Debates of 29 Jun 2021

MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRAYERS 2:31 p.m.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:31 p.m.
Hon Members, the item numbered 3; Formal Communication from the Speaker.
ANNOUNCEMENT 2:31 p.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 2:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker 2:41 a.m.
The Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 24th June, 2021 is what we would start with.
Page 1…7 --
Mr Akwasi Darko Boateng 2:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, page 7, item numbered 14, I was here on 24th June, 2021 but was marked absent. I am Akwasi Darko Boateng.
Mr Speaker 2:41 a.m.
Table Office, kindly take note.
Page 8, 9 --
Mr Alexander K. Afenyo- Markin 2:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with respect, item numbered 9, I am not too sure the intention was to describe the first line as “Rt Hon Speaker recognised”. I think that it was the Second Deputy Speaker who was in the Chair. So, could that correction be made?
Mr Speaker 2:41 a.m.
Table Office, it was the Second Deputy Speaker.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 2:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, in addition to that, the last sentence reads, “the African Parliamentarians Association for Human Rights who were in the country to hold consultative meeting with…”. It should either read “to hold a consultative meeting” or “to hold consultative meetings''. It is not clear exactly what is being communicated. This rendition is not appropriate; so could it be clarified?
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Table Office, take note. It is either one or many and if it is one, it is “a''. So, it should be inserted so that it could read “to hold a consultative meeting''. However, I believe it was more than one, so it should read “to hold consultative meetings''.
Page 10,11 -
rose
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member for North Tongu?
Mr Ablakwa 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with regard to item numbered (v) on page 11, the Motion is incomplete so it should be completed accordingly. It should be “One District One Factory''.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Table Office, take note.
Page 12…14 --
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member for North Tongu, Mr Ablakwa?
Mr Ablakwa 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the first paragraph under “Finance Committee'' at page 13, should either be, “Wednesday, 23rd June, 2021'' or “Thursday, 24th June, 2021'' but as it
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Hon Members of the Committee, which day did you meet?
Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would be pleased if the Hon Member could repeat what he said?
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
The Hon Member said that last Wednesday, was not 24th June, 2021, but 23rd June, 2021. If it were 24th June, 2021, then it was a Thursday.
Mr Kwarteng 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, an Hon Member of the Committee has advised that it was “Wednesday'', so the date should be corrected to reflect last week Wednesday.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
So, it should be “Wednesday, 23rd June, 2021''.
Page 14…17 --
Hon Members, in the absence of any further corrections, the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 24th June, 2021, as corrected is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I pray for your leave to vary the order of Business. If that is granted, we could proceed with items numbered 8 (a) and (c).
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Hon Members, I grant leave in accordance with Order
53 (2).
At the Commencement of Public Business, item numbered 8 -- Presentation of Papers.
Item numbered 8(a), by the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports?
PAPERS 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Item numbered 8 (b), by the Hon Minister for the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the application was in respect of items numbered 8(a) and (c).
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Your application was in respect of item numbered 8?
Mr Afenyo-Markin 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with respect, I was specific.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
That did not come to my notice.
Item numbered 8(c), by the Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is unavoidably absent. In his stead, the Hon Deputy Minister is in the House so if your leave could be granted for him to lay the Paper?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with the greatest of respect, the Hon Minister should lay the Paper himself. There have been a number of instances where other Hon Ministers or Hon Deputy Ministers have laid Papers on behalf of Hon Ministers who later
complained that they were not aware that Papers had been laid on their behalf.
Apart from that, the Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has Questions to answer today in the House. So, I would want to crave your indulgence to allow the Hon Minister himself to come to the House to lay the Paper, if he thinks the Business is important to him or his Ministry. The Paper should not be permitted to be laid by his Deputy Minister. The Hon Minister himself should come to the House to lay it.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, what was the purpose of you making this special application if the Hon Minister himself was not present?
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you advised us not to surprise you. I was of the assumption that we have some understanding but it appears that the assumption was based on some miscommunication. I would reach out to my Hon Colleague on it and plead with him to rest his case.

The Hon Minister, Mr Daniel Botwe, is well known in this House
Alhaji Muntaka 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the understanding we had was that the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports had other urgent engagements so if we could vary the order of Business to allow the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports to lay the Paper so that he can leave quickly? We agreed that it was understandable since the Hon Minister was in the House but we never spoke about the Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has series of Questions on the Order Paper for
today. So, why are we in a hurry to vary the order of Business to allow the Hon Deputy Minister to lay a Paper? Mr Speaker, all I am saying is that this is not acceptable to us; therefore, we should wait for the Hon Minister to be present since he has Questions to answer. So, when he gets here, he can lay the Papers.
Mr Speaker, the agreement we had was about the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports and so let us stick to that agreement. We should not vary the order of Business to areas that we do not have a common understanding.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a House of precedence and the Hon Minority Chief Whip has been on the Other side before where he is now and had to champion Government Business. We are pleading that he is only laying the Paper - but if as it were, the Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Develop- ment has gained notoriety for not attending upon the House, then the argument by the Hon Minority Chief Whip may be well founded.
Mr Speaker, so I would plead that we allow the Hon Deputy Minister to lay the Paper, after all, Hon O. B. Amoah, is our own Hon Friend and
he is a ‘Senior' Deputy Minister. Mr Speaker, the Hon Member has given a smile so I presume he has abandoned his application. The Hon Deputy Minister is a friend in whom he is well pleased so we should allow him to lay the Paper.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, you are referring to a ‘senior' Hon Deputy Minister.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, that is between myself and the Hon Colleague. I have withdrawn it from the records.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
The Hon First Deputy Speaker is on his feet.
Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
I am on my feet to suggest that some of the things we do here become precedents which may, in fact, impede the order of Business if we allow them to stand. Indeed, in this House and on many occasions, when Hon Ministers are not available, we seek the leave of Mr Speaker and allow the Hon Deputy Ministers to do some of the business on their behalf, especially when the Hon Deputy Ministers are Hon Members of this House. I think that laying a Paper per se is not something that we should
insist that the Hon Minister must be present personally. We may be setting a precedent which may be difficult to follow and in some circumstances it may impede the House in the performance of business.
So, I suggest that notwithstanding the objection of the Hon Minority Chief Whip, Mr Speaker would allow the Hon Deputy Minister to lay the Paper on behalf of the Hon Minister.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Hon Minority Chief Whip, you heard the Hon First Deputy Speaker?
Alhaji Muntaka 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, what the Hon First Deputy Speaker said is supposed to be on rare occasions and there is the urgent need for that business to be done while all of us are aware of the inability of the Hon Minister to conduct that business.
Secondly, I would want to draw attention that when Hon Ministers are not available, the Presidency does not allow the Hon Deputy Ministers to act, rather another substantive Hon Minister would be asked to act in their stead. Mr Speaker, there is a reason because when a Paper is laid in this House, the relevant Ministry is then committed, but we are not saying that the Hon Minister is incapable of doing this.
Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
I do not think that we should stretch this matter further. Sometimes we make these applications when they are not necessary. I can even see the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports still present so there was nothing urgent about him laying the Papers because the Hon Minister is still with us and so, we could have done other things before.
Usually, the practice is that after the application is made, I have to ask the other Side, and when the other Side feels strongly against it, in spite of all pleadings to keep the House together so that we can move in unison, I think we usually do not grant the leave.
So, we would not grant the leave for the Hon Deputy Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development to lay the Report. We would move on to the other items and I am sure the Hon Minister would be here and it is the Hon Ministers who decide the assistance they want from their Deputies. So, if an Hon Minister decides that I want my Hon Deputy Minister to represent me on the floor of Parliament and to present Papers, it is within the authority of the
Hon Minister to do so, but it is for the House to either accept or reject that.
However, the convention is that we usually allow for good reason, particularly when the Hon Deputy Minister is an Hon Member of Parliament because that Hon Deputy Minister would have been very knowledgeable in the practice and procedure of the House. Those that are non-Hon Members of the House are encouraged to be present to learn so that they do not stay at the Ministries, lose the next elections and just pass through without any impact. That is why we try to encourage them to be present so that even if you lose the next election, at least your name and contributions will appear in the Hansard of Parliament.

There are so many Deputy Ministers who have passed through without ever being known as Deputy Ministers of State. So it is in their own interest to always show up. With this, we go back to item numbered 5 on the Order Paper. We would start with the Urgent Question. There is an Urgent Question standing in the name of Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle - one of the most important subjects of the city of Accra. I know it goes beyond Osu.
URGENT QUESTIONS 3:11 p.m.
MINISTRY OF WORKS AND 3:11 p.m.
HOUSING 3:11 p.m.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey Korle) 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Works and Housing when the dredging of the Odaw Drain would be done in preparation for the rainy season.
Minister for Works and Housing (Mr Francis Asenso- Boakye)(MP) 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Works and Housing is mindful that the Odaw Drainage Basin is arguably the most important catchment in the country as far as the threat of flooding is concerned, and I am pleased to state that the government of President Nana- Akufo-Addo is absolutely committed to continuing and intensifying the efforts to find lasting solutions to the perennial flooding challenges in the Basin.
In pursuit of that objective, Government is currently collaborating with the World Bank to invest more than US$200 million to implement the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, which will mitigate flood risk
Dredging activities are focused on 3:11 p.m.
a. The lined section of the Odaw Drain from Caprice to Abossey Okai Bridge;
b. The unlined section from Abossey Okai Bridge to the Interceptor weir at the Korle Lagoon; and
c. The South Kaneshie drain from Ring Road at Obetsebi Lamptey interchange to the interceptor weir at the Korle Lagoon.
d. The Agbogbloshie Drain to the Interceptor weir at the Korle Lagoon.
It is worth highlighting that the Korle Lagoon was dredged extensively earlier this year, thereby creating room for the storage of storm water. Additionally, the timing of the on-going dredging works is such that, there will be a seamless transition to the new GARID contract to avoid periods of redundancy where the communities in the constituency will
be exposed to increased flooding hazard.
Mr Speaker, through the National Flood Control Programme, the Klottey Lagoon was dredged last year to increase its holding capacity. Also, the contractor for Odawna Garages Area Drain - phase 2 works, is on site and work is progressing as planned.
Moreover, contract for the construction of the Castle Drain has been awarded and it is expected that the contractor will mobilise and start the works soon. Collectively, these measures will go a long way to mitigate the risk of flooding in the Odaw Drainage Basin in this rainy season and beyond.
While the Government is making every effort to ensure that flood risk is minimised, it is important that citizens see their protection from flood risk as a shared responsibility. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to invite citizens to complement the efforts of government and desist from depositing solid waste in the drains in order to maintain drainage capacity and reduce the likelihood of storm water overflow and flooding.
Mr. Speaker, as I conclude, I wish to assure the Hon Member and this
august House that my Ministry will intensify efforts to enhance the resilience of our communities and this House will be updated on our progress.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary question?
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to enquire from the Hon Minister whether he is aware that his predecessor did promise that the work would be started with the GARID Project last year in October, 2020 and what the timeline is currently?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Project was faced with some challenges and this is why they were not able to meet that deadline. Since I became the Minister, I have been working very hard to make sure that the project starts in earnest. I want to assure the Hon Member that currently, procurement processes are ongoing to procure the consultant and contractors. I am very hopeful that by December, we should be able to start the Project on the ground.
Thank you very much.
Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
Hon Minister, since you are still young in the House, we
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:11 p.m.
Very well noted, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
Are you continuing to assure us? [Laughter.]
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am hoping that by December --
Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
You are hoping? [Laughter]
Hon Member, now the Hon Minister is hoping so please your supplementary questions should focus on that.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not sure of how to translate the hope to my constituents when the flooding begins.
Mr Speaker, I would like to ask a question with regard to the dredging. The Hon Minister mentioned that the Odaw was drained extensively this year but on a recent visit, we observed
that the Odaw was actually quite silted up.
What mechanisms are in place to ensure that the contractor that has been given this job is actually doing it properly to ensure that the object of the dredging is achieved?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we have a monitoring and evaluation arrangement that ensures that the contractor is monitored at all times. The last time that I was there, I observed that there were some dredge materials that had happened because it had rained and it had brought in a lot of debris from upstream though. But as I speak, every part of the channel is still being dredged. That was why there was no flooding in that basin when it rained in Accra last week.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Hon Members, this is an Urgent Question.
Yes, Hon Kwame Agbodza?
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much.
May I ask the Hon Minister how he would fund the works knowing very well that on page 281 of the
2021 Budget Statement, all the Ministry has in the budget for capital investment is GH¢56 million?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am aware of the inadequacy of our Budget line for this year. The Ministry is currently engaging the Minister for Finance to correct this anomaly. [Interruption]
rose
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Ablakwa?
Mr Ablakwa 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am most grateful.
In the response provided by the Hon Minister, he referred to the US$200 million Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project, which is financed by the World Bank. I recalled that in the Seventh Parliament, Government came to this House and said that they were going to realign the US$200 million to responsed to COVID-19 issues. So, that money is not available to him. This House supported the realignment of that US$200 million.
Mr Speaker, has that US$200 million been released to him now? If not, then he is really misleading the
House because that US$200 million is not available to him. Does he have the US$200 million?
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Hon Minister, just a minute? I would want the Hon Member to ask a question, because he ended up saying that, “you do not have the money.” It is not a question.
Mr Ablakwa 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my question is that, is the Hon Minister not misleading this House when during the COVID-19 Response, the US$200 million from the World Bank was realinged to fight COVID-19. Has that money been released to him by the Minister for Finance?
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with respect, the question the Hon Member is asking is not a supplementary question -- [Interruption] -- If it is, then he should ask it well, because Mr Speaker has given him the opportunity to ask the question. It must flow from the main answer given. He has had two opportunities and he was doing long narration.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague should take the rules book and check what Order 67 says. If he wants to file a question, he should do so. This is not a supplementary question.
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Hon Members, I was considering the question under Order 67 (1) (b):
“Questions must comply with the following conditions --
(b) a Question shall not contain any arguments, expression of opinion, inferences, imputations, epithets or controversial, ironical or offensive expressions or hypothetical cases.”
So, I considered it under arguments. And then when you go to Order 67 (1) (j), it says:
“A supplementary Question shall be subject to the same rules of Order as an original Question…”.
So, I was considering whether he was being argumentative. That was why I wanted a simple straightforward supplementary question on that. But do not argue on whether it was withdrawn.
Mr Ablakwa 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am most grateful. I shall follow your guidance.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in responding to Hon Agyeman- Rawlings' Question said that the
World Bank-sponsored Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project, which is estimated to cost US$200 million, would be used to finance the Odaw Basin Drainage Project. In the Seventh Parliament, that funding was realigned to fight COVID-19.
Mr Speaker, may I know from the Hon Minister whether the Ministry of Finance has released the funds to the Ministry? This is because the records in this House show that the money was realigned as part of our COVID-19 response. It is a statement of fact, I am not arguing.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think you read Order 67 (1) (b) in extenso. Clearly, I am not gagging him, but I think that he should go straightforward and ask his question -- [Interruption]
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Hon Minister, are you aware that money has been realigned and it is not available for the use of your Ministry for that project?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am aware, and I am also aware that it has not been released. We are currently in discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank to address that funding gap.
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Hon Member of Parliament for Klottey Korley, the Hon Minister said they are still in discussions with the Hon Minister for Finance and the World Bank for the release of that facility. So, that is where we have reached now.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Dafeamekpor? That should be the last supplementary question because it was an Urgent Question.
Mr Rockson Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor 3:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is informing Parliament that even though he is aware that the originally procured amount of US$200 million had been realigned and re-packaged under the COVID-19 - On 29th June, 2021 when seven persons had perished and when the floods perhaps may restart this evening, he says that they are now in discussions or negotiations. So, my question is to know how long the discussions would last, and when would the money come?
Mr Speaker 3:31 p.m.
Hon Member, this is not a supplementary question, so, I would disallow it. When you go through the rules, you would see why I disallowed it.
Hon Members, we would move on to the next Question, and the Hon Second Deputy Speaker would take the Chair.
Hon Members, we are on the item numbered 7, the Question numbered 107, which stands in the name of Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome, the Hon Member of Parliament for South Tongu.
Hon Member, you may ask your Question now?
ORAL ANSWERS TO 3:31 p.m.
QUESTIONS 3:31 p.m.
MINISTRY OF WORKS AND 3:31 p.m.
HOUSING 3:31 p.m.
Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 3:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Works and Housing the steps the Ministry is taking to plan, design and construct drainage in Sogakope, Dabala, Sokpe, and Tefle towns to
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Works and Housing has taken note of the increasing risk of flooding across the country. Several places that were not previously prone to flooding, are now experiencing flooding. Among the factors that have accounted for this situation are climate change, uncontrolled development and poor household waste management practices.
The Ministry, through the Hydrological Services Department collates data on flooding incidents across the country and that data is used in prioritising drainage basins for developing and implementing flood mitigation projects in view of the significant budget constraints. Over the past four (4) years, the government of President Akufo-Addo has invested more than GH¢450 million in the National Flood Control Programme and that has helped to reduce flood risk across the country.
In spite of this significant investment, my Ministry is aware there are several areas across the country that need intervention to mitigate flood
risk and protect lives, livelihoods and property.
To that end, my Ministry has tasked the Hydrological Services Department to undertake an investigation of the causes of flooding, carry out surveys and designs including cost estimates for the construction of Sogakope, Dabala, Sokpe and Tefle towns drainage systems. They will be included in our list of projects for the 2021 National Flood Programme, subject to the availability of funds.
Mr Speaker 3:31 p.m.
Hon Minister, just a minute.
Hon Members, we have admitted over 50 Statements. So, if you have the patience today, my Hon Second Deputy Speaker, after the Questions would take seven of those Statements. However, there would be time-limits that would be enforced by him. So, with this, the Hon Second Deputy Speaker would take the Chair.
Hon Minister, you may continue?
MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my Ministry has initiated the
processes for the implementation of the 2021-2022 National Flood Control Programme across all the 16 regions of the country aimed at enhancing our flood resilience. The Ministry is expecting to receive the necessary financial approvals soon for the implementation process to commence.
Mr Speaker, I would like to reiterate my call on all citizens to exercise circumspection in the disposal of household solid waste. In order for Government investment in additional drainage capacity to be effective, a concerted effort needs to be made to not fill the drains with solid waste.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to assure the Hon Member for South Tongu and this august House that my Ministry will intensify efforts to enhance the resilience of our communities to flooding and this House will be updated on our progress.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:36 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary question?
Mr Woyome 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, from the Answer provided by the Hon Minister, he indicated in the last sentence of paragraph three:
“They will be included in our list of projects for the 2021 National Flood Programme.”
Do I take that to be a project that is likely to start this year, so that at least, the long suffering of the people in these areas, would to an extent, begin to see some light?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:36 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minister? Did you not hear it? [Pause]
Yes, Hon Minister?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I meant that those projects have been captured under our 2021/2022 National Flood Control Programme, subject to the availability of funds.
Mr Woyome 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the Answer which the Hon Minister provided, which is also before you to look at, with all due respect, we do not see any aspect of it which says that it would be subject to the availability of funds as he indicated right now.
However, I would want to know from the Hon Minister that since he indicated all these programmes, can the time-lines these are likely to take place be stated; the design, the construction, the survey and all that? So that at least, the good people of South Tongu can begin to see that
Mr Woyome 3:36 p.m.


hopefully, something would be done about their situation and plight.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:36 p.m.
Hon Minister, any time-lines?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not in the position to provide time lines because we do not have the funds now, but once we receive the funds, we would be able to come back to him and give him the time-lines for the commencement and implementation of the project.
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, may I ask the Hon Minister, who himself is a Planner, whether he has got a nationwide strategy to deal with these flooding? I know that flooding happens in many of our cities, in Kumasi, Accra, and now he even talks about Sogakope. This is because it is becoming something that we should expect.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:36 p.m.
My Hon Colleague, you know -- [Pause] -- I believe that you have understood that --?
Mr Agbodza 3:36 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am asking if his Ministry has got a nationwide strategy? This is because
he is singling out towns by themselves, and flooding would not tell us its next phase.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Hon Minister, are you minded to give us any strategic plans of the Ministry?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:41 p.m.
Of course we have a nationwide strategy, and it is embedded in our National Flood control Programme. As part of the programme, we are constructing new drains, expanding existing ones, and we are collaborating with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentra- lisation and Rural Development to make sure that structures that are built on waterways are demolished.
We are also working with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to make sure that people do not continue to dump solid waste into our drainage channels.
Mr David T. D. Vondee 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I just want to ask the Hon Minister if it is not about time to change the style of building drains in our country where drains are open? He appealed to Ghanaians to help the Ministry by not dumping solid waste into drains. Will it not be better to
build covered drains in order to manage floods?
Mr Asenso-Boakye 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, covering drains has its own advantages and disadvantages. The ideal situation is to have covered drains. That is what is called subterranean drains. However, with the current situation we have in our country, where people continue to dump solid waste into our drainage channels, it would be very difficult for us to continue to have subterranean drains.
Last week in Kumasi, the Kejetia Market got flooded.This was because some timber logs had found their way underneath the market and into the underground drainage system, which blocked the flow of storm water and the water was forced to come out as storm water overflow to flood the whole market.
Subterranean drains have their advantages and disadvantages. That is why we are working actively with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to educate Ghanaians on the need to desist from dumping solid waste into our drainage channels.
Mrs Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, day in day out, our Hon Colleagues who are Ministers are
called to this House to answer Questions on infrastructural issues which are capital expenditure, and heavy moneys are involved. If the Hon Minister is not able to give a timeline then, the person who is funding it should kindly be called here to give the timeline because everything has to be paid for.
Mr Speaker, we cannot sit here and be given hopes because we have to give our constituents something more than hope. Work has to get done. How would it get done? It has to be paid for. Who would pay for it? The Hon Minister for Finance should please come and tell us how it would be paid for. Otherwise, he would come, we would take the records and in two months' time, we can call him back, and he would come with the same briefing that he has been given because he does not have the money to pay.
I would plead that the Hon Minister for Finance is also called in conjunction with anybody who would come to discuss anything that has to do with capital expenditure so that we have a clear picture and we can practise proper project management principles in this House.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
That is not a question.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.


Hon Minister, we thank you for attending upon the House to answer Questions. We are so grateful.

Hon Members, we will move to Question numbered 48 which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Akatsi North, Hon Peter Nortsu- Kotoe. Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, please take your seat.

Hon Member, you may now ask the Question.
MINISTRY OF LOCAL 3:41 p.m.
GOVERNMENT, 3:41 p.m.
DECENTRALISATION 3:41 p.m.
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 3:41 p.m.
Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe (NDC - Akatsi North) 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development what steps the Ministry and the Regional Coordinating Councils are taking to ensure that representatives of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to the Regional Lands Commissions are nominated legally as
stipulated in section 9(b)(ii) of the Lands Commission Act of 2008 (Act
767).
Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (Mr Daniel Botwe) (MP): Mr Speaker, section 9(b)(ii) of the Lands Commission's Act of 2008, (Act 767), “Membership of a Regional Lands Commission” states that, a Regional Lands Commission shall consist of the following persons appointed by the Minister responsible for Lands:
a) The chairman who shall not be a Minister or a Deputy Minister;
b) One representative of, and nominated by;
i. the Regional House of Chiefs;
ii. each district assembly within the Region;
iii. the department responsible for town and country planning.
c) One nominee of the Ghana Bar Association practising in the Region;
d) One nominee of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors practising in the Region;
e) One nominee of National Association of Farmers and Fishermen in the Region; and
f) The Regional Lands Officer.
In this regard, the question may be referred to the Hon Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary question?
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I asked this Question because four years ago, I posed a similar Question to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and that Answer was that the nomination from the District Assemblies was the responsibility of the District Assemblies. The District Assemblies fall under the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, so, I am surprised that the Hon Minister said that this Question may be referred to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
Mr Speaker, in any case, when this House wants to send Hon Members to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament or the Pan-African Parliament, nominations are made and approved by this House. Therefore,
the District Assemblies have the responsibility to nominate and approve members to Boards and Regional Lands Commissions.
Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Hon Minister, if you look at paragraph 2(b) of his Answer, it says, “each district assembly within the Region”. Is the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development now delegating this function to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources? Mr Speaker, I would like to know from the Hon Minister?
Mr Botwe 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as read, from the Act, it is true that District Assemblies would have to send representatives to the regional body, but the point being made here is that the whole exercise is under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. If the case being made by the Hon Member is that Regional House of Chiefs, the Ghana Bar Association, Ghana Institution of Surveyors, farmers and fishermen have sent their nominees, and the only thing holding the composition of the Regional Lands Commission is the Assembly, then, it would be a point. However, if that is not the case, then, the whole composition is under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, once the Hon Minister has stated that it is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, I have no further question to ask. I would take it up at another level.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member for South Dayi?
Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the composition and subsequent swearing-in of the members of some of these statutory bodies could be carried out pending the nominees from the respective Assemblies. Their swearing-in could be done later, so some of these Boards could begin to function.
Mr Speaker, the question is that, would the Hon Minister consider doing this?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Hon Member, I would not allow this question. It is already answered.
At this juncture, let me invite the Hon Member for Buem, Hon Iddie Kofi Adams to ask his Questions.
Elevation of Jasikan District to a Municipal Status
Mr Kofi Iddie Adams (NDC -- Buem) 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development whether the Jasikan District has been elevated to a Municipal status, and if not, whether Government has any plans to elevate it to a Municipal status.
Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (Mr Dan Botwe) (MP): The Jasikan District has not yet been elevated into a Municipality. The Ministry as per the letter of 21st October, 2020 submitted a draft Executive Instrument (E.I.) for the upgrade of Jasikan District into a Municipality to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice for their review.
Jasikan District was created by the Local Government (Jasikan District Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument, 2020 laid before Parliament on 6th October, 2020 which came into force on 9 th November, 2020.
The Ministry received the final E.I. from the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice on 9th November, 2020 for onward submission to H. E.
the President for his signature. The President has signed the Executive Instrument for the elevation of Jasikan District into a Municipality.
The processes for the elevation of the District to a Municipal has commenced, and Parliament will be notified in due course of further progress in this regard.
Mr K. I. Adams 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister minded, as you would normally put it, to tell this House the date H. E. the President signed this Executive Instrument he is referring to?
Mr Botwe 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this could be made available to the Hon Member very soon, maybe, tomorrow or next. It has been signed, and we are going through the processes. I am sure that very soon it would be brought before Parliament and Jasikan's status as a municipality would be confirmed. I am very certain this would happen very soon.
Mr K. I. Adams 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we hear “very soon” quite often. I would want to know how soon is this “very soon” because the Regional Minister for Oti in briefing the Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development of this House told
them that Jasikan District is now a Municipality.
Because of this, I would want to find out from the Hon Minister how soon is the soon, and what is holding back the completion of this process and the announcement.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Hon Minister, how soon is the soon?
Mr Botwe 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, what the Hon Member wants to know is that his constituents in Jasikan have always wanted to be elevated to the status of a Municipality. The President, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has signed and agreed to give his people what they have always requested for but never received it. The most important thing is, in the next few weeks, this would be brought to the House, a date would be fixed and I would go with the Hon Member to inaugurate the Municipality.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Whip?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Hon Iddie Kofi Adams is interested in assisting the Hon Minister to elevate Jasikan to a Municipality. Since the Minister has answered that the President has finally signed, and the fact that there is a convention and practice in this House where
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
So, this is not a question?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is not an opinion but a question.
I was here in the Fifth Parliament when in creating Municipalities and Districts, we had to go back and forth several times correcting Executive Instruments.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:41 p.m.
So reframe it into a Question.
Mr A. Ibrahim 3:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, would he consider making it available to the Hon Member for Buem for correction, input or confirmation?
Mr Botwe 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, just as the people from Jasikan in the Oti Region wanted a Region for themselves and started fighting for it in 1954, and never got it till the era of
President Akufo-Addo, they have confidence in the fact that when he says he would elevate Jasikan to a Municipality, it would happen. This is the comforting news that the people are confident of because a whole region has been created after so many years of demand.
Mr Speaker, I can lay this Paper that on 19th May, 2021, the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice wrote to my office in reference to a correspondence we have sent to his office on 27th April, 2021. In the letter he said:
“Please find attached for your consideration, the draft Local Government, Jasikan Municipal Assembly Establishment Instrument, 2021. Please provide us with any comment that you may have on the Instrument to enable us finalise work on the Instrument.”

Mr Speaker, the process has started, and to answer the Leaders, I would certainly consult the Hon Member of Parliament for that privilege of having a prior copy to finalise it. But the important thing is that once we created a region for him, when we say we would do something he should be confident that we would do it.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Minister.
Hon Members, we now move to Question numbered 51 which again stands in the name of the Hon Member for Buem, Hon Kofi Iddie Adams.
Hon Kofi, you can now ask your Question.
Official Inauguration of the Guan District Assembly.
Mr Kofi Iddie Adams 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to asked the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development when the Guan District would be officially inaugurated.
Mr Botwe 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the creation of the Guan District commenced with the laying of the Local Government (Guan District Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument, 2020 in Parliament on 6th October, 2020 which came into force on 9th November, 2020. The process for the inauguration as a District would be completed following consultations with stakeholders for the appointment of members to the Assembly and the nomination of a District Chief Executive for approval by the Assembly.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary question?
Mr K. I. Adams 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister, in his Answer mentioned “consultation with stakeholders”, the stakeholders that he knows are the people; the chiefs and the other opinion leaders of the four traditional areas, who have been very worried about delays in inaugurating the Guan District which had become legal since November, 2020. The Assembly members have not been sworn-in till date. My question is, which stakeholders are the Ministry consulting with for which from November, 2020 till now, they have not concluded the process of the consultation to enable them inaugurate the District?
Mr Botwe 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, it is true it came into force on the 9th of November, 2020. The Hon Member is very much aware that the Guan District area, and for that matter the Constituency has 13 electoral areas. But in the L.I., the Principal office of the Assembly shall be located at Likpe-Mate where meetings of the Assembly shall be held.
Mr Speaker, this is an area which was very much involved in the creation of the Oti Region when it was carved out of the Hohoe Municipality, and
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Yes, Hon Kofi Adams, I guess that is your last supplementary question?
Mr K. I. Adams 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, depending on the Answer from the Minister, this may be my last supplementary question.
Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister that following the creation of the Guan District since 9 th November, 2020 - it has been so legally established but in terms of support services, they do not get that from any of the adjoining districts, whether Jasikan or Hohoe which is in another region. What further arrangements would the Minister put in place while we do the consultation to make sure that the electoral areas within the Guan District get the services that they needed as Ghanaians?
Mr Botwe 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as it is well known by parties, any area that would fall within the jurisdiction of a
region, even if they do not have a sitting District Chief Executive, and for that matter, a Presiding Member, the Regional Coordinating Council would take care of that area until the substantive officers are in place. And I would like to assure the Hon Member that I, very much understand his concern but he would also bear with me that this is an area that has been the subject of discussion; an area where --
I do not want to introduce new topics but during the last election, it looks as if the Electoral Commission (EC) took some decisions and that has been the subject of debate. I have been meeting with the four traditional areas: Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi, and discussing the status of that area. There are many who would never believe that they would even get their district. And as the Hon Member confirmed, by law, it had been done as part of the fulfilment of promise made to them. The only thing left now is the inauguration.
There are some sensitive things that we are discussing with the stakeholders and I am very confident based on my last interaction with them, and we should bear in mind that it came into force in November; I took office in March. And therefore, I have had fresh discussions with them and from what I gathered from the discussions, this one also, in a matter
of weeks, would be completed and Guan District Assembly would be duly inaugurated to confirm the fact that when this Government makes promises they deliver.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Hon Kofi Adams, your last supplementary question now.
Mr K. I. Adams 4:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, not really a question per se but just to let the Hon Minister know that the continuous delay—
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Hon Member, if it is a question, you would better—
Mr K. I. Adams 4:01 p.m.
That the continuous delay rather affects the peaceful coexistence of the four traditional areas so; whatever discussions that they have, they must pay particular attention to it and spend a lot more time to deal with it almost immediately because they cannot delay further. So, I would want an assurance, just as he gave, how soon is soon and whether he is minded to involve me as the caretaker MP for that area?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:01 p.m.
Anyway, Hon Minister, the Hon Member still wants how soon the “soon” is.
Mr Botwe 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not so sure of the title, “caretaker MP”
but the Hon Member understands that this is an area that some people even believe that even his status as MP, should be challenged because there are people who his - to use his own words, he is a caretaker in their area when they did not take part in the voting process.
Mr Speaker, but I am saying this to let Hon Members appreciate the sensitivity involved in this, and it is important that it is appreciated.

So, when we say that they are to deepen consultations so that when the inauguration takes places, they would have peaceful coexistence, it is important because it is a known fact. It is a known fact that as the Hon Member described himself as the caretaker Member of Parliament (MP), yes, he could be.

I am using the words he used. He could be a caretaker MP for an area where the people did not cast their votes for him. So, it is a sensitive area and we would have to tackle it the way we are going. I think that would help us to have a peaceful coexistence between the people and the neighbouring Buem Constituency where the Hon Member is officially the Member of Parliament (MP).
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Well noted.
Hon Minister?
Mr Botwe 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am at a loss. I do not think that anybody in this House has ever called himself a caretaker MP. It is the Hon Member who described himself as a caretaker MP and I did not use those words. [Interruption]
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Members, please order!
Mr Botwe 4:11 a.m.
I did not use those words and so I was making reference to it. It is important that we
understand that we are dealing with an area which has a lot of sensitivity. So, as I earlier stated --
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Member, please hold on.
Hon Member, what do you want to say?
Mr K. I. Adams 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on a point of order. The Hon Minister is actually taking my words out of context. I am the MP for Buem Constituency. I said that I am a caretaker MP for Guan and it does not mean that I am saying that they are part of Buem. I am the MP for the Buem Constituency which does not include the Guan District. I am saying that I am the caretaker MP because I listened to them. The last time the officials of the Ghana Statistical Service were here, I was interested --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Member, who made you a caretaker MP there?
Mr K. I. Adams 4:11 a.m.
I made myself.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
You made yourself?
Mr K. I. Adams 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, they have issues and because
Government is not paying any proper attention to the issues that they have, somebody must be interested in what affects them. So, I have volunteered to do that. It is as a result of this, that I have asked a Question that affects them.
I have asked a Question that affects my District, which is the Jasikan District and the Buem Constituency and I asked a Question that affects the Guan District because I am interested in what happens there. I pass through that area to my Constituency, so it is upon that I called myself caretaker MP because I am not their MP.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Kofi Adams, you elected yourself to be a caretaker MP and the Hon Minister was also making reference to what you said. Let us take things lightly because I do not think that we need to --
Mr K. I. Adams 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister was not referring to my --
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Kofi Adams, let us take things lightly. I do not think that the Hon Minister is demeaning your status as the MP.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think that before the Hon Minister was on his feet, you directed
that that portion should be expunged from the records. I am insisting because what the Hon Member said was that he is the only MP, out of the 275 MPs in this Chamber representing two districts. That is what he was referring to. He was not saying that his status as MP should be challenged.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Member, the Question that brought the Hon Minister to this House is not in respect of those two particular districts, so if the Hon Member is minded, let us file a separate Question to bring the Minister to answer them. So, I would not allow anything that would degenerate into another area of controversy.
Hon Member for Akatsi North?
Mr Peter K. Nortsu-Kotoe 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in his Answer said that the L. I. establishing the Guan District Assembly was laid on 6th October, 2020, and came into effect on 9th November, 2020. I would like to find out from the Hon Minister if by this enactment, the Guan District Assembly is qualified to benefit from the fourth quarter of the District Assemblies' Common Fund
(DACF)?
Mr Botwe 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, the Guan District Assembly had not been inaugurated by the end of last year for the fourth quarter, so, they would not qualify. When it is inaugurated, that is when they would qualify for the DACF for this year. That is my understanding.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
I would take the last supplementary question from the Hon Member for Yapei/Kusawgu.
Mr John Abdulai Jinapor 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's response to the availability of services for the people of the Guan District he indicated that the Regional Coordinating Council would step in for such services.
My question is this; every Ghanaian is entitled to enjoy the DACF. We also know that the DACF is not also voted to the Regional Coordinating Council. As Ghanaians, how is the Ministry going to ensure that this district which is yet to be inaugurated because there are still consultations ongoing, enjoy this which is supposed to be part of their rights as Ghanaians?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Hon Member, I think that the question
has been asked in a different way and answered. That is my understanding.
I have already said that that would be the last supplementary question, so Hon Minister, thank you for attending upon the House to answer our Questions. We are grateful to you.
Let me take guidance from Leadership.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with your leave, if we may go back to Public Business and take item numbered 8(c)? I have agreed with my Hon Colleague on the other Side already.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:11 a.m.
Very well. Item numbered 8 (c) on page 4 of the Order Paper, by the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
PAPERS 4:21 p.m.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your kindness, if we could take item numbered 8(h)?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I did not hear the reference you made to the item numbered 8(c).
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:21 p.m.
The reference was supposed to be made to the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I had sought your leave for item numbered 8(h) to be laid.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:21 p.m.
Very well.
Item numbered 8(h), by the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
By the Chairman of the Committee --
Report of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism on the Interim Trade Partnership Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana, on one Part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the other Part.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if we may go back to the
item numbered 5 and take the Question numbered 46 because the Hon Minister is now in the House.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:21 p.m.
Is the Hon Member for South Tongu, Mr Woyome, in the House?
Mr Kobina Mensah Woyome 4:21 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:21 p.m.
Hon Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, you may please take your seat.
Hon Member for South Tongu, Mr Woyome, you may ask your Question.
ORAL ANSWERS TO 4:21 p.m.
QUESTIONS 4:21 p.m.
MINISTRY OF CHIEFTAINCY 4:21 p.m.
AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS 4:21 p.m.
Mr Kobina Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Hon Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs what steps the Ministry is taking to engage all associations and groups of religious bodies in the
Mr Kobina Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 4:21 p.m.


country to embrace tolerance as enshrined in Ghana's Constitution with the view to building a peaceful and harmonious society that must continue to co-exist.
Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (Mr Ebenezer Kojo Kum) 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is very much focused on creating the environment for peaceful and harmonious co-existence of all people with diverse religious faiths. The Constitution of Ghana as provided for in article 21(c) provides as follows:
“All persons shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice.''
Mr Speaker, traditional authorities and religious bodies are very much critical in the shaping and the inculcation of positive values that make us see that we are, indeed, one people with a common destiny and it is indeed, the very reason that gives us our “Ghanaianness”, making us very unique.
Mr Speaker, while we know that there are occasional diverse views on some issues, generally we know that the essential element to hold us
together as a people, who are at liberty and have the environment to self-expression, is to have and sustain peace at all material times.
Mr Speaker, peace, tolerance, co- existence reinforced with the desire to develop individually and collectively, and a focused delivery of the elements of the tenets of our collective values are what informs our programmes and activities in this connection.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry has engaged with religious and traditional authorities and would continue with the engagements. Certainly, it is in this connection that we are able to stress the need to uphold our values. The religious bodies and traditional authorities are in constant touch with us and each one of us is equally linked to them.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry is in the process of facilitating inter-faith dialogue and at this forum, the issues that are topical and likely to breed disaffection would be tackled. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we constantly engage with faith-based organisations to deepen under- standing, tolerance and cohesion and this is very important in upholding values. This programme, the Ministry shall pursue.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry would facilitate the environment for peace, tolerance, cohesion, friendliness and respect.
Mr Woyome 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to commend the Hon Minister for his answer. However, in carrying out the various engagements he outlined with both religious and traditional bodies, I would want to know if they have any intention to involve some State agencies like the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to achieve this expected outcome in terms of engagements to deepen understanding and to embrace the context of the Constitution?
Mr Kum 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, there are other important stakeholders who would have to be engaged and one of them is the NCCE that he mentioned, the Peace Council and all other relevant organisations would be contacted.
Mr Woyome 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in deepening education, if they are not careful, they may just be interested in the organisation of seminars and programmes targeted at just the top and maybe, not necessarily consider the various constituencies. so I would want to know if they would extend
programmes to constituencies to involve the various interest groups like the Assembly members as well as chiefs and the people so that at least, everybody could understand and appreciate it for the intended outcome to be achieved for the country.
Mr Kum 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the events would not just be a day's event but a national one, so all persons in this country whose efforts would conduce to the resolution or building cohesion in this country would be contacted.
Mr Woyome 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not have any further supplementary question.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:21 p.m.
Hon Minister, we thank you very much for attending upon the House to respond to the Question. You are discharged.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we had earlier agreed to take some Statements before we went into Public Business. So if you may, we could now take the Statements.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
The Rt Hon Speaker has admitted seven Statements so we need to manage the time allotted so that we would be able to take them.
Alhaji Muntaka 4:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I tried to catch your eye earlier and to apply that because of the challenge we have at Ejura, at the pre-Meeting, we agreed with the Rt Hon Speaker that we would take the Statement from our Hon Colleague from Ejura, so that the Hon Member can catch a flight to Ejura afterwards. Also, we could take a contribution each after the Statement is made so if you would be minded for us to take that Statement first?
Thank you.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
Very well. I have the Statement here but the Rt Hon Speaker has not commented on it.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, indeed, we had agreed at conclave that that particular Statement
should be taken. The Statement was admitted by the Rt Hon Speaker and it relates to Ejura-Sekyedumase following the loss of lives and the security concerns in the district. Mr Speaker, so I support my Hon Colleague on this and also urge him to keep supporting us so that we work together as a team always.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, we would take the Statement on the murder of Ibrahim Mohammed and the Indiscriminate Shooting and Killing of Innocent Citizens in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality as presented by Mr Muhammed Bawah Braimah.
Hon Member, you may take the Floor and make the Statement?
STATEMENTS 4:31 p.m.
Mr Muhammed B. Braimah (NDC - Ejura-Sekyedumase) 4:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this very important Statement.
It is with deep sorrow and regret that I make this Statement on the Floor of this august House. As I make this Statement, there is turmoil in my beloved constituency, Ejura- Sekyedumase Constituency, as armed police and military officers have shot into a crowd of innocent and unarmed civilians who were returning from the burial of one Ibrahim Mohammed alias Kaaka Macho, who died on Monday, 28th June, 2021.
The late Ibrahim Mohammed alias Kaaka was a member of the ‘Fix the Country Movement' as an active citizen who is interested in the development of Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality.
Mr Speaker, Ibrahim Mohammed has been engaging in vigorous social media campaign to expose development challenges that confront the people in the Municipality and the need for those challenges to be fixed, to the admiration and support of many citizens of the area.
In the early hours of Saturday, 26th June, 2021, some unscrupulous persons attacked Ibrahim Mohammed at his residence where he sustained severe injuries. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment but, unfortunately, he could not make it. He was reported dead on Monday,
28th June, 2021. Mr Speaker, the attack on Ibrahim was reported to the Ghana Police Service but they took no immediate action.
Mr Speaker, Ibrahim Mohammed was laid to rest this morning, Tuesday, 29th June, 2021. However, upon the return of the family, friends and sympathisers from the cemetery, armed police and military officers reportedly shot into the crowd of innocent citizens. They discharged live ammunitions which caused severe injuries to about six persons and killed two persons; Nasiru and Murtala died instantly. This exercise of indiscretion by the police and the military has exacerbated the security situation in the Municipality.
Mr Speaker, prior to the attack on his life, Ibrahim Mohammed reported that he had received several voice messages of threats on his life from faceless miscreants. Therefore, he lodged a complaint to the police for investigations to be conducted. The gruesome murder of Ibrahim represents yet another dark day for our democracy, that an active citizen like Ibrahim Mohammed, who was genuinely concerned about the under development in his community, would be gruesomely murdered.
Mr Speaker, even more regrettable is the fact that the police and military officers who have been trained to
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
I would invite Hon James Agalga --
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
Hon Leader, I would listen to you so hold on. I want to listen to --
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we arrived at an agreement at conclave that there would be a contribution each from both Sides. So, two Hon Members would speak to this issue. My Hon Colleague can corroborate that. It was two Hon Members; one from each Side.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:31 p.m.
Hon Leader, well noted but I have already invited Hon James Agalga. So, let us listen to him.
Mr James Agalga (NDC -- Builsa North) 4:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on this sad occasion I would like to convey my heartfelt condolence to the families of Ibrahim Mohammed and the two others who were shot dead by the security personnel who were sent there today to contain the crowd.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who made the Statement has raised very critical issues that should catch the attention and firm action of this House.

Mr Speaker, first of all, the remote cause of the demonstration or procession which resulted in the deployment of the Military and Police to contain the demonstration was the killing of Ibrahim Mohammed.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who made the Statement has indicated that the said Ibrahim Mohammed received threats and actually took steps to lodge a complaint with the Police. The fundamental question we need to be asking ourselves now is why the Police did not provide Ibrahim

Mohammed with protection. This is because clearly, he said he had received voice recordings which threatened that he was going to be attacked and killed. Unfortunately, he was not given any protection. The result is his killing. When the citizens of Ejura then decided to demonstrate, the Police and Military decided to use excessive force, which is the next issue I would like to deal with.

The use of excessive force by the Police and Military in containing crowds or processions in this country is not new. So many years ago, Justice Archer was actually appointed to head a commission of inquiry to look into the use of excessive force by the Police and Military in dealing with crowds in this country.

Mr Speaker, Justice Archer's Commission of Inquiry made some profound recommendations. It appears that after so many years, we have decided to conveniently shelf the recommendations of Justice Philip Archer, may his soul rest in peace. One of the profound recommendations Justice Archer made in that report was that:

“Crowd control methods needed to be modernised with the use of smoke bombs and water cannons instead of stanchions and guns”.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP -- Nsawam-Adoagyiri) 4:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on a rather sad note, I want to fully associate myself with the commentary and points as raised by the Ranking Member for the Committee on Defence and Interior.
Mr Speaker, to start with, one has to commend your outfit for the decision to admit this Statement; as timeous as it is and a good response and a feedback to the report as is being circulated in the media. It is unfortunate this happened and it must also be established that we have credible information that already some arrests have been effected, which to me is a positive start to pave way for other investigations to be conducted.
When we were growing up in the university, we had altercation with the Police, the crowd control, demonstration here and there - we have moved on as a country, so when these things happen, it appears very backward on our forward march to democracy.
So I would want to condemn the killings, and killings anywhere should
be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians. What I do not agree with is for anybody to create the impression that the State is oppressing the exercise of rights, and I put this in context because if we begin to speak and make this narration, we would not see our way clear.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:41 p.m.
Hon Members, Order!
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:41 p.m.
Mr Speaker, what we should be doing -- I heard my Hon Colleague, Hon Agalga - we were both part of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS). He is a very experienced student leader -- We should be encouraging State institutions like the
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:51 p.m.
Police, the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Security to conduct thorough investigations to bring the perpetrators to book. We cannot give the Ghana Police Service a bad name because some individuals have engaged in some excesses. That would be most unfortunate.

I think that it is important we distinguish and distil these elements in the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and the other security services who are doing a good job, and let them face the rigours of the law. When we do that, people will be conscious in the exercise of enforcement of the law, and people will understand that indeed, the source of their power is the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. There is nobody who is above the laws of our country.

Mr Speaker, we must also be measured in our commentary. I would never support the killing of any individual or Ghanaian. Citizens must also cooperate. When Hon Agalga commented, he sought to make the point that there were earlier warnings that were given and he asked what the Police did regarding the earlier warnings that were given to them. I think these are genuine concerns that

we would all need to bring our minds to.

Mr Speaker, he concluded by calling for an order or directive from your outfit. I think that our Standing Orders gives us the power - the Committee on Defence and Interior may not even need the directive of the Rt Hon Speaker to begin to ask questions, and to ask the sector Minister to appear before the Committee for some investigations at our level. We are quick at saying that there should be a full scale investigation. What are we doing as Hon Members of Parliament? As part of our oversight responsibility, let us also do our jobs. Our regulations mandate us to go into some of these concerns and investigate and report to plenary without necessarily waiting for referral from the Rt Hon Speaker.

Mr Speaker, it is most unfortunate. Our hearts go out to the family, the people of Ejura-Sekyeredumase, particularly, our Hon Member of Parliament. Probably, Parliament should also take some action through the relevant committee to show concern for the citizens and the lives lost. Also, to continuously implore the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and other security agencies to do a thorough investigation into this matter. So that never again shall citizens be visited with violence. Unarmed

citizens who are demonstrating should not be visited with violence. I think that we need to go ahead and do what we have to do.

Mr Speaker, we cannot base our conclusions on videos going viral. This is a House of record. So, I would urge my good friend, Hon Agalga to team up with the Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Interior and Hon Kennedy Agyapong to work together -- [Interruption] -- I can assure you that Leadership will give you the necessary support.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:51 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip, you may wind-up.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC -- Asawase) 4:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
It is really very sad that what started in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Constituency --
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:51 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member, do you have any issue?
Ms Alhassan 4:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague Leader heard you when you said one from each Side would contribute, and that has been done. [Interruption] -- No! He ceded his to Hon Agalga. [Interruption]
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:51 p.m.
Hon Leader, please I did not cede his position to anybody. Before I realised, I had already called Hon Agalga. So, I just gave him the opportunity and decided to concentrate on Leadership.
Ms Alhassan 4:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I take a cue.
Alhaji Muntaka 4:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is just unfortunate that what started in the Ejura-Sekyeredumase, as a gentleman using the power of social media to expose the difficulties that his community is facing has led to three people losing their lives and several others injured. This is very sad.
Mr Speaker, I would want to caution all of us that we are all taking the peace that we are enjoying for granted. People just assume that because they are in the Military and the Police and they have been entrusted with guns, at the least provocation, they can fire and when people die, nothing will happen.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 4:51 p.m.
I thank you, Hon Member.
Hon Members, we would take the second Statement, and that would be the earlier one that I mentioned, the Statement to celebrate the life and to commemorate the death of the last of the ‘‘Mohicans'' - His Excellency, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, who lived from 28th April, 1924 to 17th
June, 2021. This Statement would be presented by the Hon Member of Parliament for Salaga South Constituency, the Hon Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed.
Hon Member, you may take the floor.
Statement to Celebrate the Life and to Commemorate the Death of the Last of the “Mohicans” - His Excellency Kenneth Kaunda
of Zambia
Ms Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed (NDC -- Salaga South) 4:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me start by thanking you Mr Speaker, for the opportunity given me to make this Statement.
Mr Speaker, it is almost two weeks ago on Thursday 17th June 2021, when Africa lost one of its last independence struggle icons, a foremost freedom fighter and a Pan Africanist- His Excellency Kenneth David Kaunda, affectionately known as KK.
Mr Speaker, the late Kenneth Kaunda served as the President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991, and he was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule.
Mr Speaker, Kenneth Kaunda had his contemporaries and cohorts of African politicians at the height of the fight for independence including the likes of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the eminent Pan Africanist and the founder of the State of Ghana. Also in the league of these great African liberationists were Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa both of Nigeria, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Siaka Stevens of Sierra Leone, Sekou Toure of Guinea, Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Felix Houphouet Boigny of the Ivory Coast and many others.
These Statesmen are all departed, but Mr Speaker, these Statesmen raised high the flag of Africa amongst the comity of nations.
Mr Speaker, following the passing on of Kenneth Kaunda, a great son of Africa, the BBC reported: “Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president and one of the last of the generation of African leaders who fought colonialism, has died aged 97".
Mr Speaker, going by this attribution from the BBC, Kenneth Kaunda was an African icon, and thus deserves to be celebrated. It is therefore ironic and disappointing that the news media of Ghana have not
Ms Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed (NDC -- Salaga South) 5:11 p.m.
highlighted the death of this great son of Africa enough, in order to generate the necessary debate and discussions around the values he and his contemporaries espoused, and to educate and orient our citizens about our past leaders and the pan- African struggle that brought us liberty and freedom.
Mr Speaker, this point is very important to the extent that today's generation of Ghanaians and Africans would be losing an important part of our history and heritage when we miss these narratives.
Mr Speaker, a Sierra Leonean journalist and writer Ade Daramy in writing about what young Africans know about their recent history and why it is important had this to say: “I was shocked to find out on the 97th birthday of Kenneth Kaunda - Zambia's first President and a giant in the fight against colonialism, that some People had never heard of him.”

Mr Speaker, we owe it to our forebears to celebrate their struggles and achievements; we owe it to the younger generation to instil in them a spirit of patriotism and sacrifice to realise the dream of a completely liberated and free Africa and Mr

Speaker, we owe it to ourselves to remember the sacrifices, dedication and the toil of our forebears in order that we will continue to endeavour to use our unique roles in society to enhance the frontiers of the freedom and development that our forebears envisaged and stood for. It is often said that “a people that do not know their history are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past and compromise their future”.

Mr Speaker, in the 1950s, like our own Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda was a pioneer of African independence and a key figure in what was then Northern Rhodesia's independence movement from British colonial rule, until he became President in 1964.

History has it that Kenneth Kaunda attended the 1958 All African People's Conference in Accra, Ghana where he was more successful in winning support from Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and this led to him and several of his associates breaking away from Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula's group at the Northern Rhodesian African Congress. The Northern Rhodesian African Congress was renamed the African National Congress (ANC), and Kenneth Kaunda became its Secretary- General in 1953, and made a pledge to revive hope and rejuvenate the freedom struggle.

Mr Speaker, when the leadership of the ANC clashed over strategy in 1958-1959, Kaunda carried a major part of the ANC operating structure into a new organisation of the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC). Mr Speaker, Kenneth Kaunda became president of the new organisation and skilfully used it to forge a militant policy against the British plan for a federation of the three central African colonies - Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Mr Speaker, following his arrest in March 1959 for “convening an unauthorised assemble,” Kaunda's comrades formed the United National Independence Party (UNIP) to replace ZANC. Mr Speaker, the authorities in Zambia then released Mr Kaunda in Lusaka on 8th January 1960, and at the end of the month, he was elected as president of the left leaning United Independence Party

(UNIP).

Mr Speaker, the first major elections leading to the final decolonisation of Zambia was held in October 1962. The two major African parties - the UNIP and the ANC gained most of the votes. The UNIP was the winner, gaining 15 of the 37 seats in the new Legislative Council. The UNIP's success was

attributed overwhelmingly to the leadership of Kaunda.

Mr Speaker, Kenneth Kaunda stepped down as Zambia's President after losing multi-party elections in 1991. Our own political history is replete with similar scenarios. Mr Speaker, our first experience was the Great Osagyefo himself. Dr Kwame Nkrumah was arrested for leading a “positive action” campaign in 1950 and imprisoned only for him to be released a year later to lead the newly formed government after his party the Convention People's Party (CPP) won the 1951 elections. He proceeded to become the first Prime Minister of this country.

Similarly, Mr Speaker, in 1979, Ft Lt Jerry John Rawlings was arrested on 15th May 1979 and placed behind bars. His comrades in the Ghana Army broke the jail on 4th June 1979, released him and proceeded with him to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and announced his leadership of the Military regime of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). After all this, he became the first President of the Fourth Republic under the 1992 Constitution.

Mr Speaker, a common thread through Africa's leadership from the 50s to the 80s was synonymous with being arrested and jailed and later becoming a Leader after being
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
Hon Members, I will admit only two contributors. Let me give the opportunity to the Hon Ranking Member on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Hon Member for North Tongu.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC -- North Tongu) 5:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am grateful to you for the opportunity to contribute to this Statement which has been so eloquently delivered by the Hon Zuwera Ibrahimah who is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr Speaker, this Statement is timely, and it is most auspicious that this House honours the memory of H. E. Kenneth Kaunda who was popularly and affably referred to as Uncle K. K. The late Kenneth

Kaunda, as has been well articulated by Hon Zuwera Ibrahima Mohammed is the last icon of that golden era of freedom fighters, those to whom we owe all the freedom, liberty and the dignity that we enjoy today, the opportunity to run our own affairs to that inevitable destination for the very independence to self-rule, which our forebears fought for. Some were maimed; some killed and others imprisoned. The Hon Member of Parliament has enumerated the ordeals of Comrade K. K., how he was imprisoned and the many times he had to suffer brutalities at the hands of the imperialists.

Mr Speaker, Kenneth Kaunda's story is a Ghanaian story as well. We know he was here in this very enclave. It was for the 1958 All Africa People's Congress that these edifices were built, and it is only befitting and quite fortuitous that we pay tribute to him from this hallowed ground. It was here that he met his mentor, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the All Africa People's Congress in 1958. Since then, he was a changed man and received a lot of inspiration, tutelage and support, financially, ideologically and even militarily. We know Ghana became a hub for freedom fighters and activists to receive training and preparation for the daunting task that young students, had set upon themselves since the days of the West
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:21 p.m.
Yes, Hon Members? If there is nobody from the Majority, then Hon Member for Tamale Central, you have the floor. Please be snappy.
Mr Mohammed Murtala Ibrahim (NDC -- Tamale Central) 5:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this outstanding Statement.
The reason I insisted to contribute to this Statement is that I am a Pan- Africanist. And as the former Secretary-General of the All African Students Union, I had the opportunity to meet several African leaders who believed in the ideals and values that those African leaders stood for. Kenneth Kaunda was one of the liberators of this continent. They had a vision and plan for Africa.

The question I asked myself and my colleagues in this House is whether the leaders of today have a vision and a plan as they did, I really do not
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:31 p.m.
Hon Member, the Statement should not engender any debate. I am just reminding the Hon Member. I know why I say he should focus on—
Mr M. M. Ibrahim 5:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am making statements of facts and I am guided by your wisdom.
Mr Speaker, this great leader and his colleagues who saw the need to galvanise forces for the progressive march of the entire continent could only achieve that by the declaration of one party State.
Mr Speaker, we are quick to make reference to what happened in Asia, and I have listened to comments that suggest that those countries, and indeed, we had independence at the same time with them and they have
developed so much, suggesting that our leaders at that time did not do much and for which reason we cannot catch up with the Asian Tigers in terms of socio-economic development. Unfortunately, those countries also had one leaders who ruled for decades.
That when we want to have continuity in terms of the policies you formulated for the purposes of growing your countries, you sometimes need to have such a one- party State. And it is justified at the time that they did what they did because we are told that when we have extreme realities, we need extreme resolutions. And Kenneth Kaunda indeed, became the last symbol for the liberation of the continent. By the time he left us, the entire continent was virtually liberated politically. Unfortunately, we were not and we are still not liberated economically.
If we make reference to many countries particularly, the Francophone countries, they still have their reserves in France. As a matter of fact, the economic decisions they take in their respective countries are determined by people who subjugated them in the name of colonialism. To that extent, I challenge myself and everybody, even those who are unwilling to comment on this great man, that he left us a legacy that we
should, regardless of our differences in political ideologies, look at what he stood for. He was leftist-leaning and the party that he formed, when he lost elections in 1991 having ruled the country for twenty-eight years, he gave up power. I think that it is about time we all started reading the works of these people.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, as the Secretary-General, I had the opportunity to have met Thabo Mbeki in South Africa and he made a famous statement: he asked us, how many of you have read books of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah? And he told us student leaders from the continent that if the African leaders including those who are leaned towards the right have the time to read the books of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his contemporaries, Africa would have been a different place.
In Ghana, at the 2007 AU Conference, President Abdullah Wade stated famously to his colleague African leaders that the Africa we are in today would not have the problems we have if they had taken the time to read the books of the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and follow the principles he stood for.
Mr Speaker, just like Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah who was chastised
in Ghana, this great leader was also chastised in his country, and for which reason if we observed the 1991 elections in Zambia, they concocted stories just to denigrate him. And that has been the story in this great continent of ours that leaders who meant well for their countries; leaders who fought for the progress of their countries ended up being chastised using a section of the media and using politicians who are absolutely ungrateful. And I think that that has been the problem we face in this country.
Mr Speaker, as a Level 100 student, I had the opportunity to have participated in Professor Ali Mazuri's lecture at the Great Hall. And he made a famous statement; he talked about former President Rawlings and he said:
“…that he started as a dictator and ended a democrat”.
We would know the value of our leaders when they leave and what we witness is the shedding of crocodile tears. We must move away from that; praise these leaders when they are alive and so I urged my Hon Colleagues particularly those from the other Side of the House that I have a lot of books on these great leaders including Nkrumah, which I can make available. And I believe as we read
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:41 a.m.
Hon Member, I asked you to be snappy. Anyway, we will take another Statement on the importance of cyber security and data protection within the context of our national security. And this Statement has been put up by the Hon Member for Klottey Korle Constituency, Hon Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
Hon Member, you may now take the Floor.

Importance of Cybersecurity and Data Protection within the

context of our National Security
Dr Zanetor Aygeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey-Korle) 5:41 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to make a Statement on the importance of cybersecurity and data protection within the context of Ghana's National Security Architecture. Traditionally, National Security was limited to our airspace,
waterbodies, land and all that exists within our territorial boundaries, but with the advances in technology this has expanded to include cyberspace as well.
Historically, cybersecurity was the preserve of academia, but with the increased access to the internet and smart device penetration, the need for increased awareness and capacity building has become a necessity. Some examples are cyber fraud, online romance scams, money laundering and cyber-attacks on financial institutions (phishing and ransomware, for example), most of which have occurred in Ghana on some level.
The emerging threats on the African continent, and more specifically, the West-African sub-region puts the onus of increased attention to cybersecurity and warfare on our respective States. The cooperation and collaboration between the Intelligence agencies in the sub-region and beyond have become even more crucial now as violent extremism, and transnational crime can all be funded and manipulated via cyberspace.
In many ways, cyberspace rather than outer space is the new frontier of most of our emerging threats. The State now has an increased responsibility to develop information
technology-based strategies in a bid to protect our national interests and ensure stability, peace, security and sustainable development.
Globally, information and communication technologies are the basis of several innovations and social media networks that are affecting societies and governments, industries, and individuals. So, ICT does present a brilliant opportunity for development across the various sectors of our economy.
However, there is a very real threat that cyber technology presents which is evolving at such a fast pace that countries that are unable to build capacity in their technology and human resource base to adequately bolster their cybersecurity are simply leaving themselves exposed to attacks on all spheres of life from criminals who have emerged with new forms of technology.
Some examples of issues that arise from the use of these technologies ranged from hacking of people's email accounts, blackmail and cyber bullying as well as data theft. As a result, it is incumbent on the state to take steps to ensure its national security and the personal security of its citizens are protected. The point of contact of any cyber related breach is a personal
device and in an era of high mobile penetration, the mobile phone is the potential Achilles heel.
In Ghana, over 50 per cent of the population owns a smart commu- nication device, which are entry points to the threat Ghana faces as far as data security and protection are concerned. It is imperative that National Security adopts an approach that creates the necessary awareness for end users such as the market woman or Uber driver or even Member of Parliament in our case.
As the drive continues towards the introduction of various digital systems to enhance our tax collection, financials, payroll, banking transactions, health, communication and on general data storage and preservation, it is crucial that the relevant cybersecurity systems are put in place concurrently.
Mr Speaker, it is reckless to transfer all our data onto digital platform while we do not have the capacity to adequately protect ourselves from cyber-attacks. There is an urgent need to integrate some into the agencies that are traditionally charged with the defence and security of the country. Cyber Defence falls within the remit of the Ghana Armed Forces, and it is imperative that the digitisation processes include adequate capacity building within the
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:41 a.m.
Hon Members, I would take two contributions. Yes, Hon Member for Ho West, Hon Bedzrah?
Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah (NDC -- Ho West) 5:41 a.m.
Mr Speaker, let me commend my Sister and Hon Colleague for this Statement. Cybersecurity affects all of us in one way or the other; whether you like it or not, whether you are technologically savvy or not, it affects you. The earlier we take it seriously, the better.
In the past, as Hon Agyeman- Rawlings mentioned, it used to be a space war but it is no longer so. Let me give a typical example. The internet of all things is one of the areas in which we can all be affected and attacked. Taking the parliamentary website and what goes into it for instance, anyone who has access to it can blow the whole website which would affect our very lives. It would mean that we cannot even hold meetings in the Chamber because whatever we have is connected to the parliamentary website and Information Communication Technology --
Mr Speaker, countries are spending huge sums of money when it comes to cybersecurity. Fortunately, I happened to be one of the delegates to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Cybersecurity Con- ference. In February, 2020, we were sent to the Oxford University and what I saw there tells us that in Ghana we are not doing anything. Young student graduates from all over the world were brought into the Oxford University just to develop systems that would prevent an attack on either railway, airspace or anything. These young graduates were brainstorming and moneys were spent on them.
Mr Speaker, the question I asked myself and reported to Rt Hon Speaker when I came back was that are we ready as Ghanaians to spend so much money on research to make sure that we are not attacked? Let me give another example. Let us take the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) or any of the oil companies onshore. If anybody gets access to their cyberspace, they can attack their systems and that can affect their whole operations so that they cannot drill.
If you have the opportunity to go to TOR and attack their systems, it would affect the whole of TOR. It can affect anybody at all. Those of us who have programmed our
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:41 a.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP -- Nsawam/Adoagyiri) 5:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me commend the Hon Member who made the Statement for
bringing this matter up and nudging the House accordingly.
Truth be told, I think that in our quiet lives among ourselves, we have raised issues of cybersecurity, not only related to MPs but even in our households and people we deal with. More often than not, we tend to brush it under the carpet and assume that these concerns would go away. However, it has remained as it is and is probably getting worse and out of hand.

Mr Speaker, Clearly, the motivation to go into cyber security and generally ICT, in my view, is a concern in this country. It is not enough for us to talk about this just on the face value of it. There are value chains along and people should be motivated to even venture into cyber security or ICT learning at all cost because there are fundamental questions of “to what end'' - if I venture into this area of study, what are the opportunities available for me because the system is not developed. We are limited and cramped into certain limited areas of study and it has become a challenge. I could decipher a certain thin line between security intelligence and cyber security. It does exist. So, if we want to be on top of our security concerns

or on borders within the country and amongst institutions of state, security intelligence cannot be glossed over, more importantly, cyber security.

In the annual Budget Estimates of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) - I recalled the last time when we engaged the National Health Insurance Authority NHIA, the Hon Majority Chief Whip, raised issues about budgets devoted for ICT. Justified as he was then, he also raised a serious issue about the attitude of the MDAs with regard to ICT. I would want to take you beyond what the Hon Member who made the Statement said and focus on cyber security and underpinnings that she raised and the issue of our attitude and understanding of what ICT is all about. This is so important.

How many of us have been left out of fraudsters who use our pictures - even Hon Members of Parliament are high risked. One would have thought that reasonably, they would do it to somebody in the society but they do it to Hon Members and that should tell us how emboldened these people are regardless of the consequences. One way or the other, many of us have suffered this and we could hear the unending stories and complaints that are made to the security services

particularly, the Ghana Police Service, and they tell us they have been limited.

Mr Speaker, again, most of the related laws which bear relevance to the cyber security and ICT were crafted sometime back. With the passage of time, we have not taken our time to really think through and decipher a probable lacuna or amendments that we should make to them, so it all conspired to paint a very gloomy picture when it comes to cyber security and ICT.

Mr Speaker, we have to raise this matter to a bigger stage and discuss it thoroughly. I am quick to admit that at the tertiary level, students study ICT and information systems and all that but if we look at it in broader perspective and scope to the extent of cyber security, I do not think that consciousness has really dawned on us. I see the security concerns of our country to be more of a reactionary. We hear that people are from other places trying to penetrate our borders and we go and show brute force. Global intelligence and security is more of fine intelligence and not brute force.

Mr Speaker, I want to associate fully with the concerns raised in the Statement and to commend the Hon Member who made it, and for Parliament as an institution -- and
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 5:51 p.m.
Hon Members, we have two more Statements to take. They are both related and are on health issues focused on the Upper West Region. We would take both of them together and afterwards, you could contribute.
The first one is in the name of the Hon Member for Daffiema/Bussie/ Issa, Dr Sebastian Sandaare, on the need to resource the Upper West Regional Hospital to provide quality health care. Hon Member, you may make your Statement.
Resourcing the Upper West Regional Hospital to Provide
Quality Health Care: The need for urgent attention
Dr Sebastian N. Sandaare (NDC -- Daffiama/Bussie/Issa) 6:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement on the critical resource constraints confronting the newly commissioned Upper West Regional Hospital (UWRH). It is imperative because the situation has attendant adverse effects on the ability of the Hospital to provide the requisite quality health care to the over 868,481 people of the Upper West Region and beyond.
Mr Speaker, in pursuit of the need to provide access to quality secondary health care to bridge the existing access gap in the Upper West Region, the UWRH was commi- ssioned on 9th January, 2020 - 11 years after the sod was cut for the construction of the hospital. This brought great relief to the people of the Region as specialist care which was hitherto not accessible in areas
of orthopaedic surgery, obstetric and gynaecological care, ophthalmic care, physiotherapy, Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) services, dental care, CT scan services and mammography have now been made available. Most especially the orthopaedic department which is under the able leadership of the hardworking Dr Robert Amesya.
Mr Speaker, notwithstanding these achievements, the hospital's ability to sustain its operations is seriously threatened as a result of the foregoing;
1. Lack of seed capital or fund at the commencement of operations. Alien to conventions and best practices in the healthcare space, the UWRH was commissioned without any enabling funds to finance its start- up or operational activities. As a result, the health authorities in the region have had to finance the hospital's operations on credit leaving it with an overwhelming and debilitating fiscal deficit. The situation is therefore affecting the hospital's ability to sustain its operations and if the situation persists, the survival of the hospital will be threatened in the very near future.

2. Secondly, Mr Speaker, and very importantly, the Hospital is challenged

by unstable power supply which has the potential to damage or render ineffective the million-dollar equipment installed at the Hospital. The situation is greatly affecting the functionality and lifespan of the equipment while other high level diagnostic equipment cannot be put to use. Mr Speaker, expert advice from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) indicates that the Hospital requires a dedicated power line which is estimated at a cost of about GH¢1 million, far beyond the financial ability of the health authorities in the Region.

Mr Speaker, again, the Hospital was established without any official vehicle provided for them, however, it is well established that vehicles are sine qua non to the operations of health facilities of this calibre. It is in respect of the above that the peculiarity of the situation, that is, the failure to provide the Hospital with a single vehicle, unlike other hospitals, beckons questions.

Furthermore, the lack of some critical health professionals or specialists have also been identified as one of the greatest challenges that confronts the regional hospital. Though the hospital has provision for specialists such as paediatrics, cardiology, neurology, urology and
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:01 p.m.
Hon Members, we would take another Statement by the Hon Member for Lawra, Hon Bede Ziedeng, on the Lawra Municipal Hospital and Healthcare in the Lawra Municipality.
The state of the Lawra Municipal Hospital and its
Health care Delivery
Mr Bede A. Ziedeng (NDC -- Lawra) 6:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make my maiden Statement in this august House. This Statement concerns the state of the Lawra Municipal Hospital and the healthcare it is expected to deliver to the people of the municipality.
Mr Speaker, the Lawra Hospital was established in 1928 during the colonial period. It was established as a health centre and then it grew to become a district hospital, but it now serves the new Lawra Municipality as its foremost health delivery facility since 2018. Mr Speaker, unfortunately, in spite of its acquired status, the Lawra Municipal Hospital is unable to live up to its mission statement. For the past few years,
many patients who use the hospital have complained seriously about the poor services they receive when they visit the facility for medical care. They receive poor service delivery, though the Lawra Hospital remains the foremost health facility in the municipality.
Mr Speaker, these concerns and complaints that have come to my attention prompted this Statement on the Floor of this House. Some of these challenges include but are not limited to the following: there are no medicines in the hospital to the extent that when prescriptions are made, the only way patients could have their medicine is for them to purchase them from pharmacies and drug stores that are outside the hospital. This is so for virtually every medicine except perhaps for paracetamol. The lack of medicines and other facilities have rendered completely useless the usage of the National Health Insurance Scheme as beneficiaries are simply told to buy their own medicines or access the scheme with private sources outside the hospital.
Mr Speaker, the question one would ask is; of what use is it to be enrolled on to the National Health Insurance Scheme? In this situation, we are virtually back to the “cash and carry system” of old which has now been disguised.
Mr Bede A. Ziedeng (NDC -- Lawra) 6:11 p.m.
Secondly, no laboratory test can be conducted in the hospital due to the lack of equipment and radars, so patients are compelled to access laboratory services from private sources outside the hospital. And they have to pay for these services even though they hold National Health Insurance cards which entitled them to free medical services.
Thirdly, there is also a serious shortage of oxygen to undertake operations or even support patients who need to be supported with artificial respiration.
Fourthly, there is also no central sterile supply department so the hospital depends on a small and old autoclave which breaks down frequently. When this happens the hospital has to fall on Babili Polyclinic for sterilisation of its operational instruments and dressing parts.

Mr Speaker, to make matters worse, the hospital has repeatedly suffered from non-availability of resident doctors and this issue has been one with a chequered history.

Indeed, the first time the Lawra Hospital had a resident medical doctor was in 1995 when I was the Deputy

Regional Minister. One Dr Oklu was posted to the hospital as its first resident medical doctor since the establishment of the hospital in 1928. Since Dr Oklu's departure around 2009 the hospital has had to make do with shift arrangements.

Mr Speaker, this is how one concerned citizen of the municipality, Mr Dapilah Emmanuel, in bemoaning the problems of the Lawra Municipal Hospital in a write up sometime last year, summed it up thus

“the absence of a resident medical officer in a greater part of its existence, has often left the healthcare needs of the people in the hands of nurses and medical assistants”.

Mr Speaker, I could not agree with him more as this situation definitely impacted negatively on health delivery which has sometimes occasioned avoidable deaths.

Mr Speaker, recently however, two medical doctors have been posted to the hospital after a long spell of the “No doctor” syndrome, coupled with intense complaints. Even so, we do not know how long these doctors are going to stay given the past history of the hospital.

Mr Speaker, currently as I speak, there is a shortage of Child Health

Records booklets for pregnant women and children and the hospital needs a total of 5000 of them.

There is also the need to procure more iron and folic acid for pregnant women who visit the facility.

Last but not least, the hospital needs motorbikes to facilitate health service delivery and complete furnishing of the neonatal intensive care unit, in order to operationalise it.

There is an emergency ward which is being constructed by the Northern Development Authority. Indeed, there is the urgent need to speed up its completion because it is needed.

Mr Speaker, it is not impossible for me to list all the problems of the Lawra Municipal Hospital today, but suffice it to say that these are some of the problems which have bedevilled the Lawra Hospital and militated against the efficient health delivery of the area and thereby makes it difficult for the hospital to operate optimally as a municipal hospital. They are therefore crying for immediate attention and solutions.

Mr Speaker, considering the dire consequences the state of the Lawra Hospital could bring to the inhabitants, it may still be necessary for government in addressing these

challenges to also adopt a holistic strategy and approach in resolving the problems confronting the entire health sector. For now, I am appealing to the Hon Minister for Health and the Government as a matter of urgency, to come to the aid of the Lawra Municipal Hospital so as to not only give it the dignified status that it deserves but to also enable it give adequate and quality health care to the people of the municipality.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Dr Mark K. Nawaane (NDC -- Nabdam) 6:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute and I thank my Hon Colleagues who made these important Statements. The Statements are just like a summary of all the problems that we have in the healthcare system of the country.
Mr Speaker, Upper West regional hospital and Lawra Municipal Hospital - if we look at where they are situated, one might think that they are situated in urban areas where things are not so bad but in actual fact, the inhabitants or those who attend those hospitals are rural folk or emerged from urban settlements that we have there, so it is quite difficult for them to contribute so much in terms of internally generated funds to assist run the hospitals. We know that, for example, the Wa Hospital is a regional
Dr Mark K. Nawaane (NDC -- Nabdam) 6:21 p.m.
hospital and it is supposed to provide specialist care to the inhabitants living around the area and contribute to improvements in SDG 3 and the attainment of universal health coverage. However, if we look at the Statement, we realised that they do not have enough resources to even run those hospitals.
There is the need for proper budgetary allocations to assist them. If we take the Upper West Regional Hospital, for instance, they are tackling the lack of stable supply of electricity to the facility. Without this stability, all the equipment that they have, CT scan, radiology and ultrasound scan et cetera, cannot be used or they would break down. We spent a lot of money buying these equipment and if we do not fix this problem, then we are in bad business. We spend millions of cedis - about GH¢50 or GH¢60 million to build these hospitals. The only issue is that from the Statement, it is left with only GH¢1 million. Can we use GH¢1 million to fix the electricity problem and no money syndrome would now set in? We say we do not have the money to do that. Then comes the human resources aspect that we are talking about.
Mr Speaker, in 1993 when I completed, what attracted me to the rural area was the accommodation.
When a doctor goes to the rural area, he is given a nice accommodation to at least, start with, but now, the situation is quite different. Most of the district hospitals have very old accommodation facilities such that if one is lucky he gets one. If not lucky, for the first time, one might be put in a nice hotel but after sometime, he has to find his own accommodation. So the problems are many and unless we actually put in a very good effort, we cannot solve them.
We need specialist doctors in the Upper West Regional Teaching Hospital or else, without the human resources, the facility is just like any other facility. Unless we get the specialists to accept to take postings there, it would be like any district hospital or any health centre and we cannot get them there. Mr Speaker, 80 per cent of doctors that are trained are hiding in Accra and Kumasi; the rest of the 20 per cent have actually found their ways to other towns in Ghana. So, Mr Speaker, the problems are many.

I know we are talking about Agenda 111 -- Yes, but in my view, problems that are elementary when compared with constructing 101 hospitals. If we cannot provide the human resource requirements for these hospitals; or we cannot even

provide the medical consumables for these hospitals and we are talking of Agenda 111.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Members spoke about the NHIA, out-of- pocket payments at the hospitals, under-the-table-payments at some hospitals draws my attention to healthcare financing in this country. We really have a problem of healthcare financing, and we have all covered our eyes as if everything is going on well. But we as MPs are paying medical bills. People have insurance and we are paying for them. There is the need to let the Minister work hard.

Mr Speaker on page 34 of the NHIA Formula, there is supposed to be actuarial - study that was carried out in 2019. If we study that document, we would be able to understand why all these shortcomings in the health sector are taking place. We would need to force the Minister to bring us the document to look at and let us see whether if we implement it, it would help us implement our NHI policies and ensure that these out-of- pocket payments and under-the-table payments that are taking place in our hospitals will be a thing of the past.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, the problems are not limited to only the Upper West Region. In the Upper

East Region, we have similar problems, and practically, in most parts of northern Ghana. The problems are real and unless we tackle them head-on, if we continue to cover our eyes and keep quiet as if there are no problems, they will spread to the rest of the country.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity.
rose
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:21 p.m.
You are all from the Upper West Region. I would give the opportunity to the Hon Deputy Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, who was the former Deputy Regional Minister.
Mr Amidu Issahaku Chinnia (NPP -- Sissala East) 6:21 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I would want to thank my Hon Colleagues from the Upper West Region for making this very important Statement.
Mr Speaker, health, they say, is wealth. If the health of the people is good, then we can be sure that productivity will increase, and the reverse is also true. So, any effort at delivering healthcare to the people of the Upper West Region is critical. So, I thank the Hon Members who made the Statement for drawing
Mr Amidu Issahaku Chinnia (NPP -- Sissala East) 6:31 p.m.
Government and State institutions' attention to some of the challenges that confront the Regional Hospital and also Lawra Municipal Hospital.
Mr Speaker, about a year ago, His Excellency, the President commissioned the new regional hospital in the Upper West Region, and one of the major issues that delayed the operations of the hospital was lack of staff by the Ministry of Health. Thankfully, the Hon Minister for Health granted some personnel to be recruited so that they could be deployed to the new regional hospital. For a fact I do not have the exact figure but I know that over 150 people both doctors, nurses and other auxiliary staff were recruited under that particular clearance. So, the Ministry of Health did well by giving clearance for recruitment to be done, so that the new regional hospital could start.
Mr Speaker, I can say that from the point of commissioning and operationalisation of the regional hospital, the number of referral cases from the Upper West Region to other major hospitals in Ghana such as Kumasi and Tamale have reduced drastically. So, I think that the new regional hospital has played a key role in reducing the number of referrals, thereby reducing the burden on
families who were often referred to go to Kumasi or Tamale. We all know the consequences of being referred to a distant place as a patient. So, I believe the commissioning and operationalisation of the new regional hospital has brought a lot of relief to families across the region and it has reduced financial burdens on families.
Mr Speaker, I totally agreed with my Hon Colleague who made the statement about the regional hospital that in spite of the efforts Government made in terms of commissioning the hospital and recruiting staff and making available some used vehicles and other facilities to support the operationalisation of the hospital, there are a lot of challenges that still confront the new regional hospital that has to be looked into.
Mr Speaker, the issue of seed capital is a critical matter that he raised and Government would have to look at it. For a regional hospital to start without any seed capital and the hospital has to run on IGFs is not something that can work. So, I add my voice in appealing to Government to, as a matter of urgency, support the hospital with seed capital.
Mr Speaker, I also agreed with him on the issue of having a dedicated power line. The hospital has come with a lot of new machines and technology. If we know the number of units and
the machines in that hospital as compared to the previous regional hospital that we had, it clearly shows that the new hospital needs a dedicated power line, so that operations can be effective and efficient.
As former Deputy Regional Minister, I am aware that my boss, who is currently the Regional Minister again, is making efforts in collaborating with the VRA to get a dedicated line for the new regional hospital. I am confident that in the shortest possible time, that would be achieved.
Mr Speaker, as I said earlier, in terms of personnel, a lot of people have been recruited. I have the information that at the moment, we have about seven specialists who are working in the hospital. That has accounted for the reason that we do not have a lot of referrals to other hospitals in other places in the country.
Mr Speaker, it is also true that the new regional hospital has a component that has to do with the training of personnel. Unfortunately, because of inadequate staff, this particular component is underutilised. I understand that the airline that was operationalised in the Upper West Region which unfortunately had to
stop because of obvious reasons is being worked on. Once that is done, and the airline becomes operational, I am sure that the hospital, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, will get other specialists who can fly into the region and work at the hospital and fly back to Accra or any part of the country. When we get there and the airlines are operational, I am sure the presence of some specialist who can fly in and out would help ensure that this particular aspect of the new regional hospital is utilised.

Mr Speaker, the hospital has started on a good note, they are doing well. A lot of referrals have been stopped or reduced drastically. So, all of us must support the hospital to achieve its objectives. I remember that the Hon Regional Minister, together with the Regional Director of Health Service recently, through the Hon Member, organised a meeting of all Hon Members of Parliament (MPs) from the region. I was not there, but my Hon Colleagues attended, and they had brought discussions on board, as to how we as Hon Members of Parliament can use our positions to influence and ensure that the Regional Hospital gets the needed support, so that it can improve its services to the people of the Upper West Region?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:31 p.m.
Hon Members, I thank you very much.
Hon Members, we have brought Statement time to a conclusion. We have spent more than four hours on it, so, I would come to Leadership for direction.
Ms Lydia S. Alhassan 6:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as you have rightly said, we have spent a lot of time, so, we are in your hands.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:31 p.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Whip?
Mrs Cudjoe Ghansah 6:31 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we are in your hands.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:31 p.m.
Very well.
If all of you are in my hands, then I would bring proceedings to a close. We therefore adjourn today's Siting till tomorrow Wednesday, 30th June,
2021, at 2.00 p.m. in the afternoon, and it would be 2.00 p. m. prompt.
Hon Members, I thank you for your attention.
ADJOURNMENT 6:31 p.m.
  • The House was adjourned at 6.34 p.m. till Wednesday, 30th June, 2021 at 2.00 p. m.