Debates of 20 Nov 2018

MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:15 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:15 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon Members, we would commence with the correction of the Votes and Proceedings dated Saturday, 17th November, 2018.
Page 1…7 --
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Alhaji Boniface 10:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I see my name written under the names of persons absent, but I was absent with permission and I filled the form.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Very well. The Table Office should take note.
Page 7…10
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Saturday, 17th November, 2018 as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member for North Tongu?
Mr Ablakwa 10:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am very sorry, but there is a correction that I would want to draw the attention of the House to. This is my fault, but I plead that you would --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon Member, you are late. We have already adopted the proceedings, but you may see the Table Office and draw the attention to the specific correction you wish to make.
Mr Ablakwa 10:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am grateful.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to the commencement of Public Business. Item numbered 4 -- Presentation of Papers.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee?
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
First, I would call on the Hon Deputy Majority Leader to guide me.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Ms Sarah Adwoa Safo 10:15 a.m.
Thank you very
much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 4(a) is a Paper to be laid by the Hon Attorney- General and Minister for Justice, and with your permission, I would want to lay the said Paper on her behalf with the indulgence of the Hon Minority Leader.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Very well.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
Mr Iddrisu 10:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, ordinarily, there should be no problem, if the Hon Deputy Majority Leader would want to lay the Paper on behalf of the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.
Mr Speaker, however, I thought when I arrived in this Chamber with the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance, Mrs Abena Osei-Asare, the Hon Deputy Attoney- General and Deputy Minister for Justice was with us here, but if he is not immediately available, then one can understand.
Mr Speaker, what we require from the Hon Deputy Majority Leader, is for her to always share with us the whereabouts of the Hon Minister, and why the Hon Minister is not able to appear before this House.
Mr Speaker, if we note, on the Order Paper, we see the Paper entitled “Seeds (Certification and Standards) Regulation, 2018. Why should that Paper be laid by the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and not the Hon Minister for Agriculture? I have no problem, but if we look at it, it says: “Seeds (Certification and Standards) Regulations, 2018. Did we get it right, and must this be a Paper to be shepherded by the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice?
Mr Speaker, I would have thought that matters of seeds, certification and standards would have been taken by the Hon Minister for Agriculture. I do not know whether we did not get it right from the Table Office, or it is rather the Executive, that did not get it right. This is my difficulty, but the Hon Deputy Majority Leader can lay the Paper.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Ms Safo 10:15 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, indeed, the Hon Deputy Minister for Justice was in the Chamber, but as the Hon Minority Leader himself is aware, the debate for the Budget that was read on Thursday is beginning today, and we could see that the Whips on both Sides are not yet in the Chamber.
The lead speakers or Hon Members of Parliament who would be speaking to the policy dimension to the fiscal policy that was presented by the Hon Minister for Finance are not here. The issue is being arranged and discussed.
The Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice herself was to be here today, but while on her way, she had to be called back to a very important meeting at the Presidency, and that is why her Deputy was available. The Hon Minority Leader has indicated that I could lay the said Paper in her stead. Therefore, Mr Speaker, respectfully, I would wish to do so.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, we would therefore take item numbered 4(a). The Hon Minister of State in charge of Procurement would lay the Paper on behalf of the Attorney- General and Minister for Justice.
PAPERS 10:15 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Item numbered 4(c), by the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Hon Chairman, are you ready?
Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah 10:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my concern is not on the item numbered 4(c) but on item numbered 4(a), where you made the referral to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee.
Mr Speaker, this concerns certification and standards for seeds, so, I think we could add the Leadership of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs. It is a technical area and they --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, what do you suggest?
Ms Safo 10:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, as has been earlier submitted by the Hon Minority Leader, the Finance Committee Chairman is adding his voice to that submission.
Mr Speaker, it is a regulation, and to the extent that it is a subsidiary legislation, it goes to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee. That notwithstanding, it has to do with seeds and certification, which is a very technical and specialised area in agriculture.
So if the Leadership could be added, I believe that it would not hurt us in any way.
So, Mr Speaker, we are currently in your hands. I think it is a submission, which should be well taken.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
Mr H. Iddrisu 10:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, your referral is appropriate within our Standing Orders. Matters of regulations under article 11 of the Constitution appropriately go to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee. But we could have an understanding that the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Ranking Member and Deputy Ranking Member could join in the process.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Very well.
I direct that the Chairman, Vice Chairman, the Ranking and Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs join the Subsidiary Legislation Committee in the consideration of the Paper laid.
Hon Chairman, did you say that all the Reports under item numbered 4(c) are not ready?
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:25 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker. Even Committee meetings have not been held. All the items listed (i) to (x) are not ready. They concern the same subject matter. So if they could be stood down even for the rest of the week, it would help.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Very well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 10:25 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Hon Members, we have two delegations from our sister Parliaments.
Hon Members, I have the pleasure to introduce to you two delegations of Members of the Parliament of Tanzania and Members of the National Council of the Parliament of Namibia who are on a week- long separate benchmarking visit to Ghana.
The Tanzanian delegation is here, among others, to benchmark best practices and exchange experiences in Parliamentary Practice and Procedure, Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament and Parliamentary privileges while the Namibia delegation is here, among others, to learn best practices in the functioning of the Gender & Children Committee. Both delegations are also seeking to interact with Leadership, Chairmen and Members of Committees to have further insight into their operations. The visits are further intended to create the platform for networking between Hon Members and our Tanzanian and Namibian counterparts with the aim of deepening relations between the Legislatures.
The Tanzanian delegation comprises the following:
Hon Dr Tulia Ackson -- Deputy Speaker & Leader of Delegation
Hon Najma Murtaza Giga -- Presiding Officer Hon Andrew John Chenge -- Presiding Officer
Mrs Flora Shama -- Asst. Director
Mr Emmanuel Mpanda -- Coordinator
Mr Athman Hussein -- Parliamentary Clerk
Mr Emmanuel Mboggo -- ADC to Deputy Speaker
The Namibian delegation comprises the following:
Hon Nangula Joyce Namuhuja -- Leader of Delegation Hon Damian Haikera Nakambare -- MP
Hon Jason Nghihepa Ndakunda -- MP
Hon Hans Linekela Nambondi -- MP
Hon Johannes H. Antsino -- MP
Mr Nico Sisinyize -- Researcher
Mr Brian Riruako -- Committee Clerk
STATEMENTS 10:25 a.m.
Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (Mrs Cynthia M. Morrison) 10:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is a pleasure for me today to be in this august House to read this Statement in commemoration of the World Children's Day.
United Nations World's Children's Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improve children's welfare.
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959, when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Mr Speaker, this day is, indeed a day worthy of celebration since the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most signed and ratified UN Convention in the world, and it is interesting to note that, Ghana made history by being the first Member State to ratify the United Nation's Convention on the rights of the child.
The Universal Children's Day was instituted to offer each Member State an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.
Mr Speaker, this year, children are taking over and turning the world blue. November 20th is a day to celebrate the progress made for children, ask leaders to commit to the protection and promotion of the children's rights including their development.
It is also a day set aside to discuss the prevention and elimination of violence, abuse and exploitation of children. It's a day for children, by children, when the world's youngest citizens are uniting to call on governments to invest in the future of their countries by giving every child access to quality education in a safe environment.
Mr Speaker, Ghana is doing so much to make the lives of children better. That notwithstanding, children still face a lot of abuses. About 33 per cent of children in Ghana are said to have been sexually abused. This includes rape, molestation, touching of private parts, watching pornography, the use of inappropriate language, and dirty jokes.
According to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), on the average, one out of five girls in Ghana is married before their 18th birthday. The 2014 GDHS, again, reports that, 14 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 years had begun having children. About 29 per cent of children under five years do not have birth certificates whiles 22 per cent of children aged five to 14 years are engaged in child labour. Children aged 2-14 years who experience violent discipline is 94 per cent.
On the 20th of November, when we join the rest of the world to go blue, we will actually be pledging to; celebrate children; support their rights; and amplify their voices. We want to build a world where every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfil their potential.
This celebration calls for people in the streets, on social media, in boardrooms and sporting activities across the country to commit to Go Blue with and for children in a way that amplifies children's voices.
The day will further be used to create awareness on achievements of the Ghana Against Child Abuse Campaign (GACA). The GACA 1st Anniversary which was on the 19th of November, 2018 showcased the positive stories and testimonials resulting from the campaign, celebrated the successes with everyone associated with the GACA brand and used the opportunity to call on others to join the movement.
As we celebrate the Universal Children's Day today, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, UNICEF and Partners are calling on all Ghanaians to strive to create a country that fulfils its promise of a better future for her children as enshrined in the CRC, which Ghana was the first country to ratify.
In Ghana, we would like to celebrate World Children's Day through the following ways: Promote World Children's Day to as many Ghanaians as possible through key media and social media channels and live platforms:
Radio;
Television;
Social media - twitter, Facebook, Instagram, key partner websites; and
Encourage institutions, political leaders and influential individuals to listen to children, and give them a platform - essentially to GoBlue for the day.
We call on all Ghanaians to also go blue for every child and to take a stand against child abuse so that no child is left behind in the development of our country.
I wish every child a happy World Children's Day.
God bless every child and God bless Ghana.
Thank you.
Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye (NDC -- Odododiodioo) 10:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this very important Statement which was made by the Hon Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Mr Speaker, days ago, people advoca- ted for the prosecution of parental delinquency. Certain parents wilfully abandon the welfare and interest of their children just not because they cannot afford, but because they just do not care.
Some men think it is the responsibility of the women because they think the women might be too lucky to have children with them, so if the women cannot take care of the children they could please themselves. These same men would jump from one drinking spot to the other and leave the welfare and the development of the children at the mercy of the poor women.
Mr Ato Panford (NPP -- Shama) 10:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am most grateful for the opportunity and would also want to thank the Hon Minister for Children, Gender and Social Protection for the Statement which she made on behalf of our children globally.
Mr Speaker, indeed, this is a special day which the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has climaxed as a day of “Blue''. 20th November, would be a day which would always be remembered in this nation. There are issues which affect children globally, even in Ghana and, throughout all the constituencies.
Mr Speaker, there was an incident in my constituency where a parent kept a child in a room for two weeks without food. We are here as Hon Members of Parliament to ensure the safety and well- being of the child throughout this nation and globally. We should be able to monitor the activities that happen in our
constituencies most especially, in the deprived areas.
Along the coastal belts and the fishing communities in our constituencies, it would sadden your heart to see a lot of children even though the Government has made every effort to put children back to school. They are deliberately taken out to join their parents in fishing activities.
Mr Speaker, today, the world goes ‘'blue'' with the children and I would want to add my voice that MP's would take a wonderful step to adopt an under privileged child to support him or her so they could be put back to school to ensure that we keep an eye on them so as to become important people in the community.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you for the opportunity.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:45 a.m.
I actually intend to take one more, and I would give it to the Hon Member for Pusiga.
Ms Laadi Ayii Ayamba (NDC — Pusiga) 10:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement that has been ably made by the Hon Minister.
Mr Speaker, today is a day for the celebration of our children. I wish to congratulate all children in Ghana and across the world. Children are angels. They are naturally born in such a way that they are supposed to be guided to grow into adults; adults that society needs, accepts and would help the human race to grow as expected. Children need a lot of guidance.
Mr Speaker, there is a very big problem that needs to be addressed. It is not a matter of only celebrating children, but ensuring that they are properly brought up and catered for. In psychology, we have limitations.
We have children growing up in stages, and in every stage, a child needs some particular type of guidance, and if that guidance does not come up, both formal and informal. As a teacher, when I talk of formal and informal, I am talking of both home and in school.
And then the society or the community in which the children live or comes from - - If these three groups do not comes together and do not see the need to raise a child as expected, we might continue to celebrate Children's Day, continue to talk about children and say whatever we want to say but would never make an impact.
Mr Speaker, children need guidance to the extent that parents must be ready to take responsibility, especially the men. I know there are women who, one would not believe they would have carried these children in their stomachs before giving birth to them. I just wonder the nine months that a woman would have struggled juxtaposing it with some of the videos that make rounds today, that a woman would be brave enough to kick a child, lift it and hit it against the ground and continue to live as a woman.
But then, there is a very big question, which is, what has led the woman to that anger and made her to behave that way? Most probably, the woman does not even know what to say and to do to support the child. So the child becomes a burden on her to the extent that all her anger is vented on the child; poor child — An angel that was given to that person, and for that matter, to that man and the woman is being maltreated.
Dr Kojo Appiah-Kubi (NPP — Atwima Kwanwoma) 10:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Hon Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Mr Speaker, as we celebrate the International Day of the Child, we do not need to forget that this day has been set aside to promote the rights of children. We do not need to forget that the rights of children are paramount to all human rights. As we talk today, these rights are being violated, they are not protected and they are being trampled upon.
Mr Speaker, it is not for any reason that today has been set aside to create the awareness for the promotion of children's
rights. But then, this country might have enacted several laws but have adopted and ratified several international conventions for the protection of children's rights.
Yet, as we speak today, one could see a lot of child trafficking going on. We could see a lot of child prostitution in this country and we could also see child labour very widespread. These are all violations of the rights of children that should cross our minds.
Mr Speaker, another issue that we need to talk about is child poverty. Child poverty in Ghana is a very serious phenomenon and a very serious problem. While the poverty incidence in Ghana is around 21 per cent, child poverty in Ghana is far higher than this 21 per cent.
Mr Speaker, as we talk today, as a result of child poverty, a lot of children are not attending school. They get stuck in the trans-generational cycle of poverty. They cannot attend school and they cannot learn any trade and they cannot grow up to indulge in some gainful work.
Therefore, poverty to them keeps on recycling itself. As a result, what we need to do to protect the rights of children for them to grow up to become better adults in this country is to reduce their poverty levels. We can do that by targeting special social protection measures for their protection.
Mr Speaker, indeed, we have done quite a lot and initiated several social protection interventions. But then, what is lacking is proper targeting. I would entreat the new Hon Minister to do a lot to ensure that these targeting measures go to the very poor who actually need to benefit from these measures. Indeed, some of these measures are very good and we have free
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Leadership of the Minority? [Pause]
Mr Mubarak — rose --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member for Kumbungu?
Mr Ras Mubarak (NDC -- Kumbungu) 10:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am grateful for your kindness. This is a very exciting Statement. As a parent of three and counting, I am particularly excited about the opportunity to make a comment on this Statement. [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker, we have one of the best constitutions, if not in the world then in
Africa. If you look at article 28 of our Constitution, we have dedicated a whole chapter of the 1992 Constitution to the protection of children. With your permission, I beg to read a few; Chapter 28 (2) reads:
“Every child has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his health, education or development.”
If you look at article 28 (3), it reads:
“A child shall not be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punish- ment.”
Mr Speaker, I think that we --
Ms Safo — rose --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon Member, you would hold on.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Ms Safo 10:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, just to draw the
attention of the Hon Member to the referral that he is making to the entire House, he is actually inviting you to look into a chapter in the Constitution. This is just to remind him that I do not see a whole chapter dedicated to children but there is an article which is article 28 of the Constitution. So, that is just for the record.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, the last part is out of order. [Laughter.]
Hon Member, you were referring to article 28.
Mr Mubarak 10:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, yes.
Mr Speaker, if you look at the provision of the whole of article 28, we have a lot to be excited about. Our Constitution sees the seriousness with which we should treat children in our country. Our Constitution enjoins us to protect the rights of every child in our country.
Mr Speaker, I may go further to invoke the Quran and the Bible; if you look at the Bible for instance, it says let the hungry be fed, the naked be clothed, the sick be nourished, the aged protected and most importantly the infant, which is children, cared for. So, as parents and as a society --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon Member, kindly tell us which book in the Bible or chapter this is coming from.
Mr Mubarak 10:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would get that for you in a jiffy -- [Laughter.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon Member, I have not quoted the Bible; you have done so.
Mr Mubarak 11:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is coming from Songs of Solomon. [Laughter]
Mr Speaker, the Bible and the Quran are replete with caution on how adults should treat children. Again, Psalms 127:3 says:
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord”.
How are we treating children in our country? We have had instances where adults who should know better would go to some very savage levels of beating
children as a way of discipline. We ought to completely discourage those kinds of treatment. Children should be treated with a lot of respect and as adults, we should seek their opinion because the decisions we take as parents have a bearing on the children we bring into this world.
Mr Speaker, one of the things that children do not predetermine is parenthood. A child does not determine who becomes his or her parents. But once we bring forth these children into the world, we have a duty of care, to ensure that they are catered for as the Bible enjoins us. That we treat them as a family as the Quran enjoins us and to ensure that we do not allow them to engage in things that deprive them of certain opportunities.
Mr Speaker, another thing I would want to draw the attention of the House to is the fact that we see some level of discrimination against children with disability.

It is a very serious issue and I would say that once parents have children and some of them have a level of disability, in being equitable, fair and just, we should support children with special needs. It is very important, but we normally do not pay attention to children with special needs.

Mr Speaker, even in our respective schools, what provisions are given to children with special needs? I think that in celebrating children and discussing this very important issue today, we have to go back to the basics and see every child as special; whether they have special needs or not, we need to treat them as special.

Mr Speaker, finally, we have also had instances where some parents use children as tools for fighting petty wars
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon Majority Leadership.
Ms Safo 11:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I yield to Hon Saddique.
Thank you.
Alhaji Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface (NPP--Madina) 11:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you and the Hon Leader.
Mr Speaker, the Statement about Children's Day is so important to us. We celebrate Fathers' Day and Mothers' Day, so celebrating the child is so important. It is often said that the children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of the children - it is in the book of Proverbs 17:6.
Every parent that thinks that he or she should be better than his or her child is an accursed person. Every parent whose
child grows up and is equal to him or her lives with yesterday. Every parent who gives birth to a child who grows and is better than him or her is a happy man or woman in the world.
Mr Speaker, it is so painful that we see our children to be the source of joy and pride and they are supposed to be the assets of every economy, but it is rather unfortunate -- Sometimes, I do not know whether it is by mistake or somebody wants to test the power of his waist, so he would help another person to bring a child into this world -- [Interruption.] What does he want to know? It is Proverbs 17: 6, he should check his Bible. He does not read his Bible. [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker, it is so important that we see our children as the source of our continuity and pride in this world. It is so important if one is able to educate one's self to a certain level, maybe to the level of a first degree, then one's child must go beyond a first degree and achieve a second degree.
This is the most important thing because when we check, we would realise that most children have now become catalysts to certain parents. They are either used as a bait or to seek for alms and money.
Sometimes, I feel so bad when I drive or walk along the streets and find a very handsome or beautiful child beg for money from me, when he or she could have been in school. It is the right of the child to be in school. He or she should be educated because we do not know that one day, that child that is undermined could be the Head of State, an Hon Minister or an Hon Member of Parliament, or a medical doctor who would one day save a life.
Mr Speaker, unfortunately, we realise that some parents forget that the child has a future and owes a duty to the economy he is born into. So, it is very important that we pay special attention to our children and give them equal status, education and every support that would help them become very important assets to the economy.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon Members, Order, Order!
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon Member for Yapei/Kusawgu.
Mr Jinapor 11:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, this is just to correct an erroneous statement that has been made.
Atemuda is a liquor. The area he is talking about is called “Jerry's Pub”. He should qualify them so that -- [Interruption.] -- Mr Speaker, it should not go into the records that there is an area called “Atemuda”. There is a drink called Atemuda. That forbidden area or road, which we have all refused to pass or ply, is called “Jerry's Pub”.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon Member, thank you for your experienced intervention. [Laughter.]
Hon Member, continue.
Alhaji Boniface 11:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague lives in Tema. “Atemuda”, which I talked about, is in East Legon. I live around East Legon, and I am giving a clear picture. “Atemuda” means the day of judgement. One could be judged by age or lust because when one passes there, in fact, one cannot take one look; one would take a second look. [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker, I say this because I always ply that route to my house. I have always prayed that -- all the time, the Police are there for a swoop; but in less than one hour, they would come back.
Of late, I have decided to change the route because I do not want to get involved in an accident. [Laughter.] I now pass under the bridge because when I pass there at night and I do not take time I could run into somebody. The Atemuda drink could, probably, be equalled to the status of the young ladies there.
Mr Speaker, I have drawn the attention of the House to this because sometimes, even though research proves that some could have resulted from broken marriages or part of the kind of socialisation given to those children --
In fact, the upbringing of a child could go through three processes; through parents, peer groups or teachers but sometimes, they are dragged into this by their colleagues and this is seriously affecting us to the extent that we now have thieves who are able to go to schools and recruit young girls. This is very dangerous and disastrous to the economy.
Mr Speaker, so, today is a great day for the child and I believe that every father must be able to get a flower to appreciate the presence of his child in this world. It
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon Members, that is the end of Statements unless the Hon Minister wishes to make any concluding remarks?
Very well. Thank you, Hon Members for your contributions. I hope we all live our words and take responsibility for our children.
Now, we will return to Public Business. We will commence the debates to approve the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2019. It was moved on 15th November, 2018 by the Hon Minister for Finance.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Ms Safo 11:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, the
Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee is drawing my attention to item numbered 6, so if the question could be put on that Motion.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Do you want us to vary the order of Business and do item numbered 6 before the debate?
Ms Safo 11:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, rightly so.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Very well.
Yes, available Minority Leader?
Mr Governs K. Agbodza 11:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, a directive was given the other day for a report on that to be amended to include some concerns raised by Hon Colleagues. In fact, I am not sure - that day the Hon Chairman was not in the Chamber and I am not sure that information has been carried to him so, if he says we should take it, I just want to find out whether that directive has been carried out.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, I want to confirm the directions I gave in that respect. [Pause]
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, I was trying to confirm that indeed, it was in respect of this specific Report that I gave that directive but it is confirmed that it was a Report on the Committee on Finance with respect to the GETFund.
So, in the circumstance, we have to be assured that corrections have been made and the Report reflects the matters raised before the decision is taken.
Ms Safo 11:15 a.m.
Mr Speaker, rightly so. We can then take item numbered 5 on the Order Paper.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Very well.
Hon Colleagues, the agreed ground rules are that the opening and supporting debaters will speak for 20 and 10 minutes respectively each. So, we will start with the Hon (Dr) Assibey-Yeboah, Hon Member for New Juaben South.
MOTIONS 11:15 a.m.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg
to second the Motion that this Honourable House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2109.
Mr Speaker, we are two years into the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) rule - so that we are guided. I have gone back to the NPP Manifesto and it was on this basis that we were voted into power.
Mr Speaker, in the 2016 Manifesto of the NPP, on page 14, we spelt out our economic policy direction. Specifically we said that we were going to restore macro- economic stability. It is in black and white on page 14 - Restoring Macro-economic Stability.
As a matter of fact, we indicated that we were going to restore macro-economic stability because the macro economy was instable. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) had run to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April, 2015.
The IMF Press Release No 15/159 says and Mr Speaker I beg to quote:
‘‘The programme aims to restore debt sustainability, macroeconomic stability, to return to high growth, create jobs and protect social spending''
Mr Speaker, so we sat down with the IMF and agreed to these; ‘restore debt sustainability, macro-economic stability, return to high growth, create jobs and protect social spending'.
Mr Speaker, there were slippages and none of these was achieved by the time the NPP took over. As a matter of fact, this same release says that public debt had risen at an unsustainable pace and the external position had weakened considerably.
The Government has embarked on a fiscal consolidation path since the year 2013 but policy slippages, exogenous shocks and rising interest cost have undermined these efforts.
So, the NPP came in and as a matter of fact on page 3 and paragraph 14 of the 2019 Budget Statement the mess that they created have been listed here.

The Hon Minister for Finance outlined these and he showed that in 2016 the economic growth, that what they left was 3.7 per cent which is the lowest in 23 years. That is the mess they left for us to come and clean.

Mr Speaker, the declining growth in agriculture is listed here, the rising unemployment, the high fiscal deficit was 9.3 and this is what they left for us in 2016. Mr Speaker, the fast-rising public debt - 73.1 debt to GDP ratio, high interest rates
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:35 a.m.


which were killing businesses, high inflation -- Mr Speaker, as a matter of fact when the NPP took over, we had to extend the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme because it had derailed.

What it means to be under an IMF Programme is like a student in a senior high school and the housemaster's bungalow is next to the dormitory and he must watch over the students, but they all run to town. Mr Speaker, so under an IMF Programme, we are to ring in all spending and let the indicators be achieved, but they missed all the major indicators that they agreed with the IMF in 2016.

Mr Speaker, we extended the IMF Programme and after 22 months this is the verdict. Under paragraph 100 on page 23 of the Budget Statement we would see that every single macro-economic indicator has improved from where they left it.

Mr Speaker, this is not being said by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee or Hon Fifi Kwetey or any other person. Mr Speaker, this is from the international community and I beg to refer you to paragraph 39 on page 10 of the Budget Statement. The ease of doing business has improved.

Mr Speaker, I beg to also refer you to paragraph 43 on page 11 where under the NPP's watch, we issued the first Eurobond by a B-rated country in sub-Saharan Africa that had the largest issuance, it had

Mr Speaker, this is the first time ever and as a matter of fact, I have news for them that by the end of the year we would exit the IMF Programme. They sent the country to the IMF Programme, but we are taking the country out of the Programme. [Hear! Hear!] Mr Speaker, they should applaud our efforts because never again should we go back to the IMF.

Mr Speaker, again I beg to refer you to the NPP's Manifesto. It said on page 19 that the NPP was promising Ghanaians competent management of the economy. As a matter of fact, economic policy has three strands; fiscal policy, monetary, trade or commercial policy.

Mr Speaker, we have brought in a competent team and if we go to the Bank of Ghana right now, the people conducting monetary policy are world class economists and they are grounded in macro-economics. They are cleaning up the mess that was left in the banking sector.

Mr Speaker, the Ivy League trained Hon Minister has been declared as the best Minister for Finance in Africa for 2018. [Hear! Hear!] Mr Speaker, I would refer you to page paragraph 97 of page 23 and it has been stated there that he is the best Minister for Finance in Africa.

The President put together an economic management team and it is headed by the Vice President. Mr Speaker, in their time, there was an economic management team, but it was only in name. I want to ask them who the members of their Economic Management Team were.

Mr Speaker, but in our time the Vice President heads the economic management team, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo is also a member and he also previously won the best Minister for Finance in Africa. [Hear! Hear!] Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Finance is also a member of the team, the good old Professor, Hon Gyan-Baffour is a member, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei is also a member.

Mr Speaker, I want them to name the members of their Economic Management Team. [Laughter] Who were the members of their Economic Management Team? [Laughter] Mr Speaker, this has a bearing on the Budget Statement and I beg to refer you to paragraph 233 on page 56 and with your permission I read:

“Mr Speaker, it is gratifying to note that in March 2018, the ESLA Bond was adjudged the best restruc- turing in Europe, Middle East and Africa by EMEA Finance”.

Mr Speaker, do they know who put together this restructuring? It was this competent Economic Management Team that put it together. Indeed, Ghana is working again.

Mr Speaker, I beg to now take you to Appendix 1 (a) on page 196 of the Budget Statement where we have Real GDP Growth for the Medium Term. Column 4 contains real GDP growth figures for 2016. Mr Speaker, they should compare the 2016 figures to those of 2017 and 2018.

Mr Speaker, under agriculture, the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme is working and the figures would show.

Mr Speaker, under education, the free SHS Policy is working and the figures are there. Also, under health and social work the figures tell us that social interventions are at play. Mr Speaker, that is why we have asked them to name at least one social intervention. [Inter- ruption] Mr Speaker, they should look at the numbers of the social interventions --

So, clearly, Ghana is working again, we are moving the country forward, and the better managers of the economy are back and they are fully in charge; a competent team that has restored macro-stability and has invested in social interventions. Now, we are only left to take the country on the next leg where we are going to invest fully in infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, we would not leave it at that because if we are not careful, in the unlikely event that they get the opportunity, they would reverse gains. We have seen it before.

Mr Speaker, we are ensuring irreversibility. What we are doing is that we will enact a fiscal responsibility rule so that never again would they send us to those levels they did.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:35 a.m.


Mr Speaker, we are enforcing the Public Financial Management Act 815 strictly. We are adhering to the zero financing pact with the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Mr Speaker, in agriculture, you have heard of commodity exchange. All of these are to ensure that there is no reversibility.

Mr Speaker, I take you to tax reliefs. On page 68, paragraph 284, you would recall that during the Mid-Year Review of the Budget Statement, the tax bands were changed.

The listening Government that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is has listened to the citizenry and has come back to review it unlike the previous yentie obiaa to wit “we would not listen to anyone” regime where they were dancing and saying they would not restore teacher trainee and nursing trainee allowances.

The listening Government has reviewed the tax band. So, the taxes that hit Hon Members of Parliament would not happen again after Parliament reverses the measure. This is a listening Government, and we should applaud this.

Mr Speaker, it is not only this. We are also giving relief for minimum wage earners. Again, if I go back to the NPP Manifesto, you would have seen that we said we would shift the focus of economic management from taxation to production. After removing a number of taxes in 2017, we have come and seen that the tax that we introduced in the middle of the year is not working and so we are giving more relief. What else do they expect from Government?

Mr Speaker, the NPP Government has come and are in charge and doing a good work. We have another two years to go. I am hopeful that in the next two years, if

we go on this trajectory, come December 2020, it would be as easy as it was in 2004, Ghanaians would renew our mandate and give the President a second bite at the cherry.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Ato Forson?
Mr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson (NDC -- Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam) 11:35 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion that this Honourable House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2019.
Mr Speaker, in doing so, first of all, I would refer you to pages 49 and 51 of the Budget Statement. Page 51 relates to the sovereign Bond that was issued in 2018. With your permission, may I read paragraph 207:
“An amount of US$750.0 million from the bond proceeds was used to finance infrastructure and other capital expenditure approved in the 2018 Budget. An additional US$830.0 million was also used to switch the 2022 Eurobond and the remaining was lodged in the Sinking Fund for further liability management.”
Mr Speaker, the keyword was “was used”.
Mr Speaker, if I may again refer you to page 49, paragraph 197 11:35 a.m.
“Mr Speaker, this august House approved an amount GH¢1,546.38 billion to spent as ABFA in the year 2018.” Of this amount, a total of GH¢610.18 million, representing
49 per cent of total ABFA receipts, was utilised at the end of September
2018.”
Mr Speaker, the keywords are “was used”.
Mr Speaker, our laws with regard to this one is very clear. The Petroleum Revenue Management Act states that a minimum of 70 per cent of the ABFA allocation should go into infrastructure or capital expenditure.
Mr Speaker, strangely, if I may refer you to page 199, of the Budget Statement Appendix 2A, under capital expenditure. Mr Speaker, I am trying to indicate to you where all this money is going. The capital expenditure utilised for the first nine months, January to September, is GH¢3.7 billion. Out of this GH¢3.7 billion, domestically-financed capital expenditure is GH¢1.083 million. Foreign finance is GH¢2.631 billion.
Mr Speaker, it is important that Hon Members be aware that foreign finance capital expenditure is only drawdown of loans that are approved by this august House. Therefore, the Eurobond money cannot be used for drawdown. Its money is only used for the purposes of domestic finance capital expenditure, and the amount is GH¢1.083 million.
Unfortunately, the US$750 million that the Hon Minister claims in page 51 of the Budget Statement to have been used amounts to about GH¢3.3 billion. The oil revenue that is supposed to go to capital expenditure also amounts to GH¢427 million. If we are to put the two together, it is equal to GH¢3.8 billion.
Mr Speaker, now the Hon Minister tells us that he used the Eurobond money for
the purposes of consumption. He went to the Eurobond market and used the revenue available to the Eurobond for the purposes of consumption. So they borrowed for “chop chop”. Is that what the Hon Minister for Finance is telling us?
Unfortunately, this is wrong. The statement that it was used for infrastructure is proven that it was not true. The situation will not change in the year 2019.
In 2019, again, I refer you to the Appendces 3A and 5 on pages 204 and 217 respectively. If you are to look at page 204, Appendix 3 A, “Summary of Central Government Operations 2019 — 2022”, you would notice here that net financing is GH¢9.7 billion of which Eurobond's money is GH¢9.620 million.
We are told that they are going to the Eurobond market, but what they are telling us is that they are going to raise GH¢9.6 billion.
Mr Speaker, if you are to go to capital expenditure in the same Appendix 3A, clearly, the domestic finance capital expenditure is GH¢3.2 billion. Again, this Government intends to go back to the Eurobond market and borrow for the purpose of consumption. So, this situation is even going to continue in the year 2019.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister stood here to tell us that they have replaced incompetence with competence. This is nothing but substandard. Unfortunately, no one does this.
Mr Speaker, if you are to look at Appendix 5 of the Budget Statement, on page 214, again, oil revenue is not going to where it is supposed to.
Mr Speaker, if I may again refer you to page 49, paragraph 197 11:45 a.m.


Mr Speaker, clearly, this Hon Minister has asked us to breach the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (Act 815). I beg to say that the Hon Minister should honourably revise the Budget Statement relating to Appendix 5. I would not be part, and I am sure we Hon Members of Parliament would not be part to approve the utilisation of oil revenue that seeks to breach Act 815.

Mr Speaker, I now move to financing. On financing, if I may take you to page 43 of the Budget Statement, under Table 8, for the first nine months of the year, the net borrowing amount should have been GH¢7.7 billion. Unfortunately, as at the end of September, this Government has gone to the market and the net borrowing has increased to GH¢ 9.050 billion.

Mr Speaker, domestic financing has increased from the projected GH¢2.4 billion to GH¢4.1 billion. This accounts for the reason why our debt is increasing. Interestingly, if you are to look at page 54 of the same Budget Statement, we were told that Ghana's public debt has increased to GH¢ 170.8 billion. I tried to compare those numbers to last year's Budget Statement.

Mr Speaker, if you are to look at last year's Budget Statement with the theme “Putting Ghana Back to Work”, at page 30, September 2017 at this time, Ghana's public debt amounted to GH¢138.8 billion. Within 12 calendar months, this Government has added to our public debt by GH¢32 billion, and they call this competence? This is substandard. It cannot be; GH¢32 billion in 12 months, approximately GH¢ 2.6 billion a month. Mr Speaker, this GH¢170 billion cannot be acceptable.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon Member, if you convert to old cedis it is not GH¢58 million.
Mr Forson 11:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the amount is GH¢5,798.32. It is how much each Ghanaian owes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
No, but you specifically said 58 millioin Ghana cedis.
Mr Forson 11:55 a.m.
Mr Speaker, old Ghana cedis.
Mr Speaker, if you are to convert to old Ghana cedis, then it is equal to that amount.
Mr Speaker, I would now take you to the oil revenue. There is a popular saying
that to whom much is given, much is expected. Let me give you some data on the oil revenue that has been accrued in the last six years.
Clearly, in the year 2013, Government of Ghana received oil revenue amounting to GH¢1.634 billion. In the years 2014 and 2015, oil revenues accruing to Government of Ghana were GH¢2.789 billion and GH¢ 1,431 billion respectively. In the year 2016, the amount was GH¢711 million. If you are to add these, it amounts to GH¢6.565 billion within four years of the NDC Administration.
Mr Speaker, I now take you to how much this Administration has accrued so far from oil revenue. In 2017, oil revenue accruing to the Government was GH¢2. 4 billion. In 2018 so far, oil revenue accruing to the Government is GH¢4.166 billion. This amount is more than what the NDC administration had for four years.
In the year 2019, this Budget Statement tells us that oil revenue would be about GH¢5.429 billion. So it means that within three years, they would end up getting GH¢12 billion in oil revenue. Now, they should show us what they have used the oil revenue for. [Interruption] Mr Speaker, unfortunately they cannot tell us.
I would now take you to the supposed infrastructure claim. An impression was created that this Budget Statement would solve our infrastructure deficit and do a magic. Yes, I was happy, because after all, we are a party that believes in infrastructure.
I was happy, but I wondered where the money was going to come from. I have spent some time to look at the Budget Statement and where the money is going to come from to fix the infrastructure.
Mr Speaker, I would take you to Appendix 4A and give you the details, and then the Hon Minister would tell me where the money is going to come from. Appendix 4A shows that, social service is going to get GH¢19.7 billion.
Public safety; GH¢ 4.9 billion. Infrastructure is getting GH¢ 4.6 billion. Economic is getting GH¢3 billion, and administration GH¢5.8 billion. So this infrastructure allocation is less than a billion US dollars. I am surprised that this Government has created the impression that they are going to do magic with infrastructure.
Unfortunately, I can confidently say that this Budget Statement is empty as long as infrastructure is concerned. The allocations do not support infrastructural development, and I say this according to Appendix 4A.
Mr Speaker, I would urge the Hon Minister responsible for Finance to rethink his theme ‘Fixing Infrastructure and Investment Infrastructure'. There is nothing here that supports infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, finally, I would take you to revenue projections. If you are to look at revenue performance so far, it is clear that Ghana's tax revenue is underperforming. As at September, 2018, the underperformance of tax revenue amounted to 0.8 per cent of GDP. That is huge. I thought that this Administration would learn from what has happened this year, 2018, and make some realistic projections going forward in the year 2019.

Mr Speaker, why are we where we are? We are where we are because of over- projections. They claim they want to collect so much revenue at the port but the volumes are not coming. If the volumes
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Hon Anthony Effah?
Mr Anthony Effah (NPP-Asikuma/ Odoben/Brakwa) 11:55 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker for this opportunity.
When the Hon Ranking Member of the Finance Committee spoke, he tried to ask a rhetorical question: where is the Government going to get the money for infrastructure? I would like to make reference to what the Hon Minister for Finance said in Koforidua over the weekend.
He said to us that in 2018, he is going to raise some US$2.0 billion bond to support the work that he is going to do
for us. In 2019, the Sinohydro Project is going to give us additional funding for infrastructure and I would like my Hon Colleagues to advert their minds to the Sinohydro barter arrangement and they would find out how we could get the money.
Even with the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), there was this understanding that about GH¢1.5billion equivalence would be raised to meet educational infrastructure.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister was upbeat about resource mobilisation and assured the country that resources would no longer be a problem for developing the country.
Mr Speaker, I would also like to comment, especially, to support the Motion that the House approves the Financial Policy of Government for the year 2019.
I would also like to commend the Economic Management Team (EMT), the President, the Vice President and the NPP Government for all the good works they have done over the last two years and what they anticipate to do in 2019.
I am happy to say that all the micro fundamentals have improved as the Budget Statement suggests and what the Hon Chairman of the Committee said; fiscal outcomes have also been very good as a result of Government fiscal consolidation and prudent expenditure management.
Mr Speaker, the country's development is not only on the economic side. The Bank of Ghana (DoG) has done a yeoman's job in trying to implement prudent monetary policies, which have led to a drop in inflation and interest rates. This continues to drop and it has stabilised the currency.
A month ago, there was this long debate about currency stability. Today, that debate is on even more. Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the EMT again, especially, BoG for this support.
Mr Speaker, the reserve position is also growing. Mr Speaker, only a while ago, the banking sector was hit by distress. Some five banks were distressed and it affected the performance and confidence that the population had in the banking sector.
Research has indicated that the major cause of these bank collapsing was weak micro-economic conditions in the past, poor corporate governance and risk management, breaches of the provisions of the Banking Act and lack of enforcement of the rules.
When even the inspection teams of these banks had seen the challenges, they were unable to implement what was necessary to reverse the situation. Mr Speaker, because of this inaction, the banks were made to carry a large size of non-performing loans.
The NPP Government, therefore, inherited a very weak banking sector and so it became necessary for the Government to take some remedial actions: first to close down these banks so that we do not have the contagious effect on the rest of the industry.
Mr Speaker, the Government, in trying to rescue these banks caused the country a lot of money. The Budget Statement suggests that about GH¢9.9billion was spent in rescuing all these banks.
Mr Speaker, it is worth the while because in trying to get these banks back to work, about GH¢11billion of customers'
deposits were saved. It is because of timely and orderly intervention of the Government. About 2,661 jobs, according to the Budget Statement, were also saved. Otherwise, all these people would have gone home.
Mr Speaker, a new bank, which is an indigenous one, the Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG), was created and it has been capitalised sufficiently with GH¢ 450 million capital and an additional GH¢ 7.3 billion raised through bonds just so that the difference between the deposit liabilities and net book assets of the bank is covered.
Mr Speaker, the intervention of the central bank has led to a new confidence in the banking sector. Hitherto, it was very difficult for a customer to go for his or her money but today, there is that assurance that when one goes to any of these banks, he would get his money and that nobody would be delayed or no excuses would be given for non-payment of their money.
Mr Speaker, the Central Bank's involvement in the rescue of these banks has also led to increased capitalisation for these banks. This is very good for us as a country to have very strong, well- capitalised banks helping our businesses and individuals.
Mr Speaker, the intervention itself has alleviated some of the socio-economically adverse impact on our people. I spoke to a couple of people who had problems with collecting their moneys back. Their whole life savings were with these banks and they could not get them. Mr Speaker, this is a very important step that the Government took and we would like to thank them all.
Mr Speaker, as I said, the total cost of this intervention is about GH¢9 billion and Government would not sit down for the directors, shareholders and people who
Mr Anthony Effah (NPP-Asikuma/ Odoben/Brakwa) 12:05 p.m.
wilfully took away the moneys to go scot- free. I am aware that the receivers have initiated civil action against some of these people and that the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has put in place a team to investigate with the view to prosecute any director or shareholder who is criminal or did certain things that are related to crime.
Mr Speaker, BoG itself admits that some of its staff were complicit in the collapse of these banks.

As a result, BoG has set up an Office of Ethics and Internal Investigations to deal with people who would be found culpable and have a hand in the collapse of the banks. This is because that collapse has been very expensive for the country.

Mr Speaker, apart from the banking sector, the Government is also putting up a plan to clean up some of the specialised deposit-taking institutions. People still have monies with some of these specialised deposit-taking institutions and the involvement of Government is so timely and orderly that we believe that the Government has done well.

The Hon Minister also assured the House that even the outstanding balances of DKM customers would be paid. The problems of the banking sector, in spite of all the interventions of the Central Bank, still live with us.

The reason I would require that Hon Members of this House support this Government and especially approve this Budget Statement is so that the challenges that have been handled would not reoccur. These challenges are inherent in the business of banking and if

we do not have committed supervisors and Central Bank to do it, I am sure that after two or three years, we would come back complaining.

The feedback from the general public is that this Budget Statement is a good one and we hope that most of our infrastructural challenges and economic policies would deal with all these.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Hon Member, you have one minute more.
Mr Effah 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, due to the feedback from the public and the good work that the economic management team has done, I would like to recommend that the House approve the Motion as presented to this House.
Mr John Abdulai Jinapor (NDC -- Yapei/Kusawgu) 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, due to time constraint, with your permission, I would want to zoom in and begin my submission by first reminding this whole House that on the 21st of February, 2017, there was a quote in this House. Mr Speaker, with your permission, I quote:
“I have heard it said that I am behaving like a man in a hurry. Mr Speaker, I am indeed in a hurry, I am in a great hurry. The times in which we live demand that we all be in a hurry to deal with the problems we face.”
This was said by no other person than His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana.
Following this, the Government had the opportunity to spend GH¢52 billion in 2017. In 2018, they had the opportunity to
spend about GH¢56.9 billion. So, in two years, this Government has spent over GH¢100 billion. [Interruption.] Mr Speaker, this Government is the luckiest Government in the history of this county; I shall prove that.
In 2016, total petroleum receipts accrued was 670 million. In 2017, the total petroleum receipts tripled to 1.5 billion. This is what the Hon Minister for Finance had to say.
“…oil prices increased to about US$76 a barrel in the first half of 2018, the highest since November
2014…”
This year alone, as of September, the Hon Minister is expected to get about US$3.3 billion which is more than five times what we got in 2016.

Mr Speaker, not only that, we handed over an energy sector levy which they kicked against. That alone gives them about GH¢3 billion per annum. When we left office, Hon Ken Ofori-Atta confirmed that we handed over an amount of GH¢234 million in the accounts and bequeathed to him. If this is not an asset, what is it?

It is important to also state that today, because of the work we did, Ghana exports US$2.8 billion of oil and imports US$1.7 billion worth of oil. So, it means that we are a net exporter of oil of more than US$1 billion per annum.

Despite the huge revenue that this Government gets, our debt today has

ballooned by more than GH¢50 billion. As the Hon Minister confirmed, our debt has increased fromGH¢120 billion to GH¢170 billion.

When you do the arithmetic, it means that every day, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta increase our debt by GH¢70 million. If we divide that by 21, then by the number of months and by 30, we would come to an expression that they are increasing our debt by GH¢70 billion.

Mr Speaker, at this level, it is important for Ghanaians to ask what they have done with this GH¢50 billion. Having spent two years in office, I would want to subject them to a mid-semester exam in terms of the targets that they set and not targets that I set for them.

The Hon Minister for Finance stated that he wanted an overall GDP growth of 5.6 per cent. He has failed because he got 5.4 per cent. For non-oil GDP, he indicated that they wanted it to grow by 5.8 per cent. He achieved 4.6 per cent; fail.

Mr Speaker, gross international reserves has dropped from 3.9 months to 3.6 months; fail. He wanted to achieve a revenue target of 49 per cent but achieved 46 per cent which is a drop of 10 per cent; fail. For the year 2018, he indicated that they would spend almost GH¢1 billion, that is GH¢990 million of our oil money on capital expenditure.

Let us go to the Budget's Appendix. So far, the Hon Minister has spent zero on capital expenditure. He has failed. Based on this mid-semester assessment, if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo were in primary school, I am sure that he would not go to primary 2 with his colleagues. [Laughter] He would be repeated, and at best, be sent to kindergarten to learn the basic rudiments.
Mr John Abdulai Jinapor (NDC -- Yapei/Kusawgu) 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is important to also note
that the cedi depreciated by 7.57 per cent against the US dollar. As Dr Bawumia famously quoted, you can say whatever you want.
Clearly, the cedi as of September 2018, recorded a cumulative depreciation of 7.57 per cent against the US dollar. This is what the Hon Minister tells us. Yet, they want us to praise them.
The most important thing for me is this Budget Statement. If we go to paragraph 112 on page 27, the Hon Minister claimed that in 2017, the electricity subsector grew by 19.5 per cent against a decline of 5.8 per cent in 2016. This is false and why do I say so? If we go to the 2018 Budget Statement, the Hon Minister gave us in Table 2, Industry Growth Performance.
Under our regime, the electricity subsector grew by 11.7 per cent. How could that then metamorphose into a 5.8 per cent reduction? The Hon Minister confirmed that we added an extra capacity of 880 megawatts. He also confirmed that we moved access rates from 80 per cent to 83 per cent and that we connected 1,212 communities.
In their two years, what they have been able to achieve in terms of connection is less than half of what we achieved in 2016.

Mr Speaker, are Hon Members surprised? I am not surprised. The Hon Minister chose to monitor some of us.

Instead of working on the Budget, he chose to monitor those who ride bicycles and those who do not; he then comes to stand here and report same. He should rather work on his Budget Statement and stop monitoring those who ride on bicycles. Riding bicycles does not solve the problem. That is not the job of the Hon Minister for Finance.

Mr Speaker, if we go into the Budget, with the Zongo Development Fund, we have so far approved three hundred million. If we go into the progress report, this Government claims that it want to reduce poverty, but the only thing they have done from the Zongo Development Fund is to build five astroturfs.

Mr Speaker, with the “One District, One Factory”, as I speak to you, the Hon Minister appeared here but he could not tell us of one factory that has been completed in two years, and worse of all, the Upper East Region, where I come from has been left out in this whole project as we speak today.

Mr Speaker, the “One Village, One Dam” is in a state of caput. I would want to state that this Government must withdraw the obnoxious taxes that it has inflicted on the people of Ghana. The so- called luxury Vehicle Tax, the so-called National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the flat rates, the so-called Ghana Educational Trust Fund (GETFund) and the 30 per cent income tax. They are obnoxious taxes which ought to be removed.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Hon Member, you have just one minute more.
Mr Jinapor 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in concluding, the people of Ghana entrusted power to the National Patriotic
Party (NPP) Government, based on their mouth-watering promises. We were made to believe that Nana Akufo-Addo had the magic wand. Indeed, he promised that in eighteen months, he would transform this Country. Instead of achieving these promises, we are in a state of misery, sorrow, and the ordinary Ghanaian is being subjected to poverty and suffering
-- 12:15 p.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Hon Member, your time is up.
Mr Jinapor 12:15 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
We would now move on to the Hon Kojo Oppong- Nkrumah, the Hon Minister for Information.
Minister for Information (Mr Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah) (MP) 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of this Motion, that this House approves the 2019 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of the Republic of Ghana.
Mr Speaker, in the Ofoase/Ayirebi Constituency where I come from, the story is told of a proverbial bird known in local parlance as the “anoma kokonekone”, which bird is known for one thing and one thing only. It goes upstream to muddy the waters. Then it rushes downstream, and when it finds out that the village elders and the village folks have gathered to clean up the muddied waters, it is the first to scream the loudest:
“Why are the waters so muddy? And why are times so hard in the village?”
Mr Speaker, this afternoon, here in this Chamber that same scenario is playing out. The village elders have gathered and are at the tail end of cleaning out the muddied waters and there is one amongst us, shouting the loudest, “Why are the waters muddy? “Why are times so hard”? [Hear! Hear!] -- This bird does this primarily because it believes that the people would have a short memory and not recollect who muddied the waters, and how the waters got muddy.
Mr Speaker, if there is anybody who holds the hope today that the people would have a short memory and not recollect how the waters were made muddy, what work has been done in cleaning up the muddy waters and what lies ahead, then I have news for that person. The news is that we shall not forget.
Mr Speaker, we shall not forget how the fundamentals of our economy were torn into shreds and reached an unsustainable debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of 73 per cent and the fact that today, macro stability has been restored to the admiration of all economic watchers. We shall not forget.

Mr Speaker, we shall not forget those days when the Government of the Republic of Ghana just threw its hands up in the air when hardships befell their people.
Minister for Information (Mr Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah) (MP) 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we shall not forget that
today, through a plethora of social intervention programmes, we are reducing the hardships of our people by cutting electricity tariffs, eliminating the cost of secondary education to parents, reducing the cost of health care by improving the National Health Insurance activity, and also reducing taxes on petroleum products.

Mr Speaker, there are some four specific matters that I would want to respond to before I go into my substantive debate.

Mr Speaker, the first one is that some of our friends on the Minority Side threatened that they would not be part or party to passing this Budget Statement, unless the Hon Finance Minister withdraws it and goes to make some corrections. The Hansard is here.

Mr Speaker, they say we should show to them what we have done with the monies that we have raised. Allow me to refresh their memories. When we assumed

power, we were given a liability of GHc7 billion, which we mentioned could not be traced directly in the books. Indeed, when we asked contractors and others who claimed they were owed to produce their bills, the bills shot up to GH¢11 billion.

It was at that time that we sent a request to the Auditor-General to audit, and when he came back, he said GH¢5.4 billion could not be substantiated but GH¢5.2 billion could be substantiated. If they ask us what we have been doing with the money, our answer is that we have been paying the GH¢5.2 billion worth of debt that they left to us.

Mr Speaker, if they ask us what we have done with the money, then I would take them to the Budget Statement of 2019, from pages 254 all the way to pages 277. Projects are listed district by district. It shows what we have done with that money.

Mr Speaker, today, as we have succeeded in cleaning up the muddy waters, today as we have succeeded in restoring macro stability, we are now ready to lunge into the deep to deal with the bold matters that lie ahead of us.

The Hon Finance Minister in reading the abridged version of the Budget in paragraph 109, says and with your permission I quote:

“Mr Speaker, the Budget Statement and Economic Policy provides a detailed account of sectoral performance and here I would want also focus on six strategic pillars that build on the flagship programmes in our achievements over the past two years.”

Mr Speaker, the Hon Finance Minister goes on to say, and with your permission I quote,

“Mr Speaker, the strategic pillars of the 2019 Budget are as follows…”

Mr Speaker, therefore, having cleaned up the mess that we inherited, having cleaned up the muddy waters, these are the six new priorities that we are focusing on. Number one is infrastructure, number two is agricultural modernisation, number three is industrialisation, number four is entrepreneurship, number five is efficiency in revenue mobilisation, and number six is social protection.

Mr Speaker, I would start with infrastructure. Our national infrastructure is in a deplorable state. In many places, contrary to the incessant claims by our friends on the other Side that all their borrowing was going into the building of infrastructure, in our country, the roads, the bridges, the railways, and water plants were not built. Indeed, if they were built, then why would we be complaining that we still need infrastructure today?

Mr Speaker, in the few instances where they attempted to build, the deplorable state and the quick breakdown of that infrastructure today shows the quality of work that was done in that day.

Mr Speaker, the Akufo-Addo Admini- stration acknowledges that this is a task that we must fix; and fix it, we will. If I may read from paragraph 115 of the abridged version, it says:

“Mr Speaker, in addition to the above…”

And the above refers to the about US$500 million worth of work in the first tranche of the US$2 billion sinohydro infrastructure transaction that is about to take place. Mr Speaker, in addition to that, in 2019, Government in partnership with

the private sector through Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements would undertake various projects including the Accra-Takoradi highway dualisation, Accra-Tema motorway and the Accra- Kumasi highway dualisation.

I hear my friends on the other side say we do not see the money in the Budget Statement. If one reads the Budget, it says that not all of it is being funded with Government of Ghana (GoG) fund. Through PPP and other innovative structures, we are still able to do infrastructure that does not necessarily come on the burden of our books.
Mr Speaker, paragraph 117 says that 12:25 p.m.
“Work has also commenced on the rehabilitation work of the 70 km narrow gate sections of the eastern railway line from Accra to Nsawam and Accra to Tema. Achimota to Tema section is 90 per cent complete and Achimota to Accra Central and Achimota to Nsawam would be completed by the end of 2018. Rehabilitation also continues to Koforidua in 2019”.
Mr Speaker, work is going to go on not just in roads and railways but in the “Water for all Programme” as well as, even building hospital infrastructure.
Mr Speaker, quickly, let me speak to agriculture. We know that agriculture is the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy. The statistics suggests that up to about 34 per cent of our people are engaged in agricultural activities. Any government that is serious about growing jobs and incomes of people would be serious about agriculture.
Mr Speaker, in the first year of our “Planting for Food and Job” programme, the numbers show that agricultural
Mr Speaker, paragraph 117 says that 12:25 p.m.


Mr Speaker, this Budget Statement contains massive programmes that would create growth, jobs and income for our people. I want to encourage our Colleagues in this House to ride on it and join us to pass, and most importantly, implement it so that our people benefit.
Mr Franklin F. F. Kwetey (NDC -- Ketu South) 12:25 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion that this House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December,
2019.
Mr Speaker, let me begin by expressing a bit of sadness that presenting his third Budget Statement, the Hon Minister for Finance is still unable to reach the levels of maturity required, which acknowledges the solid foundation that were left for him, and on those solid foundation he is able to continue what he is doing today.
I hope that this time next year, when he is coming to present the Budget, we would see increasing level of maturity and depart from what I call the very sad development where one constantly need to create the impression as if everything they met was a complete disaster.
Let me just go a bit more. Now, the Minister for Finance was very lyrical about the levels of competence of his Govern-
ment while at the same time claiming that everything he met was a mess.
When one actually boasts about competence, when we have a situation where there is weeping and wailing in the land as a result of increased hardship and suffering, it simply means that the level of competence has left a lot to be desired. When they are talking of competence when companies are on their knees and laying off workers on day-to-day basis, then their level of competence has to be questioned.
If they are talking about competence in a time when their own people in Abossey Okai and Makola are crying, then it means that there is a lot of problem. So I want to say that we need to, again, have a complete definition of competence as far as the Hon Minister for Finance and the whole Government of the NPP are concerned.
Mr Speaker, let me go a bit into the details. Starting first and foremost with what it is that the Hon Minister described as a mess, does it not take unprecedented levels of incompetence to describe over US$6 billion of gross reserve handed to them as a mess? If they describe that as incompetence, then we need to clap for their capacity in terms of competence.
Over US$6 billion of gross reserves handed to them cannot be described as a mess by anybody who is competent. So for the Minister for Finance to actually continue describing that as a mess, it shows that he has massive levels of incompetence, which he needs deliverance from.
Mr Speaker, if one handed over to him almost one million metric tonnes of cocoa production when they actually did nothing and they call that incompetence or a mess, then we need to clap for his
unprecedented incompetence and his unprecedented capacity to understand what actually a solid foundation is.
If they describe a situation where we handed over to them, a sinking fund of US$530 million, they describe that as a mess handed over to them, then they need to clap for themselves for the unpre- cedented level of incompetence. If we handed over to them a situation where we had resolved the energy crisis and had done the kind of investment that all the previous governments were unable to solve. We solved it and he describes that as a mess? Then we need to clap for his unprecedented level of incompetence.
If he could tell us that ESLA, which was handed over to them, which on a yearly basis accumulates not less than GH¢3 billion, if he describes that as a mess, then we need to clap for his unprecedented levels of incompetence. If he could describe a situation where we handed over to them a balance of payment surplus and he described that as a mess, then it means that he really has a serious problem with competence.
Mr Speaker, it is important for us to start showing greater maturity, and I am disappointed that the Hon Minister for Finance is still unable to rise to that level of maturity that is important for this country.
Mr Speaker, no wonder the Minister for Finance, in the middle of the presentation of the Budget Statement could actually ask the Minority to name a social intervention. The Minister does not even have the capacity to understand that potable water that has been supplied his own hometown is a massive investment that lifts up the social wellbeing of his people. That is tragic.
The President for twelve years, as a Member of Parliament for that consti- tuency was unable to look for water for his own people. Another Government comes and within less than four years, we gave the people of his hometown potable water and he comes to stand in Parliament and ask us about social intervention?
That is a massive investment that lifted the social wellbeing of the people of his village. He is so incompetent he does not even understand that. No wonder he could come and ask us that question.
Mr Speaker, let us go a little more into the current Budget. We have a situation where in 2016, the NDC Government had a capital expenditure as percentage of GDP standing at 4.5 per cent and then they take over and in 2017, they bring it down to as low as 1.1 per cent and even as we are entering 2019, they are talking about a maximum of a little over 2 per cent.
They are not yet anywhere close to 3 per cent, let alone the 4.5 per cent that they inherited, and they describe themselves a competent group? That is tragic.
Mr Speaker, it is important to understand that there is a situation where between the era of Osayefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah all the way to 2016, the total debt of Ghana is about GH¢120 billion and they come and take over and within less than two years, it is actually two years minus three because it starts at September this year, they have added almost half of the total debt of Ghana from Kwame Nkrumah era all the way to the end of 2016 and there is nothing or little to show, and he dares talk about incompetence?
They actually have gross and unprecedented levels of incompetence. So they are the last people to dare to even mention incompetence because they know nothing about competence.
Mr Franklin F. F. Kwetey (NDC -- Ketu South) 12:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if we have a situation where
a whole government would have access to about GH¢1.4 or 1.5 billion coming into GETfund and that government consumes about GH¢1 billion of that amount and then they leave behind about US$400 million for infrastructure and then they turn around and borrow US$500 million, which is almost GH¢2 billion plus to do exactly what the GH¢1.4 or 1.5 billion was given to them and they call themselves competent people, they are not.

That is what they are. No competent person would do such a thing.

Mr Speaker, if they actually claim that they are competent -- they promised to reduce corporate income tax from 25 per cent to 20 per cent, and two years on, they are still unable to do it. They call themselves champions for private sector. They cannot deliver on such basic promise. Such that companies are suffering and they dare beat their chests and talk about competence. They have no idea what competence is. They are grossly incompetent and sub-standard. An unprece- dented level of incompetence is what we are dealing with.

Mr Speaker, finally, I would want to talk about the provision of temporary jobs. Jobs for the youth is a good thing and there is no problem with that, but did they have to line up graduates under the scorching sun for them to match in celebration of temporary jobs? This is something that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government did with the Youth and Employment Agency, but they never saw one person who matched under the sun.

This shows the unprecedented level of incompetence and mediocrity that we have to deal with [Hear! Hear!] They should not bring themselves. They should not dare come to this House again to talk about the mess left behind and boast of their competence because they do not even know the definition of the word ‘‘competent''.

Mr Speaker, I thank you very much.

Deputy Minister for Finance (Mrs Abena Osei-Asare) (MP): Mr Speaker, I beg to contribute to the Motion on the floor of the House, but before I continue, I would want to say that, yes, the competent group came in to clear the mess that the former Hon Minister for Agriculture; created. [Hear! Hear!] The competent group came in to clear the mess of US$95 million that the then former Hon Minister for Agriculture went to do - - a Suppliers Agreement without passing it through Parliament. We came to clean that.

The former Hon Minister for Agriculture, in the previous NDC Government went ahead to sign a Suppliers Agreement without parlia- mentary approval and the competent group came in to clear this mess. It was in this year that we brought it to Parliament to be ratified.

Mr Speaker, I would want to focus on the arrears, especially the statutory payments. We came to inherit under the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) an arrears of GH¢181 million. This situation stifled the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) of money needed for local development.

Mr Speaker, I would want to use myself as an example. In the year 2013, when I

came to Parliament, I was supposed to have received the first tranche of my DACF allocation in June, but ask them what happened. It came in November, 2013.

Mr Speaker, as I speak, the Government is current on DACF payments and it has given the MMDAs a new lease of life where they could consistently expect their annual quarters of the DACF. This is what is called competence -not making it difficult for the local level to develop.

Mr Speaker, on page 206 of the 2019 Budget Statement, DACF has been given an allocation of GH¢2.1 billion and we are committed to seeing to it that this money would be given to DACF, unlike my Friends on the other Side of the aisle who owed for the years 2014 and 2016. Mr Speaker, I would move to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

We all recall that our Friends from the other Side of the aisle campaigned that when they are given power, they would make NHIS payment a one-time premium, but we all know what became of that huge promise. Instead of improving the Scheme that the NPP and the erstwhile former President Kufuor Administration left for them, they rather sunk the Scheme to the tune of GH¢1.2 billion, which consisted of GH¢84 million owed to service providers and GH¢356 million owed to contractors.

Mr Speaker, the Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo Government has saved this Scheme from sinking by clearing all the GH¢1.2 billion and they call it what? This is what competence means. Currently we have confidence in the Scheme and have taken away the cash-and-carry system that usually comes when the Minority is in power.

Mr Speaker, as I speak, the NHIS has been allocated an amount of GH¢1.69 billion for the year 2019, and we believe

that it would go a long way to strengthen the Scheme that our Friends on the other Side of the aisle sunk low.

Mr Speaker, with regard to GETFund, at the time that this Government took over the reins of power, GETFund was saddled with arrears of GH¢3.3 billion, yet, my Friends on the other Side of the aisle said they had just oil revenues of GH¢6.5 billion. Yet, they were not able to clear the GH¢3.3 billion GETFund arrears they left.

Mr Speaker, as I speak, the arrears is made up of GH¢838 million which is a statutory release that is outstanding and the GH¢2.5 billion is commitment is owed to contractors. That is why there are a lot of uncompleted projects in our constituencies. Ask them! They owed contractors GH¢2.5 billion, yet they sit here and say contractors should be paid.

Mr Speaker, as I speak, the Government has paid 80 per cent of the outstanding releases -- [Hear! Hear!] -- and we intend to use a substantial proportion of the GH¢1.5 billion that this House would approve to pay the deficit of GHc¢2.5 billion that our Friends from the Minority Side left for us. This is an illustration of the fact that the horse rider can make a difference even when one is left with a malnourished horse.

Mr Speaker, this Government cares about education of its citizens because we believe that it is the only asset that a Government could give to its people. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government is building the human capital of this nation, and as I speak, in the 2019 Budget Statement, GH¢1.2 billion has been allocated to the GETFund.

Mr Speaker, it is the same with the Road Fund. The Ex-Mahama Administration left a huge arrears of GH¢845 million which

the Government is paying consistently, but in all these, the Government is current on its statutory payment. We are not building arrears. As we pay for the mess that was caused, we also make the current payment.

Mr Speaker, the Minority keep saying the contractors should be paid. Yes, the Auditor-General validated a debt of GH¢1.2 to 1.4 billion, and as I speak, this Government has paid GH¢3.1 billion of the debt that was left, of which 60 per cent went to road contractors.

This Government, in its first Budget Statement, said that it would clear the mess that they left and the GH¢5.4 billion would be spread over four years and consistently that has been done. It is left with GH¢2.6 billion more to be paid. It is four years and we would make sure that within the four years, as we have committed to Ghanaians, we would do that.

This is an honest and a competent Government, a Government that says yes, and does what it says. This is what Ghana needs.

Mr Speaker, finally, my Brother on the other Side of the House said, to whom much is given, much is expected — [Interruption] — But all he is trying to say is that, do what I say but do not measure me by what I say [Hear! Hear!] That is exactly what he said.

Mr Speaker, the difference of the GH¢ 170 billion of debt that we have now, is about GHc48.6 billion, and out of this, GH¢10 billion is due to the financial crisis — [Interruption] — They could have averted this GH¢10 billion. Ghana could have averted this GH¢10 billion debt if my friends here had been bold enough to
Mr Franklin F. F. Kwetey (NDC -- Ketu South) 12:35 p.m.


Mr Speaker, again, that GH¢48.6 billion is made up of loans that they themselves signed prior to them leaving —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
You have one minute.
Mrs Osei-Asare 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, can you believe that on the 5th January, 2017, they went ahead to sign a loan agreement of GH¢344 million — [Uproar] — and they sit here and throw dust in the eyes of the Ghanaian public.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Your time is up.
Hon Members, Order!
Mr Moses Anim — rose —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Hon Leader, what is the matter?
Mr Anim 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with all humility, the Hon Member is the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance — [Interruption] — I would plead with all humility to let her wind up in just two minutes. The Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee did not contribute for 20 minutes. I plead with you to just give her some two minutes to wind up.
Mr Agbodza 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Budget Statement was prepared by the Hon Deputy Minister herself. All that she wants to say is in the book. She does not need any more time — [Uproar.] We do not need to vary the time for the Hon Deputy Minister. I was happy to hear them say the Hon Deputy Minister has performed more than the Hon Chairman and Hon Oppong-Nkrumah — [Laughter]. That is fine.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
I did not hear anybody say that anybody has performed better.
But Hon Colleagues, the rules are agreed by the Leaders and I implement them. What they agree is what I implement. It is not opened to me to change the rules. So Hon Isaac Adongo?
Mr Isaac Adongo (NDC — Bolgatanga Central) 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Mr Speaker, I beg to contribute to the debate on the approval of the Govern- ment's Financial and Economic Policy,
2019.
Mr Speaker, listening carefully to my Hon Colleagues on the other Side of the aisle, I am quite clear why the Hon Minister for Finance has not appeared here. He cannot stand the heat. It is quite clear from the absence of the Hon Minister and from all that I have heard, that this is a Government on its way out, and they have just two years to leave office.
Mr Speaker, I heard “anomaa kokonekone” — But I am aware from where I come from, that when a donkey is about to floor you, it shows the ears — [Laughter] — But when you are arrogant, you would not see it, and by the time everyone else sees it, you are on the ground.
So when the people of Ghana are suffering and waiting to sack these people, they are still living in self-denial that this economy is one of the best.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister, in his own document, has admitted incompetence and non-performance. I would just want to go to paragraph 116, where the Hon Minister alludes to the fact that the economy was far better in 2017 as compared to 2018.
We should not forget that they were yet to find their feet in 2017, and it was the pass-through effect of our policies in 2016 that was still driving the economy. Today, they have now “met their meter” in 2018 when they should actually be performing.
Mr Speaker, I beg to read paragraph 116 of the 2019 Budget Statement 12:45 p.m.
“Mr Speaker, GSS has published GDP growth for the first two quarters of 2018, based on the new 2013 base year. Provisional estimates peg the first quarter overall GDP growth at 5.4 per cent, same as the second quarter. These are below the growth rates of 7.4 per cent and 11.1 per cent recorded in the first and second quarters of 2017, respectively. Non- Oil GDP growth for 2018 was 4.4 per cent and 4.3 per cent for the first and second quarters, respectively, compared to 6.2 per cent and 6.5 per cent for the corresponding quarters in 2017.”
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Hon Member, what are you referring to? What document is that? Second quarter 2018 —
Mr I. Adongo 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, exactly so.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
And the budget is up to the third quarter —
Mr I. Adongo 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your permission —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Kindly refer to the Budget. Please use the Budget Statement.
Mr I. Adongo 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would want to refer to paragraph 116 of the Budget Statement, which talks about “2018 Half-Year Performance” and that is what the Hon Minister reported.
The Hon Minister says, “2018 Half- Year Performance” and that is the first and second quarter, and I am picking the original source data from the people who are supposed to deliver this, and this is what they are telling us. They tell us that financial services actually recorded negative growth of almost 13.5 per cent. They tell us that professional services suffered by almost 5.9 per cent.
Mr Speaker, they are telling us that we saw a negative growth of trade and repair of vehicles - the spare parts dealers at Abossey Okine are seeing a negative 1.8 per cent even after we have reduced the rate.

Mr Speaker, the financial sector - I have heard a lot of moneys being mentioned. Those moneys have been thrown down the drain and if I had the chance, the people who spent those moneys should be in jail by now. I would want to quote their own Budget Statement to explain why this should not have happened.

In paragraph 138 of the Hon Minister's own document, the Hon Minister begins

to give us reasons why there are crises in the banking sector. The Hon Minister says:

“Generally, the entire banking industry as at end-April 2018 continued to be safe and sound despite the decline in some key financial sector indicators. Industrywide, the banks were solvent and liquid, although signs of weakness still remained. Asset quality continues to be a source of concern specifically with some selected banks.”

Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is reporting the nature of the banking sector as at April. When did he take the other five banks? He is afraid to mention the true state of the banking sector as we speak today and he is talking about April.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister now says that he has found the solution. We would want to know what solution he found and he then tells us that he decided to consolidate banks that were insolvent. When banks are insolvent, it simply means that they do not have cash. So when you want to solve the problem, you give them cash.

The Hon Minister consolidated the banks and he tells us that he issued a paper and gave it to them. So, when you give them the paper, does it turn into cash? When the depositors come for their money, you tear part of the paper and give it to them? [Laughter] What type of incompetent solution is this? [Laughter]

Mr Speaker, so as we speak today, the Hon Minister has decided to consolidate five banks that were insolvent and he has actually created a conglomerate of insolvency.

So, today, for the first time in the history of Ghana, Consolidated Bank Ghana only has the name “bank” but it is not a bank. As we speak now, it is the first time in the history of Ghana that when you issue a cheque to a bank, you cannot tell whether the cheque would come back or not.

So you issue a cheque to a bank, they sit on it for two months, suppress the cheque and one day you would be there and they would call you and give you part of the money. What type of financial clearance is this? Today --
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon Member, you would hold on.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a house of facts. When we are talking about the banking industry, it is important that we speak the facts. The statement that it is only a paper that he issued for Consolidated Bank Ghana is wrong.
Some Hon Ministers: The Hon Minister for Finance said that.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:55 p.m.
That is not what the Hon Minister said. The Hon Minister said the banks have been consolidated.
Mr Speaker, the truth is that the bond was issued to the banks and Bank of Ghana has been discounting for them. We are talking about the banking industry and reality. He should not be telling people something that is false. [Uproar]. This is a house of facts.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon Member, my only advice is that GN Bank's complaint is that a careless statement made on a radio station is killing its bank. Let us be careful what we say on the banking sector issue, please.
Mr I. Adongo 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to refer you to paragraph 141. The Hon Minister makes it quite clear in paragraph
141:
“Specific actions taken included: a) the revocation of licenses of two insolvent banks in August 2017 and the approval of the acquisition by GCB Bank of some of their assets and liabilities …”
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister goes on to say 12:55 p.m.
b) the consolidation of five insolvent banks to form the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG Limited) in 2018;
c) capitalisation of CBG Limited with a cash amount of GH¢450 Million;
d) the issuance of a medium-to-long term bond to cover the liabilities that would be assumed by the new bank.”
Mr Speaker, when you owe somebody and you give him a bond, what
is that? It is a paper; I am not the one saying it.
Mr Speaker, if the bank is insolvent what the bank needs is not a promise to pay him in five or ten years' time. It is to give him cash now so that when depositors arrive, they would get their money. Now that you have given them a promise for the next five to ten years, when the depositors come for their moneys, how do they get it? Would they give them part of the bond?
Mr Speaker, so, people are dying at the hospitals because they cannot withdraw their moneys to go and take care of their health needs. People have got their business moneys locked up and they cannot begin to do their businesses and we call this banking. This is a mockery of banking and we have spent so much money to destroy what should have been repaired and that is the exact point I am trying to make.
Mr Speaker, the issue of the financial sector goes beyond --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon Member, you have one minute left -- [Uproar]
Dr A. A. Osei 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Hon Isaac Adongo just quoted --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon Minister, I have not given you the floor. I would want him to finish and if there is any misstatement, I would give you the opportunity. But let him finish, please.
Hon Adongo, your time stopped at 12.59 p.m. but you still have one minute.
Mr I. Adongo 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate but I would go on.
The fund management companies the Hon Minister reports that there was a marginal decline of the number of fund management companies from 155 to 148.
What it means is that the Hon Minister is happy to report that when seven financial companies collapse, it is marginal. So we can expect more next year because that was just a marginal drop.
Mr Speaker, but the truth is that these companies are struggling to take their money from Consolidated Bank Ghana and this Consolidated Bank that is suppressing cheques and paying cheques by instalment -- I have never seen a banking system where you issue a cheque and you do not know how much you are going to get. They now come, take part of it and give to you.
Mr Speaker, I would like to make the point that the financial sector is in serious decline. I would want to take you through a few indicators in the banking sector.
Mr Speaker, if you consider the capital market today, the old share index growth of 44.8 per cent last year has declined to negative 258 million. In other words, you cannot raise money on the Ghana Stock Exchange. On the Ghana Stock Exchange today, capitalisation for financial stocks has declined significantly from 29.1 per cent to negative 262 per cent.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon Asafu- Adjei, you may address us.
Mr Kwame Asafu-Adjei (NPP-Nsuta- Kwamang Beposo) 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion on the Floor that this august House should approve The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2019 Financial Year.
Mr Speaker, Budget Statement is what I call the Farmer's Budget Statement. I call it so because of the relevance of agriculture to the economy.
Mr Speaker, the question is, what does it do? Agriculture remains a driving force for our economy. As a major contributor to our export earnings. In fact, this year alone, we earned US$1.3 billion from cocoa. In the area of employment generation, it also supplied raw materials to industries. So, any Government that jokes with agriculture would ask for trouble for itself.
Mr Speaker, I believe that when we took over the affairs of governance in the year 2017, the agricultural sector was in a mess. The economic indicators we came to meet - when we look at page 196 of the Budget Statement, it is there for all of us to see. For the lack of time, I would not repeat what is in here.
We came up with a policy prescription, which is the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme. [Hear! Hear!] The Govern- ment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had messed up the agricultural sector so much so that it was in a coma. It was dying; we needed to come up with new policies to address it. At the end of the day, what did we achieve? We achieved a growth rate of 6 per cent and beyond in the agricultural sector.
When the NDC left us 2.9 per cent, this was what the international community said:
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Member, what document are you reading from?
Mr Asafu-Adjei 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the source -- [Interruption.] I am reading from the International Labour Office World Employment, 1998/1999. [Laughter.] Mr Speaker, this is still valid, and I would say why it is. [Interruption.]
Some Hon Members 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he cannot use it as a reference document. It is too archaic.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Members, let me listen to him.
Mr Asafu-Adjei 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this document is still valid. This is the most important issue; it says:
“For agriculture to play the crucial role effectively…”
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Member, I would want to understand how it relates to the debate on the Budget Statement.
Mr Asafu-Adjei 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the agricultural indicators of the NDC Government were less than four per cent. Here, if our economy or agriculture is to grow, it should do so at the length of six per cent growth rate. That is what it says; that is international. That is what the Asian Tigers, the Malaysians and Chinese, did; and that is what we are copying.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Member, very well; your point is well made. Now, let us return to the Budget Statement.
Mr Asafu-Adjei 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the reason they could not achieve six per cent growth rate in agriculture were two things; one was the reshuffle of Hon Ministers. In their four-year term in office, each year, there was one Hon Minister for Food and Agriculture.
In the next year, the Hon Minister was reshuffled. It started from Hon Fiifi Kwetey; he was reshuffled. Then they brought on-board Hon Kofi Humado; he was reshuffled. They kept reshuffling. This is a strategic sector, and we do not just reshuffle people like that.
We have kept our Hon Minister for two years, and he has achieved what the NDC could not achieve in four years. It is important that we are organised.
After this policy dimension, we have also introduced a new dimension into the agricultural sector. The policy on commodity exchange rate -- [Interruption.] No, I do not want to read. [Laughter.] The purpose of the commodity exchange rate was to provide the necessary information to both the farmer and the consumer.
By so doing, farmers would know where to sell their produce, the consumer would know what to buy, we could expand our production base, more income would go to the farmer, and more employment would be generated in the agricultural sector.
Mr Speaker, that is not the only thing. We are also focused on inventory credits. In most of our rural communities where most or the farmers reside, there is the need for them to have credits. It is because of the lack of credits that productivity and
income levels are low. Agriculture cannot move the way it is supposed to because of the lack of credit.
So, we have introduced another area we would focus on, which is the inventory credit. Farmers would use their produce as a collateral. In times of draught, they would release their produce to a cooperative society or to a bank, and then go in for a loan.
After more than eight months or one year, the bank would release the commodity to the farmer either in the form of cash -- [Interruption.] Thereby, it would make it easier for farmers to expand their agricultural produce.
Mr Speaker, what kind of interventions has this Government introduced in the agricultural sector?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Member, you have one minute.
Mr Asafu-Adjei 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would take you through the various interventions that we have introduced. I beg to quote from paragraph 511 on page 110 of the Budget Statement:
“Mr Speaker, vegetable production and exports suffered some setback in 2015, when the European Union imposed a ban on selected vegeta- bles exported to the European Market. Through prudent measures implemented by a National Task Force established by the Ministry, the ban was lifted in December, 2017, which opened opportunities for increased production…”
Mr Speaker, we would now take advantage of European markets and export vegetables to Europe. We would
compete favourably with the South American countries because in terms of proximity, we have better advantage than South American countries.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon Eric Opoku. [Hear! Hear!]
Mr Eric Opoku (NDC--Asunafo South) 1:15 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to associate myself with the Motion on the floor of the House.
Mr Speaker, in paragraph 378 of the year 2015 Budget Statement, the concept of greenhouse centres was introduced to this House and Ghana for that matter.
Mr Speaker, the purpose was to train farmers on the production of vegetables and also to offer storage facilities. Unfortunately, in paragraph 512 of the 2019 Budget Statement, it is stated that the concept of greenhouse villages was introduced in Ghana in the year 2017.

Mr Speaker, the second point. In paragraph 509 of the 2019 Budget Statement, we are told that designs have been completed on the rehabilitation of some dams and dugouts -- 12 and 180 respectively making 192, and actual construction will commence in the year

2019.

Paragraph 509 says that the execution of this project will be done by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Hon Member, let us speak to facts. For those Hon Members in the three northern regions, are construction works going on or not? I know it is going on because I know some of the contractors and I want us to speak to facts as we know it. Let us not misinform our Ghanaian public, please.
Mr Opoku 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe that our duty this afternoon is to debate the Budget Statement and we are looking at the contents of them. Anything outside the Budget Statement is not relevant to our discussions this afternoon and that is why I am speaking exactly to what the Budget Statement says.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Not after this session. In the course of the debate, the Hon Members of the Committee will go and verify what is reported.
Mr Opoku 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the fact is that according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, designs have been completed and execution will be in the year 2019.
In paragraph 416 of the 2018 Budget Statement, we were told that government had commissioned auditing on the cocoa roads and as soon as work was done, resources will be made available for the continuation of those projects. In the 2019 Budget Statement, no mention has been made of cocoa roads.
Mr Speaker, if government has completely abandoned the projects, government should be bold enough to indicate to Ghanaians that it is no more interested in those projects.
On the “Planting for Food and Jobs”, a lot of noise has been made on it but today I want to put the records on the right perspective so that everyone of us will appreciate exactly what the “Planting for Food and Jobs” has been able to achieve for this nation.
Mr Speaker, before the introduction of the “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme, there was the national fertilizer subsidy programme under which farmers were made to pay 50 per cent of the cost of the fertiliser upfront before accessing it and the remaining 50 per cent was to be paid by the Government of Ghana. They introduced “Planting for Food and Jobs”, farmers were to pay 25 per cent of the cost before accessing the input and after harvesting, they would pay the remaining 25 per cent.
Mr Speaker, after one year of its implementation, the recovery rate was just 25 per cent and so, the Ministry decided to revert to the old scheme. So, as we speak that pillar of “Planting for Food and Jobs” has entirely collapsed and we have reverted to the old one as farmers have to pay 50 per cent upfront before they access the fertiliser.
In the year 2016, Government invested GH¢139million in the national fertiliser
subsidy programme and then in the year 2017, the same programme run concurrently with the “Planting for Food and Jobs”. In the two programmes, the Government of Ghana invested a little above GH¢700million in the year 2017.
Mr Speaker, in the year 2016, the total investment in the national fertiliser subsidy programme was GH¢130million. According to the Statisics, the Research and Information Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in the year 2016, maize production in this country was GH¢1.7million and under “Planting for Food and Jobs”, the Ministry targeted to increase production by 30 per cent at the end of the period, they were able to achieve 15 per cent.
In the year 2016, rice production was 687,697 metric tonnes. In the year 2017, the target for rice production was 49 per cent under Planting for Food and Jobs but we ended the year achieving five per cent and that was why in the presentation of the Budget Statement, the Hon Minister for Finance indicated that in the past year, Ghana had spent a whopping US$1billion on the importation of rice into this country.
So, they can make all the noise about the project, but in agriculture, the actuals come out when we harvest; everybody will get to know the output.
Mr Speaker, so for the record, the target for soya beans was 25 per cent and at the end of sdthe period, we had 21 per cent. For sorghum the target was 28 per cent and at the end of the period, we had 21 per cent.
Mr Speaker, --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Hold on.
Mr Quaittoo 1:15 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, he is not telling the truth. I refer you to paragraph 499 of page 108 where we have all the increases. I take it from the second sentence.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Paragraph 499? What is there and what is different from what he is saying?
Mr Quaittoo 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I read from line 4:
“It is important to mention that significant yield increases were recorded in 2017 compared to 2016 levels for selected crops; maize yield increased by 67 per cent from 1.8mt/ ha to 3.0mt/ha; rice yield increased by 48 per cent from 2.7mt/ha…”
Mr Speaker, if we had all these increases, where is he quoting all these figures from?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Hon Member, which were you referring to? You were giving some 15 per cent --
Mr Opoku 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he was talking about yield per hectare production but I was talking about the cumulative impact on output and that is why I quoted from the Statistical, Research and Information Directorate of (MoFA).
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Which document is that and can you Table it so that it compares with the Budget once you finish?
Mr Opoku 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is the document I am referring to. I got the information from the MoFA and I factored the information into my analysis.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Hon Member, just table it so that we compare it.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
That is my direction, that when you finish, you Table it so that we compare it.
Mr Opoku 1:25 p.m.
All right.
Mr Speaker, so when we look at the output and monetary values for investments in the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme for 2017 -- when we look at the output and monetary values, the total value of the output was GH¢6.8 billion.
A Hon Member: Source?
Mr Opoku 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with this one, no source is needed, but just a calculation. It is Mathematics.
Mr Speaker, 2016 was GH¢6.1 billion and the issue is why do we invest so much in agriculture in spite of the fact that agriculture has the highest multiplier effect, but at the end of the day, the returns are so low.
Mr Speaker, a lot of factors cause this. Most of the fertilisers released for the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme disappeared into foreign countries.
Mr Speaker, I would want to prove this. On 21st July, 2017, myjoyonline.com reported under the heading “Planting for Food and Jobs' fertilisers being smuggled to Togo”. Mr Speaker, I beg to read the report:
“According to Dr Letsa, information reaching the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) from
some districts indicates that some individuals are smuggling the fertilisers to the Republic of Togo where it costs higher, hence an avenue for undue money making for the perpetrators.”
Mr Speaker, this is from the President's representative in the Volta Region.
Mr Speaker, on 24th April, 2017, citifm- online.com reported under the title “Stop smuggling fertiliser to boost growth --”
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
Hon Member, your time is up.
Mr Opoku 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am the Hon Ranking Member and I am to use 20 minutes —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
Please that is not what your Hon Leaders agreed. I belled you out at 10 minutes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
You could check from your record because everybody's time is recorded there as 10 minutes.
You could check from your record because everybody's time is recorded there as 10 minutes.
Hon Odoom?
Mr Abraham Dwuma Odoom (NPP -- Twifo Atti Morkwa) 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about what I consider as a transformational agriculture in emergence. Mr Speaker, I beg to refer to paragraph 499 and 505 of the Budget Statement. I beg to read paragraph
499:
“Mr Speaker, following a year of implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs) Programme, the sector witnessed a growth rate of 8.4 per cent in 2017. This was after almost a decade of erratic performance with an average growth rate of 3.4 per
cent. It is important to mention that significant yield increases were recorded in 2017 compared to 2016 levels for selected crops; maize yield increased by 67 per cent from 1.8mt/ ha to 3.0mt/ha; rice yield increased by 48 per cent from 2.7mt/ha to 4.0mt/ha and soya yield increased by 150 per cent from 1mt/ha to 2.5mt/ ha. The success achieved is an indication of government efforts towards the transformation and modernisation of agriculture.”
Mr Speaker, I beg to read paragraph
505:
“Mr Speaker, two facilities worth US$216 million will become available for import of farm machinery and equipment suitable for smallholders in 2019. The machinery and equipment for land preparation, planting, harvesting and primary processing will be used to revive the 168 existing Agricultural Mechanisation Services Centres (AMSECs) as well as establish new ones where necessary.”
Mr Speaker, this is where my excitement is. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo for all the years he campaigned spoke about moving agriculture from the Guggisberg economy to that of a modern economy. By this provision in the Budget Statement, there is every indication that in the ensuing years, that is, 2019 onwards, agriculture would not be the hoe and cutlass agriculture again.
Mr Speaker, because by this provision and as we understood yesterday at the Post-Budget Workshop in Koforidua, this is a plan for the new level and type of agriculture. An agriculture where farmers
would depend on machinery, but not machinery which would be distributed singularly but that which would be accommodated in clusters and that would be made available to farmers to do their work from preparation up to harvesting. Mr Speaker, personally, this is an encouraging sign that this government really means business with agriculture and it would not be the usual talk.
Mr Speaker, two days ago, the Hon Minister for Agriculture and the Hon Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation had the opportunity to sign what was called the Science Agenda Framework.
Mr Speaker, what this Framework seeks to do is to take Ghana to the level where we would be able to meet the Maputo Convention. In this Programme we would do innovative agriculture and this is heart- warming for me and as my Hon Chairman referred to this as the time for an agriculture Budget Statement.
Mr Speaker, for me, I am sure that my Hon Colleagues in the Minority Side of the House would join the Majority Side to approve this Budget Statement and give it a life which would see the light of day and make Ghanaian agriculture a modern agriculture that we are waiting for.
Mr Speaker, let me also say that as we speak now there are a lot of programmes that the Hon Minister for Agriculture has lined up. I know for a fact that on 28th November, 2018, the Hon Minister would launch a programme which would bring us to a level where in three years Ghana would no longer import rice based on what the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme has achieved for us.
Mr Speaker, so this is a President who really walks his talk and I believe that we would all give him the encouragement and
Mr Samuel Abdulai Jabanyite (NDC -- Chereponi) 1:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Motion numbered 5 on the Order
Paper, that this honourable House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2019.
Mr Speaker, in doing so, kindly permit me to quote the theme of the Budget Statement for the year. The theme reads: “A Stronger Economy for Jobs and Prosperity.”
This is anchored on the six strategic pillars namely, agricultural modernisation and industrialisation, among others.
Mr Speaker, clearly, what this indicates is that agricultural modernisation, among others, would be the key drivers of the economy. However, let me reveal to you the three broad areas of expenditure of agriculture in the 2019 Budget Statement.
In the 2019 Budget Statement, public expenditure allocated to the agricultural sector is roughly GH¢968 million out of which compensation alone makes for GH¢73 million. Goods and services make for about GH¢378 million and capital expenditure is around GH¢590 million.
Mr Speaker, if you look at the capital expenditure on the face value, one may be tempted to say that a lot has been pushed into this area, but what I find intriguing is that if you break the sources of funding in the capital expenditure, you would realise that Government of Ghana's contribution is just around 11.4 per cent, but that would realise is that development funding alone constitutes around GH¢497 million which is about 84 per cent of capital expenditure.
I am a bit intrigued and surprised why we should rely so much on this because we are all in this House and we know the history behind the development partners' contribution to our budgets. They have often failed us. If you look at it broadly,
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
Hon Member, is that the research report? You earlier referred to a research report.
Mr Jabanyite 1:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, this is also a news item, and it can be verified from Joy FM. It can be tabled.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
Who verified the news?
Mr Jabanyite 1:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I read. The name is William Aidoo:
“Has revealed some party people of the governing New Patriotic Party are involved in the smuggling of chemical fertilisers meant for Planting for Food and Jobs.”
Mr Speaker, if you go to paragraph 499, towards the last bit of the paragraph, the Hon Minister talked about increases in yield in both rice and soya bean and presented astronomical figures which is an untrue. He went on to say that rice production increased by 48 per cent, and in terms of tonnage, it was from 2.7 to 4.0 metric tonnes per hectare and soya beans of about 150 per cent increase. That is from 1 to 2.5 metric tonnes per hectare.
Mr Speaker, there is no literature to give this evidence. It is highly hyped or over reported.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
Hon (Dr) Sangre?
Dr Sagre Bambangi (NPP -- Walewale) 1:35 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion on the Floor.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
Hon Fifi Kwetey, are you on the point of order? Your name is mentioned; that is why I am giving you the opportunity.
Mr Kwetey 1:35 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to correct him.
I used my words very carefully. I said we bequeathed almost 1 million metric tonnes of cocoa production level; 960,000 metric tonnes plus. That is what we bequeath. I did not say we bequeathed 1 million metric tonnes. I said almost 1 million metric tonnes. He should be factual.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
Hon Member, you may continue.
Dr Bambangi 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 196, Appendix 1A, on “Real GDP Growth”, if you look at the third line, you would see the growth of cocoa from 4.3 per cent in 2014 decline to -8.0 per cent in 2015 and declined further to -7.0 per cent.
So, we are even getting a reduction in the total output of cocoa in this country, because negative growth means reduction in output. When there is a negative growth, there is a reduction in output.
So Mr Speaker, these attest to the fact that cocoa production was coming down under the previous Administration until we came to the rescue.
Mr Speaker, I would also refer to the assertion by the Hon Ranking Member, Hon Eric Opoku, that most fertilisers under the Planting for Food and Jobs was smuggled. I looked forward to him giving me data, because we are always ready to take more information and ideas to improve upon our policy, but he came with reports that there was an isolated case of complaint or smuggling, and he calls that most.
I do not know. Some of us are students of statistics, and we do not take kindly to this. If he says most, it means more than 50 per cent. So, I beg to differ with the Hon Ranking Member on this.
Mr Speaker, he also indicated that because there was a paragraph on green houses in 2015, then we did not establish so in 2017. It is common that some issues could be in the Budget Statement, but there would not be funds released for their implementation, and I would give you an example.
The fertiliser subsidy programme was in place from 2013 when I came to Parliament, but in 2014, there was no money

released for it in spite of the fact that it was around 15 to 20 per cent. It is this Government that came and took a bold decision to increase the seed and fertiliser subsidy from that percentage to 50 per cent.

So if he comes here and tells us this, then it means that when he stretches his hand for us to shake, we have to be careful or else he would turn the tail.

Mr Speaker, the Directive Principles of State Policy, Chapter Six of the 1992 Constitution, article 36 (2) (e) states;

“The State shall, in particular, take all necessary steps to establish a sound and healthy economy whose underlying principles shall include --

(e) the recognition that the most secure democracy is the one that assures the basic necessities of life for its people as a fundamental duty”.

The basic necessities of life include food. Food is very critical, and I am happy that this Budget Statement as well as its predecessors from 2017 to 2018 have focused on the agricultural sector, unlike the ones before, so that we can ensure that this basic principle is adhered to.

In particular, clause 3 states that:

“The State shall take appropriate measures to promote the develop- ment of agriculture and industry”.

Mr Speaker, the President has by article 36(5) fulfilled his mandate by presenting to this august House the Coordinated

Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies including agriculture and industrial programmes.

It is within this framework that our able Hon Minister for Finance, in collaboration with all the sector Ministers, have come up with this Budget Statement that is aimed at transforming the economy by providing a stronger economy for jobs and prosperity.

Mr Speaker, agriculture involves a lot of work. It is not talking. Farmers do not talk much, they work more, so, we have taken the approach of working more than talking, and that is why sometimes, you hear the opposition loudest.

We have concentrated our efforts on working because at the end of the day they are going to eat. They would do all the talking, but at the end of the day they would eat. That is why we have put these policies in place to make sure that jobs are created.

It is instructive to note that in spite of the critical role that this sector plays, the previous Government paid lip service, because even the paltry 20 per cent subsidy, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the past had to struggle to get releases for the fertiliser subsidy programme to be implemented.

We agree that there could be one or two lapses in the implementation of a programme, but we cannot get a perfect state of affairs to prosecute a very pragmatic policy like the Planting for Food and Jobs.

Mr Speaker, as espoused in the table on page 196, you can see that the sector grew by 0.9 per cent in 2014, 2.3 per cent in 2015 and 2.9 per cent in 2016. These figures are produced by the Ghana Statistical Service.
Dr Bambangi 1:45 p.m.


Agriculture is working again because now, we have agriculture growing in 2017 by 6.1 per cent. It is projected to grow in 2018 by 6.8 per cent, and then further to about 7.3 per cent in 2019.

Mr Speaker, this is within the stipulation --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
You have one minute more.
Dr Bambangi 1:45 p.m.
This is within the stipulation of the Common African African Development Programme of the African Union that we should try and grow our agriculture by at least 6 per cent.
My Friends on the other Side grew agriculture at around 3 per cent and they were loud and rejoiced. That is the reason why this nation is saddled with a lot of food imports.
Mr Speaker, the problem of agriculture is structural, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is on course to ensure that the necessary policies and programmes are put in place to ensure that farmers imbibe new technologies, the use of improved seeds and fertiliser, and then we step up our irrigation provision. Then by the grace of God, we would be able to make it and make this country food self- sufficient.
Mr Kwasi Etu-Bonde (NDC-- Kintampo North) 1:45 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Motion on the Floor.
Mr Speaker, the farmers of this country gave me a word to this House with regard to this Budget Statement and the Economic Policy of the country, the 2019 Budget Statement.
Mr Speaker, if you look at Table 2 at page 27, it has been indicated that agriculture grew by 6.1 per cent, but Ghanaian farmers looked at it and said it does not reflect in their pockets. They go further to prove that if you look at it, at the cocoa sector, it is reported that it grew by 9.2 per cent, but what do we see?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon Member, please hold on.
Hon Members, having regard to the state of Business of the House, I direct that the House Sits outside the regular Sitting hours.
Please resume your contribution.
1. 55 p. m
Mr Etu-Bonde 1:45 p.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I was referring to the cocoa sector. It was stated in paragraph 524 that cocoa price is going to be maintained.
That means that the Ghanaian cocoa farmer would receive the same price as they did in 2016. In 2016, a bag of cocoa was sold at GH¢475.00. At that time, if a Ghanaian farmer went to a filling station to buy a gallon of petrol to spray his cocoa, the price per gallon was GH¢16.00. It gave that farmer 30 gallons per bag.
In 2019, let us say that we maintain the price of GH¢475. Everybody knows that if you go to the filling station, the price of five litres of petrol has gone up to GH¢25.00 and this gives the Ghanaian farmer only 19 gallons of petrol.
Instead of 30 gallons, farmers can now purchase only 19 gallons. That is a reduction in the farmers' purchasing power by 36 per cent. So, if we maintain this policy, our farmers would suffer. This is the message they have looked for.
Mr Speaker, let us go to page 109, paragraph 505. It was stated that US$216 million has been approved for farm machinery and equipment for the revival and establishment of Agriculture Mechanisation Services Centres (AMSECs). Farmers think the decision of this House would worsen their plight.
Mr Speaker, the decision is in the Official Report of Friday, 28th September, 2018, column 621, where on the floor of the House, a PhD holder stated that the prices of machinery should be increased by 50 per cent in the sense that, in 2016, the Government of Ghana sold the agriculture machinery at 40 per cent of the price that it acquired it but the House has approved that we should add 20 per cent.
Twenty per cent is equal to 50 per cent of the 2016 price. Mr Speaker, this 60 per cent price increase would be transferred to the ordinary Ghanaian farmer.
In addition to that, in 2016, the dollar- cedi rate at which they bought the machinery was GH¢3.92 to US$1 but now, we all know that the dollar has appreciated by 25 per cent. It means the price of a tractor which increased by 50 per cent, would be further increased by another 25 per cent and that translates to 87 per cent.
The AMSEC owners would automa- tically pass this 87 per cent on to the Ghanaian small-holder farmer and that would worsen their economic situation and cause hardship to the Ghanaian farmer.
Mr Speaker, we are looking at marketing of agricultural produce. If we look at the 2019 Budget Statement, it is only in paragraph 519 that there is an attempt to address the marketing of agricultural produce in this country. That is the main
issue the Ghanaian farmer faces in terms of selling their produce.
If we look at it, mention has been made of only warehouses for grains and legumes. That means that Ghana's agriculture has been reduced only to the crop sector. Even the grains and legumes only form only 11 per cent of the crop sector.
The Ghanaian farmer is asking, what the Government would do to the perishable crops. By perishable crops, we mean roots and tubers, cassava, yams and potatoes horticultural crops, fruits and vegetables, which need cold storage and agro-processing centres.
Mr Speaker, to our surprise, the first One District, One Factory (1D1F) whose sod-cutting took place in Ekumfi for processing of pineapple -- As at now, the farmers' hope has shattered. So, a lot has to be done in the agriculture sector in respect of the marketing of agriculture produce.
Mr Speaker, when the Hon Deputy Minister for Agriculture made a case.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
The Hon Second Speaker will take the chair.
Mr Etu-Bonde 1:45 p.m.
I am happy that the Hon Deputy Minister for Agriculture mentioned that problems affecting the agriculture sector are structural. Indeed, they are structural. Farmers of this land have been told that they should follow the agricultural value chain but at the national level, the policy level, agriculture has been fragmented.
The components or the links that have to form the chain have been distributed into at least four different Ministries and that affects agriculture.
MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr Etu-Bonde 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if you come to this country, agriculture research is housed in the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. I refer to institutions like Crop Research Institute, Animal Research; Food Research Institute; Soil Research Institute and the rest, whereas the production aspect has been shifted to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The transformation aspect of agriculture, industries that would process agricultural commodities to create markets for our farmers, also sits at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Mr Speaker, on the land issue, forestry for instance is part of agriculture but where do we find it? It is under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture itself has been reduced to only crops and animals while fisheries is also at the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
Mr Speaker, this affects the value chain that we preach to Ghanaian farmers. They see the chain as has been fragmented.
In agriculture marketing, we say ‘the chain is as strong as the weakest link'. So, now that the agriculture value chain in the country has been dispersed into almost six or seven Ministries, at the policy level, needs to be re-looked so that Ghanaian farmers could get a one-stop shop to address all their concerns.
Mr Speaker, the concern here is, they want a vision, and policy issues should come from one Ministry so that when they want any information, they could get it
there and there could be coherent development of agriculture especially, marketing and finance.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
[Hear! Hear!]--
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member.
It is now the turn of Hon William Quaittoo.
Mr William Agyapong Quaittoo (NPP- Akim Oda) 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe it is important that in this House, we keep our records straight so that posterity would not come and find that our various editions of the Hansard have a lot of false information in them.
I would want to correct these assertions that were made by my Hon Colleagues on the other Side. If Hon Fifi Kwetey says that they bequeathed 1million tonnes of cocoa to this Government, that was registered in 2010/ 2011. We never hit 1million tonnes again. The highest we have had in the eight years was 966,000 tonnes and that was in
2013/2014.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon Member, your Hon Colleague is on his feet. Let me just give him a chance.
Mr Kwetey 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am a little surprised that my Hon Colleague has come back to this when I have had the opportunity to correct another Hon Colleague of his who said the same thing.
I said here that we bequeathed almost one million metric tonnes. The figure of 960,000 plus metric tonnes is almost one
million metric tonnes. That is what I said so, he should please be factual.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I said that this did not occur in the last three years of the last Government. In the last three years of the last Government, it was around 700,000 metric tonnes; 740,000, 760,000 and 779,000 metric tonnes. Dr Opuni's time, for the last three years, never hit 800,000 metric tonnes and that is the record.
Again, my Hon Colleague, Hon Eric Opoku talked about --
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Is there still any doubt on the figure?
Mr Kwetey 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is important that the records and facts are not tampered with. In this House, the Hon Minister for Finance came and in the presentation of the Budget Statement, he stated that the output for the 2016 to 2017 season was 960,000 metric tonnes.
Mr Speaker, the cocoa output which spun season 2016 to 2017 season have nothing to do with the Hon Member. That production was already done before he inherited the position.
So, it was bequeathed to him. Almost one million metric tonnes was bequeathed to him in the same way we bequeathed to him, over US$6 billion of gross reserves. That is the fact, so he should please not tamper with it.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I still say that when you say the cocoa season starts --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member, proceed.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
The cocoa season starts from October 2016 and that is only three months within 2016. The rest is from January to September 2017 and that production level was the one that hit 960,000. The Hon Member cannot ascribe it to their regime.
Mr Speaker, Hon Eric Opoku talked about the previous Government introducing greenhouse villages. He should please go back to that Budget Statement.
A greenhouse garden is entirely different from a greenhouse village. We said that we would introduce a greenhouse village. This is the definition of a greenhouse village which is different from a greenhouse garden. This is in paragraph 512 of the Budget Statement.
“The greenhouse villages will each house 13 commercial greenhouses of 5,000 square metres with additional facilities such as nursery, post- harvest packing houses, cooling rooms, auditorium, accommodation, offices, access roads and electricity, among others.”
That is a greenhouse village which is different from a greenhouse garden where we only have --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Hon Member, are you referring to a submission that was made by the Hon Ranking Member?
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
I saw him
on his feet. Maybe, he has something to say.
Mr Opoku 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I never mentioned a greenhouse garden; I said greenhouse centres. So, if he talks about
Mr Opoku 2:05 a.m.


Mr Speaker, when he got up, initially, he made a point on cocoa and you wanted the evidence. I have it in the Budget Statement to set the record straight because this is a House of record. He said that we never bequeathed to them 969,000 metric tonnes.

I have the 2018 Budget here, in paragraph 403, this is what is stated there:

“During the 2016/17 season, COCOBOD purchased 969,000 metric tonnes of cocoa.”

That is the cocoa season, so that is what we bequeathed to them.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
The season in the year 2016 had only three months and if we had not come in 2017 with artificial pollination and pruning among others, we never would have hit that 960,000 metric tonnes.
Mr Speaker, going forward, they talked about cocoa roads saying that we are not doing anything about them.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Hon Member, you have made your point and quoted from the 2018 Budget Statement, paragraph 403. So, you have made your point.
Mr Opoku 2:05 a.m.
He just indicated that the increase in production was due to artificial pollination. However, under artificial pollination, they recruited 30,000 youth. But this year, cocoa production has declined by 7.3 per cent. So, what is he
talking about? He is misinforming the House and should withdraw. If he does not have the facts, he should not --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Please allow him to proceed. It was good you drew his attention.
Hon Member, you may proceed.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker.
They mentioned cocoa roads, that when we came in 2017, we mentioned that there was research being done on them and that when we finished with that evaluation, we would go back to cocoa roads.
Yes Mr Speaker, this Government did not go back to cocoa roads because we realised that in that 2016/2017 year, cocoa roads were given out on contracts of about three times the budget that was made in that year. Instead of about GH¢1.6 million, we gave road contracts up to about GH¢5.1 million. Therefore, the audit of the entire cocoa road sector is such that as we speak, we still owe.

Mr Speaker, on the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme, it was alleged by my Hon Colleagues on the other Side that with the 50 per cent discount on fertilisers and seeds, farmers --
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
Hon Member, under Standing Order 92 (1) (b), usually, we have to get your willingness to allow the person to interrupt. I wanted
to know since your Colleagues are on their feet. Are you willing?
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
No, Mr Speaker.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 a.m.
So,
proceed.
Mr Quaittoo 2:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme, with regard to seeds and fertilisers, it was mentioned here this morning that farmers who were given the opportunity to pay only 25 per cent of the price of the seeds and fertilisers were required to pay the next 25 per cent when they harvested. The recovery rate was very low so, we have gone back to allowing them to pay 50 per cent.
Any programme is such that we have to learn from the past. If we do not do that, then I do not know what type of human being one would be.
Now, the situation is that every farmer, if coming for the subsidised fertilizer or seeds, would have to put down 50 per cent. In my view, that is learning from the past.
Mr Speaker, in 2016, another mention was made, that we spent close to about GH¢6.7 million whereas in 2015/2016, it was about GH¢180 million. Mr Speaker, GH¢180 million worth of fertiliser? So, how many tonnes of fertiliser did the Government buy at that time? Are they talking about 180 million metric tonnes that was in the Budget Statement or GH¢180 million?
GH¢180 million worth of fertiliser is woefully inadequate to meet any fertiliser needs per year. That is what my Hon Brother Eric Opoku mentioned and he got the figures wrong. This is because a bag of fertiliser costs a minimum of GH¢100.00.
So, in the past years, in the Budgets Statements, we have always targeted 180 million metric tonnes of fertiliser. So, 180 million metric tonnes of fertiliser by GH¢100.00 would not give you GH¢180 million.
I am sure that he wanted to say 180 million metric tonnes of fertiliser and not GH¢180 million.
Mr Speaker, on producer price of net FOB, they said that we have reduced the producer price for cocoa.
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, in your submission, you mentioned the name of the Hon Ranking Member. Usually by the Standing Order, you have to give him the way. That is why they say “willing'' -- willing to give way to him.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not willing because I am only correcting what he said.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, you can proceed.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, going back to the price of cocoa --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, I am constrained by Standing Order 92 (1) (b). If you read Standing Order 92 (1) (b), it is when he is willing to give way and he resumes his seat that I can recognise you and allow you to elucidate the point that you would want to. He is not willing so he has to proceed.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, the price of cocoa has been maintained for the last two or so years. In the years 2016 and 2017 when the price was fixed by the then Government, in 2016, the price per tonne
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, could you educate the House on these two concepts; the differences between greenhouse villages and greenhouse centres.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I did that before you take the Chair. It is defined in the Budget Statement. The greenhouse village would consist of 5,000 square metres with additional facilities such as nursery, post-harvest packaging houses, cooling rooms, auditorium, accommoda- tion, offices, access roads and electricity among other.
Mr Speaker, when I was appointed as the former Hon Deputy Minister for Agriculture, the very first day I went to the office, that was the first thing I did. I went to close a training session at Dowenya and saw those greenhouse centres which consisted of only an office with some small nurseries, but in the greenhouse village, one would see several of these which is over 5,000 square meters with all the pack houses and the nurseries.
Mr Speaker, this Budget Statement gives a lot of hope in agriculture in the sense that the successes of “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme have been seen. Several of the successes have been mentioned in the Budget Statement.
In paragraph 499, a lot of increases have been listed. In continuing from paragraph 501, it talks about the increases in yield in various selected crops. Maize jumped from 1.8 metric tonne per hectare to about 3.0 per metric tonne per hectare which is about 67 per cent, rice jumped from 2.7 per metric tonnes per hectare to 4.0, which is an increase of about 48 per cent, soyabeans jumped from 1.0 per metric tonnes to 2.5 metric tonnes per hectare which is an increase of about 150 per cent.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, you have a minute, I took into consideration the interruptions.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in my view, this is an excellent and real effort towards transformation and modernisation of agriculture.
Mr Speaker, in the first year of the implementation of the “Planting for Food and Jobs”. Programme, about 200,000 farmers were targeted.
In the following year, additional 300,000 were targeted to make it 500,000, but in the year 2018, 577, 000 farmers were registered in the biometric database. In the year 2019, we would be looking at a million farmers -- which means that additional 500 farmers would be added on to the old farmers that we have.
Mr Speaker, besides that, the Budget Statement --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
Hon Member, your time is up.
Mr Quaittoo 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you so much.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
There is one more Hon Member from the Minority Side.
Hon Eric Osei-Owusu?
Mr Eric Osei-Owusu (NDC -- Afram Plains South) 2:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Government's Budget Statement and Economic Policy for the year ending 2019.
Mr Speaker, I would want to contribute to the cocoa sub-sector. As we all know, cocoa is the major backbone of agriculture in this country. However, what we are seeing today is the decrease in the production of it, and I believe it is as a result of the bad policy that the cocoa sub- sector faces.
Mr Speaker, when we look at the investments that have gone into the cocoa sub-sector, it would be realised that there has been an anticipated increase by 188 per cent, and it is stated in the 2019 Budget Statement.
About 30,000 youth were recruited to support artificial pollination and irrigation is also seen, which is the first of its kind in the cocoa sub-sector. However, there is decline of 7.2 per cent in the cocoa production figures - from 969, 400 metric tonnes to 904,000 metric tonnes.
Mr Speaker, this obviously could be attributed to the bad policies. In the budget allocation to COCOBOD, there was an increase of 63.9 per cent to the COCOBOD headquarters; there was also an increase of 68.2 per cent to Cocoa Marketing Company; Quality Control Department also had an increase of 62.6 per cent and crop financing had 1.8 per cent.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Hon Member, you know the rule.
Mr Asafu-Adjei 2:25 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, what we are discussing is the Government Financial Policy but he is doing the estimates.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Hon Member, you are completely, out of order.
Hon Member, please continue.
Mr E. Osei-Owusu 2:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the cocoa farmer who is the most important person in the value chain has been left out with no support at all. Obviously, this is why we are seeing such a decline in cocoa production in this country.
I believe that is dangerous, because if we are not careful, what we stand to experience is that, eventually, our resources to support our national budget from the cocoa sub-sector would be so declined that it would affect us seriously. So we must really look at it and be doing something about it. The cost of living for the cocoa farmer is nothing to write home about.
Mr Speaker, I would also want to look at the National Food Buffer Stock which is supposed to be the marketing link of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
Mr Speaker, yes, there has been some warehouses that are being put up and they are all supposed to be 1000 metric tonnes. But you would agree with me that 1000 metric tonnes is really small to accommodate the anticipated increase based on the investment that we are putting under “Planting for Food and
Jobs”. This is because 1000 metric tonnes warehouse can only hold 500 bags. So I believe that we should look at it properly and perhaps, seek to increase it by a minimum of 5000 metric tonnes, which I believe would be quite adequate for the investment that has been put in under “Planting for Food and Jobs.”

Mr Quaittoo — rose --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Hon Member, are you willing to give way to your Hon Colleague opposite?
Mr E. Osei-Owusu 2:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, no.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Then you may continue.
Mr E. Osei-Owusu 2:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I strongly believe that what we are seeing today in Ghana's agricultural sector is more rhetoric than achieving results, and we must be very careful. This is because we keep saying that agriculture is the backbone of our economy, however, we are not seeing much improvement in that area. It clearly shows when one goes to the market and picks food items.
We all know the prices of food commodities today. However, I would have thought that with the major investment that is going into “Planting for Food and Jobs”, and in the cocoa industry, especially which has gone directly into administration, we should rather have channelled it to support farmers so that food pricing would come down for us all to enjoy and for us to have the stable economy with which we tout ourselves today.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Hon Members, at this point, I would proceed to adjourn proceedings. That is where my
instructions end. Unless Leadership has something else, I am told to take the debate up to this number. And it being 2.00 p.m.
—
Ms Safo — rose --
Ms Safo 2:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, at the pre-Sitting meeting, we agreed to do three sectors today and the First Deputy Speaker took us through the debate by the Members of the Finance and Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committees, and we are supposed to do that of the Committee on Environment, Science and Technology.
Mr Speaker, we are left with one sector for today.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, this is the list I have been given, and the last name is Hon Eric Osei-Owusu, who has just spoken. My instructions from the Hon First Deputy Speaker was to take only this and then adjourn the House and I do that in compliance with my instructions. So I would proceed to adjourn the House.
ADJOURNMENT 2:25 p.m.