Debates of 9 Jun 2021

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:51 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:51 a.m.
Hon Members, I would take the item numbered 2 on today's Order Paper -- Formal Communication by the Speaker.
Hon Members, I am going to make a statement on a very important matter. This statement is meant to throw light on the enforcement of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 11:51 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:51 a.m.
Hon Members, a matter of concern and public interest has recently been brought to my attention by the Judicial Service, which requires me to make this statement to throw more light as a sequel to the
circular issued by the Chief Justice, and a guide to Hon Members of Parliament, the Clerk to Parliament and the general public.
As Hon Members are aware, the 1992 Constitution has provided for the Speaker, all Hon Members of Parliament and the Clerk-to- Parliament privileges and immunities which are absolutely necessary for the due execution of the functions and the powers of Parliament.
These privileges are special rights enjoyed by the House collectively as a whole and by Hon Members individually, without which the Hon Members could not discharge their functions, and these privileges exceed those enjoyed by other bodies or individuals. This is to ensure that the Legislature is able to carry out its Constitutional duties without let or hindrance from judicial processes.
Hon Members, one of such privileges and immunities is contained in article 117 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides, and I quote:
“Civil or criminal process coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on, or executed in
relation to, the Speaker or member or the Clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament.”
Hon Members, in the seminar and induction workshop for Hon Members of this House, the Hon First Deputy Speaker dealt with this subject matter extensively as the resource person, but it seems to me that much still has to be done on this matter.
I say this because my attention has been drawn recently to the attempts by some Hon Members of Parliament to decline or evade service of court processes and documents while Parliament was on recess, and the Hon Members were not on their way to, attending at, or returning from any proceedings of the Parliament.
This situation has led to some confrontation with court process servers while some Justices have had to resort to the issuance of substituted service orders to ensure the smooth adjudication of cases before them. I also got to know that some Hon Members were arraigned before the court and charged with various
offences without any notice to the Rt Hon Speaker. This conduct is an aberration and should not be repeated.
Hon Members, we are all in agreement that the three coordinate Arms of Government, while acting independently, must operate as an organic whole with due regard and respect to each other to ensure an equilibrium in the governance architecture and for the protection of the rule of law and the constitutional order.
Hon Members, I would want to say a few things about the scope and enforcement of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution.
Hon Members, the operational term in Article 117which is worth noting is that the immunity granted by the Constitution to specific functionaries of Parliament is only to be exercised when a functionary “is on his way to, attending at, or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament.” In other words, Hon Members of Parliament may only avail themselves of this immunity when Parliament is in Session. Proceedings of the House has been defined to also include Sittings, meetings and activities of Parliament and its Committees.
Mr Speaker 12:01 p.m.


Furthermore, article 118 (1) of the 1992 Consti tution provides and I quote:

“ Nei ther the Speaker, nor a member of, nor the Clerk to, Parliament shall be compelled, whi le attending Parl iament to appear as a witness in any court or place out of Parliament”

Clause (2) of article 118 provides, and I quote:

“ The certif icate of the Speaker that a member or the Clerk is attending the proceedings of Par l i ament i s concl usi ve evi dence of attendance at Parliament” .

T hese prov i si ons have unfortunately, in some instances, been disregarded by some Court off icials. I ndeed, Speakers of prev i ous Parl iaments have sought to provide guidance on the enforcement of these provisions, and have ensured that service of processes from outside Parl iament on Hon M embers have been effected with the permission of the Speaker.

W hi l e the enf orcement and appl ication of the provisions in article118 of the 1992 Constitution

have largely been without incident, the enforcement and application of article 117 has been fraught with challenges.

As Speaker of the Eighth Parliament, I received a flood of requests for the service of processes on Hon Members of Parliament (MPs) and in some cases, process servers attempted to serve Hon Members in the precincts of Parliament during the First Meeting which processes had to be returned to the registrars.

To ensure that this situation is contained, I had cause to formally write to draw the attention of His Lordship the Chief Justice, to the non- compliance with these provisions by officers of the Judicial Service.

In a letter dated 19th February, 2021, and addressed to the Chief Justice and head of the Judicial Service, I indicated my strongest reservations with the attempt by officers of the Judicial Service to serve court processes on some Hon MPs, the Clerk to Parliament and the Speaker of Parliament while these office holders were attending to the proceedings of Parliament at the precincts of Parliament when Parliament was in Session.

I did not take kindly to that conduct, and highlighted same to His Lordship the Chief Justice. Such conduct, in my view, is unlawful, unconstitutional, and amounted to an interference with the work of Parliament and is not to be countenanced.

The Chief Justice by a letter dated 22nd February, 2021, respectfully acknowledged these breaches of the 1992 Constitution by officers of the Judicial Service, and reiterated the position I have just outlined. He went further to assure me of his immediate action to halt the practice. He proceeded to do just that in a circular, and provided me with a copy of the circular which directed that the provisions in articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution be respected by all Judges and Court officials.

The circular further reminded Court officials that the Speaker, MPs and the Clerk to Parliament shall not be served with any process of any Court or compelled to appear as a witness in any Court unless Parliament is not in Session or the Speaker so certifies that the office holder in question is not on his way to, attending at, or returning from any proceedings of Parliament.

The circular from His Lordship the Chief Justice ensured that during the remaining days of the First Meeting of Parliament, Hon Members at the precincts of Parliament were not inundated with processes from the Courts. On your behalf and on my part, I extended our gratitude to the Chief Justice for that singular intervention.

As Hon Members are aware, as far back as the 1969 Constitution, when these provisions were first introduced in our democracy, the 1968 Constitutional Commission Report justified the need for parliamentary immunity from arrest and the service of Court processes by maintaining that such immunity ensures Hon MPs are not distracted by arrest and detention while they are on their way to, attending at, or returning from any proceeding of Parliament.

The Commission further noted that the immunity should not be made to cover serious offences such as treason, sedition and felony, or to apply to alleged offences committed in flagrante delicto. The Commission proposed that civil or criminal processes issuing from the Courts or place out of Parliament could be served on Hon Members
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Member will not accept the service but direct the person trying to effect the service to see the Speaker of Parliament.
Seven, where the official insists on serving the process on the Hon Member, the Hon Member may notify the Speaker of the service. And where the Speaker has ascertained that the Hon Member is attending to the Business of Parliament, the Speaker would direct that the process be returned to the Registrar of the Court in compliance with article 117 of the 1992 Constitution.
Eight, where an Hon Member accepts service of a process, and has entered appearance, the Hon Member is said to have become a party to an action which would thus not be covered by the immunities provided under articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution as rightly held by the learned Justice of the High Court in the case of the Republic vs Mahama Ayariga and others (2019 case unreported).
Nine, despite this ruling, a practice is developing between the Judiciary and the Legislature out of mutual respect on where the Court accepts request from Parliament to schedule hearings on days and times that would not clash with a plenary Sitting of
Parliament. And on a number of occasions, the Court has accepted a letter from Mr Speaker for adjournment of matters pending in Court, subject to the convenience of the Court due to the fact that Hon Members are attending to critical or urgent business of the House. This practice, I believe, will continue to guide this grey area with the 1992 Constitution.
Ten, Hon Members, I urge you all to accord the members of the Judiciary and the Judicial Service the utmost respect, decency and the decorum they deserve. It has taken a long period of history; it has taken experiential learning which was full of lessons and efforts to achieve a cordial and harmonious relationship between the Judiciary and the Legislature. We should treasure that cordial relationship and desist from jeopardising it with actions or inactions which are not well-thought through.
Lastly, , I trust that this Statement provides a guide to ensure that these peculiar rights enjoyed by the House collectively and by Hon Members individually as stated in the 1992 Constitution, are respected and due care is taken not to impede or obstruct the administration of justice in the Republic.
Judges and Judicial officers must be free to administer justice without let or hindrance; ill will or affection.
I will like to thank Hon Members for your attention that I have taken time to state these principles in consultation with the Judiciary and I want this to be given the highest publication for the guidance of the public and particularly, the Ghana Police Service as to how to conduct their activities when it comes to Members of Parliament.
As I sit here, I gathered information that some Members who were arrested were also prosecuted and they are before Court without any notice to the Speaker. This cannot continue; even when an Hon Member is alleged to have committed an offence and being investigated, the Speaker must be given notice because some of the rights that we have are termed immunities, and those immunities are absolute.

For example, in Parliament, during the course of plenary, whatever you say here is absolutely protected by law and you are immune from any process outside Parliament. That is why the Speaker's certificate and intervention are necessary because

the Speaker would have to be given the opportunity to know why the Hon Member is being investigated or arrested. When it is one of the absolute immunities, the intervention of the Speaker will stop, abate or prevent the Hon Member from being prosecuted.

I am, however, aware that some of our Hon Members are before Court now without notice to the Speaker, and I am taking action to make sure that these things come to my notice. We will take action to make sure that Hon Members are protected in the performance of their constitutional duties. We need Members of Parliament (MP) for good reason.

There are critical decisions that are to be taken on some days where we need not less than two-thirds of Hon Members' approval before they can pass through. So, if we allow the law enforcement bodies to pick Hon Members at will and detain or interrogate them outside plenary sessions, it would affect the Business of the House. It would not only affect the Business of the House, but also the Business of Government and the progress of our nation.

So, even though MPs are not above the law, we pass the law and must show leadership in the enforcement
Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for a very succinct and lucid position which, in my view, seeks to strengthen the checks and balances within the separation of powers envisaged in the 1992 Constitution between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
I am particularly happy that you have stated emphatically, that this House and yourself have no intention to obstruct the administration of justice. You also insisted that the letter and spirit of the Constitution in articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution are respected, and that no process is served on the Speaker, an Hon Member of Parliament or the Clerk- to-Parliament, while we are performing our duties.
Mr Speaker, I do not intend to comment much because even parliamentary jurisprudence would have raised other critical and fundamental questions as to when a Member is in the constituency. While there, he is still exercising a function as a representative of the people in the discharge of some duties in the constituency.
When an MP is undertaking a duty on behalf of Parliament at the Committee level, that also imposes an onerous responsibility on that MP. Certainly, there must be limitations to our quest for our immunity and privileges to be respected. We are certainly not above the law and are entitled to be subjected to due process of the law at all times. The Judiciary as an organ of Government which is the independent adjudicator must respect the Legislature and respect the men and women elected.
Mr Speaker, indeed, it is our pride that apart from the President, we are the only elected representatives of the people. That is why sometimes, I find it even worrying when Judges debate whether an MP should be admitted to bail or not? Reading the law, in my view, just the title of MP, a representative of the people, qualifies a MP to self-recognisance bail.
Mr Speaker, this is because I am minded by some ruling of our Courts, that the denial of bail should never be used as a punishment. That is the position of the Court on this matter. So, I thank you for a very lucid and succinct judgment.
I trust that in the interest of cooperation and safeguarding the limitations of our powers and mandate as found in articles 57 and 58 of the 1992 Constitution for the Executive; articles 125 to 144 of the 1992 Constitution for the Judiciary and articles 93 to 112 of the 1992 Constitution for the Legislature, you are only seeking that we respect the principle and notion of separation of powers and the checks and balances that are envisaged, so that we would govern well and that no other organ of State would exercise excess power over the other.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 12:21 p.m.
Yes, the Majority Bench.
Majority Chief Whip (Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh) 12:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me begin by commending your outfit. Ordinarily, one would not wish to comment on such a well-received Statement or ruling which Mr Speaker has taken time to put together.
Mr Speaker, you are a respected lawyer and also a very respected legislator. You have seen it all and you have a reason to put these matters in context, particularly in the form of a Statement which you have delivered on the floor of the House.
Truth be told, I am not too old in this Chamber but I think that many of us have had instance to complain in one way or the other about these privileges as stipulated in law. This is especially so when these provisions in the law are enforced and the challenges that we go through. So Mr Speaker, you could not have said it better and you nailed it right on the head. It is important that we take it from here and respect all the parameters and variables involved, especially other institutions of State.
Mr Speaker, you could not have said it any better when you mentioned specifically, the Ghana Police Service who come in with the enforcement of
Majority Chief Whip (Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh) 12:31 p.m.
the law, that these matters would have to be taken in good stride. I also commend you particularly for the prior correspondence you had with the Chief Justice and the outfit of the Judiciary in seeking to put matters in proper context.

Truth be told, we are not seeking any special consideration to be given to Members of Parliament because we are special breeds of Ghanaians. No! We are respecting the fundamental provisions of our law. Truth is we must reflect the law and Members of Parliament must reflect the true jurisprudence of the law. So, it is only fair that we should set the rightful example for others to follow.

Mr Speaker, the three arms of government are distinct and it is identified by law. They are distinct but they are supposed to play a complementary role. It is important that we all bring our minds to this. The provisions in articles 117 and 118 are clear that we do not need any interpretation from the Law CourtS. These things are clear and over the years, the interpretation of these have become quite fundamental and it is known. So, it is something that we do not have to hassle about.

Mr Speaker, as you narrated instances where some members who are involved in the enforcement of the law, practitioners of the law and Members of Parliament have gone through a number of instances which you have taken your time to narrate some of which are quite regrettable and we cannot continue on this lane forever.

It is important this matter has come up but I think that the Public Relations Department and Parliament as a corporate entity would have to take this matter up. We cannot continuously be appealing to the media to be talking about these and also educating the public. We also have an onerous responsibility to take this matter up and educate the general public for them to appreciate the nuance involved in all these provisions that are found in the law.

Mr Speaker, I think that this is A very important day for us as Parliament, as an institution but importantly for Ghanaians to appreciate all these matters on many occasions, these matters have come up in the media and people have failed to appreciate it in all its nuance and have tend to easily conclude Members of Parliament are demanding for some special treatment. It is not the case; it is the

case of respecting the provisions of our Constitution and also reflecting the true jurisprudence of the law.

Mr Speaker, I would want to thank you for this important Statement and I am very confident that the media would take this matter up and as we go into the day, it would become a subject of discussion for the generality of the people of this country to come to appreciate what the matters indeed are. I thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Hon Members, once again, I thank your attention. This is really a very serious issue and I would want all of you to show leadership in this matter. Let us conduct ourselves as Hon Members of Parliament because you are an embodiment of millions of people and the mandate of those people reside in you.
The mandate of the State resides in the President but the people are looking up to us and that is why they elect us to make sure that the resources that are at the disposal of H.E. the President are utilized in such a way that it improves the lives of our people. So, it is an onerous
responsibility and that is why these rights we refer to as privileges and immunities are accorded Members of Parliament.
Never forget that even when H.E. the President is elected, he is sworn in Parliament before Members of Parliament and he is sworn by the Chief Justice on the invitation of Parliament to do so. The Speaker himself is sworn in Parliament by the Chief Justice. So, when we talk about the most important arm of government in a democracy it is the institution of Parliament, the Legislature.
Nobody else is sworn anywhere as a leader of the arm except the independence of the Judiciary which is guaranteed. The Chief Justice is not sworn in Parliament before Members of Parliament and that is to guarantee the independence of the Judiciary. But the Chief Justice who is the Head of the Judiciary responds to the invitation of Parliament to perform the duty of swearing in the President and the Speaker in Parliament before Members of Parliament. That symbolic act and concept must not be lost on us as a nation.
Where we have a weak Parliament, democracy also becomes weak and the people are let loose. The human
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
We would move on to the next item on the Order Paper which is item numbered 3, Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report. We do not have copies of any Official Report but I think that Hon Members would have a copy of the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 8th June, 2021.
Page 1 -- 4
There is no page 5 in the copy that I have. I do not know whether Members have page 5. Is there page 5? All right.
Page 5 -- 8?
Mr Davis Ansah Opoku 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 8, item numbered 4, sub-numbered 2, Hon Acheampong
Bryan was present yesterday in the Chamber but he has been marked absent.
Mr Speaker 12:31 p.m.
Hon Member, the issue you raised is that Hon Bryan Acheampong was present in Parliament yesterday but he has been marked absent.
Mr Ansah Opoku 12:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, please.
Mr Speaker 12:41 p.m.
Table Office, kindly take note.
Page 9 -- 12

Page 12, 13 … 20.

Hon Members, in the absence of any further corrections, the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 8th June, 2021 as corrected is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

Hon Members, at item numbered 4, we have Questions. There are two Urgent Questions to be answered by the Hon Minister for Food and Agriculture. So, we will take that before we move to Statements; there are a few of them to be made by Hon Members.
URGENT QUESTIONS 12:41 p.m.
MINISTRY OF FOOD AND 12:41 p.m.
AGRICULTURE 12:41 p.m.
Mr Eric Afful (NPP -- Amenfi West) 12:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture when the Government would release money to pay the affected cocoa farmers whose farms have been engaged by the Ghana COCOBOD for the programme of rehabilitation of over-aged cocoa farms in Ghana having regard to the season.
Minister for Food and Agriculture (Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto) 12:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, COCOBOD targeted a total of 91,400 hectares of diseased cocoa farms for rehabilitation with financing from the African Development Bank and the credit Suisse of Switzerland. The rehabilitation entails treatment and replanting of cocoa affected by the cocoa swollen shoot virus.
In the current year 2021, COCOBOD has covered a total of 22,375.25 hectares of cocoa farms under the rehabilitation programme. A total amount of
GH¢10,310,681.54 has been paid to 11,289 affected farms. Equally, 410 landowners with a total land size of 545.48 hectares of cocoa farms have been compensated for with an amount of GH¢454,480 at the time of reporting. Processes are still underway to pay additional landowners in due course.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture fully appreciates that a delay in payment of compensation to farms under the rehabilitation programme endangers mistrust. This could adversely affect programme implementation and sustenance of the cocoa industry. Being mindful of this, my Ministry is committed to ensuring that payment of compensations are on time and are made to deserving farmers.
To achieve this, there should be demonstrated transparency and due diligence for compensation payments. For purposes of transparency and proper scrutiny to determine eligibility and proper application of the facility, affected farmers have been briefed about the necessary processes precedent for paying their benefits.
These are seven items; first, the measurement of treated farms at the District level with GPS to establish farm areas affected for rehabilitation. Secondly, the education at the District Cartography Department to ensure that the farm is within a cocoa swollen

shoot virus disease outbreak area. Thirdly, authentication of information by District cocoa officers for the attention of the Regional offices.

Fourthly, verification of documents from District cocoa officers by regional team to confirm existence of the treated cocoa farms using monitoring software to avoid duplication. Fifthly, submission of authenticated documents to COCOBOD head office for payment.

Sixthly, verification of documents by head office team to confirm existence of the treated plants as a condition for initiating the payment processes. Finally, authentication of documents by executive director of cocoa health and extension division of COCOBOD prior to authorisation of payment to affected farmers.

Mr Speaker, these are the processes that one has to go through before any farmer is paid. It may sound cumbersome but it is important that we go through this process to ensure that farmers are duly paid.
Mr Speaker 12:41 p.m.
Hon Member, do you have any supplementary questions?
Mr Afful 12:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes I have two supplementary questions. The first one is; can the Hon Minister state the estimated time when the payments would be made to the farmers?
Dr Akoto 12:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I could barely hear the question.
Mr Speaker 12:41 p.m.
Hon Member, could you please repeat your question?
Mr Afful 12:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to know from the Hon Minister if he could state the estimated time when payment would be made to the affected farmers?
Dr Akoto 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, going through the seven steps of verification takes some time. This is because we are talking about three different steps of verification to ensure that the right farmer is paid what is due him.

So I would have to check from COCOBOD the number of days or weeks the whole process would take; from cutting the trees on the farm and when the farmer would actually be paid. But as the Hon Member said, half of the amount due to the 11,000 affected farmers have been paid as we speak today.
Mr Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Any further supplementary question?
Mr Afful 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this programme is purely an investment venture by the COCOBOD and for that matter, the government. I would like to know from the Hon Minister what would be the expected returns that would accrue to the nation after the programme?
Dr Akoto 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am sure the Hon Member of Parliament is aware of the devastation that is being caused by the Swollen Shoot Disease especially in the Western North region where production of cocoa has dropped by more than half in the last five years. Obviously, if we were to get back to the 350,000 metric tonnes of cocoa produced in that region alone, which has now dropped to less than 200,000, then at least we would add 150,000 metric tonnes and bring it back to the level it was before the devastation.
Mr Speaker, I cannot give a specific figure but if we multiply 150,000 metric tonnes of gains from this programme to the produce from only Western North Region, at today's world price of US$2,300 per metric tonne, it would give us an idea of how the country would benefit from this programme.
Mr Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Hon Majority Chief Whip?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to know from the Hon Minister the methodology that has been adopted in the rehabilitation exercise; whether it is not skewed or broad-based and all- encompassing?
Dr Akoto 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as I just mentioned, the devastation is regional- based and the eye of the storm is the Western North region, but it goes as far as Ashanti, Eastern and Central regions. This is a virus just like the COVID-19; it is very dangerous and spreads exponentially and if we leave one tree unattended to, it would come back to haunt us.
So, the COCOBOD staff on the ground who have been trained to diagnose the trees that have been affected, regardless of ownership and so on, have accurate data as to where the disease is prevailing. The scheme is to move in a very continuous manner; they move from one area to the other, cut the trees and replant new hybrid seedlings.
Mr Speaker, they also supply the farmers with shade trees and plantain trees to give shade to the seedlings. This is being done across board and we hope that in the next three to five
rose
Mr Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Do you want to ask another supplementary question?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if you would indulge me. It would be the last question.
Mr Speaker 12:51 p.m.
You are not entitled to more than one, but I would indulge you because you are an Hon Leader.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I appreciate it.
First of all, the cutting down of cocoa trees has some inherent risks -- and I do not know if this exercise is a novelty, but if that is the case, then are we drawing any good lessons from what we had in the past?
Dr Akoto 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this country has a long history of the Swollen Shoot Disease. The first incident was as far back as the early 1900s but that was very limited in the Eastern Region. Again, it reared its head in the 1930s in a much stronger and wider area but we managed to control that.
In the early 1960s, it came back with a vengeance in the Eastern Region and with the help of the World Bank, we were able to control it until these past 10 years that we have had evidence of this disease in the Western Region. Instead of attacking the disease right from the beginning, it was allowed to spread because the compensation that was supposed to be paid to farmers for the three or four years that they would lose their crop was withdrawn.
Therefore, if a farmer was to harvest 20 pods per tree but now gets only five pods, it was then better for such a farmer to harvest the five pods than to have nothing at all for the three years.
This was one of the reasons that led to the rapid spread of the disease, but since the Akufo-Addo Government came into power, arrangements and negotiations were made with the African Development Bank to raise US$600 million, not only to control the disease but to also bring the industry to speed in cocoa processing as well as building warehouses to store and control the amounts that we sell to the rest of the world.
Also, 40 per cent of Ghana's cocoa capacity is affected by the disease and there are also trees that are over-aged and are 30, 40 and 50 years old and have virtually stopped yielding.
So, we are going through this programme to replace all these over- aged and diseased trees for Ghana to be stronger again in its production as a result of this massive effort in the cocoa industry.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Mr Speaker 12:51 p.m.
Hon Kofi Adams?
Mr Kofi I. Adams 12:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Hon Minister whether the programme is elimination of diseased cocoa trees or over-aged cocoa trees or over-aged and diseased trees? Mr Speaker,
because the Hon Minister in his Answer was focusing on diseased and he mentioned some regions, but I did not hear him mention Oti region which is also a cocoa-growing region.
Dr Akoto 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am emphasising Western North, and I acknowledge that the disease has spread to other regions. However, the Western North Region is what I call the eye of the storm. If you can lose half of your production in a matter of few years, then as a major industry in Ghana, we are in trouble.
Yes, wherever the disease is found, we would pursue them. The whole country has been mapped out to show exactly the districts and villages the disease is rearing its head. This is the problem. It is overaged and diseased trees and not only the virus. There are other diseases.
In all, Ghana's capacity is about 1.8 million hectares under cocoa production. Forty per cent of the area is either overaged or diseased in terms of the capacity, and the project is to ensure that this 40 per cent is brought back by removing the diseased trees by cutting out old aged trees of about 40 to 50 years and replanting with a
Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, after cutting down the cocoa trees, the farmers are supposed to plant trees before the plantain suckers and the cocoa itself.
Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister aware that those trees are not available, therefore, after cutting the cocoa trees, it takes a lot of months and the farms grow weedy?
Mr Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Hon Minister?
Dr Akoto 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I must confess I did not catch half of what he said, but I do not want him to repeat himself. I would just try and answer what I heard unless he wants to repeat himself.
Mr Speaker 1:01 p.m.
His question was that; are you aware that after the cutting down of the cocoa trees, the farmers do not get the seedlings to plant and it takes a long time, and the farms grow weedy?
Dr Akoto 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am very surprised that Hon Akandoh says that the programme as designed is not going according to plan. This is because, obviously, we have made provision for -- [Interruption]
I am not aware and I am surprised. The implication of the question is that the programme is not going according to plan, but I can assure this House that the programme is going on very well. We have had experience of dealing with this disease; we have top global experts here in Ghana dealing with the issue, and we are confident that very soon, we would be able achieve our aim of resolving the issue of the diseased and overaged trees.
Mr Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, what you are telling the House is that you are not aware of what he has stated. What you are aware is that there is enough seedlings, and that immediately after the cutting down of the diseased cocoa trees, there are enough seedlings to replant and that there is no delay in getting that done. This is the key issue he raised.
Dr Akoto 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the issue has to do with immediate payment after we have cut the trees and replanted with the cocoa seedlings and the planting suckers. The issue is not about inadequate number of seedlings to replant.
If you go to the source of it, which is Cocoa Health Organisation all over the country, you would see loads of seedlings waiting to be replanted in place of the diseased trees. So this is the first time I am even hearing that there is shortage of seedlings in the project areas.
Mr Speaker 1:01 p.m.
Hon Members, we would move to the second Question which stands in the name of Mr Iddie Kofi Adams, the Member of Parliament for Buem. Hon Member, you may ask your question now.
Measures Ministry would put in place to prevent recurrence of
delays in payment of purchased cocoa beans
Mr Iddie Kofi Adams (NDC -- Buem) 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture what measures the Ministry will put in place to ensure that delays in payment for cocoa beans purchased would not recur in subsequent crop seasons.
Minister for Food and Agriculture (Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto) 1:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) raised US$1.3 billion syndicated loan facility for the 2020/2021 cocoa purchasing operations and related activities. The facility was no different in value from the previous seasons, which is the 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/ 2020 seasons, even though under different payment conditions.
The emergence and prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected COCOBOD's effort to effectively roll out strategies for managing the loan facility as was the case in the previous three seasons. The pandemic also made it difficult for COCOBOD to effect contracts for drawing the loan facility expeditiously. Unlike previous years, when the Board drew down the facility on three occasions from October to December each year, four drawdowns were made in this from October 2020 to February 2021.
Mr Speaker, it should go on record that the amount drawn down in 2020/ 2021 cocoa season as utilised at a faster rate due to the 28 per cent increase in producer price of cocoa. Specifically, the producer price increased from GH¢8,240 per metric tonne in 2019/2020 cocoa season to GH¢10,560 per metric tonne in the
Minister for Food and Agriculture (Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto) 1:11 p.m.
current year of 2020/2021 crop season. The margin for buyers in all years which relates to cocoa purchasing operations also increased by 5 per cent for the current 2020/ 2021 season.

Mr Speaker, it is important to add that the syndicated loan raised by COCOBOD supports only about 70 per cent of the cocoa purchasing and related operations. Ghana Cocoa Board makes up the difference with proceeds from the sale of non- collateralised crops.

Regrettably, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international market made it difficult for COCOBOD to establish and deliver non-collateralised contracts to support the purchase operations on a timely basis. This explains why there has been some delays in the payment of cocoa farmers during the early part of the season.

To forestall its recurrence, the following actions have been taken:

1. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has endorsed COCOB's proposal to borrow an amount of US$1.5 billion for the 2021/2022

cocoa crop compared to the US$1.3 billion which was borrowed in the preceding year. This is to ensure the availability of adequate funding to cover the increase in the farm gate price.

2. Management of COCOBOD has been tasked to review its sales and delivery strategy to ensure timely drawdown of the loan amount to pay farmers. Mindful that about 65 to 70 per cent of cocoa purchases takes place between October and December each year --
Mr Speaker 1:11 p.m.
Hon Minister, just a moment; the Second Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.
You may continue, Hon Minister.
Dr Akoto 1:11 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Management of COCOBOD is building an internal revolving fund that would be used to support cocoa purchasing operations to supplement drawdowns of the syndicated loan.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, committed efforts are being made to address all the genuine concerns in the cocoa industry, especially delayed payments to farmers. The Ministry of
Food and Agriculture will continue to work closely with COCOBOD and exercise effective oversight on the sector to ensure a very responsive, attractive and resilient cocoa sector.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Member, you may go on?
Mr Adams 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister's Answer suggests that increase in the producer price of cocoa in a way affected utilisation of the funds that came in.
Is it to suggest that at the time COCOBOD went out for the syndicated facility they did not factor the years increase in producer price and therefore went for the same amount as they did in previous years; and is he assuring us that in future, before going out for the syndicated facility, they would factor all the necessary increments before stepping out there to sign onto contracts and then raise funds to pay for these
farmers since cocoa is a regulated industry and farmers cannot sell their beans to any other person other than the licensed buying companies?
Thank you.
Dr Akoto 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, fixing producer price and arranging a loan to buy an incoming crop are two different activities. This is because before the producer price is fixed, we have to be sure of the trend in the world market. So the two cannot be done at the same time.
At the moment, COCOBOD is preparing to go to the market to borrow US$1.5 billion as compared to the US$1.3 billion. In other words, we are taking account of the increase invariably in that. But the period for fixing the producer price is different.
The negotiations takes longer. This is an international transaction so it takes six months to actually conclude on things. In the meantime, we would have made certain assumptions which may not be the case. So more or less, it is not the science. It is by practice. COCOBOD has been around since 1947 and they have done this all these years.
So it is not practicable to say that we are going to align the loan request with the producer price because the

two come at different times although we try to see how best we can take account of -- for instance, I just said that we are increasing this year's loan requirement by US$200 million from 1.3 to US$1.5 million.

Mr Speaker, we also have to take into account of the size of the crop. All these are unknown factors that we can only give a good professional estimate. At the end of the day, it may happen or may not happen. This is why we have these challenges as we proceed with the season. But I can assure you that we are very much aware of the strategic importance of the farmer. Without the farmer, there would be no cocoa industry. So our effort is to ensure that everything goes well.

But once we plan in terms of the implementation, there are other external factors which may come to distract what is being planned. So I recognised that there has been problems of delays in payment and I think I came here to assure the House that at the time, by the end of December, we would have paid all the outstanding and indeed, that happened.

But then, of course, the season is still on and would come to an end in September so we have these

problems. But I can assure this House that this Government is determined to protect the interest of our farmers and we would do everything to make sure that cocoa brought to the market by farmers is paid for as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Adams 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my final follow-up question. Again, listening to the Hon Minister, he raised concerns about some arrangements that COCOBOD had with some cocoa processing companies and so COVID-19 came in and affected those purchases and those arrangements.
Is he considering, together with his colleague Minister for Trade and Industry to expand local processing and consumption so that in situations such as COVID-19, the local consumption and the local utilisation would at least make up a significant percentage to reduce this impact it has on the financial arrangements which ultimately affects the farmer? This is because I have heard of a number of 1D1F but I have not heard anything in relation to cocoa.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Dr Akoto 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am sure that the Hon Member for Buem is not a stranger in Jerusalem. The Akufo- Addo Government is talking about Ghana beyond Aid and cocoa is in the lead for that in the sense that we want to be able to process all our cocoa beans if possible and as soon as possible. So we are making a lot of efforts for that to happen. I have been involved in going around the globe in the non-traditional areas like China, South Africa and Morocco promoting Ghana's processed cocoa.
So I can assure him that that programme is on and the Government of Akufo-Addo is very serious about adding value to our own products and moving away from the Guggisberg colonial structure of just exporting beans from this country. So that is what I can say in answer to the question. The other aspect of it is that the promotion of cocoa consumption is also something that I am sure the Hon Member may not be aware of.
We are now giving chocolates to school children just to catch them young for them to develop the taste for cocoa consumption and promoting domestic consumption in a lot of different ways in a manner which has not been done for many years. So we are very much on the board in promoting local consumption of our own chocolate. 14th February has
now become famous in Ghana such that people buy chocolate for their loved ones and so on and that chocolate is made in Ghana.
These are all strategies that we are adopting to promote the domestic consumption of cocoa, and also adding value and ensuring that most of our cocoa harvested in Ghana leave our shores with value addition, rather than the traditional cocoa beans.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Hon Members, I would give the chance to Hon Akandoh for a supplementary question.
Mr Akandoh 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you. In the Hon Minister's Answer, the mentioned that the Government of Ghana is supplying chocolate to schools in this country. Can the Minister mention a single school in this country where this is done?
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I will submit a list of schools -- [Interruption] -- I am surprised that the Hon Members on the other Side are asking, when? It will come like yesterday, so they should not worry. It will be there.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Hon Member, the question has been answered. He said he would supply this House with the list of schools that are benefiting from it.
Hon Minister, could you give us a timeframe?
Dr Akoto 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would have to consult Cocoa House to find when that can be done. I cannot stand here and say it would come -- but as soon as possible, it will be available.
Mr Isaac Adjei Mensah 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to ask the Hon Minister, the cause for the delay in payment for this season? What is the compensatory arrangement made to alleviate the suffering of these poor cocoa farmers because of the delay in payment?
Dr Akoto 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have already covered that subject under the first Question. Basically, in the Answer that I read, the delay in paying the LBCs to pay the farmers was partly because of the increase in producer price by 28 per cent. So, that meant that very quickly, we run out of funds before the season ended.
Secondly, the COVID-19 delayed the amount of cocoa that we could sell on the international market, because contracts were not coming.
Economies were shut and chocolates were not being bought, so they were not buying as much beans as possible. So normally, by the end of December, we would have sold forward all our crops, but until February, we still had stocks that were not going because of the COVID-19. All these factors led to what happened. These are one- off historical factors and we did not have any control over that.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member for Ho Central?
Mr Benjamin Kpodo 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you. All these issues relate to the finances of the COCOBOD. I have in my hands the COCOBOD Law (PNDC Law 81, 1984) from Sections 28 to 31, the law talks about the finances of the Board. One of them is that:
“The books and accounts of the Board shall within three months after the end of each financial year of the Board be audited by the Auditor-General.”
Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Minister whether he has audited accounts of COCOBOD for the past three few years, and whether they have been submitted to the appropriate authorities?
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Hon Kpodo is a Senior Member of this House, and he knows that is his substantive question, and so he must come appropriately. [Interruption] -- Clearly, that the question cannot -- [Interruption]
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Hon Majority Chief Whip, let us ask the Minister to answer. If he is not ready, he can tell the House, so that he comes out with the audit report.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with the greatest of respect, that is a substantive question, not a follow-up.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Hon Member, that is why I am saying you should leave it for the Hon Minister to tell us. If he is not ready for that particular question, that we can reschedule for another time.
Dr Akoto 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I agree with the acting Leader of our Side. This is something that needs to be looked at.
Mr Speaker, as you would know, I came here to answer two Questions and those have been comprehensibly dealt with. This is a new factor and I
would need to consult with Ghana COCOBOD for those answers. Therefore, if the Hon Member is keen for an answer, he should come properly by asking a question and I would come and answer.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 1:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you. In the Minister's answer to an earlier question about delay in payment of cocoa farmers by the LBCs, he acknowledged the delay and assured the House that steps are being taken to rectify the situation. But there was a second leg of that question on whether the Minister and for that matter, COCOBOD plans to compensate the farmers for the delay in payment by the LBCs? We did not hear the Minister say anything about that.
Dr Akoto 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Question that I have in my hand does not ask for compensation. It says, and I quote: “To ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture what measures the Ministry will put in place so that delays in payment for cocoa beans purchased would not recur in subsequent crop seasons.” It does not talk about compensation.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Members, the Hon Minister was brought to this House to Answer Urgent Questions. I believe that the supplementary questions are becoming too many, and therefore, unless -- Hon Majority Chief Whip, would you like to ask a question?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, as part of the Hon Minister's answers, he had said that the COCOBOD has been on an Internal Revolving Fund, and this is queued towards compensating the draw on the syndicated loan. I wish to know from the Hon Minister, how feasible is this effort, and where it has gotten to at this stage?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Members, this would be the last question.
Yes, Hon Minister?
Dr Akoto 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I did mentioned that the Internal Revolving Fund has one of several initiatives to ensure that there is no recurrence of delayed payments in the coming seasons. So, yes, arrangements are being made on each one of these items, and one of course, is to increase the loan component from an amount of US$1.3 billion to an amount of US$1.5 billion in the coming season.
The Revolving Fund and other arrangements would be put in place to ensure that farmers get paid as quickly as possible, once their harvest are surrendered to Licence Buying Companies (LBCs). The details are being worked out, and I am sure that before the 2021/2022 season starts in October, we would have all the arrangements in place to ensure that we have a much smoother marketing year than the one we are in as at now.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Members, the Hon Minister for Food and Agriculture has been gracious to the House. He was invited to this House to Answer Urgent Questions, and I believe he has done just that. So, Hon Minister, we thank
you very much for attending upon the House to respond to these Urgent Questions. You are therefore discharged.
Hon Members, on today's Order Paper, we are to move on to the item numbered 5 -- Statements.
Yes, Hon Leader?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your leave, we may take the item numbered 6 (ii), after which we would come back to the item numbered 5.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Members, we would take the item numbered 6 (a) (ii); Presentation of Papers, and it is to be presented by the Hon Majority Leader.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I seek your leave to lay the item numbered 6 (a) (ii) on behalf of the Hon Majority Leader.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Very well.
PAPERS 1:31 p.m.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to the Paper numbered 6 (a) (iii).
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, all the other items are not ready, so, we may go back to the item numbered 5; Statements.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, we would now move on to take the item numbered 5 -- Statements, on today's Order Paper. We have two Statements that have been admitted by the Rt. Hon Speaker, and the first one would follow the discussion which is on cocoa.
The Statement is on the utilisation of cocoa by-products as a source of raw material for rural industrialisation in Ghana. This Statement was put up by the Hon Member for Offinso South, the Hon Isaac Yaw Opoku.
Hon Member, you may take the Floor.
STATEMENTS 1:31 p.m.
Mr Isaac Yaw Opoku (NPP -- Offinso South) 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for granting me the opportunity to make a Statement on the utilisation of cocoa by-products.
Mr Speaker, may I first of all pay tribute to the man, Tetteh Quarshie of blessed memory who made it all possible, for bringing seeds of cocoa from far away Fernando Po, now Equitorial Guinea, to be planted at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern Region.
Mr Speaker, since cocoa was first introduced into the country in 1879, it has over the years been cultivated mainly for its beans and the rest of the fresh fruit discarded. The cocoa pod has three main components; the bean, sugary pulp juice, also referred to as “sweatings” and the pod husk. The pod husk alone forms about 67 per cent by weight of the fresh pod, the bean by about 20 per cent, and the sweatings by about 13 per cent. Therefore, for every one ton of dry
beans exported or sold, approximately four tons of the resulting by-products go waste.
Mr Speaker, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) has conducted extensive research into the use of these by-products with some amazing results. Some incredible array of quality products have been developed from the otherwise waste materials. With your kind permission, I would like to show Hon Members, samples of some of the products developed by the Cocoa Research Institute.
These include cocoa wine, nicely bottled, cocoa gin, cocoa root bitters, cocoa brandy, cocoa vinegar, cocoa jam, cocoa, have cocoa butter alata samina, cocoa body pomade, cocoa butter soap and cocoa samina shower gel. Mr Speaker, we also have animal feed from the by-products, fertilisers and anti-oxidants. Mr Speaker, it is gratifying to know that similar products have also been developed from the other mandated crops: shea, cashew, coffee and kola.
Mr Speaker, this noble institution, CRIG, a division of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) therefore deserves commendation. No wonder, Mr Speaker, the New Product Unit of the Institute has won three prestigious awards in recent years.
These are:
Margarete Opferkuch's Annaul Award, Award for Innovation in the cocoa industry of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
-- 1999;
Research and Development Project of the Year Award, Ghana Cocoa Awards, 2019; and
Women of Excellence (Research category), Ghana Cocoa Awards, 2020.
Mr Speaker, the sweatings, which is extracted from the fresh cocoa beans, is rich in sugars, minerals and vitamins, and serves as raw material for the production of quality wine, whisky and brandy. The same sweatings can also be used for the production of jam, vinegar and marmalade.
Mr Speaker, CRIG has also shown that pectin from cocoa sweatings is of high grade, and similar to lemon and apple pectin of commerce. This pectin is extracted by precipitating with alcohol produced from the sweatings, and can be used for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food products.
Mr Speaker, the cocoa pod husk on the other hand can also be used in animal feed. In a livestock feeding trial, CRIG, in collaboration with the Animal Science Departments of the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the Animal Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) concluded that cocoa pod husk can constitute up to 15 per cent of feed ration for poultry, 25 per cent for pigs and up to 60 per cent for sheep, goats, rabbits and cattle. The same cocoa pod husk is a traditional source of alkaline and can be used for the manufacturing liquid soap, soft soap and fertilisers.
Mr Speaker, the by-products of cocoa can also be used for natural anti-oxidants. CRIG has again demonstrated that the by-products, which include cocoa nib, powder and shell, produce antioxidants which is extracted by using methanol, petroleum ether and chloroform as solvents.
Mr Speaker, cocoa is known for its aphrodisiac properties and those who consume raw cocoa powder (Royal Cocoa) will pay ample testimony to this. CRIG has developed yet another product, cocoa bitters, from cocoa alcohol and cocoa roots which contain even higher

aphrodisiac properties. This product has been tested and proved to be safe for consumption by the Centre for Plant Medicine Research at Akuapem Mampong.

It is worthy to note that all these products from cocoa waste have been assessed in terms of their quality, nutrition, texture, appearance and shelf life. Mr Speaker, six of these products have passed quality assessment of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), and have been duly registered with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). The remaining ones are at various stages of registration.

Mr Speaker, the products have also been assessed, and found to be commercially viable. From pilot scale production and marketing, CRIG has reported that the products have promising internal and external markets.

Mr Speaker, research plays a very important role in the development of any nation. Unfortunately however, the link between research and industry is not well established in this country. Consequently, valuable research findings remain in theses, annual reports, scientific journals and the like. It is a fact, however, that the outcome of some of these research represents substantial business opportunities. A

case in point is the development of a range of soap, beauty products, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages from the by-products.

Mr Speaker, one of the major challenges of this country is the creation of jobs. Fortunately, cocoa does well in 10 out of the 16 regions in the country. Most of the youth in these regions do not see cocoa farming as an attractive and lucrative venture because of the low income derived from the sale of the dry beans alone. The commercial utilisation of the by-products can lead to the setting up of small factories and therefore generate additional income and make cocoa farming attractive to the youth.

The cocoa by-product is indeed a huge source of raw material for industrialisation. From COCOBOD's annual reports, Ghana produced an average of 858,260 metric tonnes of dry beans annually over the last 10 years (2010/2011 to 2019/2020 cocoa season). Therefore, every year, over the 10 year period, a potential of 2.8 million metric tons of cocoa pod husks and over 500,000 metric tons of cocoa sweatings went to waste. Entrepreneurs can take advantage of this in the establishment of factories in the cocoa growing regions in line with the Government's flagship programme of One District, One Factory.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, we have to turn research into business opportunities. The country must make conscious efforts to ensure that there is strong linkage between research and industry. Government must also ensure that research institutions are adequately resourced to enable them conduct quality research to drive local industries in the country.
Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey (NDC -- Keta) 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the Hon Member who made the Statement. This is a very good Statement, and it is dear to the heart of Hon MPs.
Mr Speaker, CRIG has been in existence for long, and they have come out with so many products. One challenge they face is that mostly, when you look at those who support the research, if it is Government- funded, that is very good because you have no challenges.
However, if it is funded by researchers from outside Ghana, the outcome of the research is used elsewhere.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:31 p.m.
Thank you Hon Member.
Hon Member for Offinso South, my ladies at the Table would like to know whether the samples would not be tabled?
Anyway, Hon Member for Sefwi Akontombra, you may take the floor.
Mr Djornobuah Alex Tetteh (NPP -- Sefwi Akontombra) 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by my Hon Colleague from Offinso South. And in doing so, I would like to thank the Hon Member as well. Mr Speaker, cocoa contributes as major source of revenue to our nation. In 2020 to 2021 alone, cocoa has contributed
GH¢2.25 billion (around US$390 million) to the domestic product. And in terms of production, 850,000 metric tonnes have been produced yearly.
Mr Speaker, the cocoa sector has been projected to contribute GH¢2.8 billion which is about US$489 million to the nation. But one thing that Ghana has forgotten in the cocoa sector is that in the 1990s to the 2008, cocoa used to be the major source of revenue until we discovered oil. But now, our focus has been shifted to the oil sector to the detriment of the cocoa sector.
Mr Speaker, the by-products that have been mentioned, the question one may ask is that how many of us, as Members of Parliament and Ghanaians use these particular by- products in Ghana? Our tastes have been shifted to the foreign products, and I believe that as Ghanaians, if we want to develop the cocoa sector, then we must develop the taste for these particular bi-products.
Mr Speaker, the cocoa husk can also be used for the generation of power. And as a Government -- I am happy that the Minister for Food and Agriculture through the COCOBOD, has initiated the various initiatives in the cocoa growing areas especially in the Western North Region. If we come
to the Western North, the COCOBOD has employed thousands of youths who are into the rehabilitation of our cocoa sector. And I believe that we must establish a university purposely for cocoa. And I believe that Tetteh Quarshie had a purpose of bringing this particular product from Fernando Po.
Mr Speaker, like I said earlier, our focus is now on the oil sector which I believe that in no time, the oil will finish and for that matter, we need to shift our attention to the cocoa sector.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to urge all Members of Parliament that in our various Constituencies and areas, we should develop the taste for the bi-products that have been mentioned by my Hon Colleague.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
Dr Kwabena Donkor (NDC -- Pru East) 1:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you. As a son of a cocoa farmer whose father established a community in Krachi Akura I beg to associate myself with the comments of the Hon Member who made the Statement.
Mr Speaker, the underlying thrust of the Statement is not just our inability or indeed, our refusal as a people to make maximum use of cocoa but it draws me back to a fundamental issue that has worked negatively against the transformation of this country and especially, its economy.
Mr Speaker, if you would recall, in 1924, three commodities accounted for 90 per cent of the export earnings of the Gold Coast. These three commodities were cocoa, timber and gold. Mr Speaker, in the last Budget Statement presented to this House on behalf of His Excellency, the President by the Majority Leader, if you look at the tables, three commodities again, account for over 70 per cent of the export earnings of this country: cocoa, gold, and crude oil replacing timber.
Mr Speaker, the tragedy is that all these three commodities are essentially exported in their raw states. And therefore, in terms of transformation, in terms of industrialisation, we as a people have made no progress from 1924 to 2020 if we are still exporting our most treasured products in their raw states -- and it is in this light that I would want to support the call by the Hon Member who made the Statement that it is high time, as a people we decide
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
I am trying to select Hon Members who hail from cocoa growing areas. Anyway, my Hon Minister for Western Region?
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko- Mensah (NPP -- Takoradi) Thank you Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to this special Statement by the Member of Parliament for Offinso South.
Mr Speaker, I am very delighted to be part of this Statement because I am the son of a cocoa farmer - Nana Adusei Benyinah. And the farm is in Kyekyewere in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region.
Mr Speaker, you are aware that Western Region is the number one cocoa producing region in Ghana. And Western Region continues to deliver on that mandate.

In fact, the village with the highest production of cocoa in the district in the whole of Ghana is also in the Amenfi West District. Recently, we are getting some growers in the Nzema areas and they are also doing very well.

Mr Speaker, on the special topic of using cocoa by-products to industrialise our rural areas, is very key. My grandmother, Nana Abena Agyeiwaa used to make amonkye soap and I was part of that process of using cocoa husks which are burnt and then the alkaline used for the production of these soaps. I remember as a child, I used to sell some. We would say “amonkye no, otisee omo”, to wit, “amonkye is just like omo”.

Mr Speaker, I believe that these products can be developed into international products and packaged so well that they can attract the needed financial resources into our villages. I believe that one of the biggest challenges we have had in this country is that a lot of the research that goes on in our research institutions continue to gather dust on bookshelves.

I believe that with the major policy of One District, One Factory, it is important and appropriate, that we link research with industry. I believe that it is high time the Cocoa Research Institute actually had a mobile educational programme to move from one village to another, to enlighten our young men and women on the kind of research they have done and how they could be easily adapted to everyday business progress.

Recently, I had the special opportunity to go to Asankragua and every time I spoke to the young men about growing cocoa, it was like news to them these days. I believe that these research and their results, that could create wealth and prosperity, are the ones that we should promote to them for them to take the bull by the horns and make sure that they use these results from the research institutions to create more opportunities for themselves and their families.

Mr Speaker, I also believe that it is high time we understood that raw cocoa that is exported, would never make Ghana a place of joy. This is because we are all aware that just exporting cocoa beans in their raw forms can only earn us just about five billion but the market for the finished products is over 140 billion.

We have to start playing that game. We have to find a way to produce finished products that have value addition and can necessarily pitch into the market properly.

My first suggestion has always been that we invite all the manufacturers to Ghana and even give them the beans for free, so they would give us the finished chocolate products that can attract the 140 billion market and then take half of the profits they make. We would immediately jump and instead of getting five billion, we would get 70 billion.

Mr Speaker, I believe that it is time we strategise. We have to have a new strategy to make sure that we can earn more on our cocoa beans, so that our farmers can also earn better incomes from these arrangements. We are also aware, that recently, because of COVID-19, the supermarkets at the airports are not operating the way they used to. So, manufacturers are not producing chocolate to these areas and because of that, we have had our own challenge of exporting our cocoa beans.

Mr Speaker, I believe that it is high time Ghanaians had a taste of our own cocoa. It should be the drink for breakfast, lunch and dinners, instead of taking all these foreign drinks such
  • [DR DONKOR
    • Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Hon Terlabi, before you speak, let me respectfully direct that Sitting be extended beyond the regular Sitting hours.
    Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi (NDC -- Lower Manya Krobo) 2:01 p.m.
    Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
    I take this opportunity to thank the Hon Member who made the Statement. I would like to state that the Statement has called for the need for Government to spend when it comes to research and consume the product thereof.
    Government is the largest spender, therefore, if we are producing alcohol or vinegar which could be used in
    hospitals, if Government decide to purchase same from CSIR, it would help in establishing another wing that would produce it. This would therefore create more jobs because if you want to depend on the ordinary Ghanaian, the choice in terms of cost --
    Mr Speaker, as we speak, there are simpler and less expensive ways of producing alcohol. Alcohol is produced from grass and cassava and the process is very simple, therefore, in terms of cost on the market, it is cheaper. However, the processes through which one could get these cocoa sweatings in large quantities in order to produce alcohol in commercial quantities would take time and is costly.
    However, if Government made a conscious effort to spend on that, we would be creating jobs for those who would go round collecting the sweatings and those who would work on the production.
    Mr Speaker, another thing that we also have to look at is that government must set an agenda for the research institutions. Government must let the research institutions solve our problems. At the end of the day, if government spends on the development of these products, it would be forced to make use of the
    end products. However, what we find in our research institutions is that a lot of the time, because government refuses to spend, the research institutions create their own needs, come out with ideas, sometimes sponsored by foreigners.
    These may not necessarily solve the problems in this country therefore I take this opportunity to call on government to set the agenda and make use of the end result, so that at least, along the line, we would end up creating more jobs and making sure that some foreign exchange is retained in this country.
    Mr Speaker, on this note, I thank you very much.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:01 p.m.
    Hon Members, let me come to Leadership. You may yield it to any Member if you choose to do so. Majority Leadership? [Pause]
    Hon Member for Abuakwa North?
    Ms Gifty Twum-Ampofo (NPP -- Abuakwa North) 2:11 p.m.
    Thank you Mr Speaker.
    I am the MP for Cocoa Research Institute, Ghana and I strongly patronise their products. Nothing can be compared to the quality of their
    products as far as cocoa products worldwide, is concerned. The varieties of soaps and toiletries are such that no matter your taste, you would have a product or two that would suit your skin colour, your taste, among others.
    Mr Speaker, talking about their packaging, the packages are good and fit international standards. So, the question is, why do we not find them on the market? The Act governing the CSIR does not permit them to highly commercialise their by-products section.

    Again, with the conditions of service with COCOBOD, if many of them are employed to work at the by- product unit, the cost of the products will also be too expensive for the ordinary Ghanaian to patronise.

    Mr Speaker, it is therefore important that as this Statement is made, all of us continue to brainstorm to ensure that either their Act is changed or we all get involve to include businessmen to collaborate with them to get these products produced commercially to ensure that the by-products of cocoa are well utilised.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:11 p.m.
    Yes, Minority Leadership? Hon Member for Buem, do you produce a lot of cocoa?
    Mr Kofi Iddie Adams (NDC — Buem) 2:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to add my voice to this very well-researched Statement made by Member of Parliament for Offinso South.
    Indeed, from the Statement, it is quite clear that this is not a country that lacks researchers and research findings and materials that would easily be converted into fundable documents in a commercial nature. The number of products that he pointed out in this House that the Cocoa Research Institute alone has developed as by-products of the cocoa plant, is an indication that we have travelled a far journey with cocoa but have not done much with it and that what is being demonstrated here as by-products could actually become the main product and not the by-product.
    Mr Speaker, it is because we have closed our minds and eyes to some of these other areas that is why, we think that exporting the raw cocoa beans or by far, processing it into chocolate and cocoa powder is all we can do. There is so much that we can do and this House should be directing for something substantial to be done with these research findings that have been gathering dust at the Cocoa Research Institute.
    Indeed, I have heard some say that if COCOBOD carries it further, the product may be too expensive for the ordinary person. I do not think so. Rather, doing so would mean more money available to them as indicated early on during the Question time by
    the Hon Minister for Food and Agriculture. There are times they have difficulties raising funds from external sources. Can we imagine what it means to have all these other by- products bringing income to COCOBOD? It means that we may not have to go for a Syndicated Loan to even buy the cocoa anymore and so, more money would be available for this country to undertake other developments.
    Mr Speaker, what is more important than our traditional authorities being encouraged to now accept cocoa gin instead of foreign schnapps because this will be a product from trees cultivated locally on the soils that our gods have control over. Can we imagine how far this industry can go?
    So, we must not allow this Statement made by our Hon Colleague to just gather dust like those research findings from the Cocoa Research Institute. We must do something about this by pushing further to see to it that in about three years' time, we would report on a meaningful outcome of the processing of cocoa and that we would not only be talking about exporting cocoa beans in its raw form and complain about farmers not being paid for
    cocoa that has been purchased but we would rather talk about a big budget derived from all these processes so we can pay our farmers well.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I wish to thank the Hon Member for this well researched document. This shows that he actually comes from the Cocoa Research Institute to this House.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:11 p.m.
    Thank you very much. Hon Members, please permit me to invite the Hon Member for Manso Nkwanta who is so desirous to also make a contribution. I know he hails from a cocoa growing area. Be snappy.
    Mr George Kwabena Obeng Takyi (NPP -- Manso Nkwanta) 2:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for granting me this opportunity. Apart from our parents being farmers, we are also farmers and it is very important for us to acknowledge that Ghana sees cocoa as its mainstay in terms of its source of foreign earning.
    However, we have not done much to ensure that the cocoa industry is developed to the best height that it deserves.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:21 p.m.
    Hon Member, thank you.
    I would listen to Leadership.
    Mr Kobena M. Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 2:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you.
    I also thank the Hon Member for this wonderful Statement as well as the other Hon Members who have made contributions.
    Mr Speaker, I want to add a few points that it is about time that we
    create a form of synergy between Cocoa Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Centre for Plant Medicine Research because all these institutions clearly have a lot of results from research that are waiting for commercialising or results that can lead to the establishment of industries to generate employment.
    Also, the Government and private sector should think about a long-term financing for these industries to be established in areas that they can easily take advantage of the availability of those raw materials.
    Mr Speaker, as I listened to a number of my Hon Colleagues, one of the issues is that we think we are not competing favourably on the international market when it comes to some of these products, not because of quality but also the packaging. Clearly, when you visit some of the malls, you would realise that people buy the foreign chocolates than what is produced here simply because the foreign ones are attractive because of their packaging. Probably, there is the need for us to improve on this so that we can market some of our products favourably.
    Also, there is the issue of standards. The various institutions that are responsible to ensure that we meet international standards and
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:21 p.m.
    Hon Members, thank you very much.
    I accordingly refer this Statement to the Committee on Environment, Science and Technology as well as the Committee on Trade and Tourism to consider how best we can benefit from the by-products of cocoa.
    Hon Members, there is a commemorative Statement to be read by Hon Kwame D. Gakpey, the Hon Member for Keta Constituency. The Statement is on the 40th Anniversary of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and In-Country Variation of the Ghanaian Law; Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation 2000 (L.I.
    1667).
    Hon Member, you have the Floor.
    The 40th Anniversary of International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and
    In-Country Variation of Ghanaian Law
    Mr Kwame D. Gakpey (NDC -- Keta) 2:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to make the Statement on the International Code of Marketing of breast milk Substitutes also known as Code which was adopted by the 34th World Health Assembly in May, 1985, to address aggressive marketing tactics by the infant and young child feeding industries. These industries were promoting infant formulas, failing over breast feeding and causing a dramatic increase in infant illness and death.
    Mr Speaker, the Code aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by protecting and promoting breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitute and by restricting promotions that target the general public, mothers and health workers.
    Mr Speaker, the Code also provides the policy framework to stop commercial interest from activities that decrease the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and threaten the health and nutrition of the young children.
    Mr Speaker, breastfeeding is vital to a child's long life nutrition, health and well-being. Beyond the health benefits, breastfeeding has some economic benefits to families in a way that helps to address disparities and inequalities. For instance, the prevention of illness as a result of breast milk can enable families to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure to treat illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.
    When a population with limited access to health system and infrastructure relies on breastfeeding, it lessens the inequalities in access to health services. This is also in the UN Ghana Report 2020.
    Mr Speaker, recent studies have shown that optimal breastfeeding can save Ghana over US$5.8 million. This amount of money can be spent on healthcare cost and can generate more than US$594 million for the economy and this is nearly 1.5 per cent of Ghana's gross net income just by having a healthier population. In addition, optimal breastfeeding prevents 3,747 death of babies and 302 maternal deaths from cancer and type-2 diabetes each year.
    Mr Speaker, the benefits of breastfeeding are enormous. Breastfeeding protects children from infections such as tonsillitis and also save lives. It also supports emotional bonding between the mother and the baby, along with other mental health benefits. In addition, breast milk is a natural and renewable food.
    Mr Speaker, breast milk is neither packaged, shipped nor cooked but environmentally friendly. Regrettably, despite the wonders of breastfeeding, we are informed that only half of the children in Ghana, 52 per cent, are put on the breast in the first hour of life. In addition to this, sadly, exclusive breastfeeding rate for children less than six months are declining and it is currently around 43 per cent.
    Mr Kwame D. Gakpey (NDC -- Keta) 2:31 p.m.


    Mr Speaker, the aggressive marketing of breast-milk substitute continues to discourage women from breastfeeding, putting the health of both children and women at risk. The 40th Anniversary of the adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitute is an opportunity to mark the significant progress made in protecting and promoting the incomparable benefit of breastfeeding, but also remainder of work still to be done.

    Ghana like many countries around the globe have enacted legislations to implement the provisions of the Code. The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service adopted the International Code and enacted the Ghana's Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation, 2000 (L.I. 167) as a major step towards the eradication of an enabling environment for optimal infant feeding.

    The enforcement of this law ensures that mothers receive accurate information about breastfeeding and limit use of breast-milk substitutes only during medically indicated situations by putting an end to promotional activities such as the distribution of free breast-milk substitutes.

    These provisions of the law also include limiting interaction between health staff and company agents and creating safer environment for breastfeeding.

    Mr Speaker, the country's exclusive breastfeeding rate increased from 2 per cent in 1998 to 63 per cent in 2008, an achievement which has since been eroded with the breastfeeding rate currently being 43 per cent. After dropping from the 2014 rate of 52 per cent, global public health experts agree that the code remains as relevant till today as was 40 years ago. Reports indicate that last year, some producers and distributors of baby food exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to promote their products by invoking unfounded fear and breastfeeding to transmit

    COVID-19.

    Mr Speaker, the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is clear on this. It states that mothers suspected or known to have COVID-19 should continue breastfeeding while observing all COVID-19 safety protocols.

    Mr Speaker, on the 40 th Anniversary of the Code, the call is for all relevant government institutions, health workers and partners and the baby food industries to fully implement

    and abide by the requirements of the Code such as policy commitment to implementation and enforcement of the Code in each country's legislation including subsequent resolutions to prevent commercial interest of breast milk production and distribution companies from undermining breastfeeding, optimal infant and young child feeding and the health of children and women including and during breastfeeding.

    Health workers must protect, promote and support breastfeeding. They must not accept sponsorships from companies that market food for infants and young children for scholarship award, grants, meetings or events. Civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, corporate agencies and the media are entreated to join Ghana's campaign to protect breastfeeding and create the enabling environment for the women to breastfeed appropriately.

    All businesses and private sectors must publicly commit to the full compliance globally with the International Code on Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant world health resolutions. They must also fully abide by the provisions of the Ghana's Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations,

    2000.

    Mr Speaker, together, we must see the 40th Anniversary milestone as an opportunity to sustain the modest gain made in promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We must boldly protect and promote breastfeeding as the best start in life for every child in Ghana. We need to tap into the benefits of breast milk and make it sustainable for the sake of our children.

    The benefit of breast milk must, therefore, be championed by all, every policymaker, health service provider, employer, business, community and family, to ensure that no child is left behind and deprived of breastfeeding. Its promotion must be our shared vision and responsibility.

    Mr Speaker, there are two critical arrears we need to consider, making breast milk safe; a national legislation and promotion of an enabling environment for nursing mothers. First of all, the enforcement of the national legislation and the restriction of aggressive marketing of products that undermine breastfeeding, would protect mothers and children from the influx of harmful products.

    Mr Speaker, studies have shown that breast-milk powder substitutes can be dangerous to the health of babies. This cannot be substituted for breast-milk which is natural and help build babies' immunity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:41 p.m.
    Yes, the Hon Member for Klottey Korle.
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey Korle) 2:41 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on the 40th Anniversary of the International Code on Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes.
    The WHO and UNICEF recommend that breastfeeding is commenced within one hour of birth. This is because the first milk that comes out of the nursing mother's breast which is called the colostrum provides the baby with the necessary antibodies and protection almost the same as the first immunisation of the first vaccine the child is exposed to.
    The WHO also recommends that nursing mothers breastfeed for two years. Clearly, the two years is a long time. Personally, I have three daughters, and I was only able to
    breastfeed for up to one year for all three of them. It takes a lot to do that, even with the exclusive breastfeeding for six months. However, the rationale behind that is to reduce the incidence of mortality due to the diarrhoea that usually tends to happen with the children at that age.
    Mr Speaker, to create an enabling environment for breastfeeding mothers, not just in the cities but across board, it goes beyond legislation on the substitutes of breastfeeding. It also comes down to the provision of breastfeeding rooms in all the institutions, for example in the ministries and other departments and agencies and Parliament as well, which still has not provided child care facilities or nursing rooms for breastfeeding mothers.
    Mr Speaker, all public buildings, malls and other public areas should have these places where mothers could breastfeed because we have ourselves in a time where there is a younger generation of nursing mothers who do not want to expose their breast in public as they are feeding their children and therefore are not encouraged to do what is best for the children. Providing these nursing rooms that provide them with the
    privacy that they need in order to do the best for the children would be useful for these mothers who would obviously comply for their young ones.
    Mr Speaker, if Parliament could perhaps set the example by starting. If we could find a location on the premises for nursing mothers as well as for child care, we could set the example for what should exist in all the Ministries and the buildings that Government owns as well as public areas.
    Mr Speaker, as we push for more women to do the drive towards breastfeeding, a lot more information needs to be provided to nursing mothers about the importance of what they consume. Beyond that, as a mother is breastfeeding, there are certain things that she should not be consuming. For example, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, certain antibiotics and drugs which find their way into the breastmilk and can affect the baby.
    So if the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection together with the NCCE could launch a drive to push for the increased awareness and greater breastfeeding among our young mothers, that would perhaps help to increase the number of women who are doing more
    Ms Freda A. Prempeh (NPP -- Tano North) 2:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by my Colleague on the other Side. This is a very important Statement and I am
    happy that it has been brought to the fore for us to discuss. I want to lay emphasise on the last page of his Statement where he suggested that we need to make breastfeeding safe. He also talked about national legislation and the provision of an enabling environment for nursing mothers.
    My Colleague, Hon Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings also talked about the fact that we have to set examples. Even in Parliament here, we do not have any space for mothers to breastfeed when it is time for them to breastfeed. They resume after three or four months and since they do not have any place to breastfeed their children, they have no other option than to find other supplements for the babies.
    Mr Speaker, exclusive breastfeeding is very important and enormous as my Colleague on the other Side said. It provides ideal nutrition for the babies. Breast milk contains everything that the baby needs to survive. It contains important antibodies that help the babies to fight viruses and other bacterial. In the wake of COVID-19, we should do a lot of advocacy on breastfeeding because we want to protect our babies. Apart from the fact that it serves as a bond between mother and child, it also protects the baby.
    Sometimes, I find it difficult to understand why people think that when they breastfeed, their breast would shrink or sag and they do not want to have flat breasts. Are they comparing the sagging of the breast to the healthy provision of breast milk for the babies? We should look into it than just thinking about ourselves.
    Mr Speaker, breastfeeding is very important. It prevents a lot of illnesses from day one through to the six months that nurses, doctors and midwives advise women to breastfeed. They advise us when we go for antenatal care and after delivery to breastfeed for six months. I have been told that the breast milk contains about 60 or 70 per cent of water.
    Instead of giving the babies breast milk, some people give them other foods and even water to drink. Meanwhile they cannot tell whether the kind of water they are giving the babies is good enough for them to drink. So that is why we advise that babies are breastfed exclusively for six months. It may also have long-term benefits for the mother as well. It is a mutual beneficial provision for both mother and child.
    As much as the baby is going to benefit from the nutritious value of the breast milk, the mother is also going
    to benefit from it as well. It may also have long-term benefit as I said - reducing the risk of obesity. As much as we want to protect our breast, when we continue to breastfeed the babies it enables us to control our weight.
    Mr Speaker, I want to also emphasise here that we all have sisters, mothers, wives and so on. When the baby is born, the breast milk is exclusively for the baby. When God created us, I have not seen any provision in the Bible which says that we should give breastmilk to the men. Breastmilk is meant for babies.
    Let us allow our children to enjoy the breast milk to the fullest before, during and after. Let us protect our babies. They should not fight for the breast milk with the babies. They should make sure that the baby has the fullest access to the breast milk because it is not meant for men. It is for babies.
    Mr Speaker, exclusive breastfeeding is very important. It protects the babies against diarrhoea, common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia and other illnesses that may crop up. This is because from day one to six months of the baby's life, he or she needs exclusive care. Everything of the baby has to be clean. So, as much as breastfeeding bonds mother and
    Ms Dzifa A. Gomashie (NDC -- Ketu South) 2:51 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. I would like to start by congratulating my Colleague, the Hon Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey for this Statement and to also say that I identify myself with what Hon Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings also said and to add that the Statement caused a lot of excitement around here.

    Mr Speaker, I would want to propose that we increase the number of months that women have to breast- feed their children, and to say that, those of us who practice the six months exclusive breastfeeding can testify that our children did not fall sick throughout their first year growing up. So, as a Parliament, it is important that

    we consider ways in which we can assist the State to increase the number of months women have. Maternity leave and the period where we bond with our children must receive attention as if it is national disaster about to happen.

    If we want to spend less on healthcare, then it is important that we put in place steps that address the problem before they become ones that will need so much resource.

    Mr Speaker, I would want to urge our men to continue to support and encourage our women to breastfeed their children and to make time for them in office spaces, especially when we have tea breaks, cocoa breaks and coffee breaks, let us have breastfeeding breaks as well. If there is a breastfeeding mother in an organisation, it is important that time is created for them to go and take care of our babies. A healthy child will, indeed be a healthy adult.

    Mr Speaker, I think that it is about time that we created changing spaces in corporate entities. There has to be a place where nursing mothers can go and change their children, breastfeed them and have a little time with them. It is not too much to ask. It reduces that stress on both parents.

    Mr Speaker, it would be important if we give men paternity leave to assist in the raising of our children. My beloved father who is 96 years now, used to take care of us when my mother went to the market, and I can assure you that bond that was created is the reason why I still visit him on daily basis when I can. I do not know about the men in this Parliament whose wives have young children. I do not know if we have anything in place to assist them to close earlier to go and take care of their infants to give a break to the mothers.

    Mr Speaker, carrying a child for nine (9) months, delivering them, caring for them, waking up at night to feed and change them can be daunting and extract all kinds of energy from the mother. If the men are given support to be home, I am sure that the mother's health will be better.

    Mr Speaker, in the year 2000, ILO released the Maternity Protection Convention, 183, but 20 years down the line, Ghana has not ratified that convention. How can the discourse that we are having find its feet if we do not have this convention ratified. As a new born champion, it is my pleasure to add my voice to this Statement and to ask that the ministries that are in charge of bringing that Convention to Parliament to be ratified take the necessary steps to
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:51 p.m.
    Hon Members, I will invite the male to contribute to the Statement.
    Yes, Hon Member for Sene West?
    Mr Kwame Twumasi Ampofo (NDC -- Sene West) 2:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you.
    Mr Speaker, breast milk is very important for our children. Nursing mothers can feed their children when they have good food. Some parents find it difficult to get good food to eat. Therefore, we should find a way of supporting them. If we go to some of the advanced countries, they support mothers and the children by giving them nutritious food, so that the mother can eat well. Apart from breastfeeding, the babies also have the food that support them. So as a country, we should be able to do that for our children to feed well, grow well, think well, and become good adults.
    Mr Speaker, breastfeeding helps both mothers and children. It prevents them from a lot of illnesses such as pneumonia, cancers and many others. So it is important for mothers to feed them well. Therefore, as fathers, we need to support our women, so that when they give birth, they can feed their children well and they will grow well.
    Mr Speaker, we would have to also create the space -- just as the Hon Members have said. In all places of work, so that nursing mothers can
    have the space and time to feed their children well when they go to work. It is very important for us to do that.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I think it is important to feed our children well to become good adults.
    3. 01 p.m.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:51 p.m.
    Thank you Hon Member. Finally, I will invite the Hon Member for Ada.
    Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah (NDC -- Ada) 2:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the Statement made by my Hon Colleague from Keta.
    Mr Speaker, breastfeeding is something that we normally do not take seriously. This is all in the name of keeping the breast, so that it does not fall flat. It is as if the youth are being misled by people that if they fed their babies, they will have flat breasts.
    Mr Speaker, I have fed six babies, but my breasts are not flat.[Hear, Hear!]So, if one has a flat breast --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:51 p.m.
    Hon Member, I did not hear that.
    Mrs Cudjoe Ghansah 2:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if one has flat breasts, it does not matter if she feeds a baby or not, it would still be flat. So, we should feed the babies. We should give the breast milk to them for six months without water. We should not add anything to it. I beg some of the grandmothers to support their children to feed these babies.
    The grandmothers should encourage the new mothers, and tell them the benefits of breastfeeding. This is because I breastfed my babies exclusively for six months, and I know the benefits I had from . For the whole six months, one would never encounter a problem with the baby. One would never attend any hospital apart from going to weigh the child. because there would be no headache, diarrhoea or any other illness.
    Mr Speaker, the truth of the matter is that in addition one would save money because to buy baby food is not a joke. A baby can take one tin of food in four days, but God has given women the original one to give to the baby, and that would even help the baby in nursery school.
    When the babies are breastfed exclusively and they enter the nursery schools, the teachers who are good are able to identify those ones who had exclusive breastfeeding. This is
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:51 p.m.
    Today, I am giving the opportunity to the ladies, so, I would invite the Hon Member for Okaikwei North to the Floor.
    Ms Theresa Lardi Awuni (NDC -- Okaikwei North) 2:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement. I would like to also commend the Hon Member who
    made the Statement, especially with him being a man. Most at times, our men compete with the children for the breast, so, to have a very bold man who would come out and give out this Statement, I would want to say kudos to him.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to advise our women to take breastfeeding very seriously because there are a lot of benefits that a mother gets from breastfeeding a child. Most elite mothers are the ones who are guilty of not breastfeeding their children. because they think that they know all the formulas in town and could buy them to feed their infants, so they neglect the aspect of breastfeeding.
    Mr Speaker, breastfeeding provides health benefits for mothers beyond emotional satisfaction. Mothers who breastfeed recover from child birth quickly. Mothers who breastfeed, do not also go through so much stress buying medications for their children. There are mothers who do not breastfeed. If we look at the rate at which mothers get cancers, when one investigates or gets a research on it, he would get to know that most of these mothers deny their children breast milk.
    So, we are urging all women out there, that when they give birth to their children, six months exclusive breastfeeding is what is good for them.
    Mr Speaker, some of the advantages that mothers get from breastfeeding are that the babies become very healthy. The children do not fall sick easily, making them healthy. All our institutions should also create space for nursing mothers, so that when they come to work and are to breastfeed their children, they would not shy away from it, and would have the space.
    Parliament especially should take that initiative. Like the Hon Zenator said, we should create place for our mothers. Most of our women have given birth, but due to the unavailability of space to breastfeed their children, they stay in their houses, or they come and leave the infants in the offices, which is not conducive.
    So, Parliament should take the necessary steps and provide avenues for our nursing mothers, so that when they come to the House to do their normal duties, they would have the opportunity to also feed and bond with their children.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:51 p.m.
    Hon Member, thank you very much.
    Ms Gifty Twum-Ampofo (NPP --Abuakwa North) 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. I would like to commend the Hon Member who made this Statement. It is a very important Statement that he has made, and I thank him for that.
    Mr Speaker, talking about exclusive breastfeeding, even though stressful, that is the best thing every woman should sacrifice to do. The most painful part of motherhood is when a person's child is ill at a very tender age, especially with diarrhoeas and other immune disorders. Research has proven that children who are breastfed exclusively for six months, hardly suffer from diarrhoea and immune disorders.
    Mr Speaker, when mothers breastfeed their children exclusively, they themselves are able to recover from birth and its complications, earlier than without doing exclusive breastfeeding. Again, the mother also benefits from hormonal balances, which ensures that the mother could go through breastfeeding, even without resuming her menstrual cycle
    until she is done breastfeeding. This helps to postpone the possibility of the next birth, so, exclusive breastfeeding itself is a natural family planning strategy.
    Mr Speaker, the first breast milk that comes out of the mother's breast, which is the colostrum, contains all the antibodies that a child needs to grow in the midst of all infections, to make sure that the child hardly contracts any form of illness.

    Mr Speaker, children who enjoy exclusive breastfeeding are healthier as my other Hon Colleagues have said. You see that even their skin is intact and look good. Again, research has proved that children who benefit from exclusive breastfeeding are more caring and they care much more for fellow human beings than those who are fed on various formulae.

    Mr Speaker, we appreciate that as career women, it is stressful to go through exclusive breastfeeding because we go through a lot of stress. Research has also proved that when a woman is under stress, the gland responsible for lactating hardly responds positively. I would seize this opportunity to appeal to women that yes, it is stressful, but they should not think about other things that are not

    primarily important, and concentrate on the gift of birth God has given us and with that, breast milk will always be in abundance.

    Mr Speaker, there is nothing we could compare with breastfeeding.

    Again, it protects the woman from the possibility of getting any form of cancers, especially those that have to do with the reproductive system and the breast itself. I appeal to the family. At that time, the woman needs a lot of support from other relatives especially the husband to keep encouraging her to calm her down so that she could produce more milk and save the family a lot of money.

    Mr Speaker, when you travel and you take your children along on exclusive breastfeeding, all that you need is your baby. You do not need a steriliser, a feeding bottle or an extra bag. You just pick your baby and off you go. So, Mr Speaker, it is most convenient, even though stressful -- with a lot of effort, all women could support and give our children exclusive breastfeeding.

    To this end, I would want to commend Nestlé Ghana Limited. Nestlé Ghana Limited has a whole apartment for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers at Nestlé Ghana Limited have a place to keep

    their children. They have a facility to express the milk and keep it warm, and women who work there and keep their babies are always comfortable because they could go along with nannies and helps to keep their babies and breastfeed them as and when the babies want to be fed.

    On this note, Mr Speaker, I would want to thank you and the Hon Member who made this Statement.
    Ms Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba (NDC -- Tempane) 3:11 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement. Mr Speaker, we are most grateful to the Hon Member who made the Statement. I know he made it on behalf of women so we are grateful for it.
    Mr Speaker, I just want to add one or two benefits to what he gave. Breastfeeding in itself is a difficult task for women because women today have careers. To wake up in the morning, breastfeed your child, and go to work is not an easy task. We as Ghanaians should put our heads together to see how we can help women go through this process.
    We have to look at the labour laws again to see how we can factor breastfeeding into our schedules. For instance, a woman with multiple deliveries would find it difficult to breastfeed about two or three
    Mr James Klutse Avedzi (NDC -- Ketu North) 3:21 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this glorious opportunity to contribute to this well-researched Statement.
    The Hon Member who made the Statement identified the benefits of breastfeeding. In fact, he identified
    two main benefits. The first one is the health benefit, and there is the economic benefit to the individual; the health benefit to the child and the health benefit to the mother and the economic benefit to the family. All that has been talked about by Hon Members, but there is one that Hon Members did not touch on, which is the economic benefit to the State.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who made the Statement provided some data to support his argument that exclusive breastfeeding can save a total amount of US$5.8 million annually. And this amount of money can be spent on healthcare cost and can generate more than US$594 million for the economy.

    So, this is very important that the State must take a look at, that if we spend our Budget to promote exclusive breastfeeding, we would save US$5.8 million, which we can then deploy on other healthcare cost. And then, the multiplying effect is that we would generate US$594 million.

    It is very important for the State. In fact, the Hon Member who made the Statement said, this is nearly 1.5 per cent of Ghana's GDP. So, it is very important that the benefits are such that if government takes this seriously,
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Members, thank you very much. I am called to refer the Statement to the Committee on Health and therefore, the Committee on Health, please take note, the Statement is referred to you. Look into it and report back to the House.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of the Statement Time and I would like to thank all of you; the Hon Members who made the Statements and all of you who have contributed to the Statements.
    Hon Leaders, let me come to you for indication.
    Mr Habib Iddrisu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think we have already touched on the item listed 6 (ii); that was the only thing we handled under the item listed 6. Item listed 7 is just notification on Committee meetings so; without much ado, Mr Speaker, we are in your hands for adjournment.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Leader?
    Mr Avedzi 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is past 2 o'clock so we are in your hands.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Members, the House is accordingly adjourned till tomorrow Thursday, 10th June, 2021 at 10.00 a.m.
    I thank all of you for your attention.
    ADJOURNMENT 3:21 p.m.
  • The House was adjourned at 3.31 p.m. till Thursday, 10th June, 2021 at 10.00 a. m.