Debates of 7 Oct 2020

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:11 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:11 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 6th October, 2020. Any correction?
Page 1 … 8.
Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Motion on page 8, which continues on page 9, was on the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 14th August, 2020, and yesterday, there was a correction. Now, the corrected Motion listed as 39 in the Votes and Proceedings of yesterday says the Motion was moved by the Hon Majority Leader and seconded by my good self.
Mr Speaker, that is not what was captured in the Votes and Proceedings. The Hon Majority
Leader amended the Motion by saying it would take effect after the President had given his assent, but the Motion was not moved by him.
In the Votes and Proceedings of yesterday, I moved the Motion, and it was seconded by the Hon Member for Sekondi. It was the same Motion to which the Hon Majority Leader said that we should add this provision and that it would take effect after the President had assented to the Bill.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe what is here is right. The original Motion had been moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee and it was seconded. Then I came in in response to the issues raised by my Hon Colleagues on the other Side that the cure to this -- they raised issues relating to the legality of what we were doing because the President had not assented to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2020 -- and I said that the cure lied in article 106(11) of the Constitution which gives power to Parliament to postpone the operation of any law until when it is deemed appropriate.
So, I moved the Motion which is an adjunct to the Motion that had already been moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee.
That parent Motion was moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee and I came in with the amendment to the effect that it could only be operationalised until the President assented to the original Motion in respect of the amendment that we had effected to the Minerals Income Investment Fund. So, what is captured here is appropriate.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if you would recall, that day, when you wanted the vote to be taken, that was when the amendment was done and it was said that the Resolution could only take effect after the President had assented to the Bill. It was an amendment to a Motion that was debated, and it was moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee.
I believe that if you take a look at the Hansard, it would be clear. It was at the tail end of the debate. Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader did not move another Motion. He did not move any Motion at all; he said he was amending the Motion so that it would take effect -- [Interruption]. Mr Speaker, he amended the Motion moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee.
As the Hon Chairman for the Finance Committee has pointed out, the Hon Majority Leader did not move any Motion; the Hon Majority Leader amended the Motion. When one amends a Motion, he is not considered the mover of that Motion. That correct record would be that --
Mr Speaker, before the Question was put, the Hon Majority Leader said because of what had been said, he would amend the Motion to read that the Resolution could only take effect after the President had assented to the amended Bill. That is what I fully recollect.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if anything has to be amended, it would even have to be the Resolution because the Motion had been moved and if this amended Motion stands, I did not second it. Nobody seconded the amended Motion. It was just a request to the Rt Hon Speaker as it were and then he would have directed that it had to be captured as such.
Mr Speaker 11:11 a.m.
The Clerks-at-the- Table should please replace that with the relevant persons accordingly, and have this correctly put on the record.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, I would want us to get this right. I did not move an amendment to the agreement; the amendment was not to the agreement.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:21 a.m.
Now, what is here just states the agreement so, the amendment was not to it, but the operationalisation of the agreement which was predicated on the President's assent to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (Amendment) Bill. That is the import of what I said. They have just gone ahead to state the Agreements that were concerned. The amendment was not to the effect that those Agreements should be amended.
That is not the import of it; but, it is just for the avoidance of doubt that these agreements in respect of the Agyapa Royalties Agreements can only be operationalised after the President had given assent to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (Amendment) Bill. So, it is just for the avoidance of doubt that they have
stated these but the amendment did not affect the Agreement, not even the Minerals Income Investment Fund; it is just that the President must assent to that one first before these ones listed can be operationalised. That is the import of it. As to how best it could be captured, let us leave it to the Table Officers.
Mr Avedzi 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think that the point the Majority Leader has raised made it clear that the Motion that he moved was the Motion that this Agreement can only take effect after the President has assented to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (Amendment) Bill.
Mr Speaker, but it means that Motion is hanging because nobody seconded that Motion. The Question was put so what do we do? That Motion is hanging because the Chairman of the Finance Committee did not second the Motion, and he did indicate here that he did not second that Motion. Mr Speaker, we should do something about it.
Mr Speaker 11:21 a.m.
I think that is very clear; if there was a Motion, counter Motion or whatever, it needs to be seconded so that it is considered. I will respectfully say that with the benefit of the voice recording and in consultation with the parties, the Table office should help us to resolve this matter. Thank you.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think my Hon Colleagues want to raise issues relating to technicalities and to say that the Motion was hanging. No Motion was hanging!
Mr Speaker, given the circumstances, it was important that we did that. Mr Speaker, given the urgency of it, we admitted it. Such a Motion would not call for any secondment. Even if it has not been seconded, and I could refer us to Standing Order 78 —
Mr Speaker 11:21 a.m.
Hon Majority Leader, at this stage, in fact —
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, for purposes of clarity so that nobody goes to say that what we did—
Mr Speaker 11:21 a.m.
That clarity—
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with respect, if I could make the point so that nobody leaves here and goes on to say that what we did was an illegality. Mr Speaker, Standing Order 78 provides:
“Unless any Order otherwise provides, notice shall be given of any motion which it is proposed to make, except the following --”.
And it says, any Motion, the urgency of which is admitted by Mr Speaker. I moved that Motion on the spur of the moment as an urgent Motion, Mr Speaker allowed it and he gave direction to it so; let nobody leave here and say that what we did was an illegality.
Thank you very much.
Mr Avedzi 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if that is the case, why is it captured on page 9 of the Votes and Proceedings for yesterday that the Majority Leader moved the Motion and the Motion was seconded by the Chairman of the Finance Committee? I am reading from here because the Votes and Proceedings say that the Chairman of the Finance Committee seconded that Motion. We should then correct it.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Table Office drew my attention to the draft Hansard, and that Motion moved by the Majority Leader was indeed seconded by the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation. The First Deputy Speaker, who was in the Chair at the time, directed the Majority Leader to move the amended Motion which he did, and it was seconded by the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.

moved and seconded.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, what is captured in the Votes and Proceedings for yesterday is right, but it was seconded by the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Mr Speaker 11:21 a.m.
So, in effect, we must correct the record to say that it was actually seconded, and the person who seconded it was the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:21 a.m.
Rightly so; and that Motion is not hanging.
Mr Speaker 11:21 a.m.
Yes, if that is so, it is not hanging. Hon Members, order! That is why I systematically wanted us to ascertain the facts before we can apply any rule if we find it necessary because without the facts being ascertained, we do not apply rules and laws to them. But now, we know that actually, there was a seconding, and the Hon Member who seconded it was the Hon Dr Anthony Akoto Osei.
Very well, then the corrections would be effected in that light accordingly.
-- [Hear! Hear!]--
Page 9 -- 18
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of 6th October, 2020 as corrected is hereby admitted as the true record of proceedings.
We come to the Official Report—
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:21 a.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, I think yesterday, there was a matter that remained unsettled and indeed unresolved until we left here. It had to do with the referral that was made in respect of the Presidential Staffers; indeed, you referred the consideration of the matter to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Later, I came in to make a request that it should rather be referred to the Finance Committee.
The Hon Member for Wa West argued that it rather should go to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee; I disagreed with him and I said to us that to the extent that the consideration of the budget of that outfit is the hands of the Finance Committee, any matter relating to administration in that office should go back to the Finance Committee.
I think just when you were about to re-direct, you left the Chair to Mr First Deputy Speaker, who rather was unsure of what to do because you
had made some comments on it and said that we should rest it until you came to resolve the matter yourself.
So if you could perhaps, do the re- direction?
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
In effect, the Finance Committee is seized with the matter. That being so, it is just right and proper that this other development be referred to them. I therefore direct that it should be referred to the Finance Committee - - accordingly.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:31 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
We have Official Reports of Thursday, 6th August, 2020 and Friday, 7th August, 2020. Any corrections please?
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
At the Commencement of Public Business, item numbered 4.
PAPERS 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Item numbered 4(c), by the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs?

By the Chairman of the Committee --

Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliament Affairs on the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring (Amendment) Bill,

2020.

4(d), by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee?
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 4(d), is not ready, so I want to advise if it could be taken off the Order Paper in the meantime.
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Item listed 5 -- Motion, by the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice?
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Hon Majority Leader, any development with regard to item numbered 5?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if we could stand item numbered 5 down and take item numbered 7?
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Item numbered 7 -- Motion.
Chairman of the Committee (Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah) 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which requires that no Motion shall be debated until
at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the Supplier's Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Messrs. Dongfang Electric International Corporation for an amount of two hundred and forty-three million, six hundred thousand United States dollars (US$243,600,000.00) for the procurement of standard gauge rolling stock may be moved today.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Item numbered 8.
MOTIONS 11:31 a.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah) 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report
of the Finance Committee on the Supplier's Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Messrs. Dongfang Electric International Corporation for an amount of two hundred and forty-three million, six hundred thousand United States Dollars (US$243,600,000.00) for the procurement of standard gauge rolling stock.
Mr Speaker, in so doing, I present your Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
The Supplier's Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Messrs. Dongfang Electric International Corporation for an amount of two hundred and forty-three million, six hundred thousand United States Dollars (US$243,600,000.00) for the procurement of standard gauge rolling stock was presented to the House on Monday 3rd August 2020 by the Hon. Minister responsible for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu on behalf of the Minister responsible for Finance.
Pursuant to Orders 169 and 171(1) of the Standing Orders of the House, the Agreement was referred to the Committee on Finance for consideration and report.
The Committee subsequently met and considered the Agreement with the Minister for Railways Development, Hon. Joe Ghartey, a Deputy Minister for Finance, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng and a team of officials from the Ministries of Finance and Railways Development, the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA) and the Ghana Railways Company Limited (GRCL) and hereby presents this report to the House pursuant to Order 161(1) of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Committee is grateful to the above-mentioned Hon. Minister for Railways Development, the Deputy Minister for Finance and the team of officials for attending upon the Committee.
rose
Mr Speaker 11:31 a.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Miniority Leader?
Mr Avedzi 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, there are only 16 Hon Members in the Chamber and I want to draw your
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:31 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we discussed this extensively yesterday that these are not normal times, especially this week, when Hon Members have to go to their various constituencies to do the filing. Notwithstanding, we appealed to ourselves yesterday that we anticipate that we would not have a full House and that Hon Members should avail themselves so that normal Business cannot be held down.
We agreed on this and I am surprised that the Hon Deputy Minority Leader has got up just the following day, after we made this appeal, to say that the House cannot go on with this transaction of Business. I have really been taken aback by this.

-- People should be consistent. I would make that reference because I was the Hon Minority Leader then and an appeal was made to us which we agreed to and conducted Business. We should be consistent with ourselves and not make it appear as if this is the first time this would happen.

Mr Speaker, I think that we can make progress because after all this is non-contentious and it was unanimously adopted at the level of the Committee. So, I do not see what would hold us down.

Mr Speaker, as I keep saying, the NPP is not going to be in government forever; it is never going to be in Majority forever. Two months and four years ago, we were here and we adjourned a month to the conduct of the elections. Please, let us not do this.
Mr Speaker 11:41 a.m.
Hon Deputy Minority Leader, can we come to a middle --
Mr Avedzi 11:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the rules of the House --
Mr Speaker 11:41 a.m.
They were discussed just yesterday and there were certain positions taken yesterday with regard to enabling this
House. I would be glad if we were not seen to be reneging on that position so that there would be progress. I can see some Hon Members on your Side of the House nodding in that regard because they know what happened. So, let us make some progress.
Mr Avedzi 11:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much.
With all due respect, that is the reason I did not raise any matter of quorum. I was drawing your attention to it so that you give the direction. I would have raised Order 48 on the issue of quorum but because of the discussion that we have had, I would want you to rule or give direction on that so that it becomes official. That is the reason I raised the matter.
Mr Speaker, so, we want your direction.
Mr Speaker 11:41 a.m.
Hon Deputy Minority Leader, my direction is in line with the direction that he decided to take -- [Laughter] -- So, Hon Leader, let us move directionally and go on with the Business of the House.
Yes, Hon Chairman of the Committee?
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Government has adopted a systematic approach to developing a
new standard gauge Western Railway line from Takoradi to Kumasi with a branch line from Dunkwa to Awaso. In furtherance of this objective, a contract was awarded to Messrs Amandi Holding Ltd.
2.0 Background
A major objective of Government's poverty reduction and growth agenda is the construction and provision of railway infrastructure and equipment to support the development of the country.
The Government of Ghana is desirous of developing a modern standard gauge railway network.
The Ghana Railway Company Limited has rehabilitated the 56kms section of the Western line from Kojokrom to Tarkwa and this has enabled the reintroduction of passenger service from Takoradi to Tarkwa in 2020 on narrow gauge line.
The Government of Ghana has presently adopted a systematic approach to developing a new standard gauge Western Railway Line from Takoradi to Kumasi with a branch line from Dunkwa to Awaso. In furtherance of this objective, a contract was awarded to Messrs Amandi Holding Limited in December
Mr Kwame G. Agbodza (NDC-- Adaklu) 11:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion ably moved by the Chairman of the Committee on Finance and also to make a few comments.
Mr Speaker, indeed, this was laid in the House before we went on break. It went through the Committee on Road and Transport as well.
Mr Speaker, the Chairman of the Committee mentioned the reasons for acquiring this but I would urge him to get a bit more details because I am not sure if with all the rolling stocks, Ghana is not about to stop the use of the narrow gauge. As a matter of fact, the largest train freight company in the world actually still runs on a narrow gauge. So, our migration to use standard gauge is not because narrow gauge is really negative. It is simply because we would want to use a newer version.
Mr Speaker, the Chairman of the Committee says this is to procure about 35 standard gauge trains and then also some spare parts and building of a maintenance workshop. There is something not very clear -- it says, “after sales service to guarantee regular routine and proper maintenance”. Details of this are not very clear on training and other things.
Mr Speaker, if we were to do a rough arithmetic to divide US$243 million by 35, it means, a rolling stock could be US$6.9 million. We do not know exactly the configuration. All of them are not freight. I am told some of them are passenger carriage coaches but obviously this is the details of the Committee on Finance but once it is a report that is being laid in the House, we should have added a bit more details so that nobody picks this and thinks that all of them are just wagons carrying freights.
Mr Speaker, secondly, your Committee on Road and Transport already did talk about the fact that the details are very sketchy. We would need to be convinced that this amount of money would be spent and Ghana would derive the best value for money.
Mr Speaker, I noticed that not even in only this Parliament -- We always
say this and then urge the entities to do due diligence in terms of value for money but I am yet to see any of those entities bring back the report of the value for money to this House. You always direct that that is what they should do but I am yet to see one.
Mr Speaker, so, I would want to appeal to you to reaffirm that commitment that when we say the entities can go and do value for money audit, indeed, Parliament would want to be seized with that report so that we can reference it in future when we are doing other procurements.
Mr Speaker, it is difficult to say much about this; and as the Hon Majority Leader said, this did not become controversial at any point in time at the Committee level.
So, without saying much, we hope this procurement would improve the rolling stock of our rail coaches in the country and to also give us the opportunity to test the lines that we are currently building.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you for the opportunity and urge Hon Colleagues to support the Motion.
Mr Speaker 11:51 a.m.
Thank you very much. Hon Members, one contributor from each Side since we are all ad idem at the Committee stage.
Hon Alhaji Fuseini?
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 11:51 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion before this House and to add a few comments.
Indeed, no one will rise up to object the securing of a facility for the purposes of constructing the railway lines and putting on them a rolling stock for the purposes of transporting goods and services in this country.
Mr Speaker, the railway lines and rail transport is supposed to be complementary to road transport. Indeed, if we have an efficient and effective rail transport, our roads will last longer; bulk cargo can now be transported by rail transport. That is why it is important to support an arrangement which will put rolling stock on the railway lines already constructed.
Indeed, it is this thinking that informed the first attempt to construct the railway lines from the port to somewhere in Takoradi. This is
Mr Speaker 11:51 a.m.
Thank you very much. Any contribution from my right Side? Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity. Yes, when we came to presenting the credit agreement to the House, the Hon Minister was not in Accra and he charged me to do the presentation of the document to Parliament on his behalf and that is what I did.
Unfortunately, today, the Hon Minister is not in Accra and we had some communication and he once again asked me to represent him on this issue.
Mr Speaker, the railway sector, indeed, brings to the fore a lot of advantages in transportation. I agree with the former Hon Minister for Roads and Highways that the railway sector is supposed to complement our road transportation network.
The railway sector is acknowledged to be safer in terms of accident rate and security much more than the road sector. The railway system is less expensive as compared to the construction of roads.
Mr Speaker, the maintenance and servicing cost is also less expensive and so, why have we, as a nation, decided to spend so much on road construction to the neglect of the
railway sector? This beats the imagination of any critical thinker, especially, those of us who know a bit about transportation planning.
If we have effective railway network and railway transportation system, it is going to really help us to hugely decongest our roads. The transportation of bulk items is safer and indeed, less expensive by rail than by road.
Mr Speaker, growing up, when the round, unsawn timber logs were in abundance in the country, once they were felled and transported to the cities, especially, Kumasi by timber trucks, they were transported to the coast by rail. Transporting fuel from the harbours inland, cocoa from the hinterland to Takoradi as well as manganese and bauxite for export were all done by rail transport. This explains why, even though we had bitumen surface roads and not asphaltic roads at the time, they lasted much longer.
So, bitumen-surfaced roads could last for about 20 years. Today, double-layered asphaltic roads cannot even last for more than 10 years yet we spend so much on them. Mr Speaker, this is the reason I am happy that we are resurrecting our rail
Mr Speaker 12:01 p.m.
Item numbered 9 -- Resolution. Hon Minister for Finance?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance could move the Resolution on behalf of the Hon Minister.
Mr Speaker 12:01 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minister?
THIS HONOURABLE 12:01 p.m.
HOUSE HEREBY 12:01 p.m.
Mr Kwame G. Agbobdza (NDC -- Adaklu) 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 12:01 p.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 10. Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee?
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Report before us would cover the substantive Motions numbered 11 and 14 so I would move the procedural Motions numbered 10 and 13 together. The Resolutions are also numbered as 12 and 15.
Mr Speaker 12:01 p.m.
Please proceed.
Suspension of Standing Order 80(1)
Chairman of the Committee (Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah) 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that
That notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which requires that no Motion shall be
debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the EKN-Backed Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Standard Chartered Bank for an amount of one hundred and thirty-eight million, two hundred and twenty-one thousand, and fifteen euros and sixty-three cents (€138,221,015.63 [including EKN insurance premium]) to finance the Sunyani Water Supply Expansion Project (Phase I) may be moved today.
AND 12:01 p.m.
Mr Kwame G. Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:01 p.m.
Hon Chairman, you may now move the substantive Motions numbered 11 and
14.
Facility Agreement between GoG/ Standard Chartered Bank
to finance the Sunyani Water Supply Expansion Project (Phase I).
Chairman of the Committee (Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah) 12:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move
That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the EKN-Backed Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and
AND 12:01 p.m.
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to second the Motion ably moved by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee and to make few comments of my own.
Mr Speaker, any time that this House approves a facility to extend potable water to our people, we should all be happy about it. Our country has signed up to the United
Nation's recommendation under the Sustainable Development Goal 6, which means that we should work in tandem with others to make sure that clean good water gets to every part of this country.
Mr Speaker, as a matter of fact, we have been doing quite well. We are told that we have more than 80 per cent coverage currently. But we can actually get to 100 per cent. We can actually get water to everybody in this country. It is not impossible. There is enough in the Volta River and everywhere to serve our country.

Mr Speaker, on record, we have finished water projects in this country before and by the time we finished we could not actually utilise the water because the source had been totally damaged and the cost of treating that water had become more than what we could do, and so that project had
rose
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member? --
Hon Members, one from each Side, so if the Hon Deputy Minority Leader wants to speak, please he should proceed.
Mr James Klutse Avedzi (NDC -- Ketu North) 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity. I also rise to support the Motion. I would like to raise one concern.
Mr Speaker, when I look at the earlier agreement that we approved for the railway line, the insurance premium component of the facility was up to 7 per cent of the supplier's credit facility.
Mr Speaker, if we take this one, out of the EKN facility of €138.2 million, the cost of the contract component is €117.6 million and the difference, which is €20.5 million is to finance the insurance premium. If you spread this over the value of the finance amount, it will give you 14.9 per cent, almost 15 per cent. If we compare it with the Sinosure premium of 7 per cent, it makes this one very expensive.
Mr Patrick Y. Boamah (NPP -- Okaikoi Central) 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe the concerns of the Hon Deputy Minority Leader would be addressed by the Hon Chairman of the Committee. I would take this opportunity to commend the Committee on Finance for taking time to present this Report.
Mr Speaker, communities as listed under paragraph 6.4 of the Report, straddle the Bono and Ahafo Regions. If we look at Sunyani and its environs, Odumasi and others are in all in Sunyani East. If we look at communities like Yamfo, Tanoso, Susuano and Afrisipakrom these are in Hon Freda Prempeh's constituency. So the naming of the
Project straddles the two regions, and I must commend Government for trying to resolve water issues within two regions by taking this very important facility.
Mr Speaker, the project duration is about 36 months, and I believe social and political commentators would not go round and say that there is nothing to show by this Administration ; this project would take about three years. A lot of work has to be done. We have to go through the value for money audit. The disbursement of the facility takes a while.
Thirdly, it was mentioned that the population of Sunyani is over 108,000. The voter population as at today in Sunyani East alone is over 120,000. If we add the populations of Sunyani West, Ahafo, Tano North and Tano South, we would have about 300,000 people within that catchment area.
Mr Speaker, Government is pursuing a Water-for-All Programme, so that by the year 2040, as my Colleague, Hon Agbodza said, we would be able to serve potable water to all the major towns and cities in this country. We were in Keta and in his constituency, but when we invited him, he was absent to inaugurate an
important project in his constituency -- [Interruption] -- my Brother would attest to the fact that --
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Members, order!
Mr Agbodza 12:21 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, my good Friend just made a comment. I have never missed an invitation of the visit of the President to Adaklu.
Indeed, the last time they were there, I sat before they came. If he did not see me, that does not mean I was not there. I was seated beside my chiefs. I was there before they came and left. The problem is that any time they come, they never give me an opportunity to say anything. So, when I go, I sit down quietly. So please, my Hon Friend, I have always been present when the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo comes to Adaklu. I was there the last time. He should please withdraw his statement.
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Member, please withdraw.
Mr P. Y. Boamah 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not see him, but I withdraw it -- [Laughter]
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Member, there would be no smiles, please withdraw.
Mr P. Y. Boamah 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have.
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
No, let me hear you. [Laughter]
Mr P. Y. Boamah 12:21 p.m.
If the Hon Agbodza takes offence to that, I withdraw it. [Laughter]
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Members, when debate is moving in a spirit of conviviality, I would encourage Hon Members to watch the mood and do not introduce acrimony. Those who are experienced would appreciate what I am saying quickly.
Mr P. Y. Boamah 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, that was a “just” and he knows it.
Mr Speaker, the terms of this facility are very good. We did not encounter any challenge, because officials from the Finance Ministry were there to explain the terms to the Committee and they were acceptable to all of us. I believe during the value- for-money audit, all the concerns that Hon James Avedzi has raised would be addressed, if need be. So, we thank the Committee for this good Report and their recommendations for approval.
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Members, at the end of the debate --
Several Hon Members -- rose --
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Hon Members, I said one from each Side, and I gave the opportunity to the Leaders to select. Now, I can see Hon Members coming up. I think I have ended this debate.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, there are issues that have to be raised for the Hon Minister to respond to. So, if you would allow the former Minister maybe a few minutes; some five minutes, and then I could conclude I would be grateful.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Yes, Hon Alhaji Fuseini?
Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini (NDC --Tamale Central) 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Mr Speaker, I thought that I would be given the opportunity for the Hon Minister to address this issue.
Mr Speaker, let me associate myself with the sentiments expressed in this House by urging Hon Members of this House to approve this facility. But there are a few matters I would want to raise.
Mr Speaker, phase 1 of the Sunyani Water Project is €133,332,500, which is made up of about €138,215,000, an EKN- backed facility.
Mr Speaker, it is interesting to note that the second component is described as a commercial loan. We are all privileged to have served in the Executive, including you. When a facility of this nature is sourced by governments, Government is enjoined to show commitment and it is described as Government of Ghana's commitment.
Mr Speaker, if the Government of Ghana finds it difficult to raise its commitments from taxes or from revenue generated internally, Government could go and take a facility for the purposes of meeting its requirement under the loan agreement.
However, with the way the Report has been captured, it is not disclosing to this House that the US$15,346,271.50 is the Government of Ghana's commitment,
and this has not been disclosed anywhere in the Report. The US$15,346,271.50 is described as a commercial facility, but that is Government of Ghana's commitment. It is about 12 per cent of the loan amount.
These commitments are normally paid from revenue generated internally. Where Government's revenue is already committed, Government could take a facility for the purposes of meeting its commitment, and it is important that the Report captures the commitment of the Government of Ghana in implementing this Report.
Mr Speaker, the second problem is that in phase 1, Engineering and Mobilisation alone which involves design of the drawings on how the expansions would be done and getting the contractors to move to site costs about €9 million. Managing the project and its financial cost is €8 million, then we put a contingency of seven per cent together with the €9 million.
Mr Speaker, it means that the project funds would be dissipated on things that are not related to the project. In fact, the preliminary and
general items constituted €9.3 million. Mr Speaker, the €9 million for engineering and mobilisation, €8 million for project management, €9 million for preliminary and general items and €9 million for contingency are all not related to the project.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:31 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, the Hon Member for Tamale Central is suggesting that the scope of works labelled Engineering and Mobilisation, for instance would not be part of the project per se.
If one would want to start a project, he would come up with designs and all the preliminary works. It is seen that in phase 2 of the project, this declined significantly to just €600,000. It tells that the €9.4 million for engineering and mobilisation would cover all of phases 1 and 2.

Phase 2 is €4 million and so you add both which is less than six per cent. This is why the venerable Hon Member for Adaklu stayed away
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Yes, Hon Fuseini?
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am speaking to legal matters. However, the good thing is that I had the opportunity to also implement contracts. When I find seven per cent contingency in the first phase, I have cause for concern, even though the Hon Member aggregated it to get less than six per cent when it is more than seven per cent.
Mr Speaker, this all I have to say for now, that we meet the dictates of the Report and that the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee, Dr Assibey-Yeboah did not answer the question why we have not described the €15 million as Government of Ghana's commitment.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to also make a few comments on this.
Mr Speaker, project being considered now is to lift the production capacity of the current system from 1.8 million gallons of water produced per day to about 12.2 million gallons of water produced every day. The increase from 1.8 million gallons to 12.2 gallons per day is really a huge increase to serve the environs of Sunyani. For that reason, that sponsors should be commended.
Mr Speaker, every human being requires basic necessities of life; food clothing, shelter. Water is counted among food. If we are talking about human development, we talk about food, including water, first before we talk about road construction. So when people begin to talk about having come to make roads and neglect to talk about human development, it is really an absurdity.
Mr Speaker, the population of Sunyani, however, we are told in the year 2000 was about 101,141. Within 10 years, the population escalated to 184,692, which was in the year 2010.
It means that, over a 10 year period, their population increased by 82.6 per cent. That is really profound.
Mr Speaker, so what is the target population that this project is projected to serve? The good news, though, is that because we now have three regions in what otherwise used to be the Brong Ahafo Region, Sunyani no longer would be the emporium for the three regions.
It then means that population growth in Sunyani would slow down. Over the next 10 years, population growth in Sunyani would slow down because Techiman is now a regional capital and the other side is Goaso. So population really is now going to be dispersed among these three regional capitals.
But as I have said, Mr Speaker, as you said, we need to know what the target is, and the United Nations has some minimum per capita water usage. In any case, the Committee that reports to us should tell us whether we are meeting the target or not. Nothing is said about that. Mr Speaker, we should be told whether we have got close to this target or perhaps, we would exceed it.
By the way, it is important to let Hon Members know that clean hygienic water is potable and not portable. Portable water is one that could be carried around. The Hon Agbodza and the Hon Chairman of the Committee are listening to me.
Mr Speaker, we are told that the distribution system of the current treatment plant totals 180 kilometres, but we are told that the distribution network of the new one would now be 165 kilometres. I cannot really understand. With the old one, the distribution network was 180 kilometres.
Why would this new one, which we are going to have to serve more, have a decreased system of 165 kilometres? I believe there are some inconsistency and I expect the Hon Chairman of the Committee to address his mind to that, and explain to us how come we would have a shortage within the network from 180 to 165 kilometres?
All said, Mr Speaker, I believe that this is a good project. Some details are required to be given to us which has not been done. Other than that, I believe this would really help elevate the living standards of the good people of Sunyani and its environs.
Question put and Motions agreed to.

numbered 12 and 15 would accordingly be taken together.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to apply for the Hon Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation to stand in for the Hon Minister for Finance and lay those Resolutions listed as items 12 and 15 on his behalf.
RESOLUTIONS 12:31 p.m.
Minister for Finance) 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move,
WHEREAS by the provisions of Article 181 of the Constitution and Sections 55 and 56 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), the terms and conditions of all government borrowings shall be laid before Parliament and shall not come into operation unless the terms and conditions are approved by a resolution of Parliament in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution;
Pursuant to the provisions of the said Article 181 of the Constitution and Sections 55 and 56 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), at the request of the Government of the Republic Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance, there has been laid before Parliament an EKN-Backed Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Standard Chartered Bank for an amount of one hundred and thirty-eight million, two hundred and twenty-one thousand fifteen euros sixty-three cents (€138,221,015.63 [including EKN insurance premium]) to finance the Sunyani Water Supply Expansion Project (Phase I).
RESOLUTION 12:31 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE 12:31 p.m.
HOUSE HEREBY 12:31 p.m.
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motions agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, where do we please move to from here?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we could take the item numbered 5 on page 2 of the Order Paper.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Item listed 5 -- Hon learned Attorney-General?
BILLS - SECOND READING 12:31 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Ben Abdallah Banda) 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion that the Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017 be read a second time, and in so doing, present your Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was laid in Parliament on 27th February, 2018 by the Hon. Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Akoto Osei on behalf of the Hon. Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in accordance with Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution.
1.2 Consequently, the Rt. Hon. Speaker referred the Bill to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report pursuant to Orders 179 of the Standing Orders.
1.3 The Rt. Hon. Speaker further directed the Leadership of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs to join the Committee to consider the Bill.
2.0 Deliberations
The Committee together with the Leadership of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs met with Officials of the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice and the Ghana Cocoa Board to consider the Bill.
The Committee expresses its profound gratitude to the Officials for assisting in the deliberations.
3.0 Reference Documents
The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations:
i. The Constitution, 1992;
ii. The Standing Orders of Parliament; and
iii. Ghana Cocoa Board Act,
1984 (PNDCL 81).
4.0 Background Information
4.1 The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) was established in March 1984 by PNDCL 81 to formulate appropriate policies to facilitate the production, processing and marketing of cocoa, coffee and shea in the country.
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to speak to the Report of the Committee but to state fundamentally that the Hon Members on the Minority side of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs had great difficulty in understanding the rationale for this amendment. The amendment is simply to re-define “Minister” to mean ‘Minister' for Agriculture.
To do so, article 106(2), particularly, 2(a) says:
“No bill, other than such a bill as referred to in paragraph (a) in article 108 of this Constitution, shall be introduced in Parliament unless --
(a)it is accompanied by an explanatory memorandum setting out in detail the policy and principles of the bill, the defects of the existing law, the
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Hon Member, hold on.
Mr William Agyapong Quaittoo 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a false statement.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Hon Member, which one?
Mr Quaittoo 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the fact that the Ministry has been operating under the Ministry of Trade and Industry for 25 years. In fact, right from the year 2008, when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won power, the operations of the COCOBOD had been under the Ministry of Finance and operating
until now when this Government thought that the issue regarding the total operations of COCOBOD had to be under --
So, it has been on paper by this law but that is not what is being practiced. It has been there and everything has been under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Till date, the Produce Buying Company (PBC) report had been chaired by the Ministry of Finance.
Mr Speaker, so, what he is saying is not --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Hon Member, your point is well made. The Hon Member's argument is that notwithstanding the fact of the law, in practice, it is the Ministry of Finance which has had oversight.
Hon Alhaji Fuseini, you may continue.
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am speaking to de jury and not de facto. PNDC law 81 puts the COCOBOD under the Ministry of Trade - if my Hon Colleague, Mr Quaittoo knows of any law that puts COCOBOD under the Ministry of Finance, he can provide the law but I am speaking on the law but not on what is on paper.
Mr Speaker, so, when the Bill was laid by our good Friend, Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and referred to us, we had great difficulty. This is because it appeared to us that there were other considerations other than the marketing of the cocoa which informs this re-alignment of the Ministry.
During the Committee hearing, one of the chief executive officers of COCOBOD who was present actually said that in their operations, they have not had any difficulty with the present arrangement. So, no defects. The only conclusion we came to was that this amendment did not need article 106 (2) (a) and was motivated by reasons other than defects in the existing arrangement. That is why we can now support this amendment.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation (Dr Anthony Akoto Osei) (MP) 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought that when my Hon Colleague was talking, he would go into retrospect to Acheampong's regime or may be, he was too young. [Interruption] -- [Laughter] -- That is why I am saying that he did not know.
Mr Speaker, during that time, Cocoa Affairs was under the Ministry of Finance under Acheampong's regime. I am told that when they had difficulties in evacuating cocoa around the years 1983/84, my good friend, the former President Rawlings, said that if marketing was a problem then maybe, trade might help in doing that.
However, in practice, I can confirm that I was with the Ministry of Finance from the year 2001 to 2008 as an advisor, Hon Deputy Minister and Minister of State. Prior to that, my good friend, Kwesi Botchwey who was in the Ministry of Finance, was also in-charge of COCOBOD because of the revenue implications.
In fact, we recalled that when we started going out for syndicate loans, the amount was so huge that it was found that if we removed COCOBOD from the Ministry of Finance, we might have difficulties, especially, if we go back to what was happening at the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC). I am sure we know why Kwesi Botchwey resigned.
Mr Speaker, the point of the fact was that, it was on the account of the Ministry of Finance and if we do not take care to put COCOBOD's
Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation (Dr Anthony Akoto Osei) (MP) 1:01 p.m.
finances under the Ministry of Finance, the whole economy was going to collapse.

So, in practice, that has been what has occurred all these years.

Mr Speaker, furthermore, this decision has nothing to do with the current Minister for Food and Agriculture. In fact, at the first Cabinet meeting, the President, because of Planting for Food and Jobs and all of that, realised that it would be better to synchronise the work of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture -- [Interruption]-- Mr Speaker, subsequent to that, my Hon Colleague would notice that the Tree Crop Development Authority, which is similar to Cocoa Board for six cash crops, has now been created also under the Ministries of Food and Agriculture so that it would synchronise.

Mr Speaker, as to the issue of marketing, --[Interruption]-- but on the issue of marketing, we know who has been doing this for all these years. Not Ministry of Trade; Cocoa Marketing Company which is a subsidiary of Cocoa Board has been doing the marketing because they

have the expertise. So, it is not the issue of only the production but the Cocoa Board itself, has the capacity to market it, and they have done that for all these years, this is why our cocoa has a premium.

So, putting all of them under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, I think is the best thing to do because as we said, this Bill was laid in 2018 and I am surprised that we are now doing it so; I think it is in order. I suspect the Committee was trying to get a unanimous decision.

They did not get it in two years but, nevertheless, the Hon Attorney- General, we are glad that you have brought this Amendment Bill and finally, Cocoa Board would be under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as it deserves.

Mr Speaker, with those few words, I thank you.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -- Banda) 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to make few comments on the Motion on the floor.
Mr Speaker, I have read through the Report; basically amending the law to re-define a Minister from the
Minister for Trade and Industry to the Minister for Food and Agriculture. Having read the entire Report, it was stated that this is in line with the Government's policy by increasing cocoa production from the current state to be able to reach one million tonnes per year. If that is the case, then, one may conclude by saying that this amendment is needless.
Mr Speaker, if it is about hitting the one million per year, the current status has ever achieved it; we have achieved one million tonnes per year under the current structure. If that is what we need, re-defining a Minister from the Minister for Trade and Industry to the Minister for Food and Agriculture cannot do the magic. And Mr Speaker, what are we saying?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Hon Member, what is the current structure?
Mr A. Ibrahim 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the current structure is that it is practically being managed by the Ministry of Finance. Mr Speaker, law says that it is supposed to be the Minister for Trade and Industry but, practically, I do not want to do that but as a Leader in this House, I know that practically, COCOBOD operates
under the Ministry of Finance from the year 2000 till now like my Hon Friend said.
Mr Speaker, so, if we are changing—
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:01 p.m.
I just wanted to relate to the current.
Mr A. Ibrahim 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, are we not changing the status quo? My point is, per the status quo, we achieved the one million tonnes target. And if that is what we want to achieve, we should continue.
Mr Speaker, and the Report also fails to mention what is going to happen for us to be able to achieve the one million tonnes target. If that is the main reason for re-defining the Minister from Trade and Industry to that of Agriculture, that is not true and that cannot be true.
Mr Speaker, to continue—
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Yes, Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs?
Mr Banda 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I urge my brother and friend to read the justification for the amendment in its
Mr Banda 1:01 p.m.


entirety but not read one bit of it and leave the other more important bits of it.

Mr Speaker, I would like to refer to paragraph 6.1, the first two lines. And which is the one of the pre- modular reasons why this amendment is being effected. It says and with your permission, I read:

“Officials of the Ghana Cocoa Board that the intended change in ministerial responsibility under the law is to properly focus cocoa production as the foremost function of the Board”.

So why should we place cocoa production under the Ministry of Trade and Industry rather than the Ministry of Food and Agriculture?
Mr Ibrahim 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my point was that in 2010/2011, with the current status, we achieved the one million tonnes target. That was my point.
My second point is that we are saying that we are going to focus on cocoa, and that is why we are proposing this amendment.
Mr Speaker, we just recently enacted the Tree Crop Development Act in this House where about six to
seven different tree crops were combined and a law was made and they were placed under the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
We are going to COCOBOD to him; if the Minister for Food and Agriculture has the magic to do it; we have given him cashew, we have given him coffee, we have given him mango; we have given him about six different tree crops, he should develop one; why should he be struggling on the developed one where he has been given seven or six different tree crops? How could he concentrate on cocoa as we are saying?
Cashew is under the Minister for Food and Agriculture; mango is under him; coffee is under him, and we are going to add cocoa. Mr Speaker, clearly —
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation?
Dr A. A. Osei 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to urge —
Mr A. Ibrahim 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker—
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Hon Member, I gave the floor to the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Dr A. A. Osei 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my good friend is part of the Leadership, I would like to plead with him that we should not personalise this matter; we should look at the logic of it -- [Interruption] -- It is the Minister responsible for Food and Agriculture, not him. Please, let us not personalise these matters. I know this is why the Minority objected but it is not very good for us to be going in that direction. It does not help all of us so; please.
Mr A. Ibrahim 1:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a very critical issue and I have a very strong point. My point is that we have enacted a law; we have combined about six or seven different crops which are new which we say we want to develop and our standard bearer is cocoa.
We want to develop cashew, coffee and mango like cocoa -- if that is the case, all these six different crops, have been given to the Ministry of Agriculture. Cocoa has already been developed and it functions very well so, the Ministry for Agriculture should concentrate on the new tree crops that have been enacted in the law and develop them into the status of cocoa. That is the point I made. However, if somebody fails to understand this simple argument -- I
am not confused and I should not be blamed. Clearly, we should not struggle over cocoa, which has already been developed. They have been given six different crops and if they cannot develop them, they should not struggle with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to --
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I rest my case.
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 1:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, since the colonial era, through the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah's time, COCOBOD, had been under the Ministry of Agriculture.
It was when we created a Ministry responsible for Cocoa Affairs, which was managed by the then Head of State Col. I. K. Acheampong that he migrated same and combined it with the Ministry of Finance, which the Head of State at the time superintended.
Col. Acheampong was the Hon Minister for Finance and he relocated the Cocoa Affairs to the Ministry and combined the two. His special assistant at the time was Dr Kwame Donkor Fordjour. So that was how come Cocoa Affairs went into the Ministry of Finance.
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 1:11 p.m.


At the time of former President Rawlings, when cocoa got stuck in the hinterlands and became difficult to retrieve and to market them in the early 1980's, he then by that design relocated it to the Ministry of Trade and Industry because the focus at the time was how to get the produce from the hinterlands and sell them. That was how come.

Today, the exigencies have changed because cocoa now has so much affliction. All of a sudden, there is an invasion of disease and pests. It has been noticed that in the attempt to fight the disease and pests, so many agrochemicals were introduced, which many of them were not tested and that again contributed significantly in the down scaling production of cocoa.

That is why in the later years of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Party, COCOBOD under Dr Opuni, then decided to cut down the trees and introduce new seedlings at the instance of Crop Research Institute.

Unfortunately, the effort that was started and nobbled by Dr Opuni was not sustainable because they did not cut down all the diseased trees. So, when they planted the new seedlings they also got affected. It is a challenge for the Ministry of Agriculture and it

is the reason why so many of the agrochemicals that were introduced which were not tried and tested, have been pulled out of the market. This is the reason it has become necessary to relocate it to the Ministry of Agriculture. So, the exigencies of the times have indicated to us as Ghanaians and indeed, to the Government that we should relocate. That is how it is.

Mr Speaker, as the Hon Member conceded, even when it was given to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, since 2009, lately, it has gone back to the Ministry of Finance, to all intents and purposes. So why did he say this? Under any event as he conceded, cocoa, is a tree crop and we have created new tree crop outfit and located it as it should be within the confines and indeed, the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture. Why should cocoa be isolated and remain with the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Trade and Industry?

Mr Speaker, his own arguments defeat the issue that he wanted to bring out. I would plead that clearly, where we are now as a nation, we need to have it relocated to the Ministry of Agriculture, to deal with things such as agrochemicals, the issue of introducing new seedlings and so on and ensure that it is nurtured -- how to tailor production, cultivation

nurturing of the seedlings until they get to maturity. This is why the Ministry of Agriculture already, has increased the number of extension officers to be with the farmers to increase production and to ensure that cultivation is done rightly.

Mr Speaker, for anybody to be confused about where we are, really is a bit baffling [Interruption] -- The Hon Member for Offinso South, Mr Banda, has chosen to be the centre of cocoa of production. The Hon Member for Adaklu, Mr Agbodza, knows that where we are now, it is the Ministry of Agriculture and using the extension officers that should guide and indeed, guard the cocoa farmers to do the appropriate thing to get us to the level of production that we want to do. There is nothing untoward about this, so we should all support this noble adventure that really would take us to the promise land.

Mr Speaker, I want to urge my Hon Colleagues who initially raised some resistance to plunge back their swords into their sheaths because this fight is unwarranted. Let us do what is needful for our cocoa farmers.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:11 p.m.
Hon Minister, do you wish to conclude?
Ms Akuffo 1:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have listened carefully to Hon Members and there is no disagreement that the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been
responsible for COCOBOD only in the status book. There is agreement both for and against that it is the Ministry of Finance as I speak, which factually and actually exercises responsibility for COCOBOD. Therefore, we should all agree that the arrangement in so far as it is a breed that the object is to allow the Ministry of Agriculture to have oversight over COCOBOD because of the work it does.
We should move away from the impression that too much has been added unto the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture. This is because the question that was posed is whether or not if the status quo is maintained, the Ministry of Trade and Industry would be a special purpose vehicle without any other function.
And for that reason we should rather seek to rectify an anomaly that has prevailed for too long and grant the amendment.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:11 p.m.
Hon Members, at the conclusion of the debate, I will put the Question.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017 accordingly read a Second time.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:11 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, what next?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we would take item numbered 6.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:11 p.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 6 by the Chairman of the Committee?
First Quarter Budgetary Performance of the Electoral Commission and Road Map
to Election 2020
Chairman of the Committee on Special Budget (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 1:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Special Budget Committee on the First Quarter Budgetary Performance of the Electoral Commission and the Road Map to Election 2020.
Mr Speaker, in doing so, I would want to submit the Report of the Special Budget Committee on the First Quarter Budgetary Performance of the Electoral Commission and the Road Map to Election 2020.
1.0. Introduction
The Special Budget Committee met with the Electoral Commission on Tuesday 16th June, 2020 in Parliament and deliberated on the second quarter performance of the Electoral Commission and the roadmap to election 2020.
The delegation of the Electoral Commission was led by the Chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensah who was supported by the two Deputy Commissioners and other officials of the Commission and reported as follows:
2.0 Presentation by the Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission informed the Committee that the Commission is poised to deliver Free, Fair and Transparent elections notwithstanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has delayed the timely take- off of some of the activities of the Commission.
The Commission further explained that most of the activities of the Commission for the 2020 financial year relate to the conduct of the 2020 General Elections. The activities include:
a.The procurement of modernised Biometric Voter Solutions
b. Procurement of registration and exhibition materials
c. Replacement of the Voter Register
d. Exhibition of the Voter Register
e. Nomination of Candidates
f. Conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
g. Gazetting of the Election Results.
To implement this programme, an amount of GH¢1,334,257,568 is required. However, the Ministry of Finance, based on its ceilings allocated an amount of GH¢1,063,157,629 to the Commission to finance its activities in 2020 resulting in a budget shortfall of
GH¢271,099,939.
For the first half of 2020, the Chairperson informed the Committee that the Commission has undertaken a number of activities namely:
a. Gazzetted CI 126 for the conduct of the registration exercise
b. Gazzetted district Registration Centres
c. Commenced the Construction of Data Centre which is about 70% complete.
d. Commenced the construction of Disaster Recovery Centre;
e. Recruited 42,623 temporary staff and 201 permanent Staff;
f. Procured and dispatched to the regions, the under listed quantities of registration materials:
i.20,000,000 Special Registration Form (Form
A1)
ii. 20,000,000 Registration Forms (Form 1C)
iii.20,000,000 Cold Laminates
iv. 128,000 Thumb Print Pads;
Chairman of the Committee on Special Budget (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 5 p.m.
Further on, the Commission assured to provide spare kits which would be readily available as backup to replace faulty kits instead of repairing them to cause any stagnation in the registration process at any particular centre.
4.7. Pilot Registration and Performance of Registration Kits
On the challenges encountered during the pilot registration, the Commission informed the Committee that it used the newly acquired enhanced biometric Registration kits during the pilot registration. The Commission explained that the purpose of the pilot registration was to test the performance of the registration kits in the field prior to the nationwide roil out.
Addressing concerns about delays in the registration process, the Chairperson of the Commission explained that the registration kits were expected to register a maximum of 100 persons per day at peak performance. However, during the pilot, an average of 83 persons were registered per day. She explained that the pilot registration was conducted for 8 hours each day from 9:00 am to

On the measure they have put in place to ensure that every person get registered at polling stations with large numbers, the Commission explained

that the main registration is expected to last for 11 hours i.e from 7:00 am to 6:00pm, an average of 100 persons per day is expected. The Commission was of the view that the pilot registration exercise was very successful. The only challenge encountered was the failure of one registration kit.

4.8. Full Complement of Machines

On whether the Commission has the full complement of equipment for a nationwide roll out of the registration exercise, the Commission informed the Committee that, registration will be conducted in phases beginning with 6,750 registration centres.

The Committee was informed that the registration will be done in clusters with each district divided into five clusters and each phase covering 6,700 registration centres. On what programme the Commission has put in place to ensure persons quarantined or locked-out outside the country due to the closure of the country's borders to enable them register, the Commission explained that the Commission will work with the GHS to register persons under quarantine. For persons stranded outside the country, the Commission said Mop- ups would be done and they hoped those outside the country would have returned by then to be covered.

On what the Commission intends to do to ensure the implementation of ROPAA, The Deputy Commission hinted that the Commission is working on a new CI which will be laid in Parliament. If it is passed, the Commission would act to implement the ROPAA.

4.9. Financing the Commission

The Chairperson explained that funding is the greatest challenge of the Commission. Sometimes the Commission is unable to access funds from the Controller after the issuance of a warrant from the Ministry of Finance.

4.10. Procurement of Operational vehicles

The Chairperson informed the Committee that the Commission has procured 6 haulage trucks for the new regions, 65 pick-up trucks to augment its fleet, provided all regional directors and deputies with new vehicles and some senior staff at the head office.

5.0. Conclusion

The Committee is generally satisfied with the level of preparedness of the Electoral Commission for the conduct of the voter registration exercise and the 2020 Presidential and General

Elections. The Committee however noted that the Commission is operating with a very tight schedule and

urged the Commission to strictly adhere to its roadmap to ensure a successful voter registration exercise. The Committee therefore strongly urges the Finance Minister to ensure the release of the outstanding Gh¢329million carried from 2019 to enable the Commission provide all the relevant equipment and devices for the successful conduct of the Election

2020.

It is important to state that the Minority Leader on behalf of the Minority Members on the Committee stated for the record that the official position of the NDC remains that the party is against any new wholesale registration exercise.

Duly Submitted.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC-- Banda) 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and in doing so make some few comments about the Report.
Mr Speaker, as a Member of the Special Budget Committee, I strongly believe that the call for the Special Budget Committee to meet with the
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Leader, do you not think we should move on? The facts have spoken for itself.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, because it is in the Report I have to highlight it so that somebody would not say that the Minority
Leader said the position of the Minority side remained the same. I have said we have passed that stage but this is why he said so. I do not want to say we told you so even though the “we told you so” position has been created.
Mr Speaker, but here we are now; we have no option than to call on the Minister for Finance because December 7, 2020 is a day. So, whatever challenge the Electoral Commission is facing, be it funding or limited resources, there should be no argument about whether the GH¢271 million should be released to the Electoral Commission or not. It is a must because the Electoral Commissioner said that without that money she may not be able to go ahead to implement some of her activities.
Mr Speaker, peace is of essence to us and therefore whatever moneys would be given to the Electoral Commission to organise a free, fair and transparent election on December 7, 2020 must be given. The challenge was that apart from the GH¢ 1,063,000,000 budget that was passed here, the Electoral Commissioner said she needed the additional GH¢271 million which was ring-fenced in 2019.
Mr Speaker, so, the Special Budget Committee was of the view that truly she needed that money and therefore we would make this Report here and lay emphasis on that portion of the money for the GH¢271 million to be given to the Commission in addition to the GH¢1,063,000,000 budget that was approved in this House.
Mr Speaker, we have barely 61 days and the Report, as I said, is four months old. We do not know whether the money has been released or not. But if it has not been released -
Mr Speaker, when I saw this on the Order Paper and I thought that we were going to move this Motion, when the Leader of the House said the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation should perform an activity on behalf of the Minister for Finance, I wanted the presence of the Minister for Finance, or at least one of his deputies to witness what is happening. I believe that they would see the Hansard and would be able to implement same.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader should know that this five weeks that we would be here, this is a critical issue that we would be raising. The signal must be sent to the Minister for Finance because we cannot just be talking. As I talk now,
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:41 p.m.
Hon Agbodza?
Mr Kwame G. Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 1:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Report as presented to us by the Hon Leader.
First of all, I am not a member of the Committee but glancing through the Report, I must say that indeed the Report represents what transpired at the meeting. I attended the Committee's meeting and I am happy to note that most of the issues that were discussed including the few
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:41 p.m.
Hon Leader?
Mr Moses Anim (NPP -- Trobu) 1:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to support the Motion on the Floor.
It is not in doubt that the constitutional responsibility given to the EC is what they are pursuing and as a House we are supporting and carrying out our oversight responsibility through the Special Budget Committee. Mr Speaker, I am so happy because when you look at paragraph 4.2, a lot of savings have been made by the EC for the State
and I think we should commend them as well as commend the Special Budget Committee for supporting and helping the EC in this. As reported, paragraph 4.2 indicates that if we were to refurbish the existing data centre, it would cost us US$15 million. However, out of the ingenuity and agreement entered by the EC, the new data centre and the recovery centre would cost us US$7.3 million, that is, US$6.1 million for the data centre and US$1.2 million for the recovery centre. This is huge savings for the State.
Mr Speaker, for maintenance, the Report states that the maintenance fee cost the country US$4 million per year for seven years. The Report indicates that the EC out of its agreement is now quoting US$1.3 million for maintenance fee for three years. This is another huge savings for mother Ghana and the list goes on and on.
Mr Speaker, I want to believe that in ensuring free and fair elections, as subscribed to by the Constitution and the responsibility adduced to the EC, it is also a responsibility for all Ghanaians to partake of it. As a Parliament and through the Special Budget Committee that oversees the EC, our role must also be performed in guiding and working out for the EC. I quite remember that the Hon
Majority Leader had previously supported through the Special Budget Committee to slash a budget that was earlier presented by the EC.
Our works as a Parliament in that direction must also be commended by the people of Ghana that but for Parliament, maybe some of these value for money issues would not have come up.

Yes, the Electoral Commission, as a human institution would definitely have challenges. After all, if there are no challenges, there would not be life. Life is full of challenges but the most important aspect is our ability to surmount those challenges and help each other to solve the problems.

Mr Speaker, we are poised for the 7th December election. In the midst of COVID-19 and all the challenges it posed, at a point it was becoming difficult to even say that we are really going to have the elections in 2020.

By the grace of God and the quality leadership of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the quality leadership of Parliament -- the Speakership, the Leadership, Members and our resilience in standing in at all these times -- even
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:51 p.m.
Can I put the Question as nothing new is being said?
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:51 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 1:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to express some concerns from the Report.
Mr Speaker, the Report says that the Special Budget Committee met on the 16 th of June, 2020. Understandably, that was before the registration exercise but the question was asked of the Electoral Commission. The Report does not say that the Electoral Commission answered the question -- and this can be found on page 13 -- on whether the Commission has the full complement of equipment for the nation-wide rollout of the registration exercise. So the Special Budget Committee wanted to know whether the Electoral Commission had the full complement of equipment.
Mr Speaker, I have read paragraph 4.8 two times; I did not see an answer in the affirmative and that is very important.
Mr Speaker, also, I see that the Committee has recommended that 329 million being carried over from the 2019 Budget be paid to the Electoral Commission. I am just wondering whether the Special Budget Committee adverted their minds to the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and particularly the provisions of the Act which mandates Departments, Agencies and Ministries to return unspent amounts of money one month after the year to which the budget relates. That is, if they are unable to
spend that money by the end of January of the succeeding year, that money must be returned to chest and they are no longer entitled to that money. We have 329 million of 2019, so many months after January has passed, which can still be money that the Electoral Commission thinks it is entitled to. These are the two issues I wanted to raise.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader would recall that when I had the opportunity to join the Special Budget Committee, I raised this matter again. This is because I do not see how the Electoral Commission can lay claim. The one-month gap is given for commitments. If there are commitments on the previous year, all those commitments must be settled in the first month of the following year and thereafter they are not entitled to the money again. So whether or not there were release of this money which could impact adversely on the operations of the Electoral Commission, we would want to know.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, to respond quickly to some of the issues raised by my Hon Colleagues -- and it is important. This last one which has been raised by the Hon Member for Tamale Central, the
329 million is the re-commitment by the Electoral Commission in 2019. The amount was not released. It was in respect of the procurement of the biometric registration devices and the biometric verification devices.
The amount was not released so the whole procurement stalled and in the new allocation to them, that was not factored into it. So we asked the Hon Minister for Finance way back in December, 2019 to avail that amount to the Commission. So this is just reiterating what we said at the time. It was even in the Report of the Special Budget Committee for the budget of 2020 of the Commission. It was just to reiterate the position of the Commission and the Committee.
Mr Speaker, the issue raised by the Deputy Whip -- as I indicated, the call to meet the Electoral Commission was done by the Hon Minority Leader at the Business Committee meeting and he requested that we meet the Commission at the level of the Special Budget Committee.
It was not by the Whip; it was the Hon Minority Leader. When we came to plenary, the Hon Minority Leader raised the issue again here in plenary. In contributing further, the Chief Whip then said that perhaps we should even meet in plenary and not at the Special Budget Committee meeting. That was
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:01 p.m.
it. So first, the call did not come from the Chief Whip but from the Hon Minority Leader who said we should meet at the Special Budget Committee. First, it was raised at the Committee level and in plenary he repeated himself.
Mr Speaker, the Minority Chief Whip added another dimension to the effect that perhaps, after meeting there, we should come and meet here. Mr Speaker, but the exigencies of the time -- when we sent the notice to them, it was even difficult to get all of them and we insisted that we wanted the Commission Chair to be part of the meeting. So it is the reason we chose the first option to meet them there and if there were some extra issues, then we would come to plenary.
Mr Speaker, unfortunately, time would not permit and as you recall, even though this Report was done way back in June, finding space because of our own schedule to have this Report discussed became a difficulty because of the Bills that we were passing at the time. So it is not through the fault of the Commission and I would not say it is through the fault of the Special Budget Committee but it is because the work schedule at plenary did not afford us space to deal with the matter at the time.
So, it is a bit late in the day but I guess it is not too late. We learn useful lessons going forward to improve our lot. The other issue raised by the Hon Member for Tamale Central relates to the question he says it remains unanswered. That question was answered. Unfortunately, I just looked at the Report.
I think the Report was deficient in that. The answer supplied by the Commission was not included here. At the time, they had not been able to -- even though procurement had been done, they had not had access to do all of them. They had not all arrived in the country. That is why they intended to do them in phases. That was the response that the Commission gave to us at the Committee level.
Mr Speaker, funding, I should say, remains a challenge to the Commission even as we speak this challenge is pervasive.

Since the beginning of the conduct of elections here in Ghana, every election year, the Commission has always complained. I remember one time Dr Afari Gyan was so desperate that he threatened leaving a meeting that we were holding. At the time, Dr

Akoto Osei was the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, and Dr Afari Gyan threatened to leave the meeting we were having.

One, because we thought some of the requests were outrageous, in particular, they were making a request for the release of some funds to embark on HIV/AIDs campaign. We said that was not the remit of the Electoral Commission; it was for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), but he insisted that given their high profile and what they were going to do, they thought it was still necessary for them; it would not be a waste of funds, if we added on that aspect to their voter education. We disagreed, and as I said, at a point, he threatened to leave the place.

But even without that, there were challenges related to some other procurement issues.

Mr Speaker, I believe that, going forward, maybe, the House should take a position that in election years, once we agree on the budget allocation to the Commission, at least, the amount that they require for the conduct of the presidential and general elections should be ring- fenced to the Electoral Commission and made available to them as and

when they make a request. I think, going forward, that is what would save us. Other than that, we would still be grappling with this situation in any election year, and it is not good enough. We must take a decision on this and I believe that will save all of us any embarrassment.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minority Whip raised issues about the final register. I agree with him. I think, ideally, before we file, the final certificated register --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, kindly hold on.
Hon Members, having regard to the state of the Business of the House, I direct that the House Sits outside the regular Sitting hours.
Hon Majority Leader, you may continue?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
I was saying that ideally before we file our nominations, the political parties should be served with the final certificated voters' register because the issue that he raised is germane. What if the final certificate comes out and it is found out that persons who might have nominated him are not eligible to vote? It will not be through
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe that the only item left now is the Complementary Education Agency Bill. We have agreed that we cannot handle it now. We will handle it from tomorrow. In that regard, if it is possible, I would want to meet the standing winnowing committee to go through it, and then tomorrow we can begin in earnest.
Mr Speaker, it is after 2.00 p.m., you could adjourn the House on your own accord.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Whip?
Mr I. Ahmed 2:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you. Ordinarily, after the Hon Majority Leader has spoken, I will not speak. But because of some pressing issues. I believe as Whips, we need to have an early -- either Committee of the Whole or -- not only the winnowing, because we need the
numbers as well. So, at least, leadership may have to find a way to meet with the Hon Minister for Finance for us to know their activities and programmes, so that we can programme in such a way that, when we are signing the leave of absence, we know how to go about it. But we have only five weeks -- [Interruption] -- the Hon Leader said he informed us of all these yesterday.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
Hon Member, yesterday, we discussed
these at leadership meeting and on the Floor of the House.
Mr I. Ahmed 2:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you. I was not here yesterday.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
The House is accordingly adjourned to tomorrow.
ADJOURNMENT 2:01 p.m.