Debates of 4 Feb 2010

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:37 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:37 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:37 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of Votes and Proceeding of Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010.
Pages, 1-6 --
Mr. Ambrose P. Dery 10:37 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, at page 6, under 4, number 19, my name is recorded as absent yesterday. Madam Speaker, I believe you are aware, I was present and I would want the records to be corrected accordingly.
Madam Speaker 10:37 a.m.
Noted.

The Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 3 rd February, 2010 as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.

We move on to the Official Report of Tuesday, 2nd February, 2010.

Any correction in the Official Report?

Hon Members, in the absence of any corrections, the Official Report of Tuesday, 2nd February, 2010 is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

We move on to Question time. Hon Leader, the Minister for Defence?

Hon Members, three Questions are scheduled to be responded to by the Minister for Defence. I hope Hon Members would be mindful of the time allotted for Questions and the first one stands in the name of Hon Maj. (retd) Derek Yaw Oduro (Nkoranza North).

Hon Major (retd), put your Question.

Maj Derek Yaw Oduro (retd.): Thank you , Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, it is supposed to be Hon Maj. Derek Yaw Oduro (retd) and not Maj. (retd) Derek Yaw Oduro. It is not the rank which has retired but the person. I have retired from the Ghana Armed Forces, so I am Maj. Derek Oduro (retd).
Madam Speaker 10:37 a.m.
Yes, I said Hon
Major (retd).
Maj. Oduro (retd): It is supposed to
be Maj. Derek Yaw Oduro (retd). The “(retd)” comes after the whole name.
Madam Speaker 10:37 a.m.
After the whole
name?
Maj. Oduro (retd): Yes, Madam
Speaker.
Madam Speaker 10:37 a.m.
So. Hon Maj. Derek
Yaw Oduro (retd)?.
Maj. Oduro (retd): Yes, Madam
Speaker.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:37 a.m.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 10:37 a.m.
Minister for Defence (Lt-Gen. J. H. Smith (retd) 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in 1978, Government under Executive Instrument 82/78 acquired 1,720 acres of land at Ofankor in the Greater Accra Region for residential accommodation purposes under the Ofankor Town Planning Scheme. Out of this acquisition, approximately 482 acres constituting 28 per cent of the total area acquired was allocated to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
Madam Speaker, in order to develop the land allocated to the Ministry of Defence to conform with the purpose of acquisition, a special housing project was designed in 1981 for the construction of a number of bungalows to meet the accommodation needs of military personnel when they retire from active service.
Madam Speaker, consequently, five (5) different prototypes of 3 bedroom bungalows were constructed after the programme was launched. The idea was that, interested personnel were to choose a prototype which would be constructed and cost factored into retirement and end- of- service benefits of the beneficiaries. The programme, however, stalled after the construction of the prototypes.
Madam Speaker, the original land (482 acres) allocated to the Ministry of Defence/Ghana Armed Forces has been massively encroached upon. The encroachment as at now has engulfed the five (5) prototype buildings. The only land remaining is where the prototypes are located, and this is less than two (2) acres.
Madam Speaker, the Ghana Armed Forces is currently facing very acute living accommodation problem which is affecting morale of the troops. The Ghana Armed Forces, therefore, intends completing the five (5) prototype buildings which have already been roofed. Three (3) additional

houses are also to be constructed to fill available space around the prototypes. These houses, when completed, would be used to accommodate senior non-commis- sioned officers (SNCOs).

Madam Speaker, the project will commence in earnest after the Ministry has been able to secure title for the two-acre land remaining.

Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister -- They had 482 acres of land and they managed to develop only two acres. I believe they have stretches of land all over Ghana -- at Teshie, Takoradi, Tamale and other places. These lands have been massively, like he said, encroached upon. As the military, they supervised the pulling down of other buildings and why do they sit down for these lands to be encroached upon by civilians for over 30 years now?
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon Minister, he
says encroachment of your lands, why does the military sit down?
Lt.-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, on assumption of office, it was realized that, as the Hon Member has stated, most of the lands belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces have been encroached upon. A committee has been put in place to examine all these issues and come out with a report that will enable us take the appropriate steps to address the issue of encroachment on our lands. We are seriously working on this and I believe very soon we will come up with answers to address these issues.
Thank you. Maj. Oduro (retd) Madam Speaker,
I want to find out what caused the termination of the actual building project at Ofankor. What caused the termination? I do not think it was the encroachment.
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Well, I do not want
to come in but did the written Answer not say that? Hon Minister, he asked, what caused the termination or stoppage of the beginning of the project?
Lt.-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, there was a serious problem with funding for the project and this is what caused the problem.
Thank you.
Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Is he in coat and
tie today? You said “now he is in coat and tie.” Did you mean today he is in coat and tie?
Major Oduro (retd.): Madam
Speaker, I have a follow-up question but -
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Yes?
Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,
my question is that, what plans has he got for the retiring soldiers now that the land has been encroached upon by civilians? I am talking about the accommodation for the retiring soldiers in the Ghana Armed Forces.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd.): Madam
Speaker, as I said, we have serious problems with accommodation, so we want to complete this project for serving senior non-commissioned officers to occupy them. We are working out other schemes with the Veterans Association of Ghana to see what we can do for soldiers
who are proceeding on retirement with regard to accommodation.
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I know the military has qualified legal personnel. I would like to know from the Hon Minister when the land was acquired by the Government. Has this land been registered at the Land Title Registry before the encroachment? If so, what steps has he taken apart from leaving only two acres?
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon Minister,
maybe, you understood the question. Can you answer or do you want a repetition of the question?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, can the Hon Member repeat the question?
Mr. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I
will make my question very simple. I said the military has qualified legal personnel. I would like to know if the land that has been acquired has been registered at the Land Title Registry.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, the paper work is still going on. As I stated in my opening Answer, we are taking steps to get the title for the land so that we can complete the houses for our soldiers to occupy them.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I
would like to know from the Hon Minister whether compensation was paid for the 482 acres of land given to the military.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
the land was acquired under Executive Instrument and we are still looking at that issue whether compensation was paid. That is why I said that after we have done all the ground work, we would go further to acquire the land properly before we complete the buildings.
Mr. A. K. Agbesi 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to commend the Hon Minister for initiating the process to retrieve the land from the encroachers.
Madam Speaker, my question is, before he formed the committee to retrieve the land from the encroachers, what was the state of affairs before he resumed office? Was any action taken to retrieve the land before he resumed office?
rose
Madam Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Yes, Hon Leader?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I do know that this is the first time the Hon Minister, Lt-Gen Smith, is assuming the position of a Minister. The question that says “before his resumption of office” makes it appear as if he had occupied the place, there was an interregnum and now he is resuming. Madam Speaker, that clearly is not the case. The premise of the question is wrong and must be arrested.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member, objection has been taken -- [Inter- ruption] -- Your question said “before”, and he was not a Minister of Defence before. So can you frame the question again? You are asking him a question he may not know.
Mr. Agbesi 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, my
question flowed from what the Hon Minister said. He said when he assumed office he formed a committee to retrieve the land from the encroachers. My worry is whether there was anything in process before he assumed office, any steps had been taken to retrieve the land from the encroachers.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
He said you had set up a committee; did you -- [Inter- ruption.]
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, the question the Hon Member asked was in connection with all Ghana Armed Forces lands, and that is why I said I had put in place a Committee to look at that.
With regard to Ofankor, I have not seen anything that suggests that there was a previous attempt to retrieve the land.
Mr. David Oppon-Kusi 11 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, what
is your question?
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
so the word “encroachers” does not even come in here. Madam Speaker, can the Hon Minister tell us categorically whether legally those people who have taken the lands are encroachers since Ghana Armed Forces have no title to the land and there is no proof that they paid compensation?
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Well, is it an opinion
you are asking of him? [Interruption..] Well, but will he know? He is not the owner of the land. And you are saying that if he did not have title -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want us to establish whether those people who are taking the land are legally, encroachers. It is important to establish this at this point.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Then just ask that
question. But still it will be, does he think -- Is it his opinion you are asking for?
Mr. Oppon-Kusi 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
but the Hon Minister has already admitted that they have no title to the land. Again, he has said that he is not sure that compensation was paid, so even to go ahead and use the word “encroachers” presumes that the land is legally theirs.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
All right, we will
ask the question.

Lt-Gen Smith(retd): Madam Speaker,

if you go back to my opening statement, I did say that the land was acquired under Executive Instrument and it was 1,720 acres, and 482 acres were allocated to the Ghana Armed Forces, and this is the portion that has been encroached upon. And I did also say that we are taking steps to get title for the remaining two acres so that we can complete the buildings.
Mr. David Tetteh Assumeng 11 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Well , your
question was, can you have the list of -- [Interruption] -- That is permitted. But are you going to take further action? [Laughter] -- He says, can they “have the list of the encroachers. . .”? What he does with them, of course -- [Interruption.]
Lt.-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, as I said, the task has been given to a committee, and we are waiting for the committee's report. They might be able
to come up with the list of encroachers, and we will take action on that when it happens.
Madam Speaker, thank you.
Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah 11 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, may I know whether the Hon Minister is in a position to confirm that before his assumption of office, there already existed a committee that had been set up to determine the status of Ghana Armed Forces' lands, to determine the extent of encroachment and how this could be stopped, and also to determine what lands could qualify to be redeveloped - a committee which, indeed, was headed by the former Deputy Minister.?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, I have set up a committee to look into all Armed Forces, lands. If the committee decides to go back into files and dig out anything that existed before my assumption of office, that will be added to the committee's work to help them complete the task that has been assigned to it.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
The question was,
do you know?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, I am not aware of this.
rose
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
We have to move
Mr. Simon Edem Asimah 11 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, the Hon Minister's Answer, he mentioned that the Ghana Armed Forces is currently facing very acute living accommodation problems which is affecting morale of the troops. My question is, what pragmatic measures is the Ghana Armed Forces putting in place to address its accommodation problems.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
a lot of plans have been put in place to address this issue. The Ghana Armed
Forces have had very serious chats with Government and plans are far advanced to get development partners to help us resolve some of our accommodation problems.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Last question,
please.
Mr. Samuel Ayeh-Paye 11 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, ask
your question.
Mr. Ayeh-Paye 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I
rose
Mr. Ayeh-Paye 11 a.m.
I want to know whether the President's property is on the land being acquired by the military.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Tia, the question is what? [Interruption.] Hon Member, what is the question? Let us see if he can object to it.
Mr. Ayeh-Paye 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I know the President has a property, a house -- [Interruption] -- I know -- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, ask your question.
Mr. Ayeh-Paye 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister whether the President is one of the encroachers? [Laughter.]
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Tia, the question is, is he one of the encroachers? Let him tell us if he knows. Hon Minister, that is the question.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, I do not know anything about the President's property.
rose
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, do you have a question?
Mr. Justice Joe Appiah 11 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the shout of “shame” from Hon Fritz Baffour is unparliamentary.
Madam Speaker 11 a.m.
I thought I had ruled that “shame” could be used in this House. [Uproar] -- Yes, Order! Order! Let us carry on.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, indeed, you have ever ruled that “shame” could be applied, that has relevance to the context. What you have not ruled on is whether or not clapping of the hands as was just done by Hon Fritz Baffour -- [Laughter] -- But that is in the lighter vein.
The question that I want to pose to the Hon Minister -- He has indicated to us that the five prototype buildings were started in 1981 and that is about 30 years when the structure was started; 30 years on, they have not been completed. May I enquire from him, the status of the structural integrity of the houses that are now to be completed?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, we have given the task to our engineers to look at the structural status of those prototype buildings and they will come up with a report. Whatever we need to do to get them to be occupied by our
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, is the roofing and putting it into shape being done while they are awaiting the report? Because that is what he has stated that they are being roofed, so have they had the report?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, the engineers will examine all the structures and issue a report. That is what they will do.
Thank you.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, I thought the question was simple. He is saying that he has set up a committee comprising engineers, he is awaiting a report, meanwhile, they are being roofed.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, no, no, they are roofed. Five of them are already roofed.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Already?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
yes, they are already roofed.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, but the other works will await the report?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Yes.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:10 a.m.
All right.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, thank you.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Shall we move to
the next Question. It stands in the name
of Hon Maj Derek Yaw Oduro (retd), (Nkoranza North.)
New Recruitment into Ghana Armed Forces (commencement)
Q. 343. Maj. Derek Yaw Oduro (retd) asked the Minister for Defence when the recruitment of new military personnel into the Ghana Armed Forces for the year 2010 would commence.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, the Ghana Armed Forces has begun a programme for recruitment into the three (3) Services: Army, Navy and Air Force. This is the first general recruitment exercise since the last one initiated in 2008 was called off in 2009. As you are already aware, I had the privilege last year to brief this House on the reasons for the suspension.
The recruitment process was widely advertised in the print and electronic media in November, 2009 and by 31st December 2009, the closing date for receipt of applications, forty-six thousand, one hundred and twenty-four (46,124) applications had been received and short- listing commenced in earnest.
Out of the 46,124 applications received, only 7,357 met the general eligibility and educational requirements for the recruitment exercise. Invitation letters are being dispatched to the short-listed applicants and this will be completed by 12th February, 2010.
Madam Speaker, the candidates who will pass the regional screening exercise on the basis of technical or trade qualification will be called to Accra for trade tests from 8th to 19th March, 2010. The final list of all those who pass, including the
non-tradesmen, will be called for training after passing a medical examination. It is projected that for this year, 1,200 soldiers will be trained and the breakdown for the Services is as follows:
a. Army -- 800
b. Navy -- 200
c. Air Force -- 200
Total - -
1,200
Madam Speaker, the first batch of trainees will undergo a medical examination between 29th March and 30th April, 2010.
Those who pass the med ica l examination shall report for taining, which starts from 1st July to 31st December, 2010. The second batch training is scheduled for 6th January, 2011 to 30th June, 2011.
Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister whether the Ministry has overcome the problems that gave rise to the suspension of the recruitment exercise last year.
Mr. Akologu 11:10 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think
in the Minister's Answer, he has alluded to the fact that last year he had the oppor- tunity to address this House following a similar Question on the issue. So this is already known, it is in the public domain and therefore, he does not have to come back to it. By our rules, he does not have to go back to that; he has already provided the Answers to this House.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Yes, that is true.
He stated the problems that led to the suspension but I think the question is, has he overcome those problems? It is a different question now.
Honourables, please, let us go on. I

Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam

Speaker, the process has just begun and we are guarding seriously against the repetition of the problems that I put before the House when I came here last year.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Second question?
Maj.Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,
I want to find out from the Hon Minister whether consideration is being given to those who had their recruitment exercise cancelled -- those who were not allowed, whether they are going to be considered during this recruitment exercise.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
I think you can

Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
He did not say he

Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam

Speaker, as I said early on, the process has started, we advertised in the papers and every citizen who is qualified by the advertisement that we put in the papers has the right to apply and that is what we are doing.
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Third question?
Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,
Madam Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Honourable, he
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.


Maj. Oduro (retd): Madam Speaker,

my last question is whether the regional balance was satisfied during this recruitment exercise.
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Well, I do not want
to come in but I think he will attempt to answer the question.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
as I said, we have just kick started the process and we are taking every step to make sure that there is regional balance at the end of the day.
Mr. D. B. A. Nitiwul 11:20 p.m.
Madam Speaker, paragraph 2 of the Hon Minister's Answer states that the recruitment process was advertised in the print and the electronic media in November 2009 and by December, 2009, the closing date for receipt of applications 46,124 applicants had been received and shortlisting commenced in earnest.
Of the 46,124 applications received, only 7,357 met the general eligiblity and educational requirements for the recruitment exercise. That translates to 15.9 per cent, approximately 16 per cent of the population. What is really the general eligibility and educational requirement that made the other 85 per
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
Madam Speaker, at the time of shortlisting and in line with the Answer that the Hon Minister has given, obviously, only the educational requirements are known for them to do the shortlisting. Is the suggestion being made that out of the 46,124 applications, only 7,457 met the educational requirements?
Madam Speaker, it is important because the general eligibility requirements will normally only be assessed when the applicant is being screened. So the major issue during the time of shortlisting is the educational requirements. My question, Madam Speaker, is for a confirmation that indeed, the majority of applicants did not satisfy the educational requirements. Is that the case?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
that is very true Against the background of 1,200 -- That is what we are taking for the year and of course, 46,124, we need to do some documentary screening to ascertain whether the 46,124 all satisfied the requirements that we put in the advertisement and once that is done, then come up with a shortlist that enables us to move on to the other stages of the
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Do you want the answer from him?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Hon Minister, the
question is that those who think they are qualified, if they do not get it, how do they challenge it or what is the avenue opened to them? The first question was “what do you think . . . ? and I said he should put it in a better way. So what should they do - [Interruptions] - well let us hear it from the Minister.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
if you look at the advertisement, apart from the educational qualifications, there are other qualifications that the advertise-ment specifies one should have before one qualifies. So, maybe, if an applicant was not selected based on his educational qualifications, it could be something else. It says that you should be a Ghanaian citizen by birth; if you have a birth certificate that is not too clear for the examiners to make a decision on, that could affect you.
There are people who have put in applications -- you should be not less than l8 years and not more than 23 ½ years for non-tradesmen and not more than 25 years by the time of call-up for training. All these things are there and the examiners have to look at them and decide whether you qualify or not. So it could be any of these which disqualified you from being selected.
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
But the last question
was, Hon Minister, “what do they do if they are not taken?” We need it from the Minister. What do they do or are they just left to lick their wounds?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd.): Madam
Speaker, the individual can reapply next year.
programme. So that is right. Does that answer his question?
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Hon Kan-Dapaah,
you are asking three questions all in one.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
No. Madam
Speaker, he asked whether I was satisfied with the answer and I wanted to respond.
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Well, you asked a
question. Last question.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
Madam Speaker,
can I find out from the Hon Minister whether an applicant who knows he met in full the educational requirements but was not shortlisted should be right in concluding that he had not been fairly treated?
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
I thought your
question should be - not the last line - but what should such a person do rather than asking him whether the man is entitled to think -- because then it is an opinion. But if you want to know what he should do, that will be a direct question.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
Madam Speaker, I thought this question was important because I do know of some applicants who have not heard anything so far but who - [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
I am not quarreling
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:20 p.m.
Madam Speaker,
you could not have put it in a better way. I think that is a summary of the question that I posed.
Madam Speaker 11:20 p.m.
Hon Member, are
you thinking there is another avenue for redress?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:30 a.m.
No, Madam Speaker, you will recall that the 2008 recruitment was cancelled in 2009, apparently because there was lack of transparency. I thought there was going to be open transparency such that he who knows that he meets all the requirements but is not being called, can, at least, appeal to that special unit that the Hon Minister would set up. Otherwise, that transparency that was trumpeted by the Hon Minister - [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Then put it to him
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
will the Hon Minister set up a unit to review people who have applied, believe they qualify but have not had any response? [Interruptions.] Will the Hon Minister set up a team to review such cases as may be reported to that body?
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
He is asking you

Lt-Gen. Smith (retd): Madam

[LT-GEN SMITH (RETD)] Some Hon Members -- rose --
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Are we putting a stop
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 11:30 a.m.
Thank
you very much Madam Speaker, for the consideration.
Madam Speaker, we know that sometimes mistakes may occur. Assuming someone receives a letter from the Ghana Armed Forces stating that he did not qualify because he would be over the age of 25 at the date of call and that reason is not correct, it is a mistake; he will be 21. What will be the method for redress for such an applicant?
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Well, if the Hon

Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,

I have taken note of this question; I will discuss it with the team that is working on the whole exercise and we will find a solution to it.
rose
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Yes, last question
from the Hon Minority Leader.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, I know the Hon Minister responsible for Defence has been bemoaning the status of our Ghana Air Force against the backdrop of the new oil discovery. In view of that, can he tell us the basis for the recruitment into the
various services - 800, Army; 200, Navy; 200, Air Force -- what is the basis?
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon Minister, that is
a legitimate question. You have provided these figures.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker,
the Army is the larger force and by our regulation, it should maintain a certain strength. The same applies to the Navy and the Air Force. That is one aspect.
The other aspects are issues of logistics.
In fact, we could take more people but we do not have the accommodation and we do not have the facilities to give to the recruits. So these are the things that militate against the figures but basically, we have figures that we need to work with. The Army should be at a certain strength, the Navy and the Air Force and that is what we use to guide us in determining these figures.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, the Hon Minister has emphasized once again inadequacy of logistics, in particular, housing. Last year, when he came to respond to the issues relating to the cancellation, he dwelt on accommodation as one of the critical issues which caused the cancellation; that they lacked accommodation. Between the period he answered the Question and now, how many new houses have they built? [Interruption.] How many units of accommodation have been provided?
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon Minority
Leader, my problem is with the number of houses they have built. I thought you meant “what have they done?” But if he can answer that, well - because you are pinning him down to a certain number of houses. So if he knows it, yes, Hon Minister.
Is the question still standing or are you going to change it so he can answer it?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, just to refresh our memories. The Hon Minister, in addressing the issue about the cancellation of the recruitment exercise in 2009, emphasised the lack of accommodation and that he said, lack of accommodation was one of the critical reasons which occasioned the cancellation. So the question is, now that we are recruiting 1,200, I want to know what has changed between then and now in respect of accommodation. How many new ones have been provided?
Or, perhaps, there were some of them which were in very bad state, such that they were not habitable at the time? So we want to know. Otherwise, maybe, the other angle would be that, perhaps, they have sacked so many people to create avenues for recruitment. Let him answer. He is capable -- The Hon Minister for Defence, I believe, is very capable. He is a General, he is a retired General. He is capable of answering this question. Madam Speaker, let him answer.
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Yes, I will let him answer because I think like you, that he is very capable of answering the question.
Hon Minister, they have asked you a question.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam
Speaker, I believe I did talk about non- availability of housing and poor state of existing housing and I want to assure Hon Members of Parliament that we have done a lot of rehabilitation works on the poor state of accommodation and that is why - [Interruption.] I cannot give figures now but we have rehabilitated a whole lot of them to receive the new recruits who are coming in. Mind you, this exercise begins from July to December and we still have about six months to go and we
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, I believe I am reasonably satisfied, except to request the Hon Minister, if he stays on until December, if he stays on at the Ministry until December, he should come back and give us the figures relating to the uninhabited units of housing that they might have rehabilitated for accommodation between now and December.
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
I did not get the
question. Was it a comment?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, it was a request; it is a request and I believe judging from the profuse nodding of head by the Hon Minister, I think he understood me.
Madam Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon Minister, does
he want an answer or he appealed to you? All right. So I thank you.
We will move to the last Question which stands in the name of Hon Seth Kwame Acheampong (Mpraeso).
Mr. Dominic B. A. Nitiwul 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Member is unavoidably absent, he is on an official delegation and I have his permission to seek your indulgence to ask the Question on his behalf.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, all right.
Training Sessions at ARTS (Asutsuare)
Q. 344. Mr. Dominic B. A. Nitiwul (on behalf of Mr. Seth Kwame Akyeampong) asked the Minister for Defence how many training sessions had taken place at the ARTS at Asutsuare since January 2009 and how many participants were involved.

Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, the Ghana Armed Forces trains recruits at separate locations for the Army, Navy and the Air Forces as follows:

a . A r m y - - A r m y R e c r u i t Training at Shai Hills

b. Navy -- Naval Bases at Sekondi and Tema

c. Air Force -- Air Force Base in Takoradi.

Madam Speaker, the Asutsuare Training Centre is not a recruit training school. It is used for in-service orientation of already qualified personnel who are deployed for special duties like Operation Calm Life, Operation CITADEL (Castle Security), Exercise Tiger's Path and Artillery Refresher Course.

The following courses are run:

Young Soldiers Continuation Training

Run for Army and Air Force young soldiers for six weeks after passing out from the training centres. This course is run as and when soldiers pass out from the recruit training schools.

Exercise Monkey Hills

This is conducted for soldiers nominated to perform duties at the Castle. Training is conducted normally in January for six weeks.

Operation Calm Life Training

Training of army and police personnel for Operation Calm Life conducted quarterly for two weeks.

Exercise Tigers' Path Training

This is a biennial training for Southern Command personnel to prepare them to

participate in Exercise Tigers' Path at Jungle Warfare School (JWS).

Artillery Refresher Course

Assistance is given to 66 Artillery Regiment for four weeks training of their unit personnel prior to land Firepower Demonstration to Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) in October each year. The training is conducted by instructors from the 66 Artillery Regiments.

Ghana Immigration Service Training

Eight-week training is conducted for selected personnel from the Ghana Immigration Service with emphasis on un-armed combat and confidence training. Training is as and when requested and is made by Ghana Immigration Service with approval from Higher Headquarters (HQ).

Demonstration for LECIA

Demonstration of hostage situation is conducted for students of Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA). A day's demonstration is put up once every year.

Confidence Training for Global Media Alliance

As part of military civil co-operation, a one-day confidence training for selected personnel from Global Media Alliance. Training is conducted as and when requested by Global Media Alliance and approved by Higher HQ.

Special Training

Presidential Security

Personnel training is conducted as and when requested by the Presidential Security Co-ordinator and approved by Higher HQ. The

period ranges from 2 to 6 weeks.

Police Specialized Weapons Action Team Training

This is a 3-week intensive para- military training with emphasis on confidence bui lding and skill at arms for selected police personnel. Training is conducted as and when requested by the Police Administration and approved by Higher HQ.

Instructors

Instructors are drawn from 64 Infantry Regiment with support from units in the Southern Command. Other personnel include administrative staff and camp security.

Facilities

The following facilities are available:

a. Dormitories for Students -- 3 storeyed buildings -- capacity 200 b. Accommodation for instructors -- 6 X flats

c. Office accommodation d. Lecture rooms

4 0 0 - m e t r e r a n g e a n d obstacles course.

The following courses were run at this Centre from January 2009 to date:

a. Southern Command Exercise Tigers' Path team (15th May 27th June, 2009).

b. Operation Calm Life Training:

15th 27th June 2009 -- 6 military officers and 97 other ranks. 4

police officers and 42 other ranks.

7th 19th December 2009 - 4m military officers and 63 other ranks. 5 police officers and 465 other ranks.

Presidential Security Training (8th June 7th August, 2009).

Artillery Refresher Course (11th September 8th October, 2009).

Air Force Young Soldiers Training (9 th October 4 th December, 2009).

Police Specialized Weapon Action Team (20th November 18th Decem-ber, 2009).

Currently in progress are:

a. The Presidential Security Training which started from (18th January to 26th February

2010.

b. Police Specialized Weapon Action Team (1 19 February

2010).

Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Nitiwul 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the
Hon Minister for Defence indicated on page 13, that there was a Presidential Special Training on the 8th of June to 7th August 2009, and on page 14, it is stated that currently there is a Presidential Security Training that is going on from the 18th of January to 25th February. I want to find out from him whether it is limited to the Presidential Security that existed before this Government came to office or new ones have been added.

[LT-GEN. SMITH (RETD)] Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, the Presidential Security detail, they are about three groups and these groups need to be given the necessary skills to be able to properly protect the presidency. And as and when their officers in charge feel there are new introductions into the security system and they need to be updated, they arrange for them to go for further training at the Asutsuare Centre.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, second question, please.
Mr. Nitiwul 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think he did not answer my question. What I said was whether the training was limited to the existing once that existed before the Government came to power, or new people have been added to this training. That is what I asked.
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Well he said it is updated when new people come. I think that is what I heard. And also when a request is made to update their knowledge; I think he answered the question. Your next question then.
Mr. Nitiwul 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, how many have been trained so far at LECIA, Global Media Alliance and at the Presidential Security; the various trainings that he has done. How many have been trained?
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
You mean what dates; from what date?
Mr. Nitiwul 11:40 a.m.
Madam Speaker, he mentioned that there were various training sessions that have taken place for LECIA, Global Media Alliance and for the Presidential Security. And I said that under each of them, for example, the Presidential Security, how many have been trained so far?
Madam Speaker 11:40 a.m.
“So far” means
Mr. Nitiwul 11:50 a.m.
He said there were two training sessions under the Presidential Security; one started from 8th June to 7th August, 2009 and the other one is currently going on. I just wanted to find out the total number of those that have been trained.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
I think the question is clear now. Is it not?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, the Presidential Security training which started from 8th June to 7th August, 2009, there were 50 personnel -- 10 military officers, 25 police officers and 15 civilians. The Presidential Security training that is going on presently from 18th January to 5th February, 2010, they are 25 drivers, 5 military officers, 8 police officers and 12 civilians.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon Member, your last question.
Mr. Nitiwul 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I just wanted to find out the cost of the training. [Interruptions.] Madam Speaker, what was the cost of the Presidential Security training and the various training programmes?
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, I think the Question did not state that I should give the cost of training. I would need notice to do that.
Mr. David Tetteh Assumeng 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister if he would consider organising a special training for Hon Members of Parliament including Madam Speaker at the Asutsuare training camp. [Laughter.]
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Well, I think he will answer the question but I was wondering,

why we would need military training.
Mr. Assumeng 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I was privileged to have some education in some countries and in those countries, almost everybody has some kind of basic training. So I thought it would also be prudent or very necessary for Members of Parliament, including your goodself, Madam Speaker, to undergo some basic military training.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon Minister, he is asking you whether you would consider training Members of Parliament (MPs) including the Speaker.
Mr. Joe Baidoe-Ansah 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I know from the Hon Minister whether it was deliberate not to mention the number and the kind of people that are being trained? This is because in his Answer on Presidential Security training, he gave a breakdown of drivers, soldiers and policemen, but the first one, he did not break it down. And I am asking whether he did that deliberately?
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
I thought the first one was also broken down?
Mr. Baidoe-Ansah 11:50 a.m.
No, Madam Speaker. That is not what he did. What he did was that, concerning the first one, he said they were training 15 people as presidential guards. He went further to state that this time they are training -- what kind of people, he did not say. But the second one, he said specifically that they are training drivers, soldiers and policemen. My question is, if it is not deliberate - [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
No, I would not put
1 Block}
}
}
it that way. Ask the question if you want clarification about the first one.
Mr. Baidoe-Ansah 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, may I know from the Hon Minister what type of people are being trained as presidential security detail and whether it is a refresher course or new training that is being given to people?
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
That is a very legitimate question now.
Hon Minister, he wants clarification.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd): Madam Speaker, I will not be able to give an answer to that now but I believe most of them are doing refresher training. A few of them are new recruits and security detail.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
I will admit the last question. It is twelve o'clock and we should finish Question time.
Mr. A. K. Agbesi 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, following the question asked by my Hon Colleague, the Member for Shai Osudoku (Mr. David T. Assumeng), I want to know from the Hon Minister whether this policy of engaging national service personnel in undertaking some sort of military training so that the youth would be introduced to some kind of military awareness can also be extended to the youth generally who agree to go for some voluntary training in military service. I want to know whether that is possible and why that policy had been abandoned ever since.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon Minister, there is another question on whether the youth could not be trained.
Lt-Gen Smith (retd.): Madam Speaker, that used to be the case as the Hon Member said; it is a very laudable concept, but again, money to support it is the problem. I believe now, even the
regular Forces, we are having a problem with budgetary allocations; we cannot take care of them, so if you bring on board the youth, it is even going to burden us more. Once we have funds to support such a programme, I think it would be a laudable one to put in place.
Madam Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Thank you, Hon Minister, for coming to answer our Questions.
Hon Members, we have Statements. I think we will have a Statement from Hon Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
STATEMENTS 11:50 a.m.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NPP - Manhyia) 11:50 a.m.
Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity.
One profession that registers its presence very boldly in this House is unarguably the legal profession. We are often very impressed with the performance of the lawyers in the House towards the success of our work as the legislative organ of (government), the State.
Madam Speaker, let me quickly refresh our memory by listing a few of our most adored national icons who were or are legal prodigies for acknowledgement: Dr. J. B. Danquah and four other members of the Big Six were lawyers. John Mensah Sarbah, who led the Aborigines' Right Protection Society to prevent the implementation of the Crown Bill in Ghana, was the first Ghanaian lawyer. Two of our three Presidents in the Fourth Republic including the sitting President, H.E. Prof. John Evans Atta Mills are lawyers.
Madam Speaker, your goodself as well as all your predecessors in the 4th Republic
and the Majority Leader of the House are all lawyers. These are but the few time will allow me to mention.
In the light of the aforementioned, it will be unproductively repetitive for me to even attempt to indicate to this House that, considering the contributions of lawyers to our far and recent political history, we inevitably need more lawyers as a country. I am not alone in this school of thought. In the last seven years, KNUST and The Zenith College have joined the University of Ghana in the study and award of law degrees.
I am informed that, University of Cape Coast and GIMPA are also preparing feverishly to start awarding LLBs (Bachelor's of Law) degrees. The question we all have to ask ourselves is, after LLB what next?
The Ghana School of Law, popularly known as “Makola” is the only institution that provides professional training for lawyers in this country and as we all know, it is located in the centre of Accra. It has only a little room for expansion and its current facilities are woefully inadequate.
Madam Speaker, as I speak, I hear that Kumasi has been permitted to start granting the professional certificate.
MR. FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr. First Deputy Speaker noon
Thank you, Hon Member.
Hon Deputy Attorney-General?
Deputy Minister for Justice and Attorney-General (Mr. Ebo Barton- Odro): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the brilliant Statement made by the Hon Member.
Mr. Speaker, the concerns raised are very genuine. But I would like to assure this Honourable House that the General Legal Council and the School of Law are up to the task.
First of all, I want to inform this House that there is a programme on course which from October this year, will start a campus of the Ghana Law School on the University of Ghana campus as well
as another one on the KNUST campus to take care of the backlog of students who have passed out with the LLB degrees.
We have already advertised for recruitment of lecturers and that has been done with regard to the University of Ghana campus of the Ghana Law School. The recruitment for the KNUST has been advertised and on the 15th February, there will be an interview conducted for that recruitment as well.
Now, the General Legal Council has also set up a team which has been liaising with the two campuses to ensure that come October, the two law schools or sub-sets of the Law School will also take off.
Again, my Hon Colleague indicated that there will be the need for this Study Law Programme to be started. As at now, I do not think we are in the position to start that kind of programme. And looking particularly at the peculiar nature of the training of lawyers, the need for tutorials, the need for attachments to law chambers, the need for moot court exercises, et cetera, we probably would have to think of the way forward as far as Study Law is concerned. It would not be as easy as we probably think.
Mr. Speaker, apart from all these that the General Legal Council is putting in place, I think that it is also necessary that we think of the long-term. And in that regard, the existing Law School is going on an expansion programme and a six- storeyed lecture project has been approved by the Public Procurement Authority through sole-sourcing. The contractor is about to commence work on site. It is the funding that is delaying us a bit. But we believe that, as soon as funds are made available, with the two other units taking off, we should be in the position to take care of the students who would pass out of the various law faculties that have been set up.
On that note, I would like to thank you for the opportunity given me, and I believe
that we will be able to handle the situation as well as we can.
Thank you.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker noon
Hon Deputy Minority Leader?
Mr. Ambrose P. Dery (NPP -- Lawra/ Nandom) noon
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity.
First of all, I would like to thank the Hon Member for Manhyia for such an important and very detailed Statement, coming from a doctor. When he got up, I thought he was going to talk on medical schools. So I would like to congratulate him for his in-depth knowledge of the problem. And also, I thank the Hon Deputy Minister for Justce and Attorney-General for the information he has given towards decentralising the training of lawyers so far, starting from October in Accra and Kumasi.
Mr. Speaker, I th ink that the decentralisation should go even further. All the law faculties are concentrated in the South. It is KNUST which is the furthest up North. And then you talk about University of Ghana, Zenith College and
GIMPA.
I think that it is important that we do decentralise and we should establish a faculty of law in the University for Development Studies (UDS) so that the northern part of the country would be served by that and that subsequently, it should be possible to establish a third law school further up North.
I would like to assure the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice that there are courts up North and there are lawyers and chambers up North. I think that it would interest you to know that a number of chambers up North, at least, one has been able to establish a national network that I was privileged to be associated with. The difficulty is that there is unfair access to legal training
Mr. Ambrose P. Dery (NPP -- Lawra/ Nandom) noon


by the current arrangement and most of the northern population are poor and therefore, it increases the challenges.

So I would like to add my voice to say that I thank the Hon Member for Manhyia, Dr. Prempeh, but we should consider establishing a law faculty in UDS as a priority and subsequently, encourage the General Legal Council to talk of a third law school further up North than Kumasi.

With this, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr. E. K. Bandua (NDC - Biakoye) 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the Statement that was made by the Hon Member for Manhyia.
Indeed, we all know that lawyers render services, virtually, to everybody in the community. Therefore, the need for more lawyers to be trained in the system cannot be overemphasised. I am, therefore, grateful that the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has told us that steps are being taken to ensure that more law schools are opened to absorb the graduates that are coming out from the faculties.
I want to appeal to him that all steps that are to be taken to ensure that law schools are put in place should be done urgently, because many of the graduates who come out and do not have places to go for this professional training, would go through a lot of frustration and this would not be very good for the system.
One challenge that may face the various law schools is the ability to attract qualified personnel to come and teach in these institutions. Therefore, there would be the need to look at the conditions of
Papa Owusu-Ankomah (NPP - Sekondi) 12:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I also wish to commend the Hon Member for Manhyia for the Statement he has made.
Mr. Speaker, at the time the Faculty of Law at KNUST was opened, I happened to be the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.
At that time, there were a lot of cynics who felt that indeed, the KNUST Law Faculty could not contribute meaningfully to legal education in this country.
I am happy to note that the products of that faculty, who had the opportunity to be enrolled at the Ghana Law School, distinguished themselves.
Mr. Speaker, there is also the view that there are too many lawyers being trained. But an examination of the products of the Ghana School of Law, one would come to appreciate that majority of them do not get involved in legal practice or litigation as we know them. Majority of them now are people who have first degrees and have professions and have decided to pursue legal education as a way to support them in the work that they do.
Even in this House, we have fairly senior members of the Parliamentary Service who have gone to the Law School
and through the knowledge that they have acquired improved their performance, even in terms of drafting. That is the way we should see the legal profession. I am sure the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice would affirm that even getting lawyers to serve in the Attorney-General's office has become a major problem. They need more lawyers there. So we should adopt a very open- minded and liberal approach towards legal education in Ghana.
But there is also one point that I wish to emphasise and it is in respect of the issue raised by the Hon Member for Biakoye (Mr. Bandua), with regard to professional legal education.
Mr. Speaker, professional legal education is very expensive in other parts of the world and I know that in the United Kingdom (UK) for example, it costs about £13,000.00 to go through professional legal education for one year. That is not considered to be part of the general education being funded by the State.
So it is high time we appreciated -- just like accountants pay a certain fee to go through professional training, that those who seek professional legal education must be prepared to pay more than the average university student pays for undergraduate studies. That is not to say that the absence of finance should be a bar to access to professional legal education.
I recall that as Attorney-General then, I had discussions with the Board of Legal Education to consider whether they could not put in place a certain financing scheme that would encourage students to have access to funding through some banks and other financial institutions to support their legal education. And I am very happy that contrary to views that were being expressed some years past, the General
Legal Council and the Board of Legal Education have agreed to extend access professional legal education to other parts of the country.
I will encourage the General Legal Council to consider itself to be a standard setting body so that they set standards, give accreditation to law schools and then set the examinations, that would also encourage us to improve upon the legal education that we are having in this country.
I must say that as compared to other parts of the world, the standard of professional legal education in this country is a bit low. The purpose of professional legal education is to expose students to professional legal practice in all its ramifications. That is more of advocacy, more of court work, more to do with comportment and more with ethics.
Professional legal education is more or less different in a way from undergraduate legal education. The focus should be on more contact hours in court, having access to interviewing clients, even the way you draw a Bill. And I am encouraging the General Legal Council through the Board of Legal Education to re-examine the content of legal education so that our products can be globally competitive. I must say that with the little experience that I have had globally, our legal training falls short of the global standards.
It is good, that is not to say that it is not good, but it can be far, far, far better. If it can be far, far better, then we must as parents, as wards, as people who want to obtain legal education be prepared to pay more because to get a private legal practitioner to leave his office to even come and teach for two hours, should be financially attractive. If the salaries and allowances given to lecturers in the law schools are attractive, we are going to get very capable and experienced legal practitioners.
We can even have parliamentary practice as an option and I am sure when
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
I will
take two more, one from each side of the House.
Hon Member for Ashaiman and Hon Balado Manu. But if the Hon Second Deputy Speaker wants to, I will give him the chance to contribute. Then in that case, I will take Hon Moses Asaga.
Very brief, so that I can add two more people.
Mr. Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC - Ashaiman) 12:20 p.m.
Very well, Mr. Speaker, I will be very brief. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity and I thank the Hon Member who made the Statement very well.
Mr. Speaker, a lot has been said about
this topic. I am grateful to the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice for giving us the elaborate programme that the General Legal Council has towards education in law.
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Minority Leader has made a point which I want to support. Mr. Speaker, the need for the expansion of the Ghana Law School -- Mr. Speaker, in most of the cases, we see our institutions well established in the southern part of the country. It would not be too bad for us to see a law school, properly so-called established in the northern part of Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, I want to go further to say that the Court of Appeal as we have today, there is an expansion of the Court and it
is being sited in Kumasi. Mr. Speaker, you will see clearly that whenever we are talking about things that need to be expanded, we think about Accra and Kumasi.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say that if a law school can be established in the northern part, particularly in Tamale, it would be very great in our cause. And I want to appeal to the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to take this matter seriously, that we need a law school, not expanded or a campus of the law school in Kumasi or for that matter, in Tamale but a law school properly established in the North. And moving from there, we must be looking at other places like the Volta Regional capital which must also get something.
Mr. Speaker, much has been said about the need for lawyers and the Hon Member who made the Statement alluded to the fact that lawyers in this House assist in doing a lot of jobs in the House. That means that the attention of the authorities must be drawn to the fact that we need more lawyers. We need more lawyers; their training, their facilities after training and particularly going to the Attorney- General's Department which does a lot of jobs.
Mr. Speaker, the suggestion that had
been made by the Hon Member who made the Statement that running a law school in shifts, let us say in the morning and another in the afternoon -- we have to guard jealously against devaluing of the legal profession degree by running shift system in the law.
I believe that the value that would be attached to the degree that would be acquired would be devalued. And I want to say that that is a good idea but the most important thing, maybe, in my view, to find a solution to all these things is the expansion of the law school by the establishment of other law schools in the
country, particularly in the northern part and in the Volta Region.
Mr. Speaker, with these words I support the Statement.
Mr. S. K. B. Manu (NPP -- Ahafo
Ano South): Mr. Speaker, I rise to contribute to the Statement made by the Hon Member for Manhyia.
Mr. Speaker, the importance of lawyers in furthering the cause of democracy in every country cannot be disputed. Mr. Speaker, lawyers do a lot in furthering the cause of democracy even when they are not in law courts litigating. Mr. Speaker, if we have more lawyers and they can easily be assessed in terms of their fees and all that, I think people will have confidence to go to the law courts for resolution of their problems rather than taking the law into their hands and doing things the way they want.
When somebody has a case and he realizes that he cannot hire the services of a lawyer because there are few lawyers around who are charging so exorbitantly, he decides to find a way out and that could undermine the tenets of democracy. So talking about expansion of the law school, I think we should be thinking about training lawyers who may not even be in the law courts.
The Hon Member for Sekondi was saying that lawyers, some of them are not litigating, they are in other sectors of the economy. I think that is a good idea because if I am a teacher and I know the law, I will not abuse the child that I am teaching. If I am a trader and I know something about the law, I will not do things that will undermine the economy of the State, for instance, through money laundering and other such things.
So I believe that a legally literate society is very necessary for the promotion of democracy in any modern State.
rose
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon
Member, do you have a point of order?
Mr. Hodogbey 12:20 p.m.
Exactly so, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
What order? Hon Member, what Order do you have? I have my Standing Orders with me.
Mr. Hodogbey 12:30 p.m.
Order 91 - [Laughter.] Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Wait, let
me look at Order 91.
Mr. Hodogbey 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is true.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon Member, there is nothing in Order 91. [Laughter.] Order 91 affords you to interrupt, but the basis of the interruption must be indicated. Why are you interrupting?
Mr. Hodogbey 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon Member, you are out of order.
Hon Balado Manu, kindly continue.
Mr. Manu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was saying that I was shocked to hear the Hon Member for Sekondi allude to the fact that the professional legal education in this country compared with what he knows of elsewhere is of sub-standard, so to speak.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 12:30 p.m.
On a point
of order.
Mr. Speaker, if that is the way the Hon Member understood or interpreted my contribution, then I believe that it is erroneous. What I said was that, indeed, we should endeavour to improve upon the content of our legal training so that it will be globally competitive. It is good, it could be better. That was in no way to say that lawyers we have here are not trained properly. I said that we need to improve upon it to make us globally competitive; that is what I said.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
The Hon
Member for Sekondi did not use the word “sub-standard”. I listened to him carefully, so you should take that on board.
Mr. Manu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think
I said anything different from what the Hon Member for Sekondi said. If he said the content should be such that we will be globally competitive, my interpretation is that, until that improvement comes, we

are not globally competitive. And that is where I am comparing the performance of lawyers that have been trained in this country at international stage; and much as I agree that we can still improve upon what we have, I shudder to accept that we are not globally competitive as of now by the training that we have in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I will also like to say that
Mr. K. T. Hammond 12:30 p.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, this kind of statements are quite worrying. I think the Hon Member might want to clarify what he means by the insistence that as it is, our products are not globally competitive. What is the basis for that?
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon K. T. Hammond , the Hon Member for Sekondi used those words that they are not globally competitive. So he is commenting on the -- [Interruption] --
Mr. Hammond 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, with
respect, if the Hon Member for Sekondi did say that, he seems to be confirming that, that really is the situation.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
He says
it is good, but we could improve upon it.
Mr. Hammond 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon
Member, I hope you are not going to hide behind a point of order to make your contribution, but I will listen to you.
Mr. Hammond 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
promise you that.
Mr. Speaker, I think this matter should seriously be taken on board. I was not going to speak but -- if we are talking about our products not being com-petitive
globally, what we should seriously be looking at is what is going on in the two universities; the two principal universities involved in this; the University of Ghana, Legon and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
Mr. Speaker, you recall that - obviously, our time was completely different. But since the introduction of senior secondary school system, Legon allows the students to do the first four years non law and then thereafter, do two years law before they go to Ghana School of Law. Mr. Speaker, you will also now appreciate that KNUST has introduced their system where there was no law course over there.
Now, they allow the students to take four years law course, with students reading the law papers and then just after the four years go to Ghana School of Law. So we have Faculty of Law, Legon, doing six years and then KNUST doing four years, and they all go to Law School and then in the end, we have products. So if he is concerned about that, I think this is a subset of the problem that is going to produce the standard and non-standard lawyers.
I think the Chancellors or the University Councils or Boards of the two universities should take account of that. You cannot have that kind of disparity in the system to produce the same set of qualified lawyers in the country. It is not good and I think the universities should take account of that. We go by the Legon system of six years, or we go by the KNUST system of four years. Mr. Speaker, there is a disparity and it is unfairness to the students. And of course, it affects the product that come out of these institutions.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon
Balado Manu, kindly continue.
Mr. Manu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Hon
Member who made the Statement made a proposal as a way of solving the problems that we have on our hands, and one of those proposals was entrance examination into the Law School.
Mr. Moses Asaga 12:30 p.m.
On a point order.
Mr. Speaker, point of clarification.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon Member, you are out of order. Hon Member for Nabdam, you are out of order.
Hon Balado Manu, continue.
Mr. Manu 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not
doing law, but I am reading law at the Faculty of Law in the University of Ghana, Legon. [Hear! Hear!] .
So Mr. Speaker, what I want to say is that an entrance examination to the Law School will just be a scratch on the tip of the iceberg. The better way to solve the problem is what other Hon Colleagues have suggested. We should expand the physical facilities of the Law School and recruit more teachers of the law so that we can get lawyers at every nook and cranny of this country to take care of our legal problems that grow to become bigger ones around the country.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon Member for Nabdam and then we take the last one from the Second Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Moses A. Asaga (NDC --
Nabdam): Thank you very much. I think that the Legal Council has come out at the right time to tell us their intentions for expanding law schools. But I think that it is also important that there should be very stringent examinations for every profession just like in Accounting, or as a Chartered Financial Analyst, so Colleagues should not be worried about the examinations. If you are good, you must go and write it and qualify and enter into the law school that is to begin with.
Mr. Manu 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a
point of order to tell the Hon Member for Nabdam that if it is an insinuation he is casting at me -- [Laughter] -- for saying that the examination to enter the
law school is not welcomed, he should forget about that one because I competed first before entering the Faculty. I do not fear examinations but what we are saying is that the examination that the student takes at the end of LLB qualifies him to enter the Ghana School of Law.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon Member, that is not a point of order.
Mr. Asaga 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the
strong point I wanted to make is the fact that I support the move that we should have a law school in the northern part of Ghana, especially in Kumasi to supplement the law faculty in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Then a step forward to that would be the establishment of a law faculty in the University of Development Studies (UDS) where we have a lot of people who are interested in reading law.
I believe that with modern times, there are modern issues and I believe that the new lawyers that we must train should also branch into other new areas of studies. A lot of our lawyers would come out to be criminal lawyers, et cetera, but I believe that Contract Law has become very important; Commercial Law is also important and that is why cases that have to do with business transactions had always slowed down because previous lawyers had done more of the traditional law.
So I believe that if we produce more commercial lawyers and we establish our commercial courts, then the business and investment environment would have the requisite regulations to deal with commercial issues.
I would also want to entreat that a few people should also be given the opportunity to study petroleum law in view of the fact
Prof. A. M. Oquaye (NPP 12:50 p.m.
None

Kwabenya: Mr. Speaker, we are in this discussion and in fact, it is a popular difficulty belabouring under the view point which is very erroneous that a law graduate is coterminous with a lawyer. Or that, when a person graduates with a law degree, he or she must necessarily proceed to become a lawyer. It is not so in America, it is not so in Britain and it is not so in any country where we are producing large numbers of university graduates in the subject called Law.

In our country, it so happened that incidentally for a long time, we only had one institution producing both lawyers and law graduates. Because after all, the University of Ghana had to start with both courses then being done in Legon whereby they did BA/LLB, the LLB is now what is the BL, so we put the two together.

Mr. Speaker, the problem that has happened in KNUST, should be a big lesson to all of us. There are a number of private universities in Ghana; they are entitled to graduate law graduates and I believe that in future, we are going to have plenty of them. Perhaps, there could be about five hundred or so coming out in a year and nothing can stop Zenith, Valley View and so on in future working on to produce law graduates. But will they be lawyers? No.

Mr. Speaker, in the United Kingdom today, only about one-fifth of the graduates of every year, in all the British universities put together, go into one of the four Inns,

which are: Lincoln, Gray Middle Temple and Inner Temple; only four. And it is only a certain number of graduates from the universities who compete for the selection into these four Inns of Court -- I had the privilege to graduate into one. And for that matter, we have to get used to the idea that not all our law graduates will become lawyers. And also that there will always be and there must be a central body, a general legal council that will set one standard for everybody; it does not matter where you come from.

It is good that the Hon Deputy Attorney- General and Minister for Justice is here to have educated us on some of the steps being taken which are in fact very, very important and good steps in Ghana. And it is because we realized we have a problem and we must get used to the idea that as we get to this point, we are not going to have a situation like Hon Balado would wish that a law graduate will necessarily find a place in the law school.

Mr. Speaker, when you come to talk of the GPA of a university graduate, it is a very very dicey matter. A GPA from Harvard University may not necessarily be a GPA from a College in Minnesota. I would not want to go into our local matters but it is a big issue. How do you put the two graduates together from different universities and say you have got this and therefore, go to law school? There must be a central body that will examine them on equal terms so that we will know who is who and who goes to the law school.

Mr. Speaker, I believe also that -- In fact, we are developing, we are now developing and we better get used to this quickly before anybody who becomes a law graduate thinks he or she is also entitled to be a lawyer. It will not happen in a serious society.
Mr. Asaga 12:50 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr.
Speaker, my point of order is that he said he did not want lawyers to be produced like bread. I do not know which profession he can give as an example where they are produced like bread.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
That is not
a point of order.
Hon Second Deputy Speaker, continue.
Prof. Oquaye 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on that
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon
Members, the Statement has generated a lot of interest. I want to use my discretion to leave it here but I recognize the two Hon Members quickly. The former General Secretary of the Ghana Bar Association, two minutes and then the Hon Member for New Juabeng North, also two minutes.
Mr. William O. Boafo (NPP -- Akropong) 12:50 p.m.
Thank you Mr. Speaker ,for the opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you very much, since after Madam Speaker, I am the next senior practitioner in this House. [Hear! Hear!].
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
Hon Member, that is why I added other titles like the former General Secretary of the Ghana Bar Association - [Laughter.]
Mr. Boafo 12:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
information given by the Hon Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice is very very good for the profession in the country, in the sense that it seeks to open the avenue for more people to be called to the Bar. And I will like to add my voice to the fact that so far as the legal profession is concerned, we progress on our merit performance and to base the admission to the law schools on quota basis is not very helpful at all.
I think people should be allowed to compete by examination so that persons who may in future be very good lawyers are not denied the opportunity of being access to the law school because it is only through qualification from the law school that one can be a legal practitioner, otherwise, one will only find oneself as an administrator when one has not obtained the law degree.
Mr. Speaker, the other issue is that I will like to endorse what the Hon Second Deputy Speaker said, that we need to have a central academic board instead of establishing academic boards for the various places where the decentralization will take place, so that we will have a uniformed standard for the admission. And that will ensure that the quality of the students that we turn out from these universities or from the law schools will
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang (NPP -- New Juaben North) 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity. I also rise to make a few comments in the light of the comments made by the Hon Member for Sekondi.
Mr. Speaker, he talked about the quality of training, he talked about ethics, and he talked about a few other things. Mr. Speaker, I believe that these are most important to consider in the training of our lawyers. This is because quite a few times, the diligence in the ordinary person we find may be lacking and so therefore, I will like to agree with him that we have to improve the quality of the training.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to agree with Hon Papa Owusu-Ankomah that there is need to stress the ethics of it. After all, there are three people you do not lie to - the doctor, your lawyer and your priest; but sometimes we are let down very, very badly by the lawyers. So the ethics of it - that the law schools, wherever they may be, whether in Kumasi or in Accra or Tamale, must pay attention to these aspects of it.
The younger generation of lawyers do not sometimes take after the older generation of lawyers. The older generation of lawyers have a demeanour, a standing in society which makes one have confidence in them. The younger ones must learn that it is time they also did that so that when a lawyer speaks then it will be accepted. We have so many of them out there. Sometimes, I cannot do anything else but agree with Hon Papa Owusu- Ankomah that there is need to improve the quality; there is need to inculcate into the lawyers a sense of responsibility, of diligence and above all, of the ethics of their profession so that we can continue to have confidence in them.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
That brings us to the end of Statements.
We now move to the Commencement of Public Business.
Item 5, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, is that right?
Mr. Akologu 1 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, you are right.
MOTIONS 1 p.m.
Chairman of the Finance Committee (Mr. J. K. Avedzi) 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the request for tax exemption amounting to US$1,200,702.00 on construction machines, equipment, materials, vehicles, oil and fuel in respect of the Ghana-China Bilateral Co-operation: Construction Contract for the China aided project for Teshie General Hospital.
1.0 Introduction
The request for waiver of tax liability totalling US$1,200,702 on construction machines, equipment, materials, vehicles, oil and fuel for the Teshie General Hospital
Chairman of the Finance Committee (Mr. J. K. Avedzi) 1 p.m.
To consider the waiver request, the Committee met with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Seth Terkpeh and a technical team from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and reports as follows:
2.0 Background
The Government of the People's Republic of China is assisting the Government of Ghana to construct one General Hospital in Ghana. This was an outcome of the Beijing Summit of the Forum of China-Africa Co-operation and in accordance with the request made by the Government of Ghana. The People's Republic of China agreed to assist Ghana to construct the General Hospital following the Exchange of Notes between the two Governments on 31st December 2007 and 9th January, 2008 and the three Economic and Technical Co-operation Agreements between the two Governments signed on 19th April, 2007, 21st December, 2007and 3rd September, 2008.
3.0 Total Tax Liability
The total amount of taxes and duties required to be waived, as assessed by the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), is one million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and two United States dollars (US$1,200,702.00).

4.0 Observations

The Committee observes that His Excellency President Mills cut the sod early last year for the commencement of constructional works on the 100-bed Teshie General Hospital. Upon com- pletion, the hospital will comprise an Out- patient Department (OPD), Emergency Department, Inpatient Department, among others.

The Committee was informed that the contract is being executed under a commercial contract by Messrs China Geo-Engineering Corporation of China.

The Committee noted that according to the Exchange of Notes, the People's Republic of China is bearing the responsibility for the design of the project, site levelling within red lines of the land, providing machinery, equipment, and materials needed, dispatching necessary number of technicians to Ghana to conduct the construction of the project and installation of facilities.

Ghana on the other hand is required to bear the responsibility to provide land for the construction of the project, to demolish the existing buildings above and under the ground of the construction site within the red lines, and to connect the public facilities, such as pipelines of water, electricity, telecommunication and roads to the project site.

Ghana is also required to waive/exempt the imported equipment, materials for the project and goods necessary for the Chinese technicians working on the project from all taxes and duties. As to how much the project would cost, the Committee was informed that the cost of the project is estimated at US$7.28 million and that this will be financed entirely by the People's Republic of China in the form of a Grant. Should extra funding become necessary, it shall be covered by an agreement separately reached by the two Governments.

5.0 Conclusion

The Committee, after satisfying itself with the benefits to be derived from the project for the inhabitants of Teshie and its environs, respectfully recommends to the House to approve the request for waiver of tax liability totalling US$1,200,702.00 on construction machines, equipment, materials, vehicles, oil and fuel for the construction of Teshie General Hospital in accordance with article 174 (2) of the
Mr. D. B. A. Nitiwul (NPP -- Bimbilla) 1 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion ably moved by the Hon Chairman that this House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the request for tax exemption amounting to US$1,200,702.00 on the construction machines, equipment, materials, vehicles, oil and fuel in respect of the Ghana-China Bilateral Co-operation.
Mr. Speaker, most of the time, I pass through that hospital and even when I am moody and I see the construction site, I get very, very happy and that is why I am glad and happy to, at least, dole my heart out to the originators of the project. That was a very good project because the whole project was a grant. The overall $7.28 million was a grant from China; they agreed to carry out the whole project and like the Hon Chairman said, all Ghana was needed to do was to clear the project site out of the red marks they had drawn and also to give tax exemption.
Mr. Speaker, I would not be fair if I do not say that the former Hon Deputy Minister for Health was basically the person who carried this project on her shoulders to get it to where we have it today. I will wish that Government tries as much as possible to look at other areas and then stretch out our hands. At least, today we have a bit of oil resources that we can use to lobby to get more of these projects in other areas, in other sectors and in other places like Bimbilla.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at the heading, that includes the tax waiver on materials, machines, equipment, oil and fuel. I had a little discussion with the Hon Chairman and I said that we just have to caution or, maybe, alert the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to relook at that because that was the original heading that
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was on the agreement. But the Finance Committee basically looked at the others without the oil and fuel.

We see, there may be a bit of practical difficulty with that. Maybe, the Chinese may have to come for - because oil is taxed before it is taken and we would have to look at it so that it is not abused. It is important for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to look at it again.

Mr. Speaker, it was also stated that if the construction of the hospital is not quickened and that should extra funding become necessary, it shall be covered by an agreement separately reached by the two Governments. You will know that the whole project started in 2006 and now the material cost between 2009 and even today is going up.

So I will urge the contractors, China Geo-Engineering Corporation of Ghana to quicken the pace with their local counterparts, especially with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Health that will be supervising the project to ensure that the cost of the project does not go up too much.

Mr. Speaker, it is good and I would like to pat China on its back that, at least, they agreed to finance the whole project without Ghana and the whole thing was a grant -- without Ghana having to pay anything apart from the land and pulling down of structures that used to be on that particular building and I will call on other partners, other countries, to look at what China has done for us and support us in that line.

Mr. Speaker, like I said, I hope that the fuel, and oil matters are looked at carefully so that they do not bring distortions and abuse into the system.

With these few words, Mr. Speaker, I would want to urge the House to adopt the motion on the floor.

Question proposed.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
I will
take a few contributions. it is not a controversial matter. This is a grant from China basically. So I will take two brief comments from the floor and then I would put the Question.
Mr. Moses A. Asaga (NDC - Nabdam) 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that the Acting Ranking Member who seconded the motion -- [Interruption.]
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon Moses Asaga, you like controversy.
Mr. Asaga 1:10 p.m.
I withdraw that -- [Laughter.] Yes, my Hon Colleague, I think has set the tone and has spoken in favour of the motion. This motion is a standard one; the Chinese Government on a bilateral basis is giving Ghana almost US$7.8 million and we welcome it.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at the location of that hospital, I think that that is the proper location, that is Teshie. We know the population growth in Teshie we know the needs of the people of Teshie and I think that we should not waste time on this particular request for tax exemption because it meets all the conditions of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
I think that we support the motion and I will urge my Hon Colleagues including the Hon Minority Leader to support.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
(Minority Leader) Mr. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu: Mr. Speaker, I was not going to make any contribution but because the last Hon Member who spoke mentioned my name, I just want to make a short observation.
Indeed, the facility is needed at the place that is being designated; it comes without any shred of doubt.
Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member for Nabdam has also alluded to the population concentration in the area as an additional fillip. What we may need to do, Mr. Speaker, to make the facility accessible is to open up the road network. Because if we have it and there is always the congestion on that road as it obtains now, Mr. Speaker, the value will be diminished.
Consider pregnant women who may be due for delivery in vehicles from Sakumono to the place -- and that may include a daughter of my good Friend, the Hon Member for Nabdam -- who may have to be ferried to the place; if care is not taken, delivery may happen on the road. So Mr. Speaker, it is important that alongside, we look to opening up the road network of the place. Otherwise, the facility may be constructed but we may not have the benefit that we desire from it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Hon
Members, that brings us to the end of the debate on the motion. I will now put the Question.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. First Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
Item 6 -- let us take the Resolution.
Mr. J. T. Akologu 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, who should have moved this Resolution is attending Cabinet meeting and is unable to present himself here. He has asked one of his Deputy Ministers in the person of Hon Seth Terkpeh to stand in for him. I, therefore, seek your permission and crave the indulgence of the House to allow the Hon Deputy Minister to move the Resolution.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is reasonable and acceptable.
RESOLUTION 1:10 p.m.
Mr. K. Avedzi 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Credit Agreement between GOG and AFD for Financing
Awoshie-Pokuase Road
Chairman of the Committee (Mr. J. K. Avedzi) 1:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Credit Facility Agreement between Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the Government of the Republic of Ghana for an amount of thirty million euros (€30 million) for financing the Awoshie-Pokuase Road and Community Develop-ment Project.
Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I present the Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
The Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) for an amount of thirty million euros (€30,000,000.00) for financing the Awoshie-Pokuase Road and Community Development Project was laid in the House on Tuesday, 26th January, 2010 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with articles 103 and 181 of the Constitution and Order number 171 (1) of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Committee met and considered the Agreement with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Seth Terkpeh and a technical team from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Roads and Highways and presents this Report.
2.0 Background
The Awoshie-Pokuase area is rapidly developing as a consequence of Greater Accra's urban sprawl, with an estimated physical growth of more than 9 per cent per annum. This expansion has made it difficult to meet the service demands of residents regarding transportation, health, education, water and sanitation. The urban sprawl has resulted in traffic congestion, overcrowding, poor quality housing, inadequate education and health facilities, poor sanitation and a generally degraded environment.
This road construction project therefore, aims to promote sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty through greater employment and income generation opportunities. The project is also aimed at improving accessibility and economic activity within the project area.
3.0 Purpose of the Loan
The purpose of the loan is to secure funds to partially finance the local and foreign currency cost of the implementation of the Awoshie-Pokuase Road and Community Development Project.
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions of the Loan are as follows:
Loan Amount -- €30 million
Interest Rate -- 1 per cent
Grace Period -- 10 years
Repayment Period - - 2 0 y e a r s
(exclusive of grace period) Repayment of the principal com- mences 10 years from the date of signing the loan agreement.
Concessionality Rate -- 57.82 per cent
Tax Exemption/Waiver
In accordance with AFD rules and regulations, the goods, services and other

items imported for the use of the project are required to be exempt from all local (Ghanaian) taxes, VAT and customs duties.

The Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning assured the Committee that a formal request for the waiver of the relevant taxes and duties would be presented to the House in due course for consideration and approval.

4.0 Observations

The Committee observed that the primary and direct project beneficiaries span across the Awoshie, Anyaa, Ablekuma, Amamorley and Ayawaso in Ga West and South Municipalities.

It was noted that mobility and access to adequate socio-economic infras-tructure are currently limited in the project area due to poor quality road links.

The Committee was informed that the total estimated cost of the project, excluding taxes and duties is €98.67 million. This is being co-financed as follows:

Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) -- €30.00

million

African Development Fund (ADF) -- €62.54 million

Government of Ghana counterpart funds -- €6.13 million

TOTAL -- €98.67 million

The technical team from the Ministry of Roads and Highways explained to the Committee that the Government of Ghana (GoG) counterpart funds consist essentially of compensation and resettlement costs and that provision was made in the Ministry's Budget for the year

2010 to cater for it.

Some residential and business structures (including buildings, kiosks, containers and wooden sheds, plants and trees) are expected to be affected throughout the project area. The Committee was informed that the project would affect approximately 274 persons who own 303 permanent structures, among which are dwelling homes and businesses. It would further affect 659 persons who own 715 temporary structures.

While compensation would be provided to occupants and owners of permanent structures that will need to be displaced, occupants of temporary structures would be entitled to supplementary assistance to aide them in relocating their premises.

The Committee advised the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Ministry of Roads and Highways to work together to secure the African Development Fund resources in time to ensure that the project does not get stalled midway.

As to when actual construction works would commence, the Committee was informed that actual civil works on the project would start by the end of the third quarter of 2010 and that it would take approximately four (4) years to complete. This will comprise three years of actual construction works and one year of defect liability monitoring and supervision.

The Committee encourages the Ministry of Roads and Highways to intensify education and sensitization of property owners along the project corridor to ensure that they do not continue further developing of structures and property earmarked for demolition.

The Committee noted that the repayment dates for the loan (after the expiration of the grace period) are March 31 and September 30 and not 1st January and 1st July as indicated in the Joint Memorandum to Parliament.

The Committee observed that the construction of the Awoshie-Pokuase Road will result in an improved road, with additional carriage lanes to accommodate more vehicles and thus ease traffic congestion. This is expected to lead to reduction in travel time as well as in travel costs for passengers and other road users. Mobility would be strengthened throughout and beyond the project area, facilitating access to work places as well as to socio-economic facilities.

The reduction in travel time would also allow for more quality time to be spent with families or devoted to engaging in other economic activities.

5.0 Conclusion

The Committee, after thorough examination of the facility, respectfully recommends to the House to approve by Resolution, the Loan Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) for an amount of thirty million euros (€30.00 million) for financing the Awoshie-Pokuase Road and Community Development Project in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution, section 3 and 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) and the Standing Orders of the House.

Respectfully submitted.
Mr. Dominic B. A. Nitiwul (NPP - Bimbilla) 1:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion on the floor, that this House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Credit Facility Agreement between Agence
Francaise de Developpement (AFD) and the Government of the Republic of Ghana for an amount of thirty million euros (€30 million) for financing the Awoshie-Pokuase road and Community Development Project.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee members
agreed that this was a very good and special project as it will open up a lot of the area in that part of Accra that it would be passing through, so that at least traffic that would move from Kumasi, Nsawam and all that into Accra could be diverted to move through Lapaz and back to the centre of Accra. But Mr. Speaker, the Committee has some reservations that we thought we needed to point out.
The first was the issue of compen- sation and demolition that will be going on within the area. The Committee wanted assurance that the people who would be affected, numbering about 274 and having 303 permanent businesses and structures along the way, would be ably compensated.
We are rel iably informed that Government had secured enough funds, almost GH¢10 million to do that, and that the officers concerned at the Ministry of Roads and Highways had done a few feasibility studies and marked out the structures and people who would be affected, compensation would be paid to them so that they do not go to re-develop the area.
But Mr. Speaker, the Committee
was also of the view that there should be enough monitoring in the area so that people do not continue developing. This is because the report we got was that some people continued to develop their structures even though they have been told about the project and valuation had
been done.
People were continuously developing their structures and we were just cautioning that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning that will be releasing the money and the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Highways Authority should look at this properly to ensure that people do not continue with the development and put the burden on Government again to look for extra resources to pay compensation to them.
Mr. Speaker, that aside, your Committee was also looking at another issue which we thought was very important and we needed to bring it to the fore in this House that was the issue to do with the interest rate which was one per cent.
We felt that the one per cent interest rate was very good. Apart from that the repayment period was about twenty years -- Only a little thing came up that where within the repayment period a clause was inserted that even if Ghana got the money before 2024, we were not to repay. I am sure that normal banks would want to do that so that at least, their money would be secured. But we thought that at least, the negotiation team in future would try as much as possible to get the best for Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, this loan agreement we
are taking is part of the quantum of money that is needed to complete the project. That is not the total amount like the Hon Chairman stated. The total amount is €98.67 million; that is what is needed to complete the road project, €30 million has been secured.
The Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning had assured us on that day that if Parliament approved this amount of money, they were convinced that the other development partners, that is the African Development Bank and the Government of Ghana, would secure the
Mr. M. A. Asaga (NDC - Nabdam) 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that this facility, as alluded to by the Hon Member for Bimbilla, Mr. D. B. A. Nitiwul, who is being groomed as Ranking Member for the future - [Interruptions.] You are being groomed -
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Order!
Hon Member, please, continue.
Mr. Asaga 1:30 p.m.
Thank you very much for
the relevance.
Mr. Speaker, as we have already said,
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Yes,
Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order because the Hon Member has hardly
spoken?
Dr. A. A. Osei 1:30 p.m.
Yes, I just need your
guidance.
If the Hon Member for Nabdam, Mr. M. A. Asaga is being groomed as a Majority Leader or Deputy Majority Leader , he should tell us that. [Laughter.] - But to say that the Hon Member for Bimbilla is being groomed as a Ranking Member, it is not his business. If he has information to share with the House, he should just come right ahead and tell us. If the rumours are true, then he, sitting up front here - [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon
Member for Nabdam, please proceed.
Mr. Asaga 1:30 p.m.
Thank you for your good
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
But
Mr. Asaga 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, on a more
serious note, I think the challenge is the fact that we still need the African Development Fund and the Government of Ghana counterpart funding to be able to compliment the efforts of the French Government. So, I hope, the Hon Deputy Minister is here and he is listening to everybody, that we are quite excited about this facility. But this is just about a third of the total cost of the project.
Regarding the usefulness of the project, I think the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon Botchway has said everything that we need to say. I think that that by-pass is long overdue. Previously, in the last four, five years, I have taken the opportunity to go on that route and I noticed how bad it is. Sometimes, when we are going to the North and you want to save time, or you are going to Ashanti, if that road was properly done, we would cut a lot of traffic.
Mr. A. K. Agbesi (NDC - Ashaiman) 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member for Weija, in whose constituency this project is going to be carried out, has spoken and congratulated the authorities for this wonderful job.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to add my voice in saying that this is a welcome project. Indeed, if this project was envisaged in 2007 and it is now going to see the light of day, then we need to give a lot of thanks to the present Administration. Because it was not done some few years ago and a better Ghana has now come. [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, Awoshie is an area - [Interruptions.]
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon Member for Bimbilla, do you rise on a point of order?
Mr. Nitiwul 1:30 p.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member is
misleading this House. Mr. Speaker, he knows that the project was started in 2007. He knows that the securing of the funds had been done. And he knows that most of the work had been done. This idea of doing politics on the floor of this House, he should stop it because it is not good for him.
Mr. Speaker, if we want to do politics in this House, all the projects we are doing were initiated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP). So, why should we be doing politics in this House, Mr. Speaker? He should stop it.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon Member for Ashaiman?
Mr. Agbesi 1:30 p.m.
I thank my Hon Colleague for this information. Indeed, I took my cue from the Hon Member for Weija. So, if I am mistaken, please, pardon me, I would not go that way.
In any case, I thank the authorities for bringing this loan because it is going to help a lot of areas. Awoshie is a flood- prone area, just like my constituency, and we need more of these loans to carry out these projects for education, transportation and health; anybody who brings these things, brings life. And I am saying that thank you very much. I want all my Hon Colleagues to support this motion because it is going to bring development. Development is for all of us. I may not come from that constituency but one day, we shall all pass there.
So my Hon Colleagues should support this motion and let us pass this loan.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Hon Members, I would now put the Question.
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Oh, Hon Minority Leader?
Minority Leader (Mr. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the point has been made about the need to support this loan agreement. But I just want to make a few observations.
Mr. Speaker, the total cost of the project the Committee has availed to this House is in the region of €98.67 million. Mr. Speaker, what we have not been informed about by the Committee is the nature of the road construction. And I believe that, of course, this is not the first time, but we want the Committee, next time round, to furnish us with such details. What is the nature of the construction?
Then of course, we should also know the length of the road because this is a huge amount. Again, let me say that normally, the Committee has not furnished us with such details but I am just drawing the attention of the Committee to such details. It is important that they furnish this House with such details - the length of the road, the nature of the road construction.
Mr. Speaker, that will help us to determine the average cost of construction. The €98.6 million comes to about US$130 million. How long is that road? [Pause.] So, we need this.
Mr. Speaker, the i s sue about payment of compensation has also been mentioned. I think it is a very important matter. Sometimes they hinder the road construction What is also known to everybody is that as soon as signals are given that a road is going to be constructed,
structures that are going to be affected, people begin to immediately up the scales, start construction even where there is no construction. It is important for the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) to step in to cause immediately the valuation of the properties so that people do not reap where they have not sown.
Mr. Speaker, sometimes they do it; they are not properly done, and they are not the properties that are assessed earlier. They do not factor the depreciation of the currency into the new trend or the current situation. And when moneys are to be paid out, people begin to complain. That also delays the implementation of the project. Let the relevant authorities take into consideration these matters in order that the people will stand to derive immediate benefit from this laudable project.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Thank you very much.
Hon Members, I would now put the Question.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. Second Depuy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
Item 8,
Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning?
Mr. John T. Akologu 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
want to make the same application I made earlier to allow the Hon Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning to stand in for the Hon Minister for the same reasons that I stated.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Any objection? [Pause.] Hon Deputy Minister, you may move the Resolution.
RESOLUTION 1:40 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 1:40 p.m.
H E R E B Y R E S O LV E S A S 1:40 p.m.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon Members, the motion has been moved and seconded; it is consequential and I would put the Question.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Item 9, Chairman of the Committee.
Loan Agreement between GoG and KfW of Germany
Chairman of the Committee (Mr. J. K. Avedzi) 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and Kreditanstalt Furt Wiederaufbau (KfW) of Germany amounting to ten million euros (€10,000,000) in support of the Outgrower Value Chain Fund (OVCF).
Mr. Speaker, in doing so, I present your Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
The Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) for an amount of ten million euros (€10,000,000.00) in support of the Out-grower Value Chain Fund (OVCF) was laid in the House on Tuesday, 26th January, 2010 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with articles 103 and 181 of the Constitution and Order 171(1) of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Committee subsequently met
and considered the Agreement with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Seth Terkpeh, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ministry for Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and hereby presents this Report.
2.0 Background
Ghana's Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) launched in 2005 and covering the periods 2006 to 2009 and the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP) initiated in 2002 and the subsequent revised FASDEP II are all focused on poverty alleviation through private sector-led agricultural development.
Under this Agreement, the Government of Germany, through Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) is providing funding for investments related to out-grower schemes. The German Technical Co- operation (GTZ) and German Develop- ment Services will support the development of out-grower schemes under the facility.
3.0 Purpose of the Loan
The purpose of the loan is to secure funds to support the Out-grower Value Chain Fund (OVCF) to be implemented
and administered by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture under the Market Oriented Agricultural Programme (MOAP).
Terms and Condition
The terms and conditions of the loan are as follows:
Grant Amount -- €1.00 million
Loan Amount -- €10.00 million
Interest Rate -- 0.75 per cent per annum
Grace Period -- 10 years
Repayment Period -- 30 years
Weighted Grant Element -- 69.45 per cent
4.0 Observations
The Committee noted that the overall project goal is to improve the income of the target group, especially small-scale farmers, thereby contributing to reduce rural poverty.
It was observed that the Fund intends to achieve its goals through
offering of loans to out-grower and value chain schemes, which can include spot improvements in infrastructure as directly related to the scheme, but cannot be used to replace general public infrastructure investments; and
offering of grants for studies, technical support and overall project management to complement the Fund's investments.
The technical team further informed the Committee that the OVCF would have an overall organizational structure consisting of two parts:
a. The policy and supervision
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
Hon Members, having regard to the time and the state of business in the House, I order that Sitting be extended beyond the prescribed period.
Any seconder?
Mr. Dominic B. A. Nitiwul (NPP - Bimbilla) 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion that this House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan Agreement between the Government and Ghana and KFW of Germany amounting to €10 million in support of the Out-growers and Value Chain Fund.
Mr. Speaker, in supporting this motion, I have about two or three observations that I want to make and the first is, the Committee observed that the out-growers would be charged an interest of 9 per cent and that the technical and small-scale processing persons should be charged an interest of 23 per cent.
Mr. Speaker, though the Report could not capture all the concerns of the Members, I want to put on record that most Members, including myself, thought that the 23.5 per cent interest was on the high side and that the handlers should look at how they would soften it because, if they do not do it, it would defeat the very
purpose for which the loan is being sought.
We asked them to tell us exactly how they would disburse the loan, the people or the organizations that would be in charge of it. The argument was that, if the interest is very low, it would make it very difficult for the banks to be able to get any profit and may not be interested. But we also asked for the breakdown, and one of it which we thought they should re- look at was the fact that Government was charging four per cent; The argument I put forward was that, once a weighted granted element of the loan itself was almost 70 per cent 69.45 per cent - we thought that the Government should re-look at it.
But the assurance I got was that the 23 per cent was not fixed. It was not fixed because they were depending on the baseline rate of the Bank of Ghana. So if it drops on the 18.3 per cent currently to maybe, 13.4 per cent, then the 23 may come down. But whatever the case, Government handlers, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the handlers of the economy should work to make sure that the base rate drops, as well as the interest and re-look at the interest to the small-scale processing persons and the technical people, otherwise, it would defeat the very purpose for which this loan is being sought. It is a good idea, anyway.
But Mr. Speaker, the other one was the selection of the beneficiaries. We thought that they should re-look at it and make sure the selection of beneficiaries is very fair and it is very equitable to all Ghanaians irrespective of colour, irrespective of tribe or irrespective of party affiliation.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at the overall organizational structure, they said it consisted of two parts. The first part
was the policy and supervision structure composed of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Bank of Ghana and the (b) part consisted of the specific out-grower value chain scheme composed of the Technical Director which is the nucleus company and the Financial Operator which is the participating bank.
But Mr. Speaker, if we do not take care, like most of the other schemes that we have carried out and given out loans to, especially people we want to make sure that we help our nation achieve the millennium goals that we have set for ourselves, long bureaucracies will kill this thing. Let us cut out a lot of the bureaucracies and see how we can get the beneficiaries direct so that they can get what they want and at the end of the day it will be beneficial for us all.
It is important to include the whole value chain, right from the producer to the local distributor before it gets to the consumer. Let us see how we can corporate all of them into this value chain that we are looking at. The last bit I just thought I should look at was -- and I am sure that Honourable - I think it was Hon Agbesi or one of them. He raised that issue, that there is a specific element that said that an applicant needed to have lived in a rural area, and that you must be active within the agricultural value chain to be able to access it.
People were asking whether if somebody is living in Accra and he is a farmer and would want to take advantage of it, it means he is not qualified. I think that the handlers should really look at some of these criteria and see how they can fit in, in order to benefit every Ghanaian and the whole society.
With these few observations, I still
Mr. S. K. B. Manu (NPP - Ahafo Ano South) 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion on the floor.
In doing so, Mr. Speaker, I want to underscore the fact that the idea of this loan is no doubt a very good one. However, Mr. Speaker, I realise that if this loan is properly used, it is going to boost food production in the country for local consumption and even for export to our Sahelian neighbours.
Mr. Speaker, my worry, however, has to do with the beneficiaries of the loan. Mr. Speaker, a criterion being set as a beneficiary should have lived in the area and all those things, I realise it will not lead to the achievement of the aim of this loan. We know that, over the years, winners of Best Farmer Awards are not strictly those who are holding the hoes and cutlasses on the farm. We have in this country, over the years, known what we call “absentee” farmers. In fact, they own the lands and they have what it takes to acquire the machinery that is needed to embark upon extensive farming.
Mr. Speaker, my fear is that if we limit this to people living in the rural areas -- it is a good idea, but they do not own large tracts of farm lands and the produce that they are going to come out with may not be able to cover the costs and make them go back to pay the loans that they have contracted.
Mr. Speaker, we are all aware that in this country commercial banks, and even
the Agricultural Development Bank itself shy away from giving loans to farmers because there is the risk that these farmers may not be able to pay back. Mr. Speaker, in allaying the fears of these banks, let me say that we should ensure that marketing avenues are made available to the farmers so that the produce that they get from road and storage farms can easily be marketed.
If we do not take care of these infrastructures, like road infrastructure, and we just give out these loans, the farmers are going to produce the products but marketing will be a problem, and when they are not able to sell they will find it difficult paying back their loans.
Mr. Agbesi 1:50 p.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I heard my Colleague say in this country women do not own lands. I believe this is misinformation and he is misinforming the country. Women in this country own lands. Indeed, I am a farmer in an area where I acquired the land from a woman, a woman who holds title to the land. So that statement that women do not own land in Ghana is not true, it is not completely true. He must withdraw that statement.
Mr. Manu 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know the corner of the country where he is claiming to be farming. Mr. Speaker, if we go into the land tenure system in this country, it is there. Any person who deals with land and he being a lawyer -- I was thinking he may have dealt with land cases. It is a fact that in many parts of this country - [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Hon Agbesi, do you rise on a point of order?
Mr. Agbesi 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, he is still making the point, but he does not know the part of the country I am talking about. That admits that there is a part of the country where women own lands. I am talking specifically about a part of Ghana in the Volta Region called Agave where I got the land from a woman who owns the land. So it is not totally true that women do not own lands in Ghana, there are parts where women own lands. That is what he should be saying.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Hon Balado, you may want to modify the statement and we proceed.
Mr. Manu 1:50 p.m.
What I was saying in effect is this, that in many parts of the country particularly - [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
So Honourable, you are now modifying the statement?
Mr. Manu 1:50 p.m.
Yes. Particularly where it is considered to be the food basket of this country, women there hardly own lands. So if you are going to use land as collateral for these loans, apart from that corner where Hon Agbesi claims to be farming and that he bought a land from a woman - [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
Hon Balado, please, you may want to withdraw that. The Hon Member referred to a whole region of Ghana and gave an example. Please, do not talk about a corner. Let us be honest with ourselves when we are corrected in this Honourable House. Please, proceed without going to belabour that point. You have been appropriately corrected, accept it in good faith.
Please, you may proceed properly without making any withdrawals but just go on without making reference the way you were doing.
Mr. Manu 2 p.m.
I will not go back on that trajectory. What I would want to say is that, I am more concerned about the beneficiaries and the criteria we are setting which is likely to set aside women who are very important in the food production chain of this country. That is my concern.
Again I am coming to the end of my contribution, that I am pleading with whoever is going to be in charge of this loan, not to give the loan to NDC supporters in fulfilment of what the President said that “NDC foot soldiers” should be taken care of. [Interruptions.] I want this loan to benefit all Ghanaians irrespective of which party colour they wear.
Mr. Speaker 2 p.m.
Order! Order!
Chairman of the Committee.
Mr. Avedzi 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am very
surprised that the Hon Member is making that statement. In fact, the Report that the Committee presented did not mention
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
Yes,
you may make your contribution. [Pause.] Hon Asaga, you caught my eye, I am of the impression that you want to contribute to the motion on the floor?
Mr. M.A. Asaga (NDC - Nabdam) 2 p.m.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
Order!
Order!
Mr. Asaga 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, they say
when a murderer is walking, anytime he raises his head, he is afraid. So Mr. Speaker, I am assuring everybody that this loan will be well used for its intention.
There was one issue that Hon Balado brought which I agree with. The criterion that one should be residing in the rural areas. I know a lot of plantation farmers, especially on the other side of the House, who are not living in rural areas. So for him to say that one should live in the rural area before one becomes a farmer, I think that criterion is not appropriate.
Secondly, I believe this facility is
supposed to be an onlending facility and that should have been clearly stated in the term sheet and conditions. I believe that next time the convention demands that when it is onlending, it should be stated clearly that this is an onlending facility.
Again, I thought that the facility target
Dr. A.A. Osei 2 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
Hon
Member, there is no such description in this Honourable House.
Dr. A.A. Osei 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, he said
on this side.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
They
were talking about “what is to be” and there is no such description here.
Dr. A. A. Osei 2 p.m.
Hon Member for
Nabdam who was earlier sitting there and talking about somebody being acting Ranking Member of Finance, I do not know if he was making reference to the fact that though physically he was here, yet, he was preparing himself ‘to be something'. And now that he has moved back, I just wanted him to clarify it for me. It it is not for me to do that. It is for the other side to make that decision. He has been smiling a lot today, so I pray to God that his smile is a good sign for him.
But he made reference to people on this side of the House being absentee farmers. If he has evidence to demonstrate that that is the case, he should show it, if not, I think he should withdraw it. For somebody that might become -- some possibility of - such words do not go well.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
Hon
Asaga, in actual fact, I heard you right and I do not think this point of order is well based, but please, speak for yourself.
Mr. Asaga 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you
very much. As I was saying, I thought that it was not well targeted, to just say an Outgrower Farmers Scheme. I expected it to be well targeted, to say that Oil Plantation Farmers or Rubber Plantation Farmers or Sheanut. But to just say outgrower farmers -- because in Ghana, if one is cropping, maybe, pineapple or cassava, one may not necessarily be an outgrower, and I think that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, their attention should be drawn, to be more specific because this 10 million euros should not be seen to be a very big amount.
I remember about four, five years ago, there was a facility from the African Development Bank of about US$19 million. It was targeted at rubber plantations. So if we want to get results out of this, it should be targeted, it should be intensive so that we can get results out of it. But if we just spread it, and then Hon Dery goes to farm one acre of yam in Jirapa, this is not accepted. [Laughter.] [An Hon Member: It is an example.] Oh! It is just an example. [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
Hon Dery, I thought you were being well associated and honourably with agriculture? Do you have any difficulty? Hon Asaga, continue.
Mr. Ambrose P. Dery 2 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, no, I just want to caution my Frafra Brother to be careful with his statements because I do not farm yam. Where I come from, we do not farm yam.
Mr. Asaga 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, so I think there should be some targeting so that we can get optimum results from it.
Also, the interest rate of 23 per cent -- if this thing is a grant, and one is giving onlending at 9 per cent to the farmer, the outgrower then one says the one for agro- processing should be 23 per cent, I think it is on the high side. I think that we should address it. I think the good point they are making is that they are trying to peg it to the base rate. But again, if something is a grant which is almost 0 per cent -- [Interruption.] - Yes, I know it is a loan, but if one looks at the weighted grant element, it is almost 70 per cent.
I think that for us to encourage our farmers, we should not get onlending facilities and raise it almost to commercial rate of 23 per cent because Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) should have been doing a selective interest rate targeting to farmers, which they are not doing. So if thank God, now, we have got almost a grant element of 70 per cent, this is the time that the Government should now show good face to the farmers.
So I believe that when we go back and we are going to implement it, we should review the interest rate of 23 per cent.
On that note, we should support this
particular motion.

Ms Gifty Klenam (NPP - Lower

West Akim): Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the motion. I think I want to thank Hon Asaga for being practical on this issue.

I want to start by saying that we keep doing the same thing everyday and we still want different results. We have been going round solving problems of unemployment situations in this country and when the solution has come for us to tackle them, we keep going round it.

We give loans to commercial banks to be given to farmers and I would want to state it here, that any loan that is
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Ten
million euros.
Ms. Klenam 2:10 p.m.
Ten million euros, sorry.
I want to find out, how many industries can be set up out of this money to support the project? There are lots of questions that we need to sit down -- I think that, at the tail end of the Committee's Report, they made mention that they should collaborate with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This is a project that right from the beginning, they should have considered the Ministry of Trade and Industry to come up with a strategy to implement.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is fine, but the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has to collaborate strongly with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to be able to come up with a strategy to implement it.
Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan (NDC -- Mion) 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I believe the facility is a good one and I urge Hon Members to support it.
I have a difficulty with the second point under observations where part of the grant
is going to be used for technical support and overall project management, et cetera. It looks to me, a very open ended aspect of the project. And I think that some efforts must be made to specify what exactly these activities will entail.
I think that it is also a bit discriminatory that one interest rate is devoted to the outgrowers and another interest rate for those who will be processing. If there is any difficulty confronting the entire chain, I think that it is good for everybody in the chain to be on the same platform so that our processors can be encouraged to do more of processing, with respect to the agricultural commodities that are produced.
Mr. Speaker, there was some bit of difficulty with respect to land being used as collateral. I believe that the land being used as collateral is a good aspect of the facility because in many instances, people do not have properties that can be used as collateral to vie into some of these loans. And if land that you have used over -- because the entire sentence is talking about criteria including proven right or proven land use right, so that the land can be used as collateral during the term that the loan can be utilized.
Then there must not be a subject of repossession during the investment period. These are all meant to protect the person who will be using land as collateral so that the facility can be useful.
I still have difficulty with respect to using the facility simply for studies and technical support without specifying what exactly it is meant to be.
Mr. Speaker, with these few words, I support the motion and urge Hon Members to vote for it.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Hon Member for Sekondi.
Mr. Joe Ghartey (NPP -- Esikadu/ Ketan) 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is Esikadu, which is British Sekondi.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Esikadu -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Ghartey 2:10 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, yes, that is British Sekondi.
Mr. Speaker, we are considering this Report under Order 171 of our Standing Orders and that one says that the Finance Committee considers these matters -- loans, grants and agreements and so on and makes recommendations to the House.
Mr. Speaker, various Hon Members before me have spoken about the need to ensure that this loan in its application is non-partisan. Hon Members on both sides have made that point -- [Inter-ruption] -- the difficulty that both of us from both sides of the House have is that; when it comes to the application of the loan, nobody in this House is part of the process of the application of the loan.
So much as we may stand here and express our sentiments, shout at each other when somebody mentions another party and so on, it is a reality of life, that in the application, the persons who are applying these things or implementing it may fall into the nature of “friends of the bereaved who weep more than the bereaved”. Indeed, they might think that they are doing your bidding or somebody's by ensuring that it only goes to a certain type of people.
Mr. Speaker, I want to refer us to article 103 (3) of the Constitution and it reads:
“Committees of Parliament shall be charged with such functions, including the investigation and inquiry into the activities and administration of ministries and departments as Parliament may determine; . . .”
Mr. Speaker, I urge while supporting this motion, that Parliament maintains its
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:10 p.m.
Any contribution from this side of the House? [Pause] -- Otherwise, Hon Boafo will be the last contributor.
Mr. W. O. Boafo (NPP -- Akropong) 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the facility is something which we all have to accept and recommend for a fair and impartial disbursement.
Mr. Speaker, there is something which needs to be critically looked at. That is the minimum three years requirement before a person can access the loan as a beneficiary.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if we are to proceed on merit, we should not depend entirely on the number of years that a person has spent as an agriculturalist before he or she can be a beneficiary. Somebody might have entered into the business for a year but it could well be that looking at this performance, he will be more productive if he is given access to the loan than somebody who has been in the business for three or four years.
So I will plead that this matter be looked into, and this minimum three years requirement be scratched.
I t appears that the Committee
overlooked one or two things which appeared in the approval letter from the Cabinet, and the memorandum from the Ministry appears to have some conflict. In the approval letter from Parliament about the loan, which is dated 12th October, 2009, Parliament directed that the loan should be administered by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture under the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP).
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:20 p.m.
I rise on a point of order on what he just said.
Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning could not have done that. First, it is the letter that comes from the Ministry to Cabinet, so he could not have given himself that responsibility. Cabinet has the right to decide what it wants to do, but the letter comes from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to Cabinet.
So f i r s t , t hese a re the th ree organizations. It does not just give itself that responsibility. If what he wants to say is that Cabinet decided to only let the Ministry of Food and Agriculture - Cabinet has the right but I do not think the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has done anything wrong where his memorandum is concerned. I think he wanted to make a point but he is just not giving the right information, and it is not the way it is supposed to work.
Mr. W. O. Boafo 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:20 p.m.
In other words, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning should not be part of the administration?
Mr. W. O. Boafo 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning should not be part of the administration. If our Committee feels that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning should be part of the Committee, that is all right but the Committee in this report did not comment on that -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:20 p.m.
Very well.
Mr. W. O. Boafo 2:20 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the second thing is that, the Steering Committee - composition of the Steering Committee under paragraph 6 (2) of the Memorandum from the Ministry to Parliament. With your permission, if I may read:
“The Committee comprises the following: Chair, the Agriculture Minister or his representative; two members from the Project Outgrowers Association, Director of PPMED; one representative from MOFED; one representative from Bank of Ghana; and one representative from the Fund Manager. Cabinet in its letter directed that - Cabinet further
directed that you include the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources or his representative on the Steering Committee to help co-ordinate the activities of the Outgrower Associations.
My point is that, the Committee in its Report to this House, also failed to comment why they did not accept Cabinet's recommendation to include the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in the composition of the Steering Committee. This is something I would like to draw the Committee's attention to and then in the implementation they will see how best they can go about it.
The other issue is about the policy and supervision structure of the project. We have the composition to cover the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Bank of Ghana. The Committee did not tell us how these three bodies are going to work together to ensure effective management of this facility. We should have been informed so that we can offer some comments on it.
So this is something which I would like to draw the Ministry's attention to that, we have three stakeholders, we have three supervisors and this we should have been told exactly what the roles of each of them should be.
With this, Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:20 p.m.
Thank you very much for these useful contributions which I believe will be well considered in the implementation.
Leadership may now speak, I think we have closed the other chapter.
Minority Leader (Mr. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, in rising
Minority Leader (Mr. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 2:30 p.m.


to add my voice to support the facility, a few observations I may want to put forth.

The loan agreement before us is for ten million euros. I would want to believe that the Committee will serve this House better if they give us a better structure of the terms and conditions of the loan agreement. Because if you look at the Report, page 2, they have stated a grant amount of one million euros; it is not inclusive of the ten, it is exclusive. The approval of this House is for the loan and not the grant component, so stating it here is superfluous. Clearly, it does not have any place here in the Report because you make it appear as if - [Interruption] -- I know, the information is relevant. I am talking about where it is situate, in the terms and conditions of the loan, that is where you have stated it and it is made to appear as if it is part of the terms and conditions of the loan. That is what I want to state.

Again, if you look at the chronology of the terms and conditions, you have a repayment period. The repayment period is thirty years and thereafter, you have a grace period. The grace period comes before the repayment period. But normally, what I am seeing in all the Reports that we have today, there is a different style that is being adopted. We have a grace period that is stated before the repayment period. Just look at the chronology of the statement, I think the effect is the same but look at the chronology.

The grace period will come after the repayment period. But the other point that I want to make, the organizational structure - we have been told what this is supposed to achieve. And we are told the policy and the organizational structure consists of two parts; the policy and supervision structure composed of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Bank of Ghana.

Already this point has been made by the Hon Member for Asamankese who said that if indeed we were concerned with value addition, clearly, we ought to have considered Ministry of Trade and Industry. However, it got omitted, we are not too sure of, I think that maybe, if the Minister is winding up, perhaps, he could explain how come talking about value addition in agro-business, we have left out Ministry of Trade and Industry. I thought the proper thing was to have added it.

Mr. Speaker, we have also noted the fact in this House that normally when such grants or loans come, the supervising body ends up gulping down a substantial component of the fund.

This amount is not much, ten million euros and one will want to believe that the superintending body which is charged to supervise, will not at the end of the day end up appropriating to itself, in allowances because it is going to be for a long period, a minimum of three years, they may have sitting allowances without doubt. I mean it is part of it, but one only hopes that the structure does not end up gulping down a very huge quantum of that amount which is only ten million euros.

Mr. Speaker, the other point that I wanted to make about whatever studies and technical support that the amount is going to go into has already been articulated by the Hon Member for Mion. I think that it is a very germane point that that the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning ought to consider again so that we do not divert the use of the fund from its core business.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your indulgence.
Mr. Avedzi 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank Hon Members sincerely for the contributions.
In fact, the points that all of them raised are very relevant and here with me is the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning; we have taken note but there are a few of them that I need to clear the position. The first of all is what former Hon Attorney-General, Hon Joe Ghartey said about submission of list of beneficiaries. I do not think that is something that we should encourage in this House. It is our duty as Members of Parliament to ensure that we monitor the operations of the Executive very well but to make it as a rule here that they should submit the list of beneficiaries to us, I do not think it is something that we should encourage here.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:30 p.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the core business of Parliament is oversighting the Executive and we are charged to perform this task through the various committees that we form in this House. Mr. Speaker, I thought that this issue that came from the Hon Member for Esikado really falls in tandem of our functions.
What I thought the Chairman of the Committee on Finance was going to say was that maybe, it may not be for the plenary to look at this but perhaps the Finance Committee could look at that and I think that that is the way to go. But to say that we should not concern ourselves, that I totally disagree with him. It is part of our functions and maybe, the vehicle to do this, in my view, should be the Finance Committee, not maybe, at the plenary. I think that is where we should take it from -
Mr. Avedzi 2:30 p.m.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I
think what the Minority Leader is saying both of us are treading on the same path. Maybe, it is the way I put it. I said it is our duty as Parliament to play an oversight role to monitor the Executive but to bring it or make it a rule here as a plenary for us to have the list here is something that I am talking about. So I agree with the position that he has taken.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to make reference to the Report. On page 3 of the Report, the Hon Member for Akropong thought that the 3 years that we put there is one of the criteria but the person must be in that business for at least, years before he qualifies. That was not the position. If you read that portion very well, it states that they must meet a laid down criteria including demonstrated need for medium to long-term finance not below three years.
So you must have the capacity to provide funding for that project not below three years. It is not that he should be in that business for at least three years before you quality for that. I need to clarify that position.
Then the position by the Minority Leader on the grace period, in fact, the chronology of the terms and conditions, that is how it should be. The grace period must come before the repayment period.
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thought
my Chair has been advised to move on so that we can end and he is trying to complicate matters. But Mr. Speaker, the most important question that my Senior Colleague raised, he needs to address. The reason is that if Cabinet has sent a letter, nobody can change it, but he has mentioned two instances and I thought that was what he is going to address. I was not at the Committee meeting, so I
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:30 p.m.


cannot explain.

The Committee ought to explain to us how a directive from Cabinet had been changed when it was coming to Parliament. That is very crucial. But I think that was the most serious one that -- because if it has been changed, then we are on very slippery grounds. Maybe, it is an error in typing but otherwise, if it has been changed, then we need to know why. It should not be changed, that was what I thought he was going to address.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon
Chairman, if there has been some slip or omission, an assurance that some action will be taken to correct it.
Mr. Avedzi 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think I
reacted to that issue. In my introductory statement I said points raised by Hon Members were well noted, I said that. Yes, I did. The Hon Ranking Member was going to react to the -- so Mr. Speaker, the points that have been raised by Hon Members are all noted and I said both of us here have taken note of that and we are going to work on them.
Dr. A. A. Osei 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, well
noted on such a very serious matter is not how you put it. [Interruption] - what appropriate steps are going to be taken to do the correct thing but to just note them when there has been a change in the decision, that one is not acceptable. The Minister is here, he can explain to us how the change in supervision has arisen. It is not a small matter. So you do not just note it. It is a policy matter that the Chairman of the Committee may not be aware of.
So if he can allow the Minister to explain to us how - [Interruption.] My Colleague said --
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:30 p.m.
Hon
Chairman, some points are weightier than others and they might need to be specifically addressed. Either you or the Hon Minister may want to assist by
specific assurance in this regard, I think this House will be grateful.
Mr. Avedzi 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think the
Hon Deputy Minister will react to that but I thought the Ranking Member should have waited for the Hon Deputy Minister to stand, if that was not responding to, before he comes out with it.
On that note, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Hon Members once again for their comments and we wish that we all vote for this Agreement so that our farmers can have funding to support their farming activities.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minister, shall we take advantage of your presence to ask for your assistance before we put the Question?
Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. Seth Terkpeh): Mr. Speaker, as you indicated a short while ago, I wish to assure the House that it was not the intention of the two Ministries that sponsored the memorandum to Parliament not to implement the directive of Cabinet and this will be taken into account seriously when the project is implemented.
While I am on my feet, I would also wish to take note of the concerns raised by the House regarding the structure of the loan and its on-lending composition. This reflects discussions in the Committee itself and I wish to draw attention of the House to the fact that it is derived from the original notion that this was going to be the Ministry's market oriented agricultural programme. So the whole design was market oriented in the midst of the Ministry's other policy instruments.
However, as we indicated and the Hon Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture was at the Committee, the points raised here were similar to those raised at the
Committee and they would be conveyed to my Hon Minister and to the Hon Minister for Food and Agriculture in implementing the loan scheme.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Deputy Minister. I will now put the Question.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Item 10 - Resolution. Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning.
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
I think the Hon Deputy Minister may continue as we have been told. The Resolution, please.
RESOLUTION 2:40 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 2:40 p.m.
H E R E B Y R E S O LV E S A S 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Avedzi 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to
second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, any indication on the other items on the Order Paper?
Mr. J. T. Akologu 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, we have gone beyond our stipulated time and we have not made any preparations to take care of Hon Members if they have to Sit here longer, so the remaining business on the Order Paper may be taken tomorrow. Under the circumstances, we await your directives.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:40 p.m.
Hon Members, the House will stand adjourned till Friday, tomorrow, 5th February, 2010.
ADJOURNMENT 2:40 p.m.
  • The House was adjourned at 2.44 p.m. till Friday, 5th February, 2010 at 10.00 a.m.