has taken us through -- His effort to explain the way the technical announcement is different from a political announcement -- I do agree with him but I would also want Government and the good people of Ghana to make sure that our technical people are also part of the actual evaluation of the fields because it could even be more than the 600 million barrels.
So it is not always what comes from the technical people that should be taken as the gospel truth. It has happened in Equatorial Guinea.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, certainly, the combination of a ‘point of order', ‘point of information', and ‘point of correction' can only end in confusion. [Laughter.]
Mr. Speaker, I was saying that the hon. Minister was emphatic that -- and I want to quote him:
“As much as Government is pleased about these findings, it is not overjoyed at this point in time since a considerable amount of work would still have to be done before we actually realise the benefits of this discovery.”
So nobody should sing Alleluia yet. We want to remain prayerful and think that God willing the efforts would bear positive fruits to the extent that the yield would be of significant proportions. The people themselves were most cautious. They would not want to disclose the quantum found so far. But indeed, as the hon. Member for Nabdam has said, even if you have a million barrels of crude sitting beneath the crust of the Ghanaian earth, it still needs critical technology to bring it up.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Deputy Minority Chief Whip, what is it?
Mr. E.T. Mensah 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend is misleading this House. He said that Government is being cautious and that they have not sung Alleluia yet. Alleluia has been sung here by the hon. Minister himself. He produced a substance here that we are not even sure of -- whether it is cocaine or whatever, we are not even sure -- [Laughter.] So he has started singing Alleluia already.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Deputy Minority Chief Whip, that was not a point of order.
rose
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Majority Chief Whip, only if you would yield to him, but I cannot call him.
Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 11:50 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I just want to have one point clear. As far as I know, hon. E.T. Mensah is not the Deputy Chief Whip because it tends to create a bit of confusion. With the utmost of respect, we have the Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader -- But to keep saying, ‘Chief Whip,' or ‘Deputy Chief Whip,' he is not a Deputy Chief Whip.
So I do not know why he answered the question. [Uproar.] He is Deputy Minority Whip, not ‘Chief Whip' . We have the majority here so we have the ‘Chief Whip'. He is the ‘Minority' [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
No point of order at all. Chief Whip, continue.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this House is an honourable House and hon. Members herein assembled are distinguished hon. Members. For an hon. Member to say that he cannot tell whether what the hon. Minister was holding was cocaine -- For him to even conjecture that the hon. Minister could bring cocaine into this House, Mr. Speaker, that is very serious and that is very unbecoming of the Deputy Minority Whip.
We should take ourselves seriously if we want other people from outside to respect us. And I know that if it were

Mr. Speaker, before I proceed I would entreat you to call on my hon. Colleague to withdraw and apologise to this House. That is a dangerous assertion, a very dangerous conjecture. He must withdraw.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
What was he saying?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he alleged that what the hon. Minister brought to this House could be anything including cocaine. [Uproar.] That was the obvious inference and that is what makes it serious.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Who made this allegation?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he said he could not tell whether it was cocaine and that is what I am appealing to him to withdraw. This is a very honourable House and I believe it is unacceptable to -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Chief Whip, who made this allegation?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member for Ningo/ Prampram.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ningo Prampram, did you make that allegation?
Mr. E.T. Mensah 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I made a statement of fact but -- [Interruptions.] Wait a minute.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Order!
Mr. E.T. Mensah 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, from where I am sitting I saw the hon. Minister for Energy waving some substance and I said we do not know whether it is cocaine,
Mr. E.T. Mensah 11:50 a.m.


salt or whatever. [Uproar.] That is it. It is a fact that we do not know what it is.
Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Order!
Mr. E.T. Mensah 11:50 a.m.
It is a fact, Mr. Speaker, that we do not know what the substance is and even why it was brought here. [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Deputy Minority
Whip, you know cocaine is a very serious matter -- [Interruption.] Deputy Minority Whip, I do not think you want the House to be associated with this? -- [Interruption] -- Order! Order!
Mr. E. T. Mensah noon
Mr. Speaker, in these days when you hear of cocaine all over the place, when substances are brought closer you want to be sure what they are and that was why I made that statement. We do not know on this side what it is he brought here and why he brought it -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker noon
Order! Order!
Mr. E.T. Mensah noon
Mr. Speaker, with
your intervention it is withdrawn.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr.
Speaker, that is a very noble thing to do and we accept the withdrawal in every respect.
Mr. Speaker, I was saying that it is time
Mr. Speaker noon
Hon. Member, wind up.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr.
Speaker, in one breadth people are saying that we cannot and, with your permission I quote:

“We cannot carry drums and jerry cans of dirty oil into this place and pretend that we have hit oil.”

Mr. Speaker, I thought that again could only come from a prophet of doom. These indeed, are exciting moments even though we advise that we should all be cautious. But for anybody to say that we are carrying drums and jerry cans of dirty oil, Mr. Speaker, it is most amazing that an hon. Member in this House says so.

Mr. Speaker, so I would want to plead that let us be very circumspect in our thinking, let us be prayerful whether we are Christians, Moslems or whatever religion and let us entreat our technical people to be very up and doing and to partner the prospecting companies.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen at several places that oil is drilled but the country itself would not even know the quantum of the oil that comes out. So it is important we have our technical people partnering the prospecting and the drilling companies so that Ghana at the end of the day is not short-changed.
Mr. Speaker noon
At the Commencement
of Public Business -- Item 5 -- Laying of Papers.
PAPERS noon
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu (NDC - Tamale South) 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to move this important motion on the floor. I must express my profound gratitude to you and I do know that some of our hon. Colleagues on the other side were initially hesitant perhaps because they have failed to be guided by history.
Mr. Speaker, as you may be aware, on 29th August 2006, the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Electricity Company of Ghana started -- [Interruption] -- Mr. Speaker, I am introducing my motion and it is permissible.
Mr. Speaker, the Volta River Authority and the Electricity Company of Ghana started a power rationing programme in order to deal with some deficit in the supply and demand of electrical power in Ghana. Mr. Speaker, unlike in 1997, and to be specific, between February and August 1998, the country was plunged into darkness.
But at least, the Ghanaian public, and in particular industrialists or industries in October 1997 were given the opportunity to plan ahead with the pre-announcement as to what was going to happen following the cyclical period which is a matter for any student of geography to know, that beyond 1983 -- and later on we had it in 1998 -- we could anticipate it in 2006.
Mr. Speaker, this time round the Ghanaian public did not have the opportunity. Our industrialists did not have the opportunity even of an alert that this was going to happen. Mr. Speaker, I would shortly deal with the debilitating consequences of this darkness on industry,
social life and the economy. But Mr. Speaker, in moving this motion, I am very extremely optimistic that this debate would not be partisan and that it will be guided by the national interest and the future of our country.
In 1998 the hon. Kan-Dapaah, then Minority Spokesperson on Energy supported by the hon. Osafo-Maafo, and subsequently by hon. Hackman Owusu- Agyemang, variously described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) -- Indeed, the hon. Osafo-Maafo then in 1998 described it as a coma; hon. Kan-Dapaah described it as a disaster. Mr. Speaker, I am sure we would be unanimous today in describing it in same words, not in my words but in the words of hon. Kan- Dapaah and that of hon. Osafo-Maafo -- that we can describe it in same words.
With these, Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House is disap- pointed by the Government's inability to end the energy crisis, almost a year after it started and expresses its lack of confidence in the current handling of the crisis and urges Government to adopt an effective programme to address the crisis.

Mr. Speaker, my attention has been drawn to an amendment to my motion which in fact reads -- and it is significant for me, Mr. Speaker, with your permission, to quote:

“having been briefed by the Minister responsible for Energy on Government's plans to generate more power to end the power- shortages which have occurred in the country over the past two and a half decades -- [Mr. Speaker, this emphasis is mine] -- over the past
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu (NDC - Tamale South) 12:10 p.m.


two and a half decades commends Government . . .”
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, just for the records, I think that my hon. Colleague has not read the amendment or if he has, he has not understood it. Mr. Speaker, when it says is that “having been briefed by the Minister for Energy on Government's plans to generate more power to end the power-shortages which have occurred” and not which has occurred over two and a half decades.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Majority Leader may as well read the amendment on page 3: “which have occurred in the country over the past two and a half decades” are not my words, they are the words of the people he can choose to whip on line. Mr. Speaker, this country has not suffered any energy crisis over the past two and a half decades. We have experienced it briefly in 1993 and never again until 1998 and now 2004 -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member, address
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, for me the energy crisis is only a mid-life crisis. You remember when we celebrated Ghana a 50 we did it in a very sober mood, sober mood because we could not assure the country of sufficiency in the production of electrical power. But Mr. Speaker, I am told that the combined hydro and thermal plants in Ghana -- we have about 4,800 gigawatts coming from hydro, 2,457 gigawatts of power coming from thermal. It means that --[Interruption.]
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have know the hon. Member being variously described as a sociologist, a lawyer and now he serves as a geographer too. But I have never heard him being described as a mathematician. So maybe that explains the disaster that is going on now.
Mr. Speaker, from 1983 through 1998 to 2007, it is about 24 years. A decade is 10 years and two decades is 20 years and half a decade is 5 years; so what is he talking about?
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in moving this motion, it is significant that I mention that beyond the crisis of 1998 there was a deliberate effort by the then Government to diversify our reliance on hydro power and to move towards thermal. Indeed, 50 per cent of our requirement, as I read, is now on thermal and not hydro; and Mr. Speaker, that is significant.
Mr. Speaker, the worse crisis today in Ghana is the energy crisis and my first issue is to establish that this Government has no excuse -- no excuse whatsoever -- to have plunged this country into this darkness.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague is esta- blishing his own points but he has used a phrase that this Government had no business to have plunged this country into darkness. Mr. Speaker, that statement is pregnant with an intent of deliberatism -- [Inter-ruptions.] Mr. Speaker, he said that Government deliberately plunged this country into darkness. Mr. Speaker, there is no iota of truth in what he is saying and if he has evidence to establish that the Government has deliberately plunged this country into darkness, he must so prove.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I repeat
Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Tamale South, can you repeat what you said? I did not get you.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, between 1998 and 2000, a major and a very attractive campaign slogan by the then opposition was adumdum adumdum no begyae [Laughter.] Mr. Speaker, literally meaning -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Kofi Frimpong 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member there is misleading the House.
[Interruptions.] He is asserting that it was in 1998 that there was this power curtailment. Mr. Speaker, I would want to draw his attention to the days when there was power curtailment in the country. It started in 1997; in 1998 we were in darkness; in 1999 we were in darkness and in 2000 also.
Mr. Speaker, I wish you would indulge me to read certain quotations from the Daily Graphic; I have it here. Mr. Speaker, at that time we will get power for 12 hours and sleep in darkness for 4 days. That was the time. And Mr. Speaker, I beg to quote again from the Daily Graphic of Friday, 31st October, 1997. It says:
“Power supply to be cut as much as half” [Uproar.] Mr. Speaker, it was 1997 and it went on and on until July 11, 2000. The hon. Member is giving us wrong information. [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, on 11 July 2000, it was also reported that the ECG load-shedding --
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, are you
contributing or you are taking a point of order?
Mr. K. Frimpong 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale South, please continue.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in
rose
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Majority Chief Whip, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:20 p.m.
Precisely.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that my colleague is very deficient in the Twi language; that is very understandable. But there is absolutely no correlation between the quotation that he made, that Government promised that adumdum adumdum begyae and so if Government is not able to do that, it means that Government plunged this nation deliberately into darkness.
Mr. Speaker, the logic in this indeed is really far fetched. There is no correlation and that is why I ask my hon. Colleague to either substantiate or withdraw. Clearly, he is on the wrong path so Mr. Speaker, if you may call him for lack of evidence, to withdraw, in his own interest.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, hon.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Are you about to wind
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.


up?
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Oh! Mr. Speaker, with
this heckling I am sure I deserve a little time just to deal with two major issues and I will be done for other hon. Members to contribute.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
We agreed that you
should have about 15 minutes.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
I agree, I will be brief.
Mr. Speaker, I am checking my time. The excuse is not just for this Government. Mr. Speaker, even a future NDC Government which I am very optimistic about in 2009 should have no excuse in plunging this country into any darkness because the opportunities exist whether hydro or thermal, to assure the people of Ghana adequacy in its energy supply.
Mr. Adda 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon.
Colleague opposite is grossly misleading this House. Indeed, the NPP Government is committed to ending the load-shedding permanently; but we did not say that we were going to do it in one year. We did not say that we were going to do it in the first year or second year, knowing very well the amount of debt that they left for us.
I think to be fair to this nation, he should go over that debt and let all Ghanaians know that it is through the prudent management of this economy that we got out of debt and got the debts cancelled and now have the money to permanently stop load-shedding.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not
know whether the hon. Minister read the agenda for Positive Change which was well and carefully drafted by the brains in the NPP at the time. Mr. Speaker, some of them only expose the fact that they were not around and within the country during the periods of our crisis.
Mr. Speaker, I would now like to deal with the ramifications of the energy crisis and why we should unanimously condemn it, express our disappointment and dismay and guide the Government to get us out of it forever. We are told by the Bank of Ghana that they have fears that our gross domestic product (GDP) rate which has been consistent over the years is likely to witness a drop. Mr. Speaker, that is not acceptable for a growing economy which has made pledges to attain middle income status by 2015.
Mr. Speaker, I have with me here the President', Address at the 7th Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and Mr. Speaker, with your permission it would be significant that I read page 11, the second paragraph --
Dr. A. A. Osei 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
a point of order. My hon. Colleague is trying to talk to this House about a statement alleged to have been made by the Bank of Ghana. Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Ghana is very careful in its choice of words on the economy. What the Governor has said is that the energy crisis poses risk; he has never said that the GDP rate would be reduced. So if you are quoting the Governor you have to quote very carefully so that you do not mislead this House.
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member for
Tamale South, I am sure you have about two minutes.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is only fair that they allow me to make my points and the debate can be healthier. But the hon. Deputy Minister does not even seem to know what his Minister says at what point in time. When
he himself met the Bank of Ghana Review Committee he alluded to the dangers that the economy faces following the energy crisis. He should go and read the Business and Financial Times of last week and he would be better guided by it.
Mr. Speaker, I was making reference to the mining sector and with your permission I quote:
“With the high price of diesel, some mining companies spend an average of about $2 million per month to generate additional power.”
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, be calm
and exercise patience.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
Mr. Osei-Mensah 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a
point of order. The hon. Member is saying that he met a gynecologist who was in the womb of a woman. How was he in the womb of that woman?
Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon. Member, please
continue.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, who
was working on the womb of a woman. Indeed, I am also told about a neuro- surgeon who was working on the brain of a patient at Korle-Bu and then electricity went off. Mr. Speaker, even the spate of armed robbery has increased as a result of the increasing darkness. So we are saying that the social effects are such that we must resolve to support Government to take
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:30 p.m.


pragmatic steps to resolve it.

Mr. Speaker, finally, let me just make this point; one problem with the energy crisis is the Government's lack of candour and lack of sincerity. Mr. Speaker, I would just make reference and end my case there. I am holding a copy of the “State of the Nation Address”, where His Excellency, the President appeared before this august House and made some comments. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would want to quote the President:

“The Volta River Authority is poised to establish a 300 megawatt plant in Tema.

The same company is building another emergency plant to supply 126 megawatts of power by August this year.”
Dr. A. A. Osei 12:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr.
Speaker, we need to take the energy crisis seriously, I agree with you but in so doing, we should not be misleading this House and the people of Ghana. Mr. Speaker, he may be a very brilliant lawyer.
Mr. Speaker, he alluded to the mining companies, saying that they are spending lots of moneys in production. Mr. Speaker, it might be true. One company is saying that it is spending $2 million to produce. But Mr. Speaker, increasing cost does not

Mr. Speaker, these are very serious

economic terms, and maybe lawyers should be very careful when they veer into these areas. Mr. Speaker, with the price of gold all the way up there, what he wants to imply is that the profit margin may be declining. But the profit margin declining does not lead to reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The two are not consistent, so please, he should be careful. Let us take it seriously. As you said, we should not be partisan but he should not equate reduction in profits to reduction in GDP: the two are nowhere close.
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, you may
wish to conclude.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Is it in conclusion?
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes. But Mr. Speaker, if I quote it and I do not explain it, it would be meaningless. [Laughter.] I am sure you will give me permission to do that -- [Laughter] --
Mr. Speaker, he then referred to you 12:30 p.m.
“The Government has decided to relocate the 125 megawatts, Osagyefo Power Barge from Efasu to Tema.”
Only a week ago, they came here to announce that they were no longer doing that. They have changed their minds advisedly, based on the good advice that
hon. Members on this side gave them. Yet, you say you will provide 126 megawatts of power. What have you done so far?
Mr. Speaker, for want of time -- I do not have time -- I would crave your indulgence that the Hansard Office should capture the well-meaning statement which was made by hon. Kan-Dapaah, between 9th and 10th July of 1998, and capture it as part of my discussion of today -- [Laughter] -- and that it is as relevant today as it was relevant in 1998.
Mr. Speaker, therefore, Government
Mr. Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Please, conclude.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, those are not my words. As for its effect, I also must acknowledge some research which has been done by Data Bank, and those who were doubting its effect on industry. Even the Internal Revenue Service has announced a loss of ¢140 billion in tax revenue as a result of this. The Data Bank is saying that there is 25 per cent reduction almost, in the requirement of industry.
MR. FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
Dr. Kwame Ampofo (NDC -- South Dayi) 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion moved by the hon. Member for Tamale South. Mr. Speaker, the substantive motion is:
“That this honourable House is disappointed by Government's inability to end the energy crisis, almost a year after it started and expresses its lack of confidence in the current handling of the crisis and urges Government to adopt an effective programme to address the crisis.”
Mr. Speaker, before I speak to this
motion, I would like to make a brief comment on the amendment also -- [Interruption ] -- They have not moved it? Mr. Speaker, in seconding the motion, I wish to make a few comments.
Mr. Speaker, first, we need to analyse the motion as it stands -- [Interruption.] Mr. Speaker, there are three main issues raised in the motion for this august House to consider. The first point is: the inability of Government to end the energy crisis. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that as we speak, ten months after this crisis began, the crisis is ongoing, and indeed, it is rather worsening. So clearly, the Government has demonstrated its inability to end the crisis. And this ought to be a source of concern for all Ghanaians.
Mr. Speaker, the second issue that the motion seeks to address is that the Government's current handling of the crisis itself is not the best, and that we do not have confidence in the handling of the crisis.
Mr. Speaker, the third issue is calling on Government to adopt an effective programme to end the crisis. Mr. Speaker,
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe sincerely that my hon. Colleague is misleading all of us. That article was not written by somebody whose opinion is Government's opinion. Somebody's opinion or assessment of the situation cannot be used to equate the public opinion about Government. Therefore, that cannot be - [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Deputy
Majority Leader, I believe you are out of order. Hon. Member, continue.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I quote with your permission just a small paragraph from the article. It says:
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague is misleading this House in the sense that he is imputing that that is the opinion of the newspaper but that is the opinion of an individual. So it would have been fair to us if he indicated who that person is. That will help us - [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon.
Majority Leader, I have made a ruling on that. He is saying that even if it is the editorial opinion of that newspaper, it constitutes an opinion. So it makes no difference, let him continue.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 12:40 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, he must go ahead and state who the writer is.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is Daily
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon
Member, speak to the Chair; you are not supposed to react to what everybody says. Speak to the Chair and continue with your contribution. You have less than 10 minutes.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
So Mr. Speaker, from a
load-shedding schedule of 12 hours every five days, we have retrogressed to through

a 12-hour power cut every other day and currently we are being subjected to a 15- hour power cut every other day. This is the situation of our energy crisis today and it is clear that Government has no solution to the crisis as it continues to worsen.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to turn my attention to how the Government has been handling this crisis. Most of the time we are being told about plans of Government. All what the Government tells the people are the types of plans that it has. But the good people of this country are not after plans. Mr. Speaker, they are looking for the restoration of power so that they can get back to their lives.

Mr. Speaker, these people are asking
Mr. Opare-Hammond 12:40 p.m.
On a point of
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
What is
your point hon. Member?
Mr. Opare-Hammond 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
You are
out of order. Continue, hon. Member for South Dayi.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon.
Member has confirmed what I am saying that they have put plans upon plans upon plans, but the good people of this country are asking for the end of the crisis; they want power.
Mr. Speaker, the motion raises the
issue of handling of the crisis. You will recall, Mr. Speaker, that on the day of the announcement of this crisis, the load- shedding had already begun a day before
that and this is the state in which the Government plunged the nation into, an unannounced crisis to announce it only a day after it had started.
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of this crisis,
you will find that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government inherited quite a robust power sector from the previous Administration. Indeed, the power demand by the year 2001 was 1400 megawatts, but the installed capacity that we left in the system was 1750 megawatts, more than 300 megawatts excess capacity.
Mr. Speaker, the Government refused all advice and all recommendations and refused to follow all the strategic national energy plans that had been left for them. These are some of the energy plans from the Energy Commission: Strategic National Energy Plan - Part one is on the electricity. This is another one: Plan from
2000-2005.
From this plan, which they factored into their own - this is what they drew for November 2001: “Energy For Poverty Alleviation: Policy Framework and Programmes”. If you turn to page 20 of their own document, it is stated that the existing electric power generation capacity is inadequate to supply the country's requirements over the medium- term - not the short - over the medium and the long- term periods.
So over the next 20 years, it is estimated that about 1800 megawatts of additional capacity is required to maintain the nitty- gritty of the Ghanaian power system. They gave a table, in which it is estimated that by the year 2002 they would have 110 megawatts installed. Indeed, to summarize the table, it says that: On the average the Government should add about 110 megawatts every year till the year 2005. This they did not do.
So the 300 megawatts that we left for them, they were using in the short term which was their first term in office from
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 12:40 p.m.
On a point of
order. Mr. Speaker, I think it will be useful for our hon. Friend to tell us - He keeps saying “110 megawatts; “110 megawatts” of what? So that when we are responding we know what to say.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon.
Ampofo, continue.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:40 p.m.
On a point of
order. I am to argue that for the sake of completeness he must also add the cost of the 100 megawatts he is talking about so that we can respond when we are talking about it.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
You are
out of order.
Dr. Ampofo 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, so Chapter
One of their own Administration that was christened “Chapter One” did not face any energy crisis because the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) Administration had left sufficient power - 350 megawatts - which we consumed during the “Chapter One”. That was why we did not have any power crisis during that time.
Dr. Kunbuor 12:40 p.m.
On a point of order. I
want to actually correct an impression for the records that hon. Kan-Dapaah made. He indicated that “he keeps mentioning
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon. Kunbuor maybe, you did not hear what he said. He wanted to know - of what? Is it of hydro or of thermal? That is what he was asking? Am I right?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, you
are right. The House and Ghana wants to know whether it is 110 megawatts of thermal fired by crude oil or hydro or thermal fired by gas. Mr. Speaker, this is important because the thermal 330 megawatts that he is talking about, they put it there and never used it. He knows that they put it there but they never used it. Why should we repeat their folly?
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon,
Kan-Dapaah you have made a point; you have reacted. Hon. Ampofo, continue; you have less than 10 minutes to finish with your contribution.
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I
said, in 2001, they added zero capacity; 2002, zero; 2003 zero, all the way up to 2005. Up to today, they have not added anything. But they have plans, only plans and plans and plans. Therefore, if there is a crisis today it is a crisis that was avoidable; it is a crisis imposed on us by the Government's lack of understanding of energy management. This is what has caused the crisis and therefore this Government instead of telling the people about more plans has to apologize and accept that they have not done very well.

Mr. Speaker, the other issue is that there were warning signs. The World Bank and even the state of affairs in the
Mr. S. K. B. Manu 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is grossly misleading this House and Ghanaians. Mr. Speaker, having called for this motion to be debated on the floor, Ghanaians are expecting that experts that they are, they will say tomorrow go and push this button and power will come and not this long talk. Ghanaians are not ready for that long talk; they want power and he must tell us how the power will come.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon.
Balado Manu, you are out of order.
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the fact
that this Government did not actually think about the power sector is clearly indicated in all the State of Nation Addresses that the President has presented to this House. If I start from 2003, which is what I have here, all that was said on energy is found on page 10; he just said that two weeks ago be signed the Agreement for the construction of the West Africa Gas Pipeline. That was all he said. We go to 2004. Also energy is covered on only half a page; and it is on page 8. And there too, he only said the same thing --
“Work on the projected ECOWAS Gas Pipeline should start by this year and if everything works to plan the project is expected to be completed in 2005.”
Mr. Speaker, we are in 2007 and it has not been realized. But that one is the State of the Nation Address delivered to us on 3rd February, 2005. Here, even in the heading, you do not see “energy” there. You only see “infrastructural Support”, then somewhere, you see “petroleum” but you do not see “energy”. There is nothing mentioned in the headings about energy. And then when you read at least, under
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is
one Deputy Minister in the whole wide world who does not know that there is a difference between energy and electricity. Electricity, yes, is an aspect of energy but there are different forms of energy.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon.
Deputy Minister, we are engaged in a debate. You should please respect the rules of this House. If you have any comments to be made please stand up and be recognized. I do not think it is fair for this House for you to be standing up shouting across to the hon. Member - [Uproar.] Do you have anything else to say?
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
yes, I appreciate the point you are making. Mr. Speaker, the point I was making forcefully and he retorted, Mr. Speaker, is that the average person in energy knows that by saying “energy” it was power that he was talking about -- energy, electricity and petroleum. He does not know. Energy, Mr. Speaker, is both petroleum energy and electricity energy. So when he said that the President said energy and he did not talk about petroleum, Mr. Speaker, what does that mean?
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Your point
is well made. Hon. Dr. Ampofo, you have less than a minute.
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, now it
should be very clear to all that Ghana has been plunged into an energy crisis by the thinking of such people. Here is the Deputy Minister for Energy for this
country. Mr. Speaker, firewood and charcoal are also energy.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Dr.
Ampofo, I have told you that you have less than one minute.
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, our
Colleague used some sentence which I think is not parliamentary and it will not do this debate any good. He said -- I am not quoting him -- but he said some words to this effect: That it is no wonder that Ghana has been plunged into deep darkness . . . If there are “such people . . .” It is unparliamentary and he may do well to withdraw those words -- “such people”. That phrase is unparliamentary.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon.
Deputy Majority Leader, I believe that language is quite robust but it is not unparliamentary. Let him continue.
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Majority
Chief Whip, what is your point?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague on the floor has said that since 2001 this Government has not generated a single kilowatt of energy. Mr. Speaker, he said that in 2001 there was zero, 2002, zero -- up to now. He said that as he speaks Government has not generated anything.
Mr. Speaker, only two weeks ago the hon. Minister was here and told this august House that currently as part of the emergency power generation, they have installed and put into operation a capacity to generate 70 megawatts. Mr. Speaker,
he said it is in operation and they are generating 70 megawatts. Mr. Speaker, let me quote what the hon. Minister said to this House:
“Currently 70 megawatts of generation has been installed and are in operation generating the 70 megawatts”.
Mr. Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Members, can we have a little order here? The hon. Member is on the floor making a contribution or making a point. We should listen to him in silence, at least. Let him finish, he has not finished yet and I will call you, hon. Ampofo.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
So Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Minister told this to the House. It is captured in the Hansard. It exists in our official publication. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member for Bole- Bamboi is shouting across to me that it is a lie. I do not expect that from the Presidential candidate or Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, he will only use those words here; I know he does not intend that.
Mr. Speaker, but he said so to this House and it is captured in the Hansard. If he thinks that there is zero generation, Mr. Speaker, he is misleading this House.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon. Dr.
Dr. Ampofo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am speaking in terms of the motion that the plans that Government has, we do not
have confidence in them. And here we are aware that on many occasions some of the pronouncements that have been made to us have turned out to be false. Therefore, I cannot - What he is referring to are plants that are under construction.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Ampofo, the hon. Member has said that the hon. Minister has been before this House. And the hon. Minister has indeed asserted that there had been at least, the generation of about 70 megawatts, that is operational. Do you say that is not correct?
Dr. Ampofo 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, there is
nothing in there like that.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Yes, what you are saying is that it is not correct. Are you saying that - [Interruption.]
Dr. Ampofo 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is not correct. What I recall is that everything that they told us happened not to be true. The President told us that within two weeks, he was going to solve the energy crisis; two weeks passed and it did not happen. The Minister told us that by -- [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Member for South Dayi, let us move from one point to another. You have been challenged on the floor that you have made a statement and that statement is not correct. Now he has come out to say it - Are you denying that or not, so that we make progress.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, he is talking about opening page 8 - I will do that. Clearly, they are using some version of the Statement -- [Uproar.] For the avoidance of doubt and for those who have eyes to see, let me indicate to them - They should read
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon.
Asaga, please will you allow me to control this debate. [Interruption.] Yes, you were telling us what to do.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is on page 8 of what I am holding. They may have a different document and that is why I am telling them that it comes under the sub-caption “Procurement of 126 megawatts of Emergency Generation”. They should please read it; the hon. Minister read this and it is captured in the Hansard. Let me read what he told this House:
“Mr. Speaker, the procurement of emergency generation is currently in progress. The orders have been confirmed and the equipment are being delivered and installed. Current ly, 70 megawatts of generation have been installed and are in operation.”
It is in the Hansard. So I am surprised that they are challenging this.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
You have
made your point. Hon. Ampofo, are you saying that this was not read to this House?
Dr. Ampofo 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, what he is talking about are - [Pause.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Ampofo, you are still on the floor, I have not asked you to yield. Hon. Ampofo, you still have the - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Minority Leader, what is your point?
Mr. Bagbin 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague the hon. Majority Chief Whip
is misleading the House. We have a copy of the Statement. There is nothing like that in that Statement that the Minister said -- and it is in the Hansard. Where is the Hansard? He should bring the Hansard because this is the copy of the Statement and it is not there. We were given copies of the Statement and it is not there.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Yes, we need not haggle over this point. Please, we will get to the bottom of it. Hon. Chief Whip for the Majority, are you reading anything different from what they are also holding?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have the authentic Statement of what was read into the Hansard. If they have anything given to them by whoever smuggled to them from wherever, I do not know. But indeed, I followed religiously what the hon. Minister read to this House and it has been captured in the Hansard. It has been captured in the Hansard and so if they are reading anything different, it is their own problem.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Anyway, hon. Member, I had given you one minute; I will still go back to the one minute. But I believe at the appropriate time -- Do you have it in the Hansard?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I read the Thursday, June 7, 2007 Parliamentary Debates, Official Report. Let me quote from column 656 - [Interruption.] Precisely, 7th June, that was when the hon. Minister came here.
Mr. Speaker, they do not even have useful recollection of what happened. -- [Interruption.] I read column 656. Mr. Speaker, it is the last paragraph of column 656:
“Mr. Speaker, the procurement of emergency generation is currently in progress. The orders have been confirmed and the equipment are being delivered and installed and some have already started operations. Currently 70 megawatts of generation have been installed and are in operation.”
They have ears and no ears; they have eyes and no eyes. This is the official document.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon. Ampofo, that is for your information. Have you finished? Wind up; you have less than half a minute to go. That is the Hansard and we take it.
Dr. Ampofo 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not contesting what is in the Hansard. What I am saying is that what they are referring to, nowhere in the world do you use emergency power plants as part of your capacity expansion power plants. These are rented equipment, they will be sent back after the crisis. I am talking about installed capacity works. What do you use to fuel that? You use diesel, at what cost? Twenty-four cents per kilowatt per hour.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon.
Ampofo, your last sentence then.
Dr. Ampofo 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the Government to be - [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. Osei-Adjei 1 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think I will further challenge the hon. Member, my Friend the hon. Member from North Dayi on the statement he made as to the fact that this Government has plunged the nation into darkness. I want to challenge him on that. Again, I want to challenge him on the fact that he said - [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
Hon.
Minister, you are out of order --
Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah (NPP -- Asokwa) 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to propose an amendment to the Private Member's Motion. I therefore beg to move, that after “House” delete all the words and substitute the following:
“having been briefed by the Minister responsible for Energy on Government's plans to generate more power to end the power- shortages which have occurred in the country over the past two and a half decades commends Govern- ment for those plans and urges Government to implement same timeously.”
Mr. Speaker, I really want to commend
the hon. Minister for Energy for his level- headed management -- [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister had not panicked in the face of an energy crisis which came about as a result of the reckless mismanagement of our energy sector.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Order! Order! May the hon. Member continue with his presentation.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, before we explain to the general public, to Ghanaians and of course, to this House, we need to know what happened. What brought us to this situation? There is a saying that if one does not know where one comes from, one
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Members, let us have some order. I do not want to mention names here. Hon. Members, do not shout across in that manner.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we owe it to ourselves and to the Ghanaian public that we give them the opportunity -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. Moses Asaga 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is that he said that we do not know where he is coming from. We know he is coming from the United States of America.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
You are out of order, hon. Moses Asaga; take your seat.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, before Akosombo, Ghana had thermal plants. Probably -- [Interruptions.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Members, can we reduce the heckling and allow him.
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Member for Ashaiman, that is not your seat but what do you have?
Mr. Agbesi 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I heard the hon. Member saying that the hon. Minister did not panic. I think that is misinformation. The hon. Minister indeed got panicked. He was in this House last week. This week he has come again. He has hurriedly run to this House, giving Statements in a panicky mood and in such a situation he cannot be -- [Inter- ruptions.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
You are out of order.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, before
Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor 1:10 p.m.
Mr.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon.
Member, this is not Question time. Sit down.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I had thought
that the hon. Member who is also a professor by profession would probably appreciate my line of argument.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon.
Members, let us have some order, so that the debate will flow. The heckling is too much and it does not do justice to what this House is doing now. This is a serious motion; we all agree to it and I believe we want to take it seriously. So please, let us reduce the amount of heckling and let other hon. Members or individuals on the floor contribute, particularly those who have offered to move the motion or the amendment.
Yes, hon. Jumah, continue.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in 1966,
Akosombo produced somewhere around 462 gigawatts.
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
I would
allow you, hon. Kunbuor.
Dr. Kunbuor 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, just for
the sake of the records, I am actually not a professor by profession. If I did not make that comment, I will also be taken to have agreed to that situation. And there are different types of professors. There are the magician professors and then there are the academic professors -- [Laughter] -- So I want to be clear in my mind and to distance myself from the fact that I am a professor by profession.
Mr. Jumah 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we have had energy problems in the past even before Akosombo. But it was the vision of the then President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who initiated the Akosombo Dam. He did not only think of Ghana at that time, he thought about Ghana in the future and as a result he put up a plant that would be able to cater for our energy needs for at least the next ten, fifteen years.
Mr. Speaker, somewhere around
1972, another Head of State, Gen. Kutu Acheampong initiated the Kpong Dam.
Mr. Speaker, our energy consumption
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon. Sorogho, what is your point?
Alhaji Sorogho 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, my point is that he must concentrate on things from his own point but not to listen to people because he is being confused. He does not know what he is talking about.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Yes, hon. Jumah, continue.
Mr. Jumah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, there have
been several crisis in the energy sector and I do not want to go over them. But during the presentations here, some hon. Members had described the crisis in 1983 that took us through 1985. Mr. Speaker, if my arithmetic is the same as some of my hon. Colleagues' over here, it added up to about 30 months.
Mr. Speaker, if ten months amount to gross incompetence, I do not know how you would describe 30 months.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the level
of water came of about 235.7 ft. It was low, just as it is low now. It took the previous Administration 30 months to resolve the issue. But that is even if you will call it “resolving the issue”, because in attempt to resolve the energy crisis in the 1980s, they resorted to what I would consider ad hoc at best, rushed solution to the energy problem at that time. If it had been resolved properly, the ugly head of the load shedding would not have emerged again in 1998.
Mr. Speaker, in August 1997, this
Mr. J. D. Mahama 1:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, in this debate we need to be factual and get the records straight. Mr. Speaker, I heard him say the energy crisis that occurred in 1983 was not resolved till 1985. Mr. Speaker, I do not remember that we went through load shedding in this country for three years in the 1980s. But I note that the hon. Member is a returnee from America, so he might not have been here. [Laughter.]
Mr. Jumah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I still insist that the energy crisis which went on in 1983, the attempt to resolve it was only ad hoc. It is like you need a major surgery on your hand and they put plaster on it. Mr. Speaker, in 1997, the past Administration, if you were -- [Inter-ruption.]
Mr. Pelpuo 1:20 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Member is misinforming this House and making very inaccurate statements which cannot be allowed to pass. We did not suffer energy crisis between 1983 and 1998. The difference between 1983 and 1998 is 15 years and that cannot be said to be ad hoc. So the presentation he is making is not based on facts and it is not based on truth so he must stick to the truth so that we can have accurate record of the presentation.
Mr. Speaker, what we are doing here
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Hon.
Member, so what is your point? Your point is that we had crisis in 1983 but it did not take us through to 1998. Is that what you are saying?
Mr. Pelpuo 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, he says that from 1993 to 1998 -- [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
I thought
I heard him say from 1983 to 1985.
Mr. Pelpuo 1:20 p.m.
He is saying that from
1983 to 1998 there was an ad hoc solution to the problem, 15 years of a solved problem cannot be said to be ad hoc.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
You have
made your point, hon. Member, take your seat.
Mr. Jumah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if hon. Members will listen to what is being said instead of heckling, I think we will be able to educate ourselves.
Mr. Speaker, in 1997 and 1998, there
was also an attempt to resolve the energy crisis, that attempt was to bring in the Aboadze Thermal Plant and also purchase what is now popularly known as the Osagyefo Barge.
Mr. Speaker, there was also an attempt
to retrofit the Akosombo generators.
Mr. Speaker, I will consider that as
Dr. Ampofo 1:20 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Jumah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, if anybody
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
What is your point of information? Hon. Jumah, are you yielding to the Deputy Minister for Energy?
Mr. Hammond 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, he said
yes. Mr. Speaker, he is entirely right in what he has done. There are six of them there, the turbines, six of them; somebody attempted to do one but in the end it was only one which was done, that was an attempt to do something. He is right about what he has said.
Dr. Ampofo 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
Hon.
Ampofo, it is not your turn; allow him to continue with his submission. [Inter- ruptions.] Hon. Ampofo, I have asked you to take your seat. I gave you ample time and tried to prevent anybody from heckling you.
Mr. Jumah 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, there was an
attempt to retrofit some of the generators of the Akosombo Dam; one was done. Mr. Speaker, the new Administration continued the retrofitting of these turbines and added 108 megawatts.
Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the last
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, you have two more minutes to
land.
Mr. Jumah 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this Government and indeed this particular Minister and all the two other Ministers who preceded him have done an excellent job including the Deputy Minister for Energy. Mr. Speaker, one thing I like about this particular Minister and the previous Ministers is the fact that they have made bold attempts to do institutional changes that brought us to where we are today.
Mr. Speaker, another issue is that they are not only resolving the problems for today. They are resolving the problems now. They are also looking for medium- term and long-term solutions.
Mr. Speaker, before I end, I just want to remind this House that if President Kufuor had been lucky to inherit from an uncle the way whoever is going to inherit President Kufuor what he is going to leave behind, I do not think we would have been in this same mess that we find ourselves.
Mr. David Oppon-Kusi (NPP - Ofoase/Ayirebi) 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the amendment. Mr. Speaker, the amendment proposed by me and my hon. Colleagues puts this very important national debate on a different pedestal. Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to do is to seek to bring this debate to a level where we can all debate it and find ways to move forward.
Mr. E. D. K. Adjaho 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, now that the hon. Member has conceded that we have never had energy crisis for
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
You are out of order. Let him continue.
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, after Independence this country relied solely on Akosombo Dam. At that time our power needs were low but as time went on, as we grew in population, as our energy needs expanded it became necessary for the country to find other sources of energy. [Interruption.]
Mr. Lee Ocran 1:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Gentleman is saying that after Independence he relied on Akosombo. Akosombo was commis- sioned in 1966. Where was he?
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, what is your problem? 1966 was after Independence, is it not correct? Ten years after Independence, is still Independence, is that not so?
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the 1970s Kpong was added to the basket so now we had two sources of power though both were all from hydro. Mr. Speaker, as the country grew it became necessary and in response to some of the power we were having over the decades, it became necessary then to diversify our sources of power and to increase our power output so Aboadze was brought on board.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we acknowledge the inputs of Aboadze. But having said so, Aboadze has not always been a very reliable plant. Mr. Speaker, anytime we have unscheduled power cuts which affect large areas, be assured that Aboadze has failed.
Mr. Speaker, it would be insincere of me to stand here and start pointing fingers at anybody because the intent of bringing
Mr. Adjaho 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, to the extent that the hon. Member is telling this House that Aboadze Thermal Plant is not reliable, he is misleading this House. Mr. Speaker, the truth of the matter is that when they decided to put what we call the O'Connor oil into the Thermal Plant against expert advice that is when the problem started. [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Member, wait for your turn.
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I said that the Aboadze Thermal Plant has not always been reliable. I did not say that it is not reliable. Mr. Speaker, it is for these reasons that I deem it necessary that this House representing the people of Ghana weaned itself off a debate that would only seek to pass the blame and to point fingers. The time has come for us as a House to initiate a debate that would seek to find solutions to our problems as a nation. Mr. Speaker, the people of Ofoase-Ayirebi did not vote for me to come and pass blame. They voted for me so that I would contribute my quota to solve the problems that they are facing. [Hear! Hear!]
Dr. Kunbuor 1:30 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to come on a point of order to actually correct my hon. Colleague. I have been listening to the catalogue of the difficulties he has assigned to the Aboadze Thermal Plant in relation to -- [Interruption] -- All that I wanted him to say is that he should have completed by saying that the VRA brought a standby
facility to this country, which it never generated --
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
He has not asked you to take the floor on his behalf and do the correction. Allow him to continue.
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
have listened to and I have read in detail the Statement made by the Minister. Mr. Speaker, in the long-term, with the coming on board of the Bui Dam and other sources of energy, I am now convinced more than ever that this country is now going to rely not only on one source of energy. We are going to have a basket of sources so that should anyone of them fail, we would be assured that we can continue to get uninterrupted power supply.
Mr. Speaker, this is the way forward. This is the way we should treat our industry and the power problem. We should all together think of other sources of generating power -- the Bui Dam, the gas coming from Nigeria, the Osagyefo Barge. We know very soon we will add solar so that we are sure that no one source of energy will fail us.
Mr. Speaker, I will end by saying that there was a time earlier on that we were forced to sleep in the dark both figuratively and in fact, now the people of Ghana having heard the Minister can now be assured that at the end of a long struggle through the 1980s to the 1990s Ghana is now moving towards a situation where we will never again have problems with power.
The road map is clear, it is something that is convincing. I and my hon. Colleagues in sponsoring this amendment are assured and we are convinced that the Minister and therefore the Ministry and the Government have what it takes to bring the power crisis to an end.
Mr. Speaker, I can do nothing else but to second the amendment and urge all of us to adopt the amendment.
Question proposed.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon. Members, we will debate the substantive motion itself alongside the amendment to that motion.
Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjapong -- rose
-- 1:40 p.m.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Yes, I could see you are making efforts to raise a point, hon. Majority Leader.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, there is another important item on the Order Paper for the day. I have discussed with my Colleague, the Minority Leader, and this is the proper time to adjourn the House and close the Meeting to ourselves for the rest of the day. I therefore move, that this House do now adjourn till tomorrow at 10.00 a.m. We shall continue tomorrow and debate it for three weeks, I have told you -- We will continue tomorrow at 10.00 a.m. Now we will move on to a closed Sitting of the House.
Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I second the motion. We agreed that the debate will continue tomorrow until we finish, and that we will adjourn after the motions have been moved for a closed Sitting of this House.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon. Members, for that reason the debate on the motion and the amendment will be deferred for continuation tomorrow.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 1:40 p.m.
THE 1:40 p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC 1:40 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
COMMUNICATION FROM 10 a.m.
THE PRESIDENT 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Members, Communication from the President.
“12th June, 2007
Absence from Ghana
In accordance with Article 59 of the
Constitution, I John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic, wish to notify you and Parliament that I shall be travelling to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend a Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
I shall depart from Ghana on Thursday, 14th June and return on Friday, 15th June,
2007.
Pursuant to Article 60 (8) of the Constitution, the Vice President shall act in my absence.
(Sgd.) JOHN AGYEKUM KUFUOR
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC 10 a.m.
OF GHANA 10 a.m.
SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT 10 a.m.
OFFICE OF PARLIAMENT 10 a.m.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE 10 a.m.
ACCRA 10 a.m.
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT 10 a.m.
CASTLE 10 a.m.