Debates of 21 Jul 2021

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 2:58 p.m.
FORMAL COMMUNICATION 2:58 p.m.
BY THE SPEAKER 2:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker 2:58 p.m.
Hon Members, I have a formal communication to be made to the House. I want the Hon Members to be attentive and listen because I take this Statement seriously.
Hon Members, the honeymoon period of the Eighth Parliament is over. The business of Parliament, which is of the people, will be vigorously pursued. As Members of this House, we represent the people and our country, Ghana. Ghanaians are looking up to us to lead, manage and represent them to translate their values, aspirations, ethics, and aspirations into tangible goods and services. Our actions, attitudes and approaches must therefore mirror the ways of Ghanaians. Over and beyond that, we
Mr Speaker 3:08 p.m.
parliamentary business more organised, focused, and result-driven. Parliament will be organising more training sessions through the Parliamentary Training Institute (PTI). The Parliamentary Service Board, under my leadership, has put measures in place to strengthen the Institute to organise intensive training and refresher courses for both Members of Parliament and staff of the Service.
Having said that, I should commend Members of Parliament, both old and new, who have attained admirable command over the Standing Orders. This has clearly manifested in the contributions of some MPs to the business of the House. It also shows in the discipline and decorum that manifested to the conduct of such members in the House.
Hon Members, another area which must be of concern to all of us is actual practice; decorum, etiquette, conduct and behaviour, physical symbols of the House such as the Mace, Speaker's procession, bowing to the Chair, and the seating arrangement in the House. These all have significant meanings and contribute to the maintenance of order, decorum, decency and dignity of the House. Members could get copies of a number of books such as “How our Parliament Functions” written by the late K. B. Ayensu and
S. N. Darkwa and “A Guide to the Parliament of Ghana”.
Do not forget to read “The Evolution of Parliament in Ghana”. I have copies here and they are available in the House. You can acquire them and read, particularly, “A Guide to the Parliament of Ghana”.

I sit here and I observe the conduct of Hon Members on the Floor and I do not think that many of you have ever gone through it. The issue of punctuality and timeliness to the business of the House is an issue we must confront. A number of you have complained on the late Sitting of Parliament particularly, the Hon Member of Adaklu, Mr Agbodza. Public perception on this issue is not the best and it destructs from our integrity and the seriousness that the public expect to see in our deportment. I want to quote this:

“Being on time to appointments and meetings is a phase of self- discipline and an evidence of self-respect. Punctuality is a courteous compliment the intelligent person pays to his associates''.

Giving excuses using other Committee meetings as the reason why the Chamber is empty or why we could not form a quorum, is being

questioned by members of the public. Committee meetings ought not to be showstoppers of the serious businesses on the floor of the House. Prioritisation is the name of the game. Our choices are a reflection of what we hold dear, what we place a premium on and what we pass off as unimportant and the electorates watch all these.

Besides, we all know absenteeism is one of our challenges. No matter the justification for that I know there could be instances where absence is inevitable but the absence still places the entire institution of Parliament in a very negative light.

I hereby serve notice that henceforth, Parliament would take serious view of such conduct. I would put leadership, particularly, the Hon Whips on notice to diverse measures that would ensure that lateness and absenteeism are reduced to the barest minimum. Please, you have to take note of the leave of absence and I would delegate that responsibility to the Hon Second Deputy Speaker. We have to vet and make sure that the reason you give to absent yourself is genuine and reasonable. We need to at any time look at the numbers present in the House.

Hon Members, we need to restore respectability, seriousness and dignity

to this House. We must strengthen the confidence of those who sent us here. Lateness and absenteeism are not work attitudes that we want Ghanaians to adopt. So, what I am calling for is leadership by example. [Interruption].

Hon Members, please, this is what I am talking about. I will not tolerate that. We have to listen to each other. Ushers, it is not all the time that you have to move around the House.

Hon Members, what I am calling for is leadership by example. That is all -- and I pledge to show the way. You are at liberty to criticise me if you think that I am going wrong -- but as I sit here, I will not tolerate any. [Interruption] -- Hon Members, do not test my patience and tolerance. I do not want to mention names here because the consequences are grave.

Hon Members, the next thing I want to touch on is about how we turn up in the House. The parliamentary reference of being naked in the House was introduced for a purpose. It was to underline the fact that as Hon Members of Parliament, we ought to conform to a dress code. It is not about expensive and designer wears but it is more about tradition, decency and discipline. It is about how the culture and tradition of dressing in the House reflects the expectations of our people. It is often said and that I quote:
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
“Clothing is a form of self- expression. There are hints about who you are in what you are''.
There is a Russian proverb that says, and I quote:
“When you meet a person, you judge the person by the clothes. When you leave the person, you judge the person by his or her heart''.
This is a truism. We have all subscribed to an acceptable way of dressing in this House - a dress code that we are all aware of. Ghana is unique and has an identity and that definitely should not be lost in how we dress. It must reflect in our dressing. I would encourage all of you to abide by that because from now onwards, those who disregard the dress code would not find in me a pleasant person. Let us all strive to uphold the dignity, the majesty, the might and the aura of Parliament.
Conducting ourselves in an ethical and principled manner should be our creed. We must identify our values as individuals and as a collective and live by them. We are aware of how events of the dawn of 7th January, 2021 have left a sour taste in the mouths of most
observers of parliamentary process. We are also conscious of the fact that misunderstanding of parliamentary processes have at times, led to suspicion of impropriety on the part of some Hon Members of Parliament. It would require a sustained hard work to erase these misconceptions. I am talking about a conscious effort to remodel the profile of the Ghanaian Hon Member of Parliament through what we seem to do, the transparency and integrity that govern what we do and the outcomes and impacts we achieve. We need to work together on this.

I believe I would be right to say that we all subscribed to our organisational vision to make Ghana's Parliament a model one in Africa and one of the best in the world. This, we cannot achieve if we continue with the business, as-usual approach to our work. We need a step change and this would come with us taking ourselves a little bit more seriously. Ours is a strong institution; an institution of might and majesty with a strong culture. What we need are a few changes here and there and we would be on the path towards achieving our vision.

To the leadership of the House, I say your support in this regard is most

crucial to the success of Parliament. Encourage, guide and advise your membership in accordance with what we have all agreed on. However, if you encounter challenges, I am always available to assist. The Network of Parliamentary Monitoring Organisa- tion is also now wide awake and would keep an eagle eye on the House and its Members. I have given the Network my assurance of full cooperation and partnership in ensuring that Parliament delivers not just in Ghana but in the West African sub-region.

Hon Members, we need to give the citizenry enough reasons to keep addressing us as “Hon Members of Parliament”. As such, we owe it a duty to our compatriots and ourselves to handle this House with the decency it deserves.

We cannot afford to lower the standards of Parliament and lead this country into an attitudinal decay.

I am confident that Members would support the Leadership and the Speakership to implement the vision of this Parliament to become a model Parliament in Africa.

It is with this I end up by again saying that the honeymoon is over.

This is a notice to the whole world. When we say we are Sitting at 2.00 p.m., it means we are Sitting at 2.00 p.m. Nobody should try to come and distract the attention of Speakership or Leadership. We would ignore that because at that time, our priority is the Sitting of the House.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Hon Members, we would now move on to the correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
We would start with the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 16th July,
2021.
Page 1 -- 4?
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was absent with permission but I see my name on the absent without permission list.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Is it at page 4?
Mr Buah 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, actually, absent with permission is on page 5;
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
All right. Page 5; Table Office, you heard the Hon Member, Hon Armah-Kofi Buah, so, kindly take note.
Page 6?
Mr Benson Tongo Baba 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 4, number 21, the following Hon Members were absent but Members of your Defence and Interior Committee were in Wa to investigate a referral that you gave to us. So, all of us have been marked absent on that day but we were working in Wa.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Well, the evidence you gave us shows that you were absent, and so that is what has been captured. The only thing is whether you actually got permission because the Speaker can direct or instruct a Committee to perform a function but the Speaker does not add the date and when the function should be performed. So, when you are going to do so, you have to complete the forms - leave of absence - and give reasons, then, you would be captured as absent with permission. These are some of the things, I say, you must learn.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am very grateful for your clarification.
I really wish this would also be extended to Colleagues who come and sit in Committee meetings without coming to the Chamber and then when they are captured as absent without permission, then, they come to the Whips complaining that they were in a Committee meeting. I think this has to be reiterated; it has been said by almost all the Speakers that once a Member is not in the Chamber, even if one is conducting the Business of this House, one needs to indicate where the Member is and the permission must be granted. We are happy that you are saying this.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Hon Minority Chief Whip, thank you for the addition. That is how parliamentary business is conducted and I recall the late Rt Hon Peter Ala Adjetey gave a ruling on this matter. That is why you should from time to time glance at the Official Report of yesteryears. That was a right ruling and we would follow same.
Page 7?
Dr Festus Awuah Kwofie 3:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 4, number 37, please, last Friday, I was present.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Please, which page?
Mr Kwofie 3:18 p.m.
Page 7, number 37.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Number 37; yes, Dr Kwofie Festus Awuah.
Mr Kwofie 3:18 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker, I was here last Friday but I have been marked absent.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
You were here?
Mr Kwofie 3:18 p.m.
Yes, I boldly signed.
Mr Speaker 3:18 p.m.
Table Office, he says, he was present on Friday. Please, take note.
Page 8?
Hon Member, are you on your feet?
Dr Kingsley Nyarko 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes please. Page 7, item numbered 5, there should be a comma after “Thursday” for consistency sake to align with what we have at page 1 of the Votes and Proceedings. I think there should be
consistency in the way we record the dates.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Table Office, take note.
Page 8 …9 --
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am most grateful.
The last line of item numbered 8 at page 9 should be the authorities concerned to institute measures to address the menace. So, we need to correct “concern” to ‘concerned'.
Secondly, at paragraph 9, the theme for the Hon Member for New Edubiase's Statement should be ‘Reimagining Youth Skills Post- Pandemic' and not “Reimaging” as captured here.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Table Office, kindly take note.
Hon Member, your concern has been addressed.
Pages 10 …12 --
Mr K. Nyarko 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I will plead with the Table Office to make sure that all the dates are all corrected since the same issue applies to pages 12 and the subsequent pages.
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 2 (iii), I am sure if our distinguished Hon Colleague was here, she would have drawn our attention to it that she is Mrs Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr and not ‘Ms' as is accurately captured at page 18, item numbered 169. Her husband is my good friend.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Hon Member, are you sure about that?
Table Office, the Hon Member is right. Take note of it.
Page 19 --
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe you will be sure about this one at page 19 (vii) - Ms Kekeli David Damoga. I am yet to see anyone called David who is a female. I know the name Kekeli can apply to both sexes but the middle name which is David, I am not sure that it should be ‘Ms' but rather ‘Mr'.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Hon Member, did you say page 19?
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, item numbered (vii), the fourth item.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Hon Member, you mean the “Ms Kekeli David Damoga”?
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe it should be ‘Mr'.
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
I do not know the person but since you know the person as well as the names - Kekeli cannot be female?
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my contention is the ‘David'. ‘Kekeli' can -- you know my people are --
Mr Speaker 3:28 p.m.
Hon Member, the ‘Damoga' could be the surname or the husband's name or whatever but if you know the person, we will take note of it. It should be ‘Mr Kekeli David Damoga'.
Page 20?
Mr Ablakwa 3:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, items numbered 3(ii) and (iii), you have consistently drawn attention that we must have the full titles and positions particularly, the various offices that the names listed hold.
However, for Messrs Kwabena Boadu and Inua Yusuf we have the Ministry of Health and we are not told the roles and positions they hold
as has been done for all the other persons who are listed including the Parliamentary Service staff.
So, for consistency, if same could be done for items 3 (i), (ii) and (iii)?
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
Clerks to Committees as well as Table Office, kindly take note. We need to have full descriptions of participants and attendees to Committee meetings.
Page 21?
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 16th July, 2021 as presented and corrected are hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
I do not have any copy of the Official Report and so, we will move to item numbered 5 -- Urgent Questions. This Question stands in the name of the Hon Member for North Tongu -- Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Hon Member, you may please ask the Question now.

Hon Minister for Finance, kindly take the appropriate seat.
URGENT QUESTIONS 3:38 p.m.
MINISTRY OF FINANCE 3:38 p.m.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC -- North Tongu) 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Finance how much the President's recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May this year cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Minister for Finance (Mr Ken Ofori-Atta) 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in line with the 2021 budget implementation instructions, the Ministry of Finance did not release any funds to the Chief of Staff, specifically for His Excellency, the President's trips to France, Belgium and South Africa.
The current practice is that the Ministry of Finance releases quarterly funds to the Heads of Department, in this case, Office of Government Machinery, Chief of Staff for all the operational activities of the Office. To facilitate the safe coordination of the President's travels, domestic and foreign, the Office of Government Machinery and the National Security Secretariat work together to achieve this.
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
Hon Member, do you have any supplementary question?
Mr Ablakwa 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a most disappointing response indeed.
Mr Speaker, my first supple- mentary question is that the Hon Minister had earlier communicated to this House that he needed more time to respond to this Question which was admitted by the Rt Hon Speaker since 1st June, 2021. Mr Speaker, can we know the basis on which the Hon Minister requested for more time since he is now telling us that this is a matter for the Hon Minister for National Security to respond to.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
Hon Majority Chief Whip, is the Hon Member out of order?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as the practice of this House, we deal with facts, truth and accuracy. I heard my good Hon Friend say that the Hon Minister had indicated that he needed more time. Mr Speaker, can my good Hon Friend be magnanimous enough to prove what he has just said; the evidence of where and when the Hon Minister made that statement?
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
I did not expect the Hon Majority Chief Whip to interrupt the proceedings this way and to also ask a question. I allowed you because I thought you were rather going to express worry about his initial statement of being disappointed with the Answer given by the Hon Minister. I thought that was what you wanted to react to.
The Hon Minister has been called upon to answer a Question and his Answer could please, displease or disappoint an Hon Member, but that is the Answer the Hon Minister has to give. So, an Hon Member can probe further and that is why we have the opportunity for supplementary questions. Hon Member, so I asked you if you have a supplementary question to which you have decided to exercise your right to do, so the other aspect should not have come in at all.
Hon Member, you have the opportunity to make sure that the Answer given by the Hon Minister does not disappoint you so let me hear you again.
Mr Ablakwa 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this Question was admitted since 1st June and it was advertised on the Order Paper of 16th June to be responded to on 17th June, but it was not captured on the Order Paper of 17th June and this was widely reported by the media. On that day, a Clerk-at- the-Table, Mr Djietror, informed me, as is the practice, that the Hon Minister has requested for more time and that was why it was taken off the Order Paper for that day. I hope that this satisfies the Hon Majority Chief Whip because these are the facts.
So, why did the Hon Minister for Finance ask for more time if after several weeks - Mr Speaker, he duly acknowledged that this Question was rightly admitted and it was in his bosom so what has happened for us to be told suddenly that it is for the Hon Minister for National Security to respond to that when in his communication and dealings with Parliament all this while, he did not raise any objection about this Question? Mr Speaker, he has not said that he does not have the answers
so this is a legitimate follow-up question based on the facts as has transpired over the period.
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
Hon Members, let us not belabour this issue. The Hon Minister says that the Hon Minister for National Security is best placed to furnish this House with the details needed so let us pursue it that way.
Mr Ablakwa 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister if this transaction did not go through the Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System (GIFMIS) which is under his control? So, is he able to know all of these expenditure?
rose
Mr Speaker 3:38 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise on Standing Order 69 and for the avoidance of doubt, it reads:
“As soon as a Question is answered in the House any Member beginning with the Member who asked the Question may, without notice, ask supplementary Question for the further elucidation of any matter of fact regarding which
Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:48 p.m.
the answer has been given, but a supplementary Question may not be used to introduce matter not included in the Original Question”.

I am making an application to Mr Speaker that the supplementary question is not in accord with Standing Order 69 so if the Hon Member would gently listen to me, then Mr Speaker can make a ruling.

Mr Speaker, secondly, I also contend that the long speech premising the earlier question that you ruled out is not aimed at doing justice to the matter in issue.

Mr Speaker, the supplementary question is very clear in our rules which I quoted. If my Hon Colleague wants us to go strictly by what the rule says, so be it. But if he would want to use it to throw political punches, he knows what to do. He may use another platform other than this Chamber. As far as the rules provide, I humbly urge

you that on the strength of this, kindly rule him out of order.
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
Hon Minister, you may answer the question. [Hear! Hear!]
Mr Ofori-Atta 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am a little befuddled about my supposed request for additional time. I am trying to determine --
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
Hon Minister, do not refer to that one. Just go specifically to the issue.
Mr Ofori-Atta 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on the issue of GIFMIS, when we give our quarterly releases for Goods and Services, it does not really include line items for the President's travels and others. And so we would not have those specific cost coming through the GIFMIS. As I mentioned, with the operational work that is done between the Office of the Government Machinery and the Ministry of National Security, those categorisations are not very clear to us because of the national security implications that I have mentioned earlier.
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member, you have the last supplementary question.
Mr Ablakwa 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my last supplementary question. If I heard the Hon Minister clearly, is he telling this House that there are some payments that are allowed outside the GIFMIS system?
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
No, no, no. That is not what he said. He said it comes globally. As to the details of the items that have been spent on, it is not in the GIFMIS, they do not have that details. This was the answer.
Mr Ablakwa 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the GIFMIS system, there are line items and specific quotes for each transaction. This is what we know and have been working with in this House. Has something changed?
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
This is not a supplementary question. You just expressed your view.
Mr Ablakwa 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would rephrase it. Is there a separate GIFMIS arrangement for these kinds of transactions?
Mr Ofori-Atta 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, as I indicated, this has national security implications. There would be therefore a general line item for travels and others in the GIFMIS in which we do not interrogate whether it is the Vice President or the President's trips.
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
Hon Members, I thought the Hon Minister has given clear indication as to where to get the full details of the answer. I think we should move further than that.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:48 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Muntaka 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your discretion, some supplementary questions may help us get the Minister give more detailed answers. If you are minded to take one or more supplementary questions from Colleagues, it may be helpful.
Mr Speaker, the reason I say this is that we have Hon Ato Forson who has been at the Ministry of Finance before and is also familiar with the GIFMIS system that the Hon Minister is talking about. On whether the National Security Minister makes payments on things procured at the Office of the President, we have Hon Members who are familiar with that. We would be most grateful if one or two Hon Members could be permitted even if it is one supplementary question from each of them. That may help us to get more answers.
Mr Cassiel A. B. Forson 3:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to ask the Hon Minister for Finance, using the Public Financial Management Act of 2016 (Act 921).
Mr Speaker, section 102, Interpretations of Act 921 defines “minister” to mean the Minister for Finance. Again, if you are to look at Act 921, section 4(1) says, which with your permission, I read:
“4. (1) The Minister is responsible for the policy and strategic matters related to the efficient operation of the public financial management system of the country subject to policy guidance from Cabinet.
(2) For the purpose of subsection (1) and subject to the Constitution and any other enactment, the Minister shall
(a) prepare the Annual and Supplementary Budget Estimates and Reports for submission to Parliament;
(b) submit to Parliament for approval, the budget of covered entities as required under this Act or any other enactment to ensure compliance of the covered entities;
(c) monitor and assess the implementation of the annual budget and ensure the implementation of the fiscal policy of Government;
(d) manage Government property, financial assets, Government debts, Government guarantees and other contingent liabilities specified under this Act;
(e) account for public funds through a consolidated public account;
(f) supervise the financial operations of a covered entity;
(g) prepare Fiscal Strategy Document;
(h) manage public funds;
(i) coordinate and mobilise resources including
financial assistance from development partners and integrate the resources into the planning, budgeting, reporting and account- ability processes provided under this Act;
(j) provide policy framework for conducting banking and management of cash for a covered entity;
(k) issue directives and instructions necessary for the effective imple- mentation of this Act or any other enactment to the head of a covered entity, a Principal Account Holder and Principal Spending Officer of a covered entity; and
(l) perform any other functions assigned to the Minister under this Act.”
Mr Speaker, I am more interested in paragraphs (e), (f) and (h). The National Security is a covered entity under this law. The Office of the Chief of Staff is a covered entity under this law. The law empowers the Minister for Finance to supervise their financial activities.
Mr Speaker, it goes on to paragraph (h) which says “manage public fund”, and so the law empowers the Minister for Finance with all these. My question is based on the Public Financial Management Act of 2016, (Act 921); is the Hon Minister for Finance saying that he could not ask for information since he is the supervising Minister responsible for public finance from the National Security and the Office of the Chief of Staff?
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Hon Member, clearly, it is not a supplementary question. On the issues of supervision and the rest, they are there, but when you allocate money to a Ministry, Agency or Department, as you know very well, some are global figures and the Ministries now spend them on the detailed items.

Now, after the expenditure, there is another process to go through before you feed the supervisory Ministry which is the Ministry of Finance. Is that not the process? So the way he submitted the Answer, if you actually want the detailed answer now, he says it is with this Ministry. If at the end of the day the budgets come and you go through and you do not see the details, then you can ask him to account. But the way he answered it, he did not say he is not supervising

MR SPEAKER] MR SPEAKER]

I want to listen to Hon Ablakwa; I mentioned his name.
Mr Ablakwa 3:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I unreservedly apologise. I was caught in the moment. I meant no disrespect. So the “no, no, no” is withdrawn.
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Yes, he is my son- in-law so he can -- he knows his limit.
We have many Questions. Now I want to give the last supplementary question to one person.
Mr Isaac Adongo 3:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is true that the Question is not on Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System (GIFMIS) but the Hon Minister sitting in his office has authority to query GIFMIS and get any information about expenditure that has been captured in it.
But Mr Speaker, when money is released to agencies in bulk, expenditure from those moneys must go through an approval and a warrant
process, and that warrant process commits the expenditure to specific line of items. So we are not asking of the bulk money sent to the Office of the President but the expenditure emanating from those moneys which went through a budget approval process and warrant was issued and committed to specific expenditure lines. And once it is entered into that expenditure line, the Minister sitting in his office is the only person in Ghana who can access that information at any level of detail.
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Hon Members, we move on to the next Question. [Laughter.]
I am doing so because I think I was trying to draw your attention to something you are not taking care of. You have processes which take time, and reading the Hon Minister's Answer, he has left those processes in doubt. But he says if you direct your question to specific person, that person would be able to get you those
details. That is why I am saying that these supplementary questions you are asking do not arise. Let us move forward, get the person involved to come and answer the questions and give the details.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minority Leader?
Mr Avedzi 3:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with the greatest respect, the Hon Minister for Finance provided an information on who the appropriate Minister to respond to the Question is. We might go and ask the Minister for National Security and he would also come and say that he does not control the budget of the Office of the President, so I would want to find out from the Hon Minister -- is the Minister saying that the travels of the President are financed under the budget of the National Security? This is because he says in the last paragraph that the President's domestic and international travels are matters to do with national security. The National Security Ministry is best placed to furnish this House with the details needed.
Mr Speaker, the details we need is the cost of the travel. Is the Hon Minister for Finance saying that the Hon Minister for National Security is
the one who controls the budget that finances the President's travels so that when we ask him, he would be able to provide the information?
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Actually, I did not get your supplementary question. What is the supplementary question?
Mr Avedzi 3:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am picking the supplementary question from the Answer provided by the Hon Minister. The last paragraph of the
Minister's Answer says that 3:58 p.m.
“Mr Speaker, the President's domestic and international travels are matters to do with national security. The National Security Ministry is best placed to furnish this honourable House with the details needed”.
Mr Speaker, the detail that we need is the cost of the travel. So if he is saying that he is not the Minister best placed to provide the details, my question is: is the National Security Minister the one who controls the budget that provides finance for the President's travels both domestic and international?
Mr Ofori-Atta 3:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I did state from the beginning that the
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Hon Members, we move on to the next Question.
rose
Mr Speaker 3:58 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, is there any issue?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, you have moved on so, I would not have much to say about it. I was in the office listening to proceedings, what I got from this is that a question is asked of a Minister and the Minister says that he is not responsible for it. He then relates to the specific Ministry that has the charge for it. Is it the case that the Minister was invited and he is denying responsibility? If that is the case, then we can litigate the matter. But the Minister has not been invited, so how can we continue this way?
Mr Speaker, I heard you give a directive that we should move on, but yet your path was crossed to say that we should allow some limited interventions. I thought that ought not to even be entertained.
Mr Speaker 4:08 p.m.
Hon Leader, I have not heard you at all. [Laughter] -- You are not speaking into the microphone, so you are not audible.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the point I made is that our Standing Orders provides in Order 62(1) that:
“Questions may be asked of Ministers relating to public affairs with which they are officially connected…”
Mr Speaker, that is the essence of my own intervention. You ruled that we should move on, but I said I was listening to proceedings and at a point in time, I heard you direct that we should move on and the Question should be filed or refiled. Then an intervention was made against the direction that you provided, and ensuing from this is what I have come to hear. If a person or a Minister is not officially responsible, can this House force that person to be officially responsible? If the person mentioned is invited and he denies responsibility, then the House could litigate the matter further. But the person has not been invited, so what are we doing?
Mr Speaker 4:08 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, you are right. But when it comes to supplementary questions, I would not know the question the person will ask until it has been asked. Usually, it is proper to give the Hon Members the opportunity to air their views. When I realised it is not a supplementary question, I overruled it. I have done that a number of times.
Now, I believe that we would have to move on. That is why I said we
would go to the next Question, which stands in the name of Hon Dr Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South.
Hon Member, you may ask your Question now.
ORAL ANSWERS TO 4:08 p.m.
QUESTIONS 4:08 p.m.
MINISTRY OF FINANCE 4:08 p.m.
Dr Clement Apaak (NDC -- Builsa South) 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Finance if Government took a loan or loans to finance the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy.
Minister for Finance (Mr Ken Ofori-Atta) 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Mr Speaker, Government has taken no loan to specifically finance the Free SHS Policy. The Free SHS Policy has since its inception been financed from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) and from the Government of Ghana (GoG) funding sources. Over the five years, a total amount of GH¢7.62 billion has been allocated to implement the Free
Dr Apaak 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on May 25, 2021 bloomberg.com published an article titled, “Ghana to sell sustainable bonds up to US$1 billion by July, 2021”. In the said article, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr Charles Adu-Boahen, is quoted as follows:
“The proceeds would help refinance domestic debt used for social and developmental projects including loans taken to pay for Governments' Free Senior High School policy.”
Mr Speaker, I would want the Hon Minister for Finance to reconcile his response with what is said to have been quoted by the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance.
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have an open door policy for my Hon
Colleague to give me a call when such statements are made. I do not know the facts of that matter, and it is not a policy that we have. We would have green bond, but we have not stated specifically that it would be used for Free SHS education -- [Interruption] -- Mr Speaker, I cannot authenticate the statement the Member of Parliament made.
Dr Apaak 4:18 a.m.
Mr Speaker, for the sake of the records, I would wish to state that the said article is still on Bloomberg.com as of this morning. It indicates clearly that the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry said that proceeds from this US$1billion bond would be used to pay loans taken to finance Government's Free SHS policy. This is a matter of public record.

Mr Speaker, we all know that Bloomberg is not a small entity. Therefore, I would want to restate that my source is authentic, the article is still there and neither the Hon Minister nor the Minister of State in question has come out to deny or challenge Bloomberg on this Publication.

Mr Speaker, having said so, I restate my question.
Mr Speaker 4:18 a.m.
You want to restate your question which has been answered? Do you have any further supplementary question?
Dr Apaak 4:18 a.m.
Very well, Mr Speaker. Let me ask a supplementary question from the Hon Minister's Answer.
Mr Speaker, in the second paragraph, the Hon Minister indicates very clearly that till date, Government has expended some GH¢7.62 billion on the implementation of the policy. Only last year, July, the Hon Minister for Finance was in this House to present the Mid-Year Review of the Budget Statement. On page 2 of the Statement, the Hon Minister indicated this which I beg to quote:
“We invested GH¢3.2 billion to implement Free SHS, resulting in over 1.2 million teenagers being in secondary school now, looking forward to better opportunities in life.”
Mr Speaker, in just one year, based on the GH¢3.2 billion and the GH¢7.62 billion, it would suggest that there has been a quantum leap of GH¢4.42 billion expended on the implementation of the Free SHS policy. I would like to ask the Hon Minister what accounts for this?
Mr Speaker 4:18 a.m.
Hon Minister, you may answer the question. Is there a quantum leap in the GH¢3.2 billion investment in the programme as against the current figure of GH¢7.62 billion allocated to implement the programme?
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:18 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I can get the full details for the Hon Member. We should also remember that we had extraordinary expenses last year to enable our children to go to school. From Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to sanitation equipment, these really run up.
As you know, we spent over GH¢13 billion extra last year in all sorts of expenditure, with revenue also coming. So, we would be able to break it down for him but the year 2020 was an extraordinary year for all levels of public spending. We would be prepared to do the breakdown.
Thank you very much.
Mr Speaker 4:18 a.m.
Hon Member, you heard the Hon Minister. Your last supplementary question.
Dr Apaak 4:18 a.m.
Very well, Mr Speaker. I hope that the Hon Minister would return to the House with the details as he has said?
Mr Speaker 4:18 a.m.
The details of the quantum leap expenditure? You have to bring him to give us the details.
Dr Apaak 4:18 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my last supplementary question.
In the Hon Minister's response to my question, he went at length to itemise the variables that constitute “free”. With your permission, on page 5, he indicates:
“This includes tuition, meals for both boarders and day- students, textbooks, library fee, boarding fee, science laboratory fee, examination fee and utility fee.”
Mr Speaker, only last week, the Hon Minister for Education was in this House to respond to a question regarding the procurement of past examination questions. In his responses, it became clear that Government has expended some GH¢68.5 million to procure past questions for students who wrote their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2020 and those who are preparing to write their WASSCE in 2021.
May I know from the Hon Minister whether this expenditure has contributed to the quantum leap in the cost that I have just indicated?
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:18 a.m.
Mr Speaker, as I mentioned before, last year was an extraordinary year and certainly, other expenditures were incurred. However, we should be able to supply the answer to this issue of a quantum leap to the Hon Member.
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza 4:18 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much. I would like to first make a comment. Mr Speaker, when the Hon Minister speaks, he does so slowly so that many of us cannot hear him. He is not audible enough. We know that he is a calm speaker, so could he speak up, so that he would be audible enough for us to hear him?
Mr Speaker, my question is this, the Hon Minister says in the first paragraph of his Answer, that: “No loan to specifically finance the Free SHS Policy.”
We know that there are so many donor-funded or loan funded projects on the Senior High School campuses. Is the definition of Free SHS Policy just about the fees and that when you are paying for the expansion of the facilities, it is not intended to enhance the free SHS Policy? Is that the understanding of free SHS Policy? Does it include free infrastructure, goods and services or only fees? That is my question.
Does Free SHS funding not include infrastructure, goods and services because he says no loan. However, we know that there are projects taking place on school campuses that are not necessarily Government of Ghana (GoG) funded. In any case, the GETFund has been collateralised to pay for those projects. It is a loan, so can we further explain what his answer meant by no loans for free
SHS?
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we are in a deficit financing situation in which domestic and international borrowing, all go towards supporting the budget in a sense. I try to narrow it down to what GoG is doing and what Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) is doing. So, there is a certain clarity on that. However, as long as we run a budget deficit and issue bonds and get loans from donor partners, I guess one would now know who benefits from all of that. All of us benefit from that.

In addition, as he rightly mentioned that we also securitised some of our GETFund proceeds which then raised US$1.5 billion or so equivalent, and we have gotten about US$2 billion and change, which have been used to further support our
Mr Isaac Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister made an emphatic statement that we have never borrowed to finance the Free Senior High School programme. This is a House of record.
When the Hon Minister appeared before this House to approve the Eurobond for 2019, one of the items for the utilisation of the Eurobond was GH¢2.4 billion classified as Free SHS. Does he want to say that after we raised the money for Eurobond, he used the money for something else other than the Free SHS programme, in which case he now claims we have not borrowed for Free SHS programme and yet, the Eurobond utilisation proceeds included Free SHS programme of GH¢2.4 billion? Did he misappropriate the Eurobond for something else?
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
Hon Member, you have not asked a supplementary question. You have made a statement.
Mr Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to ask the Hon Minister whether the Eurobond utilisation that we approved in 2019 in this House, which included specifically, GH¢2.4 billion to finance the Free SHS programme
was not spent as he made the House to believe?
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
It is a loaded question. First, we have to establish that we approved the Eurobond and in it, there was this amount meant to finance the Free SHS programme. That has not yet been established and you have concluded to ask whether they have misapplied that amount. Let us go step by step.
Mr Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my question is very simple. We approved GH¢2.4 billion out of the US$3 billion Eurobond to be spent on the Free SHS programme so, I want to ask the Hon Minister whether he indeed spent the GH¢2.4 billion on the Free SHS programme.
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
Hon Minister, you have my permission to de-mask.
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I do have a special COVID-19 problem and it is my doctor's advice -- I would try and project my voice so that we could all hear.
Mr Speaker, typically, our Eurobond proceeds certainly support the budget and then usually for liability management purposes. In that regard and on terms the plethora of activities that are used with those funds are clear to us, and any thought of
misappropriation is not where the issue is; in any way. If there is any further elucidation that the Hon Member wants, we could certainly do the analysis and bring it to him [Interruption]. It is typically used to support the Budget and also for liability management in terms of misappropriation of those proceeds. I do not think that is really the issue at hand right now.
Mr Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we agreed that the Eurobond programme is to finance or support the budget and liability management, but when he specially identifies an activity and assigns an amount to it that convinced this House to give him the approval, he cannot now say that the money is for general budgetary support. He must spend specifically as has been approved in the utilisation programme.
Mr Speaker, I would want to know because the Hon Minister asked us for approval to spend GH¢2.4 billion of the Eurobond money on the Free SHS programme. If it is so, why did he say that we did not borrow to finance the Free SHS Policy?
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
I always tell you to ask questions one after the other. You have gone back to the issue I raised. Let us establish that first, then you
could move to - [Interruption] - You do not manage the House for me.
Mr Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a House of record and we approved the Eurobond utilisation funds which detailed specifically what it would be used for and it was approved and captured in the Hansard. Unless otherwise, the Hon Minister disagrees with me that he brought a utilisation programme to accompany the Eurobond.
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
I said we should establish that first.
Mr Adongo 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to ask the Hon Minister whether he identified GH¢2.4 billion to be spent on the Free SHS programme under the Eurobond utilisation programme for 2019?
Mr Speaker 4:28 p.m.
Hon Minister, is it the case that in the Eurobond, that amount he mentioned was identified for the Free SHS policy implementation?
Mr Ofori-Atta 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think I could really confirm the statement that he alluded to. I would check up and let him know where that statement is from and then to indicate how those resources were used. However, we do not go out to raise money and misuse those proceeds in
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I just want to draw the attention of the Hon Minister. Is he aware that in 2017, a total budgetary allocation to the Free SHS programme was GH¢400 million and 2018, it was GH¢1.137 billion, in 2019 it was GH¢1.682 billion, in 2020 it was GH¢2.429 billion, and in 2021 it was GH¢1.974 billion, which in all totalled GH¢7.23 billion that he has alluded to in his answer and in that regard, there is no quantum leap in the allocation?
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
No, the Hon Majority Leader is clearly out of order but he has made his statement and so, it is on record.
Let us move on; any other supplementary question, or we move to the next Question?
Yes, Hon Dr Pelpuo?
Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, when the Question was asked of the Hon
Minister whether he was aware that a portion of the Eurobond was labelled as money for the use of the Free Senior High School, he said that he would have to go and check.
Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister in control of his funds and did not know that he requested for that money; is he not aware that when he came to Parliament to request for the money, that detail was part of it?
Is he not aware that he must go and check? I am surprised.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Hon Member, the Hon Minister simply stated that as he stands here, he could not confirm and that he would have to cross-check. So, he added that if we want those details, he would supply them later; I think there is nothing wrong with that. If we want those details, we could still pursue the issue and then he would be called back to give us the details but as of now -
You know that when one is speaking, he does so on oath; it is not just a matter of the allocation but there is a specific amount which has been stated. He has to be sure of all that so that he does not seem to be misleading the House.
Let us move to the next Question and that is question numbered 238
standing in the name of the Hon Member for Dormaa East, Hon Paul Apreku Twum-Barimah.
Hon Member, you may ask your Question.
Cost of Air Travel of the President Using Chartered
Flight (2013-2016)
Q238. Mr Paul Apreku Twum- Barimah (NPP-Dormaa East): Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister for Finance the cost of air travel of the President using chartered flight between the period 2013 to
2016.
Minister for Finance (Mr Ken Ofori-Atta) 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as I indicated in my response to the question from Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the air travel for the President, including the cost for the advance team, flight arrangements, security, accommodation, and air tickets, are coordinated operationally between the Office of Government Machinery and National Security Secretariat.
Mr Speaker, as I stated earlier, the President's domestic and international travels are matters to do with National Security. The National Security Minister is best placed to furnish this
honourable House with the details needed.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary question?
Mr Twum-Barimah 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would take a cue from the Answer from the Hon Minister and ask the question at the appropriate place.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
We move on to the next Question numbered 103 standing in the name of the Hon Member for Tain, Hon Adama Sulemana.
Yes, Hon Member, you may ask your Question now. [Interruption] --
103. Mr Adama Sulemana (NDC-Tain): Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister for Energy when the electricity extension project on-going in the Tain Constituency will be completed.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Oh, we have moved on to a different sector?
Sorry, Hon Minister for Finance, on behalf of the House and on my own behalf, I would want to thank you for attending upon the House and answering the Questions that have been posed to you.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Minister is unavoidably absent and he communicated same to us. Leadership have conferred and have come to some understanding that since his deputy is here, with your leave, he may proceed with the Answers.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Minister for Energy?
Hon Member, please, repeat the Question.
MINISTRY OF ENERGY 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary questions?
Mr Adama Sulemana 4:38 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
In the Hon Deputy Minister's Answer, he states that, Transformer substation and Low Voltage (LV) network construction works have been completed in Brodi, Badu, Bepoayease, Amangoase and Nsawkaw communities.
I would want to find out from the Hon Deputy Minister if he is aware that in Bepoayease, the only project that has taken place is the planting of poles?
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minister, are you aware that in Bepoayease, there are only poles that have been planted?
Mr William O. Aidoo 4:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the information I have as I stand here is what I have given. If the Hon Member so pleases, I would do extra checks and come back to the
House to give you the appropriate answer.
Mr Speaker 4:38 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member, any further supplementary question?
Mr Adama Sulemana 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes.
The Hon Deputy Minister also states that 560 out of the 750 LV poles required for Namansa/Akora, Tainso/Seikwa and Debibi communities have been supplied and that the project contractor is currently at Debibi.

Mr Speaker, my question is this; is the Hon Minister aware that out of the 250 LV poles approved for Dibibi, only 40 have been provided? In addition, the road to Dibibi cannot be completed without the poles before moving to the other centres.

So, I am asking if he is aware that only 40 poles of the approved 250 poles have been provided at Dibibi.
Mr Aidoo 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the information I have is that the number stated have been supplied and I do not know if maybe, the Hon Member is not aware as to exactly where these poles are located. I could later on liaise with him to furnish him with more
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Hon Member, do you have another supplementary question?
Mr Adama Sulemana 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank the Hon Deputy Minister for the assurance but I would like to state that one of the communities called ‘Kwaku Donkor' was not captured at all in his Answer.
I would like to find out the status of that community on the project list. In fact, the number of communities is 16; not 13.
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Hon Member, which community are you talking about?
Mr Adama Sulemana 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, ‘Kwaku Donkor' is also a community in the Tain Constituency where the project is almost complete but was not captured in the Hon Minister's Answer.
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Hon Member, the question you posed was not community-specific so, the Hon
Minister decided to give details and talked about 13 communities as that is where some work is ongoing.
So, you cannot ask constituency specific questions because you did not state that community in your Question. [Inaudible] -- Hon Member, so you want the Hon Minister to give you further information on that one? Well, that was not part of the Question.
Yes, Hon First Deputy Minority Whip, do you want to help your Colleague?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in fact, you are right. The Hon Member is partly right.
‘Kwaku Donkor' is a community in the Tain constituency with an ongoing electrification programme just as those mentioned communities. From the Hon Member, he says there are 16 communities in his constituency with ongoing electrification projects and so wanted to find out when those electrification programmes will be completed.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member of Parliament is saying that the status of 13 communities have been stated leaving out only three and he wanted to know the status of the ones that has been left out including ‘Kwaku Donkor'.
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Well, the difficulty we have is that it is a supplementary question and it comes from the Answer. If he knew that there were 16 communities and had itemised them and the Hon Minister had responded to 13 out of the 16 communities, then he could ask a supplementary on the three remaining communities but the Hon Member of Parliament has not done so.
So, Hon Member, if the Hon Minister has information on that, he may respond to this question but he is not compelled to answer it.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister 's constituency is an adjoining one which is Wenchi. I would just like to plead with you if the Hon Member, after Sitting, could engage the Hon Minister to give him some of the facts so that they could work together to ensure its completion. I think that is the essence of the question and if that is all right by you then --
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
I have no problem but I do not know if the Hon Minister has information on this community he is talking about. If he has, he could respond to it but if not, this would not be considered as part of the supplementary questions.
Mr Aidoo 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, some- times what happens is that some of the communities are contiguous and the Ministry tends to label them with one name. So, it may well be that ‘Kwaku Donkor' is subsumed in one of the communities that has been stated.
Just as the First Deputy Minority Leader said, we should meet and throw more light on it.
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
All right.
Hon Member, approach the Ministry to check on the status of the remaining three communities and then impress on them to complete it expeditiously.
Question numbered 106 stands in the name of the Hon Member for Saboba Constituency - Mr Joseph Nikpe Bukari, you may ask your Question.
Steps Being Taken to Resume Work on Electrification Projects
Mr Joseph Nikpe Bukari 4:48 p.m.
(NDC -- Saboba): Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Hon Minister for Energy the steps taken to resume work on the rural electrification projects of the following communities which have been abandoned since 2017: (i) Nakpar (ii) Nakpanbol (iii)
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Hon Minister, you may answer the Question. Hon First Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.
Mr Aidoo 4:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the communities namely, Namoangbani, Bichakiyado, Nakpambolin and Wandamdo forms part of the Ministry of Energy's ongoing SHEP-5 Rural Electrification Project in the Saboba District of the Northern Region. Network construction works involving High Voltage (HV), Low Voltage (LV) and Transformer Substation have been completed in Wandamdo and Nakpambolin communities.
The HV network construction has been completed in Namoangbani and Bichakiyado communities. The LV poles required for these communities have been supplied and erected at site. The delays in the completion of the electrification project in the mentioned communities are as a result of shortage of some key materials/equipment including 25 sqmm PVC Aluminum conductor, 50 sqmm Aluminum conductors, D-Irons, et cetera -
The Ministry is expecting some deliveries of materials/equipment and will arrange for the release of same for installation works to resume at site. The Ministry of Energy expects to complete the installation works in the above mentioned communities by end of 2021.
The remaining communities namely, Nakpar, Nankpeik, Nanyeni, Nayil-Sachido, Dungbang, Yakpab Magnalbido and Jamoani communities do not form part of any of the Ministry's ongoing projects. The Ministry has noted the communities and they would be considered in subsequent phases of the electrification programme.
Mr Speaker 4:48 p.m.
Hon Member, any supplementary questions?
Mr Bukari 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, before the year 2017, all these listed communities that the Hon Minister says do not form part of the project, the contractor working in Bichakiyado and Namoangbani was the same contractor working in those communities and work is at various levels of completion. Therefore, it is surprising that the Ministry that conducted those works are now telling the House that they do not form part of the works. So, I want to find
out from the Hon Deputy Minister whether there was a review after 2017 and if those communities were removed? Or what has happened as works like the planting of poles and cabling them have been done and a lot of materials have been sent to those communities, yet they have been abandoned and are not part of the project.
Mr Speaker, I would want to know this from the Hon Deputy Minister.
Mr Aidoo 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the records at the Ministry is what I have stated and I do not know whether the Hon Member was the Hon Member of Parliament for the area at the time he is referring to? I do not know who started it but the Ministry's records state what I have provided to the House that these communities do not form part of the current ongoing projects.
Mr Speaker 4:58 p.m.
Hon Member, any further supplementary question?
Mr Bukari 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as an Hon Member of Parliament I do not have the capacity to start any rural electrification project in any community. The works in those communities are at different stages of completion so I want to know if it is a denial of those communities or how
come some works were done there yet, they are no longer part.
Mr Speaker 4:58 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minister, I am sure you understand the question.
Mr Aidoo 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, actually this is good news for the Ministry of Energy because if indeed work is ongoing but we are not aware then it would help the Ministry. So, I would inform the engineers so that the necessary things would be done; we would capture it and continue from where it has been left off. However, as at now, the records show that those communities do not form part of our ongoing projects.
Mr Bukari 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister stated in the last paragraph that they have taken notice of those communities and they would consider them in the subsequent phases of rural electrification. Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Hon Deputy Minister when the next phase would commence so that I can monitor the works to be done in those communities?
Mr Aidoo 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member just said that work is ongoing and I have given him my word that when I return to the Ministry, we would do the needful. Mr Speaker, the Hon Member has just told the
rose
Mr Speaker 4:58 p.m.
Hon Member, you have exhausted your supplementary questions, unless you want to thank the Hon Deputy Minister, otherwise you may resume your seat. [Laughter]
Hon Members, the Hon First Deputy Speaker would take the Chair. We have four Questions to take and some Statements as well; a Statement by the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry, a Statement by Hon Samuel Atta-Mills and other Statements that we have to take today.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 4:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought you were going to discharge the Hon Deputy Minister?
Mr Speaker 4:58 p.m.
Hon Leader, there are further Questions on Energy so I cannot discharge the Hon Deputy Minister. We would move to Question numbered 140 standing in the name of the Hon Member for Nadowli/ Kaleo, Mr Anthony M. Sumah.
MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr Anthony Mwinkaara Sumah (NDC -- Nadowli/Kaleo) 5:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Energy when the following communities in the Nadowli/Kaleo Constituency would be connected to the national grid: (i) Takpo (ii) Charipong (iii) Nanvilli (iv) Nator (v) Sankana (vi) Goli (vii) Kuntaali (viii) Gbierung (ix) Banu (x) Kankanzie (xi) Kpazimuulu (xii) Zomwaakyir (xiii) Toyaga (xiv) Konkongpari (xv) Nawuli.
Mr Aidoo 5:03 p.m.
The communities namely, Takpo, Charipong, Nanvilli, Nator, Sankana and Goli formed part of the Ministry of Energy's SHEP-4 Rural Electrification Project in the Nadowli/Kaleo District of the Upper West Region which were completed and connected to the national electricity grid between 2012 and
2016.
Nawuli community forms part of the Ministry of Energy's ongoing SHEP-5 Rural Electrification Project. High Voltage (HV) network construction works have been completed. Low Voltage (LV) poles required have also been supplied and erected at site. Pole-top accessories are however yet to be supplied to allow installation works to continue.
A Transformer has been supplied to site but not yet energised. The projects contractor has been advised by our consultant to relocate the transformer from its present position to a loan center.
The delays in the execution of the electrification project in the Nawuli community is as a result of the shortage of some key materials/ equipment including conductors, stay equipment, stay wire, et cetera. The Ministry is expecting some deliveries of materials/equipment and will arrange for the release of same for installation works to resume at site.
The Ministry of Energy expects to complete the installation works in the Nawuli community by end of 2021.
The remaining communities namely, Kuntaali, Gbierung, Banu, Kankanzie, Kpazimuulu, Zomwaakyir, Toyaga and Konkongpari do not form part of any of the Ministry's ongoing projects. The Ministry has however, conducted an engineering survey in the communities and they would be considered in subsequent phases of the electrification programme.
Mr Sumah 5:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you and I appreciate the Hon Deputy Minister for his Answer, but he indicated that Takpo, Charipong,
Nanvilli, Nator, Sankana and Goli are connected to the national Grid. Mr Speaker, Charipong has about 16 communities and out of these, only three communities; Nanga, Gabilli and Saan are connected. The remaining 13 communities; Wichima, Yali-Yaro, Sampina, Baase, Naribu, Biire, Kuuri, Baadabuo, Koni, Kuo-kakala, Tanduori, Ngmendaali and Naayir are not connected and this is the situation for the other five communities that he has indicated that they have been connected to the national Grid.
Mr Speaker, I would want to know if there are any plans to connect these other communities in Takpo, Charipong, Nanvilli, Goli, Sankana and Nator to the national Grid.
Mr Aidoo 5:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, definition of communities in some parts of the country is a bit different from others. From the way my Hon Friend is speaking, it sounds to me that the communities that have been stated have other satellite communities. As far as the Ministry is concerned, we have connected the community, but he is now drawing our attention to this. So, I have to check with the engineers to relook at this and do the needful.
Mr Sumah 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the last line of the Hon Deputy Minister's
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry has actually engaged consultants who have carried out engineering assessments in over 3,000 communities with the aim of knowing the exact material requirement and cost so that the electrification could go on in the quest of the Ministry's goal of achieving universal coverage. Once that work which is being conducted by the consultant is completed, they would be notified when the electrification would be started in his community?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:08 p.m.
Hon Minister, in your plan, when is the community planned? He says you should give him an idea of time. When would your plan get to them?
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the work has just ensued, and connecting 3,000 communities is a tall order.
Mr Speaker, with your permission, let me go back and find out from the consultant as to when they would complete the work contracted to them.
Mr Sumah 5:08 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rest my case.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:08 p.m.
Very well. Question numbered 141 by Hon Member for North Dayi, Ms Joycelyn Tetteh?
Plans towards extending Electricity to Vakpo Kenkui
and Sabadu Tornu
Ms Joycelyn Tetteh (NDC -- North Dayi) 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Energy what plans the Ministry has towards extending electricity from Vakpo New Adomi to Vakpo Kenkui Kope, and from Tsyome Sabadu to Sabadu Tornu.
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Vakpo Kenkui Kope and Sabadu Tornu communities do not currently form part of any of the Ministry of Energy's earmarked electrification projects. The communities have been noted and
will be considered for connection to the National Electricity Grid in subsequent phases of the electrification programme.
Ms Tetteh 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, when would the next phase of the proposed electrification project by the Ministry commence?
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the answer to the last Question, I just stated that the Ministry has embarked on a project to identify over 3,000 communities for subsequent connection to the grid, and I am sure the Hon Member's communities would form part of the 3,000 communities earmarked for subsequent connection to the national Grid.
Ms Tetteh 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, would the Ministry consider providing other measures such as off-the-grid solar power interventions for the affected areas?
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry has been using solar to light up difficult-to-reach communities. From the way the Answer is couched, I do not believe the communities mentioned are difficult to reach communities.
Like I said, the Ministry has taken note of them and would be connecting them to the electricity grid. So I crave the indulgence of the Hon Member to talk to the community members to have some patience.
Ms Tetteh 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am willing to support the Ministry in identifying specific communities in this regard. Would the Ministry consider my office and other stakeholders in the planning and execution of this project?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:08 p.m.
Hon Member, kindly discuss your offer to assist the Hon Minister out of here.
Ms Tetteh 5:08 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:08 p.m.
Very well. I would move on to Question numbered 142 standing in the name of the Hon Member for South Tongu, Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome.
Steps to remove aquatic weeds from the Lower Volta Basin and
its tributaries
Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Energy the steps the Ministry is taking to get aquatic weeds removed from
Mr Aidoo 5:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, currently, VRA has put in place various measures to address the aquatic weed infestation challenges from immediate, short to medium and long-term approaches. This strategic approach is to ensure that the impact on the riverine communities is immediately contained while a medium to long- term sustainable management programme is put in place to ensure both environmental and financial sustainability.
Immediate-Term Plan
Community-directed Shoreline and Immediate Offshore Aquatic Weed Removal.
This activity involves mobilisation of the riverine communities to manually remove aquatic weeds along the shoreline and the immediate offshore. VRA has identified fifty (50) communities in the Lower Volta Area to be provided with tools and mobilised to undertake the exercise by the close of the year.
The purpose of this initiative is to enhance access to extraction of water (clogged by the aquatic weeds) by the
inhabitants for domestic use, remove all weeds obstructing boat landing sites as well as destroy the habitats of Bilharzia intermediate hosts (snail populations).
Opening of the Creeks Using Weed Harvester
The major tributary of the Volta Lake in the South Tongu and the Dangbe East districts which is heavily infested with weeds is the River Angor. The VRA will deploy its weed harvester which is currently engaged in weed harvesting at Mafi Devime in the North Tongu District, to the Angor by the close of September 2021. It is expected that the Angor and other critically weed infested tributaries of the Volta Lake would be opened by the close of the year.
SHORT TO MEDIUM-TERM 5:08 p.m.
PLAN 5:08 p.m.
LONG-TERM PLAN 5:08 p.m.
Mr Woyome 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer, under “Opening of the Creeks Using Weed Harvester”, he indicated the use of the harvester to start the harvesting of weeds around the Angor tributary. Would he assure us that the harvesting would include not only slashing but removal with the roots and disposing same appropriately in such a way that they do not end up coming back into the river to grow and create more menace?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:18 p.m.
Hon Minister, are you able to give such a technical assurance?
Mr Aidoo 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member is really asking for far too much than I can really cope with. This is very technical so I would respectfully ask that you direct that we meet and see the technical people at VRA to give him the assurance. I cannot give the assurance. I do not really understand the technical nature of the work to be done.
Mr Woyome 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the Answer under “Short to Medium- Term Plan”, there is the plan to introduce drones to assess the entire scope of work or the extent of spread of the weeds and to determine which agencies and all that, but when we look at the long-term plan, they have already started per the Answer from 2014/2015 and from the previous Government to now - The process to procure a company to start the process of harvesting and dredging - what went into the determination of the long-term plan when they are now going to procure services for the data to be collected or the information obtained so that they can share and be able to undertake that sort of work? I do not really get it. Would the Hon Minister throw some light on that?
Mr Aidoo 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, once again, I would crave your indulgence to permit me to go back and get the appropriate answer to the question that the Hon Member is seeking answers to. I really cannot answer these technical questions and I believe that the best way to see our way clear is to meet with our technical people and have a tête-à-tête with them.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Woyome 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on the issue of the long-term plan of the Ministry, I would say that stretching
from Akuse down to Ada estuary is quite a colossal job for just a company to undertake. I do not know the capacity of the Lower Volta Dredging Contractors Limited but this matter had come up several times for discussion with VRA and all that. They indicated that they wanted to divide the stretch into two and give them to two separate companies to undertake. Do we take it that that is no longer the case so that we can understand what the capacity is because he said the procurement has ended?
Mr Aidoo 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as stated in the Answer, the company was chosen as a result of international competitive bidding. I would like to think that they have the necessary capacity to take on the job at hand. If the Hon Member has any reason to doubt, then that is a different question altogether, but I believe that the company has the necessary competence to take on the job at hand.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:18 p.m.
Thank you. There is one more Question in the name of the Hon Member for Nkwanta North, Mr John Kwabena Bless Oti.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:18 p.m.
Hon Member for Klottey Korle, why are you on your feet? I have already given the Floor to the Hon Member for Nkwanta North.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 5:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was on my feet but I am afraid you were looking down at your sheet so I think you did not see me. It was a request to ask a supplementary question to what was asked by the Hon Member for South Tongu.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:18 p.m.
I would have ruled that you have been overreached but let me give you an opportunity because the Hon Minister is still here.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 5:18 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I would like to consider myself a partial constituent of the constituency in question.
Mr Speaker, given the scientific data available that has shown a direct correlation between water pollution and the presence of aquatic weeds, has the Ministry engaged in any research to establish the underlying cause of the pollution that is increasing the pollution of aquatic weeds in the water bodies?

ask the Hon Member to join the original questioner in meeting the technical people to get the necessary answers because I cannot answer it. What I know from my basic science is that the sodium and all that pouring into the water tend to encourage the growth of these weeds, but I cannot really tell what research has been done by the Volta River Authority or whoever as to why we have the recurrence of these weeds on the Volta Lake. So if she joins us in meeting the technical people, I think the questions would be answered appropriately.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:28 p.m.
Or if they give you formal notice, you would find that answer and bring it back to the House. Now, I would proceed to the Hon Member for Nkwanta North again.

Connection to the National Grid
Mr John Kwabena Bless Oti (NDC -- Nkwanta North) 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Energy when the following communities in the Nkwanta North Constituency would be connected to the National Grid under the Rural Electrification Programme: (i) Lamina
(ii) Kparangkrang 1 & 2 (iii) Baduli (iv) Obunja (v) Donkor Akura (vi) Korni (vii) Nanjingong (viii) Majimaji (ix) Gborsike (x) Gbango 1 & 2 (xi) Kpato (xii) Anomantu (xiii) Esaw Akura (xiv) Ujagando (xv) Ugando (xvi) Surugu (xvii) Matease (xviii) Abrewankor.
Mr Aidoo 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Lamina, Anomantu, Majimaji, Gbosike, Obunja, Korni 1&2, Ugando, Ujagandor, Nanjingong and Gbango communities form part of the Ministry of Energy's ongoing SHEP-4 Rural Electrification Project in the Nkwanta North District of the Volta Region. 120 out of 199 10ms High Voltage (HV) poles and some pole-top accessories (Angle Iron Cross, Stay equipment, Conductors, Shackles and Insulators) required for the project have been supplied for works in the communities.
The lack of full complement of materials/equipment have delayed the project execution. The Ministry of Energy is reviewing its strategy towards the completion of all delayed projects across the country, including the above-mentioned ones. Works are therefore expected to resume in the communities in the year, 2022 when the Ministry of Energy would have taken delivery of adequate materials and equipment supplies.
Kparangkrang 1 & 2, Baduli, Donkor Akura, Kpato, Esaw Akura, Surugu, Matease and Abrewankor communities do not currently form part of any of the Ministry of Energy's earmarked electrification projects. The communities have been noted and will be considered for connection to the National Electricity Grid in subsequent phases of the electrification programme.
Mr Oti 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, electrification of these communities were awarded on contract by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) Administration. The contractor is China International Water and Electric Corporation. The communities were supposed to have been connected to the national grid under the second phase. Why has it taken Government so long - throughout the first four years of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government, not a single community has been connected to the national grid in the Nkwanta North Constituency. What is the cause of the delay?
Mr Aidoo 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe that some of the reasons for the delays have been stated. It is instructive to note that the contract was awarded on 12th December, 2016, and the contractor is Modern General Limited. The contract was awarded,
it was at the throats of the 2016 elections. I do not believe works go on after elections. It takes time for contractors to start work. In any case, when we assumed office in 2017, there was not a single item in the warehouse of the Ministry of Energy. So, it took quite a while to go through the process of procurement before we started any works.
Mr Speaker, I can assure the Hon Member that those works are being done and the assurance has been given by the Ministry that works will commence in 2022. The Hon Member can take our word for it because by that time, we would have taken delivery of materials to restart the various works and those that are not earmarked as part of our ongoing projects would have been captured and would be considered sub- sequently.
I do not know where the China Water Company comes in because the contractor in question is Modern General Limited and China International Water and Electric Corporation is not part of the project in the Nkwanta North District.
Mr Oti 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a House of records. The Deputy Minister in his Answer said that the communities were awarded to Modern General Company. If we go to the records of the Ministry, these
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:28 p.m.
Hon Member, are you saying that the records of the Ministry is different from what the Minister is holding?
Mr Oti 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, that was why I said this is a House of records. What I know, is in the Ministry's records that these communities were supposed to have been connected in the second phase by the China International Water and Electric Corporation. They first did 19 communities in my constituency and they were supposed to have commenced the second phase in early 2016, but due to lack of materials. Subsequently, we wrote to the Ministry and some of these communities were moved and awarded to Modern General Limited. So, Modern General Limited is not supposed to extend electricity to cover all these communities, but rather China International Water and Electric Corporation.
Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Deputy Minister why it
has taken them so long? I want some assurance from the Minister.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:28 p.m.
Hon Member, he has answered why. I only permitted you because you appear to contradict the Ministry's records with the record I do not know where from? If you want another chance I would allow you.
Mr Oti 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may I find out from the Hon Minister how soon they would commence work on these communities?
Mr Aidoo 5:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think in the Answer that I gave, I stated that works are therefore expected to resume in the communities in the year 2022 when the Ministry of Energy would have taken delivery of adequate material supplies.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:28 p.m.
Hon Minister, we thank you for attending upon the House to answer Questions. You are discharged. That brings us to the end of Question time. We would move on to Statements.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh 5:38 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we had agreed to take Statements, but I have conferred with my Hon Colleagues, so Mr Speaker, with your leave, if we could briefly revert to presentation of Papers and take items 8 (b) (i) (ii) and (iii)?

Mr Speaker, we are seeking your leave to lay item numbered 8 (b) on page 4 of today's Order Paper.
Mr Avedzi 5:38 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 8 (b) is the commercial agreement. We have not taken the financial agreement but I can see item numbered 8 (c) which is also on the financial agreement. So, we can lay the Report if it is ready.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:38 a.m.
Very well. At the commencement of Public Business, items numbered 8 (b) (i), (ii) and (iii), by the Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports.
PAPERS 5:38 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:38 a.m.
Now, I would return to Statements, right?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:38 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with your kind indulgence, we are left with the last Paper to be laid and that is item numbered 8 (c) (i), by the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:38 a.m.
Only item numbered 8 (c) (i)? Very well. Chairman of the Committee?
By the Chairman of the Committee --
(i) Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Cal Bank Ghana Limited, (as facility Agent, Mandated Lead Arranger, Lender, and Security Agent) and other financial institutions (as Original
Lenders) for an amount of one hundred and seventy million United States dollars (US$170,000,000.00) to finance the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra 2023.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:38 a.m.
Hon Members, we are back to Statements time. The Hon Speaker has admitted a request by the Minister for Trade and Industry to make a Statement on the One District, One Factory Initiative (1D1F).
Hon Minister, you may make your Statement. Hon Members, can we resume our seats? Mr Speaker just said that he would not tolerate this anymore.
STATEMENTS 5:38 a.m.
Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen) 5:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me start first by thanking your esteemed self and Hon Members of this august House for the opportunity to deliver a Statement on the Government's flagship One District One Factory (1D1F) Initiative.
Mr Speaker, it is an undeniable fact that most countries that have achieved superlative growth over the years have done so on the back of industrialisation. It is therefore not by accident that the 10 largest economies in the world are also the most industrialised economies, namely, the United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, India, France, Italy, Canada and South Korea.
It is against this background that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government on assumption of office in 2017 launched a very comprehensive and ambitious programme for industrial transformation. One of the key components of the Ten Point Industrial Transformation Plan is the One District One Factory Initiative otherwise referred to as the 1D1F Programme.
Mr Speaker, the Programme seeks to address the challenge of severe poverty and underdevelopment among rural and peri-urban communities, through the establishment of manufacturing enterprises by private sector operators in the 260 administrative districts in the country.
The programme is designed to achieve the following strategic objectives:
To create massive employment opportunities particularly for the youth and thereby improve income levels and standard of living in rural and peri-urban communities;
To reduce rural-urban migration and help decongest our cities;
To add value to the natural resource endowment of each district and exploit its economic potential based on the comparative advantage of the district;
To decentralise industrial development and ensure even and spatial spread of industries and thereby stimulate economic activities in different parts of the country;
To enhance the production of local substitutes for imported goods and thereby conserve scarce foreign exchange; and
To promote exports and increase foreign exchange earnings of the country and thereby strengthen our local currency.

Mr Speaker, there have been some misconceptions about the 1D1F Programme, so I would like to use this opportunity to restate some of the core principles underpinning this programme.

The criteria for selecting the 1D1F companies is based on these strategic objectives.

Core Principles

Mr Speaker, the 1D1F Initiative is underpinned by some core principles including the following:

In the first place, the 1D1F companies are not State Enterprises but are privately owned companies which are actively supported by the Government. Government support to 1D1F companies include fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, technical assistance, and extension of infrastructural facilities, including electricity, water, and access roads.

Secondly, the 1D1F Companies could either be new companies or existing companies that meet the 1D1F criteria. This is to ensure that existing companies that require strategic support could also benefit from the initiative.

For the third, two or more Districts can collaborate to establish one

factory if they have a common resource endowment.

In addition, a District could have more than one enterprise or company if there are more promoters interested in a particular district, as a result of the different natural resource endowments of the district.

Furthermore, in selected cases, where Government has an interest in a 1D1F project to establish a commercial enterprise under the 1D1F initiative, the goal would be for Government to offload its interest over time to the private sector operators.

Lastly, each 1D1F company is supported by a District Imple- mentation Support Team, made up of representatives from the District Assembly, MOTI, Ghana Enterprises Agency, selected Regulatory Agencies and the Traditional Authorities in the specific district.

Applications to participate in the 1D1F programme are submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Industry with a Business Plan or Proposal attached.

Mr Speaker, the various types of assistance available to 1D1F companies include but are not limited to the following:

1. Tax Incentives - a waiver on duties and levies on imported plants, machinery and equipment, as well as raw materials.

2. Five-Year Corporate Tax Holiday.

3. Interest on Subsidies for loans granted to 1D1F Companies by Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).

4. Technical Assistance services provided free of charge to 1D1F Companies by experienced Consultants recruited by the Ministry.

5. Extension of Infrastructural Facilities to 1D1F Project Sites, including Electricity, Water and Access Roads where necessary.

Status of Implementation

Mr Speaker, since the beginning of the Programme to date, there are 278 1D1F projects which are at various stages of implementation.

Out of this number, 104 companies are currently in operation, 150 are under construction and 24 are at the mobilisation stage.

One hundred and sixty-five (165) out of the 278 companies are new projects representing 60 per cent whilst 113 companies are existing projects being supported thus representing 40 per cent.

The companies that are currently operational have created a total of 150,975 direct and indirect jobs, up from 139,331 in December 2020. It is expected that when the additional 150 1D1F projects currently under construction are completed, the cumulative number of direct and indirect jobs created will reach

282,792.

Mr Speaker, it is worth noting that the youth have not been left out of the 1D1F Programme. Out of the 278 1D1F companies, 58 are fully owned by youth groups who have been mobilised by Government and supported with seed funding to establish their own state-of-the-art agro processing factories in 58 districts, under what is referred to as the Enable Youth 1D1F Initiative supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Each of these youth groups have between 40 and 48 individuals as Shareholders in each company.
Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen) 5:48 p.m.


In addition, 5 medium scale state- of-the-art agro processing Common User Facilities have also been established and owned by groups of farmers in 5 districts with funding from African Development Bank (AfDB).

Mr Speaker, the sectoral breakdown of the 1D1F companies

are as follows; 40.6 per cent Agro processing companies, 43.9 per cent other Manufacturing companies, 7.9 per cent Meat Processing (Livestock, Poultry and Fish) and 7.6 per cent representing others.
Mr Speaker, the Regional Breakdown of the 1D1F companies are as follows 5:58 p.m.
Regional Breakdown of 1D1F Projects
No. REGION NO. OF DISTRICTS NO. OF 1D1F PROJECTS
1 ASHANTI 43 54
2 EASTERN 33 37
3 GREATER ACCRA 29 76
4 CENTRAL 22 19
5 VOLTA 18 13
6 NORTHERN 16 6
7 UPPER EAST 15 7
8 WESTERN 14 11
9 BONO 12 19
10 BONO EAST 11 10
11 UPPER WEST 11 6
12 WESTERN NORTH 9 5
13 OTI 8 3
14 SAVANNAH 7 4
15 AHAFO 6 5
16 NORTH EAST 6 3
TOTAL 260 278
Mr Speaker, since the inception of the 1D1F Initiative, Parliament has granted approval for exemptions from import duty for the importation of Machinery, Equipment and Industrial Raw Materials to 37 1D1F Projects made up of 14 existing projects being expanded or upgraded, and 23 new projects.
Mr Speaker, it is worth noting that granting of exemptions to 1D1F companies is not automatic. Companies applying for exemptions have to comply with specific criteria established by the Select Committee of Parliament on Finance, the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Mr Speaker, since the start of the Programme, Government has successfully mobilised loans for 1D1F companies from the Participating Financial Institutions totalling an
amount of GH¢2.69 billion. This amount has been leveraged through the disbursement by the Government of an amount of GH¢260.9 million to de-risk loans and support interest payment. As of 16th July, 2021, 148 companies have benefited from loans facilitated by Government.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, the 1D1F pro- gramme is arguably one of the most innovative and comprehensive programmes for industrial development ever to have been implemented in our economic development history.

The programme will no doubt significantly enhance the capacity of the private sector in Ghana to take advantage of not only the African
Mr Speaker 5:58 p.m.
Hon Members, the Leaders have advised me that there would be two contributions from either Side of the House and the leaders would do the third round each.
Yes, the Hon Ranking Member for the Committee on Finance?
Mr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson (NDC-Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam) 5:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to first thank the Minister for Trade and Industry for such an important Statement.
Mr Speaker, in the Minister's submission to us, first, he did mention that so far, Ghana under his stewardship has been able to have 278 projects being part of the One District, One Factory (1D1F) Programme. I agree that we have 260 districts. What the Minister failed to do instead of giving us the regional breakdown is to give us District breakdown. That would show clearly that there is a huge concentration of this 1D1F projects which are supposed to have spreaded to areas that people or businesses are struggling to invest in.
Mr Speaker, the policy is one district, one factory; one district, one factory in the sense that there are certain areas like that of my Constituency and a lot more constituencies where businesses are struggling to locate; so, government decided to come out with incentives to be able to attract investment to those areas.
Mr Speaker, you would notice that Greater Accra, per the Minister's
Statement, has 76 projects. We all know that Greater Accra does not struggle to attract businesses or industry because of the fact that it is the capital and as such it is so close to market. So, if we are to say that Greater Accra has 76 projects, what are the geographical locations of some of these projects? Are they spread across the districts within the Greater Accra or they are all in the Accra- Tema Metropolis and probably Tema area where most of these industries are?
Mr Speaker, it is important for us to understand that the intention of this policy is to spread development or industries into some of those rural parts of the economy.
Mr Speaker, secondly, as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, we observed that all of a sudden, some existing companies -- businesses that have existed since Adam -- have now found a way to benefit from this 1D1F policy. We found this very curious and so we started to investigate. We noticed that there are certain companies that had already imported certain machineries into the economy. But already we have the Bonded Warehouse regime which is a suspense regime. What most of these companies do is that they would have an existing machinery
that they would have to go and pay tax on but somebody would whisper to them that if they are to enrol into the 1D1F policy, there was a chance that they could get exemptions for these items.
Mr Speaker, we can sense some level of abuse in the use of the 1D1F policy. Maybe today or tomorrow, the Committee on Finance would present a report on this 1D1F policy where we have introduced some level of reforms. We believed that inasmuch as the policy is good, it deserves to be reformed so that we can very much save some taxpayers moneys.
Mr Speaker, I am concerned as a Ghanaian and as a Member of Parliament. I am concerned to the level that as we speak, what we need most in this country is tax revenue. I would not support any attempt to erode our tax base in the sense that if we continue to erode the tax base, we would be compelled as a country to impose additional taxes that would not benefit industry and the ordinary Ghanaian would be the one to pay. I do not think that we should go that way.
Mr Speaker, the policy is good but let me say that what countries do is that when they come out with policies of this nature, the benefit is not ex ante but rather ex post. So, I do not
Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:58 p.m.
Yes, Hon Chairman of the Committee on Finance?
Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng (NPP-Obuasi West) 6:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you. I join the Hon Ranking Member in thanking the Hon Minister for this important Statement.
I start by making the observation that no country develops without value addition. No country can develop without industrialisation but two, and perhaps, more importantly, the over concentration of industrial activity in a limited area within any country also leads to rural-urban drift which comes with overstretching of facilities in these urban centres and increase in urban poverty.
Mr Speaker, 1D1F is a policy that responds to these challenges and that not only are we industrialising, we are
also spreading the industrialisation across our districts. Therefore, we should all support this policy.
Again, we thank the Minister for the Commitment he has demonstrated in ensuring that this policy is implemented in a way that achieves the outcomes that we all desire for.
Mr Speaker, but we must do more than just support the Minister in the area of the 1D1F. I also believe that we should support the Minister in the area of other incentive regimes. There may be companies that are distressed and may need support but that support need not be 1D1F; it may be other incentive arrangement in the economy that we may need to deploy to support these. So, we should support the Minister in the implementation of the 1D1F and also support the Minister in the deployment of the other incentives regime in the economy.

What I would say in conclusion is that the responsibility and the challenge really is how to deal with those who would want to take advantage of the well-intended incentives that we have instituted as a country to erode the tax base.

Mr Speaker, that is the challenge but it is one that should not lead us to frustrate those who legitimately want to use this facility to spread industrialisation and create jobs for our people.

So, as we commend the Hon Minister, we also assure him that we would support him in ensuring that this policy is implemented in a way that delivers the outcomes we all desire for.

Mr Speaker, again, I thank you and the Hon Minister.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:08 p.m.
Hon Andrew Dari Chiwitey?
Mr Andrew Dari Chiwitey(NDC -- Sawla/Tuna/Kalba) 6:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Statement.
The 1D1F programme is very necessary in growing our economy because its intention is to create jobs for young men and women. Like the Hon (Dr) Ato Forson said, if we are to create jobs for the teeming youth, we should not concentrate on specific areas and leave the other under- developed districts.
Already, we complain that the youth move from the rural to urban centres but following the Statement,
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:08 p.m.
Hon Member, have you familiarised yourself with the concept of starting a company under this project?
Mr Chiwitey 6:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:08 p.m.
Hon Member, I encourage you to do so. It will be very helpful to you.
Mr Chiwitey 6:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, very well.
Mr Speaker, all I want to say is that we should consider expanding the project so that we would have many more districts covered and establish factories and young men and women working and thereby, bringing the development that we need.
Thank you once again for the opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:08 p.m.
Hon Member for Tema West?
Mr Kingsly Carlos Ahenkorah (NPP -- Tema West) 6:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to commend the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry for the wonderful facilitation and implementation of this programme which has helped Ghana in terms of development and economic growth.
Mr Speaker, I beg to quote him 6:08 p.m.
“1D1F is one of the most innovative and comprehensive programmes that has ever been established here in Ghana and we all of course, bear witnesses to the improvement that it has brought to our industrial landscape. Indeed, industry has always been the main source of
economic growth as has been manifested in most developed countries and therefore, Ghana stands to gain if we actually harness the potentials that this project beckons”.
However, I would like to align my argument with the saying that goes this way; ‘that we do not sell a goat and hold its tail hoping to have the goat and the money at the same time'. My Hon Colleagues on the Finance Committee in their argument actually displayed that it was always a problem for us to erode our tax base if we allowed some of these incentives.
Mr Speaker, however, this House in its wisdom, approved benefits and incentives for the 1D1F companies which I think we should have gone further in enacting an Act to support the implementation of these exemptions. It is not appropriate that we allow Parliament to be an agency that implements the exemptions enshrined under the 1D1F.
I say this because it is alright for Parliament to come up with an omnibus exemption for one term contracts meant for the construction of roads, hospitals and so on. These are growing concerns for the establishment of factories that would be with us for a very long time and anytime shipments arrive that require exemptions, they would have to come
Mr Speaker, I beg to quote him 6:18 p.m.
to Parliament for these exemptions to be approved.
Mr Speaker, it might interest you to note that on looking at the Order Paper today, all the companies that need 1D1F exemptions applied in the year 2019. How do we expect a company that is supposed to improve our own economy to wait for two years after their application for exemptions before getting it done?
Assuming they have containers at the ports and today, at the ports, a 40 footer container attracts US$100 of demurrage per day. Upon calculating this, how would this company benefit from these exemptions given them? This is because after approving their exemptions, the amount of money in terms of demurrage paid at the ports, would make it useless.

So, I am of the opinion that if we want this innovative and most comprehensive programme to work, we need to get an agency to implement this exemption outside Parliament; we enact the law and let it work.

Mr Speaker, I would give an example from the Ghana Free Zones

Act of 1995 (Act 504) and I would refer specifically to Section 22:

“The imports of a free zone developer, sub-contractor or enterprise into a free zone single-factory zone shall be exempt from direct and indirect taxes and duties”.

Mr Speaker, with just this statement, no company in the free zones enclave would enter Parliament to seek for exemption, and the Board is able to implement this exemption to the satisfaction of the Hon Minister for Finance and the country.

Again, I would refer to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act of 2013 (Act 865) specifically items 26(1) to (3). Mr Speaker, Section 26 (1) states:

“An enterprise registered by the Centre is entitled to the benefits and incentives that are applicable to an enterprise of a similar nature under the Internal Revenue Act, 200, Value Added Tax, 1998, (Act 546) and under Chapters 82, 84, 85 and 98 of the Customs Harmonised Commodity and Tariff Code Schedule to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Act,

1993 (PNDC Law 330) and other relevant laws;

(2) An enterprise whose plant, machinery, equipment or parts of the plant, machinery or equipment are not zero-rated under the Customs Harmonised Commodity and Tariff Code Schedule to the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Act, 1993 (PNDCL 330) may submit an application for exemption from import duties and related charges on the plant, machinery or equipment on the parts of the plant, machinery or equipment to the Centre for onward submission to the Minister responsible for Finance; and

(3) The Centre shall before submitting a request for exemption to the Minister responsible for Finance determines whether the request will facilitate changes in technology and promote the specialised use of machinery, equipment or other items necessary for the establishment and operation of the enterprise”.

Mr Speaker, I am saying all this because I think that in allowing the GIPC and Ghana Free Zones to be

an embodiment to implement these exemptions, it would actually help the Free Zones and the GIPC programmes. Mr Speaker, we Sit as a Parliament and act as an agency but when we go on recess, the application would have to wait for us to resume before we can attend to it. This makes the programme retrogress, so I would suggest for the approval of the House that we should pass an Act for an agency to be responsible for the exemptions of the 1D1F for all of us to benefit.

Mr Speaker, thank you.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC -- Asawase) 6:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a very important Statement ably made by the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry. I perfectly agree with almost all the earlier contributors that this is a very important programme and no country can really make a headway without some of these programmes.
Therefore, supporting such a programme is a very laudable thing except to say that we must not do so with blank cheques.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:18 p.m.
Hon Majority Chief Whip?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was enjoying the contribution by my Hon Colleague until he veered into controversial areas. Mr Speaker, Standing Order 72 is clear that we do not have to generate debate but I heard my Hon Colleague make the point that when the exemptions are granted, they do not follow up to check. That is incorrect. I have served on the Ghana Free Zones Board --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:18 p.m.
You have said that that is incorrect and that is all. You do not have to make a statement after that. You point out that --
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, so he should be guided accordingly.
Alhaji Muntaka 6:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank my Hon Colleague. I am being mindful of the fact that it is not supposed to generate debate. I agree with the Hon Minister on some of the issues he mentioned, but I am pointing out some of the challenges with what he mentioned.
Mr Speaker, my suggestion is that what the Finance Committee of Parliament is trying to do is the right thing. As a House, let us agree that if anyone wants a waiver, there should be a checklist. If they meet all our criteria, we grant the waiver. This becomes easy for all of us instead of where one comes and we look out for certain documents but when another one comes, sometimes, we are busy and do not ask for same information but grant waivers for them. In my view, what they are trying to do is the best. We must hold on until that is done. We all agree that henceforth, this would be our criteria.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:28 p.m.
Yes, there are some at Bekwai.
Alhaji Muntaka 6:28 p.m.
That would give us a clear view. I hope next time when the opportunity comes for an update, he should try and give us more details.
Mr Speaker, I thank you once more for the opportunity to contribute to this Statement.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:28 p.m.
And thank you for confirming that there is one at Bekwai.
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 6:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the space granted me to also make a few comments on the Statement that has been ably made by the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry.
Mr Speaker, let me begin by joining ranks with my Hon Colleagues to congratulate the Hon Minister for this proactive Statement in respect of the intendment of the 1D1F programme. The Hon Minister tells us in clear language the underlying principles of the 1D1F endeavour. At the heart of it is the bold attempt to industrialise the economy. This, as the Hon Minister has indicated to us, is a sine qua non in respect of the economic growth of the country. This country has natural resources, especially our forest cover, our mineral resources, agricultural produce et cetera.
Mr Speaker, only two weeks ago, we were bemoaning the fact that at the turn of the 20th Century, the forest cover of this country was about 8.5 million hectares. Now into the 21st Century and especially now, the forest cover in this country has

dwindled from 8.5 million hectares to 500,000 and 600,000 hectares as we speak today. No thanks to the export of round logs those days.

And even when we introduced some kind of value addition by introducing saw milling, what happened was the fact that the equipment that the millers brought were very inefficient. So if they harvested one log, they could only utilise 30 per cent of the log. The rest of the 70 per cent was waste. The only factory that was able to process more was Mim Timber Company Limited, a branch of it which was utilising about 35 per cent. All the others in the country were doing between 27 per cent and 28 per cent.

Mr Speaker, first, while acknowledging this bold effort by the Hon Minister, we should ensure that the equipment that is brought in would be very efficient.

Mr Speaker, we know what is happening in the mining industry. Obuasi gold was reputed to be the one with the highest quality. Per ounce, it was the best in the world as compared to the mining deposit in South Africa. South Africa was able to develop on the back of their gold reserves. Ghana mined and exported a greater proportion of the gold

reserve at Obuasi, yet we have absolutely nothing to count for.

Mr Speaker, so this bold attempt by the Ministry should be very much commended. Talk of bauxite, manganese, and agricultural produce, we still export so much of raw cocoa beans, and when we are able to even convert them into industrial products, we lose out. We lose out in the sense that Ghana's cocoa is premium. But when we add some value to it, it does not translate into the produce, and so we flatten out and sell out chocolate about the same price as the chocolate that comes from Switzerland or from the United States of America even where theirs have additives. We produce natural cocoa and we are unable to make much gain from that.

Mr Speaker, so I am saying that this bold effort from the Ministry should be commended by all not list the number of employments that it is going to generate. The Hon Minister has been bold to suggest some numbers to us in the region of 282,792 people which they are targeting to be employed directly. This is something that as a nation, we should be commending and I believe that when we have the other linkages, we would perhaps be talking about half a million people that would be

associated with the employment potentials to be derived from the factories that the Minister, the Ministry and the Government is promoting.

Mr Speaker, I heard my Hon Colleague relate to the Free Zones Act. I think underpinning this is article 174 of the Constitution, which grants Parliament the authority to - it provides as follows:

“No taxation shall be imposed otherwise by or under the authority of an Act of Parliament.

Where an Act, enacted in accordance with clause (1) of this article, confers power on any person or authority to waive or vary a tax imposed by that Act, the exercise of the power of waiver or variation, in favour of any person or authority, shall be subject to the prior approval of Parliament by resolution.”

Mr Speaker, so the Act that he referred to was carried by Parliament and the bedrock was article 174. Indeed, article 174(3) further provides:

“Parliament may by resolution, supported by the votes of n o t less than two-thirds of all

members of Parliament, exempt the exercise of any power from the provisions of clause (2) of this article.”

Mr Speaker, that is what my Hon Colleague from Tema West is speaking to. Are we going to follow that rule because of the avalanche of requests from the Ministry of Finance? Are we going to tread that root? If we have to do that, then I would want to agree with Hon Muntaka that in that regard, perhaps we have to design a checklist for them to satisfy and if they approve it, they would have to report to Parliament that this is what they have done.

However, Mr Speaker, the other matter that he related to has it that some of these equipment have been brought into this country since 2019, I disagree with him. This is because the Ministry is setting their own criteria. One has to submit himself to it before they allow the equipment to be brought. If the equipment are brought in anticipation of the Ministry agreeing for tax waiver to be given, that is totally wrong. One cannot anticipate by bringing the equipment and applying to the Ministry, keeping them in the boarding warehouse and applying to the Ministry -- it takes maybe a year or two to have the approval and one would be counting
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 6:38 p.m.


the cost. That is not acceptable. One does so at his own peril.

Mr Speaker, I think that because of what we are doing - in fact, I was even telling the Hon Minister to wait after he has made this Statement because we are going to have to deal with a series of them listed in the Order Paper only for the Chairman of the Finance Committee to inform me that they have not yet finished with those ones listed so the Motions cannot be carried today.

So it would mean that he would have to go back and perhaps, in the fullness of time come back to us. But that regularity between the Ministry and Parliament, is it something that is feasible? If it is not and we would have to work around it, then we must develop a template for them to follow so that they would respond to it and the Minister can then be granted authority to do that and then report to Parliament. I think that would make it tidier. But I understand that the Finance Committee is dealing with some other matters. Maybe when they come to that, you would appreciate -- I have not seen it but when they come with it, then we would all consider it to see whether the reforms that they intend to bring would be tenable.

The Ranking Member of the Finance Committee is making a proposal that if we want to reap the benefits, perhaps, the variation with tax should be exposed and not XIT. That makes some sense but its foundation is based on a policy. What is best? Do we encourage them at the very outset or we wait for them to go through the turbulence and afterwards we just ensure that they have done what is required of them to grant them the waiver? Which one is the better option? We have to look at that. I would not rule that out outright. But we have to have some study on that to see which is a better way for us.

For now, what the regime has elected is for us to deal with it before the commencement of the project.

Mr Speaker, I also would want to agree with the suggestion that came from one of our Colleagues that this is supposed to curb the rural-urban migration and even within the regions to ensure that we do not have an overly congregation of industries in a particular location. Of course, the location of industries is guided by a principle and every student of economics would know that we want to make much more benefits after investing. Should the Ministry provide some lead or should Government provide some lead in the establishment of the industries? After
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:38 p.m.
Very well. Does the Hon Minister wish to conclude or make some comments?
Mr Kyerematen 6:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me express my appreciation to Hon Members for their very insightful contributions in respect of the Statement that I made.
Mr Speaker, I think it is important that I throw light on a few of the issues arising from the contributions from Hon Members.
First to confirm that the breakdown by districts on the spread of the 1D1F companies is available and I did not think it was appropriate in a Statement like this to go beyond the regional breakdown but since this is a House of records, I would submit the district breakdown.
Further to this, I would also point out the fact that Hon Ato Forson in identifying and speaking to the matter only raised or used the example of Greater Accra. But if he had gone beyond that and used the example of other regions that now have the opportunity to have industries established in their districts, it would have given a different flavour but since this is a House of records, to leave the impression that we were only talking about Greater Accra would be unfortunate. This is because we can see that efforts have been made to establish industries in other regions. Information is available and I think we can interrogate that further. But also to make the point that one of the principles underpinning the 1D1F programme is that it is private sector- led.

This means that it is demand- driven. So, one has to be very careful that we do not limit the interest of private sector operators to determine where they site their factories. Be it
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:48 p.m.
Thank you, Hon Minister. I have just a few observations.
I am glad to observe that perhaps, the first time in many months, we appear to have a cross-party acceptance of this policy, and same have been expressed on the floor of the House. For the records, I think it is important that once we accept that
this is as an important policy, we will agree to work to ensure that each district benefits from that. To that extent, I would suggest that Hon Members should take keen interest in seeking and persuading people with some money to invest in some districts.
I took a personal interest in recruiting somebody to invest in oil mills at the end of my constituency. It is now ready and they have started recruiting people. That is an advantage that comes to my constituency. I am sure that if we take keen interest, we can get people interested in areas which we may have overlooked and the advantage will come to us.
On that note, Hon Minister, we thank you very much for the Statement. I have enlightened the House and we have generated keen interest in the 1D1F programme.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your leave, can we take item numbered 19 on page 15 of today's Order Paper?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 6:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, at the Rt Hon Speaker's Lobby, we were told that there is another Statement on the birthday of the late President Evans Atta-Mills. Once we were on Statements, I thought we were going to take it before we move to Public Business.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:48 p.m.
Hon Member, it was taken away, but it has been brought back to me.
Hon Members, it is a very short Statement from Hon Samuel Atta- Mills to the late President, His Excellency, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills.
Yes, Hon Member, you may read your Statement.
BIRTHDAY MESSAGE TO THE 6:48 p.m.
LATE PRESIDENT, HIS 6:48 p.m.
EXCELLENCY, PROFESSOR 6:48 p.m.
JOHN EVANS ATTA - MILLS 6:48 p.m.
Mr Samuel Atta-Mills (NDC -- Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/ Abirem) 6:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to say happy birthday to my late brother, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills.
Be gone unbelief
My saviour is near
And for my relief, will surely appear
By prayer let me wrestle
And he will perform
With Christ in the vessel
Mr Samuel Atta-Mills (NDC -- Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/ Abirem) 6:48 p.m.
I smile at the storm.
Happy birthday in Heaven!
By John Newtown.
Since you left for your last cabinet meeting with our maker, other people have come to join you, including two of our sisters and some friends and foes (adversaries). I trust you people are getting along very well.
Most of your protégés are doing very well and some have exceeded expectations and have made names for themselves. You would be proud of their performances. But that boy we spoke about is still at his game and is getting worse. He has not changed in 9 years since you left us and he is almost at the edge of the cliff. The girl is about the same and one cannot tell what her next move is going to be: anyway, the least we say about her, the better for us all.
The guy who took your money never paid it to me as he promised you. He came back with all kinds of excuses as before and this time wanted more. He is not doing well now. I am sure he will try to attend your cabinet meeting and convince you to make him your accountant.
I still remember your admonition about the sharks in politics and how to keep an eye on them. They are still circling and now have young ones with them under training. I have learned not to swim with them but to allow them to devour each other. They know I am aware of their capabilities and that keeps me on my toes.
A library was started in your name but got abandoned along the way. No one knows who to complete it and it is rusting away. Komenda Sugar Factory has suffered the same fate and I still remember the hopes and aspirations you had for that community. I know you will get it done when you come back to office again.

Phobia - Never say die

Phobia - Until the bones are rotten

It reminds me of your story about Peter Lamptey, who joined Hearts of Oak from Great Olympics and scored his former team.

“Yesterday is but a dream, and

Tomorrow is only a vision

But today well lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness,

And every tomorrow, a vision of hope” - Kalidasa

Such is the solution to the dawn.

Now to paraphrase Prof E.K Wallace of Asempa & Adom Sports,

“The art of being a good guest is to know when to say good bye”

Now the day is over,

Night is drawing nigh,

Shadows of the evening,

Steal across the sky.

- Sabine Baring - Gould (1865) Happy Birthday Brother!
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:58 p.m.
Hon Leaders, I intend to allow two contributions and then Leadership. Would you guide me?
Mr A. Ibrahim 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I can see your challenge, but this is the first of its kind and it is a commemorative Statement. Could
you join us with a kind gesture to eulogise the former President of the Republic by allowing four very short contributions, so that we do not talk for long? It would be most appreciated. I know my Hon Brother on the other Side would also agree.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is difficult to disagree with my Hon Colleague, so I would accede to his request and pray you to grant same.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:58 p.m.
Do you mean that I should allow eight contributions before we come to your Motion?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think that eight would be on the high side. We are in your hands.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:58 p.m.
That was his suggestion, four from each Side.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 6:58 p.m.
I am not sure that we would have four from our Side. [Laughter] Mr Speaker, we would leave this in your hands. Maybe, we should do four which should be alright.
Mr A. Ibrahim 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I took cognisance of the fact that for the earlier Statement, we took six
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:58 p.m.
Very well, I would admit four contributions in all. They can come from one Side and as long as there are people on their feet, I would recognise them. I can count seven already, so I am starting from this Side. Nominate the other three for me.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah (NPP -- Okaikwei Central) 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for this solemn Statement by my Hon Colleague from the Komenda/Edina/ Eguafo/Abirem Constituency
(KEEA).
Mr Speaker, we lost a very noble Law Lecturer who became the President of this country. We all recalled his contributions to the country and the calm nature with which he took criticisms when he was President. I think that was one of the most prominent attributes of former President Mills. He was a gentleman, accommodating and very tolerant in nature.
I believe that this country lost a sitting President under the Fourth
Republic and it was a very sad day, July 24. It was a day that I do not think that I would forget because we got the information around noon that we had lost a President that we were all looking up to, to deliver on his vision and party's Manifesto. However, he could not see the end of his tenure.
Mr Speaker, Prof Mills, as most law students would tell you, was a very good Commercial Law Lecturer. I was not fortunate to have sat in his class. The good people of KEEA, my good friend, Hon Mills would attest to the fact that we have always had conversations about this great Professor. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) fraternity, I believe would have loved to see Prof achieve most of his vision, but he was succeeded by former President Mahama.
I believe that God knows best and may his soul rest in peace. I wish him a happy birthday, wherever he is. God bless him.
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (NDC -- Ellembele) 6:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you. I also thank the Hon Member who made the Statement.
Mr Speaker, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, as we all know can be remembered as one President who consolidated our democracy. I clearly remember that when he took over power, the NDC had been in opposition for eight years but he insisted that Government was a continuum and that the structures of Government must work. He insisted, even though it was not a popular decision, that the old system must stay. District Chief Executives must be in office and proper handing over be done. He had such good intentions in that direction.
Mr Speaker, President Mills appointed me as a young Deputy Minister for Energy. We would remember that of all the things he did in energy sector, Prof Mills was very passionate about the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). It was one area he was focused on reviving. I remember at the time that he tasked the then Hon Minister for Finance to work closely with the then Hon Minister for Energy to ensure that TOR's debt was paid.
In fact, he paid GH¢445 million of that debt. He was so focused on reviving TOR until his demise. Prof Mills would be remembered as the President -- We had already discovered oil but the process of actually developing and producing the oil had not started. He shepherded the
oil industry and made a very fundamental statement at the time. He said that Ghana must be different from the other African countries in terms of oil.
He asked what we should do. I remember that he laid out a roadmap for us to take and that resulted in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act. That is the law that was passed to guide the oil industry till today, to ensure that oil moneys once received, would be used transparently and the people of Ghana would be in control of it. Today, when we hear Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) Report and all the reports in the Petroleum Management Act, it is because of Prof Mills.
Mr Speaker, we remember Prof Mills because he brought Ghana to the gas era. He made sure that a gas taskforce was set. He said we would stop the flaring of gas and indeed, he took that step, stopped the flaring of gas, borrowed US$1 billion and the result was the Ghana Gas Plant that we have.
I remember as an Hon Deputy Minister, my first close encounter with Prof Mills was when he tried to reach my Hon Minister one day and he could not. He invited me to the Castle where he had about eight investors. He told me he could not reach my Hon Minister but then the investors
Mr First Deputy Speaker 6:58 p.m.
I thought that we were giving them three. [Laughter] Very well. Yes?
Mr Samuel Atta Akyea (NPP - Abuakwa South) 7:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, one very important connection I had with Professor John Evans Atta-Mills was the fact that by the largesse of God, we were both twins. What amazed me the most was when he lectured
me in company law. He was a decent man who was always in political suit and drove a Toyota vehicle consistently to lectures. The amazement for me as a student, was how he could lecture company law extemporal - virtually not looking at his notes. His whole system was submerged in company law to the point that he could just rattle it and that was a huge amazement for me.
Another surprise that I have of him was how he could come into the turbulence and witchcraft of politics because the transition, for me, was serious. A man who was a professor of law, academic in orientation where it was about logic and reasoning and then he came into politics, razzmatazz, harassment, disturbances, backbiting, backstabbing and all manner of intrigues associated with this career [Laughter]--
Nevertheless, I know because he was a sportsman, he was versatile and was able to find his space and I was surprised that even sometimes, the kind of attacks he endured and the shock absorbers - attacks of which some came from the one who even baptised him into the business of politics, amazed me so much.
Mr Speaker, one thing that we fail to talk about when we remember him was how he overhauled the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He made it a
cash cow because he was very strong in terms of tax and the standing commercial law and his orientation as a professor of law affected the IRS so much. If we want to talk about one man who contributed to the GDP of this country, it was Professor Mills and his expertise in that area where money came to the national kitty. We lost a great man. He could not complete his assignment and I do not know how he would have left Ghana, if he had had his full time. However, we leave most of these intricacies of life and mysteries to God who said he wanted to crown him with the highest office of the land. An office of aura, respectability and decency.
In the final analysis, I would say that he was exalted and blessed. It is not easy to be a president of a country. One man singled out of about 29 million people must be special in a sense and must have some aura for him to be elected as a president. We will remember him for good and I do not know from the Akan tradition whether we could wish somebody who has moved on to the high heavens a happy birthday? However, as we have been invited, I am an Akan man and that is one of the things that is a surprise but be that as it may, I wish the great professor a happy birthday.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC -- North Tongu) 7:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am most grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this very unique Statement made on the occasion of the birthday of our former President, His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta-Mills.
Mr Speaker, the unique format of this Statement would go down in the annals as very historic and I could only pray that one day, the venerable brother of Professor Mills, would decode the names that he has left coded in his very interesting and refreshing eulogy.
Mr Speaker, Professor Mills would have turned 77 years today, were he to be alive. A consummate academic became a doctor of taxation and corporate law at the young age of 27 years. He dedicated his life and taught the young people of our country for well over 25 years at the Faculty of Law and at the University of Ghana Business School and his products really lived up to expectation as the Hon Members who spoke earlier said. The Hon Member for Ho Central, Mr Benjamin Kpodo, is nudging me to place it on record that he was one of the distinguished
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC -- North Tongu) 7:18 p.m.
students of Professor John Evans Atta-Mills.
Mr Speaker, Professor Mills was really a unifier. He was decorous and never attacked any political opponent verbally. He was always a calming effect. He went after that notion that politics should be aggressive and acrimonious and a contact sports and sometimes, it should not take prisoners and all of that. He did not believe in those traditional notions. Many people thought that he would not do well in politics because of his own unique politics but he defied all of that and showed that one could engage in very decent and decorous politics and still make it all the way to the top and that we are one people.
It is no wonder he was accorded the accolade asomdwe hene to wit “the king of peace'' by the masses of our country. When he became president, we knew in the education sector that the vision was very evident. He was the one who mooted the idea of a public university in every region of our country and before he passed on, he made sure that the Brong Ahafo Region at that time, which did not have public university had the University of Energy and Natural Resources. He also cut the sod and secured funding for the
University of Health and Allied Sciences for the Volta Region which was another region without a public university.
It is to his credit that successive presidents have continued -- Presidents Mahama and Akufo-Addo continued and now the Eastern Region which did not also have a public university at the time continued with this policy and now has the University of Environment and Sustainable Development. It speaks to how visions could really transcend one's tenure in office and that if the vision is great, bold and in the national interest, successive leaders from various political parties would pursue it.
In the era of his economic track record, it still remains some feet to be equalled. He has the highest GDP growth rate in the history of this country which was 14 per cent. This has never happened and we all still work to attain that. With regard to cocoa production, he still has the highest record in our history of over a million metric tonnes in one fiscal year. He passed on nine years ago and yet, he has all of these achievements which we still work towards to attain. This indicates that he was a great leader and a visionary who deeply cared about his country. His incorruptibility and selflessness is one that we must all be proud of as a people.
There are few African countries who have their leaders who would pass on and they would not discover secret bank accounts in foreign countries or all kinds of mansions all over the world but not Professor Mills; he was selfless to the core.

He was one who would not allow the Presidency to change him; he remained the same. He cut down the size of his convoy and was very modest in his outlook.

Finally, Mr Speaker, I would be reminisced if I do not speak to his love for the youth. Because he taught for many years, he had confidence in young people. I recall that when he was appointing me at the very tender age of 28, it caused quite an uproar but he always encouraged me. He would call me and say that he sees something in me and that I should prove myself; I should just keep going because we all had opportunities as young people and that I should just do not disappoint him and the people I represented. Those words of encouragement kept us going.

Mr Speaker, since he did that, we are now seeing many young people in high offices; succeeding Presidents are reposing confidence in the youth

and I think that it behoves us as young people to continue to look up to people like Professor Mills, learn from their selflessness, commitment to duty and their incorruptibility and do not disappoint the elderly generation who have confidence in young people.

We wish him a happy birthday and we pray that his legacy would live on; there are many outstanding businesses like the Library which was talked about. We need to settle that matter on all our Presidents. Now, we have President Rawlings who has also passed; there is former President Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo would soon come to the end of his tenure at the end of 6th January, 2025.

We must decide on what to do; in other jurisdictions, they have monuments. Presidential edifices; libraries where one could go and read and really learn from these leaders. We need to do that and this should not just be annual verbal speeches or statements in Parliament. We should invest in the library at Cape Coast and other facilities to promote good governance. We should commit ourselves to doing that so that truly we shall be celebrating the memories of all our fallen heroes and our national icons, for that matter.

I thank you very much.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 7:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we would yield to the former Majority Leader of the Parliament during the late Professor Mills.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:18 p.m.
Yes, Hon former Majority Leader?
Mr Cletus Apul Avoka (NDC --Zebilla) 7:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to contribute to this touching Statement by the MP for Komenda, Edina Eguafo Abirem
(KEEA).
Mr Speaker, if Prof. Atta-Mills were still alive, he would have been 77 years old, maybe like President Nana Addo -- [Laughter] -- Therefore, he would have still been very useful to Ghana.
At the time of his death he was 68 years old and that was a very matured time for him to continue to serve mother Ghana but once we loved him, I think God also loves him. In our Kusasi tradition, they say that, God loves good people just as we on earth also like good people. I think that is why he was plucked from us.
Mr Speaker, I had encountered the Late President Mills in three different capacities. First, when I entered the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana in 1973, he was my lecturer. He taught me Commercial Law and later Company Law when we were doing the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and like the Hon Atta Akyea observed, he was an efficient and very resourceful lecturer. He was humble and non-discriminatory.
Mr Speaker, besides that, he was also a very attractive sportsman. He was a member of the Hockey Club of Ghana and a leader of the National Hockey Team. That is how he became very popular.
Mr Speaker, at the University of Ghana, too, besides teaching me, he was also the President of the Amalgamated Clubs of the University of Ghana -- where all the sporting disciplines, football, table tennis, hockey, badminton etc. came together and formed an amalgamated clubs of the University. It was not surprising that he was elected unopposed as President of that club. I worked closely with him there too because I was the captain of sports in Legon Hall and therefore I worked under him as a sportsman besides the fact that he lectured in the law faculty.
In sports, I partook in athletics and cross-country in the University of Ghana and Legon Hall. If anyone wants to know, under my leadership, we won athletics and cross-country for three to four years.
Mr Speaker, after we left the University, he was plucked from academia and became the Vice President in 1997 to the Late President Jerry John Rawlings. Together, he supported Rawlings, and I was made Minister for Lands and Forestry.
The most important thing about him is the fact that, at Cabinet Meetings, he chaired the Meetings while President Jerry John Rawlings merely observed and came in when it was important for him to do so.
Mr Speaker, this was a disciplinarian; if he said Cabinet meeting was at ten o'clock, he would be there at ten o'clock. Of all the years that I met him in Cabinet, he offered the opening prayer for us to start Cabinet Proceedings. That was how religious and pious he was. He gave everybody in Cabinet the chance to express himself and to be able to direct the affairs of his Ministry. So, he was liked by all of us who were in
Cabinet during the second term of President J.J. Rawlings.
Then, he contested elections in 2000 as President and could not make it and again in 2004 and could not make it. Out of resilience, he went the third time and in 2008, he won and won well. I served under him again as a Minister for the Interior in 2009. Then after one year, he plucked me to come to Parliament and lead Government Business here in 2010.
Mr Speaker, I came as a Majority Leader, Leader of Government Business and Leader of the House.
Mr Speaker, one significant thing I observed about him was that he was very accessible. I needed to call him to seek permission to go and see him and he did not refuse my request but rather scheduled times appropriate to see him. He was very accessible and had a listening ear. He needed one to convince him and then he would listen to their story and accept same.
We have very few presidents who would easily give a listening ear to their leader or to their Minister. So, he was approachable and I can describe him as a man of the people. But one unfortunate thing is that on the 24th of July, 2012, around 11.00 a.m. in the morning when Parliament
Mr Cletus Apul Avoka (NDC --Zebilla) 7:28 p.m.
had started proceedings in the Chamber, I was the Majority Leader, the Speaker, as usual had read a message from the Office of the President and Madam Bamford Addo read the message that the President was going to Nigeria for a one day working visit and that by the close of the day he would come back.
So, we all knew that President Atta-Mills had left for Nigeria for a one day working visit. On or about 2.00 p.m. I was on my feet when my Deputy Chief Whip, the Hon Kuntu Blankson who was also the MP for the Late President Atta Mills' Constituency - Mfantseman - came and whispered to my ear that “man is gone”; I queried him on what he was talking about; had he actually left for Nigeria? He said, “no, man is dead. So, I asked whether he died in Nigeria or what he meant by he is dead - the man left that morning at 10.00 a.m. for a one day working visit; how could you say that he was dead? He said it was true.
So, I gathered courage and finished my submission, went out and called the Office of the President and I was told this sad news that he collapsed and was sent to 37 Military Hospital and he could not make it.

It was a very short period to die.

So, this was someone nobody could forget about. If given the opportunity to talk about him, it would take an entire day to do so but for now, time is not on our side.

Mr Speaker, suffice it to say that as I indicated, late President Mills was a resourceful lecturer, disciplined sportsman and became the Vice- President and later the President of this country, I believe he has served and paid his dues for this country. The only way we can remember him is to always have him in our hearts and prayers.

I would like to conclude by saying that the late President Mills was a developer as we all know, a patriot, nationalist, humble and non- discriminatory. He demonstrated this by allowing the opposition District Chief Executive (DCE) to be in office for six to seven months without removing them from office. He was also a team player and very honest.

Mr Speaker, I would just cite an example. I remember that it was during one of the State of the Nation Addresses that he delivered, and said that oil exploration started with former President Rawlings, and former

President Kufuor discovered it in the country and he, President Mills produced oil. So, he had given credit to two of his predecessors but some other President would have claimed all the good things about oil production to themselves but he gave praise where it was due and that is a mark of a good leader.

So, now that he would have been 77 years if he were alive, I wish he were still alive and in that case, he would have been useful to the country as a consultant, resource person, advisor and stabiliser and a peacemaker. I would like all here who are leaders today to emulate his example and continue to be approachable, accessible, humble in our leadership and build bridges and not preach the principle of winner- takes-all. I believe these were the principles on which he stabilised the country until his demise.

Mr Speaker, may his soul rest in peace.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:28 p.m.
Yes, Majority Leadership?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 7:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may we now take item numbered 19 --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:28 p.m.
Hon Member, I thought you wanted to
contribute to the debate on the tribute to the former President?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 7:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not contributing.
Mr First Deputy-Speaker 7:28 p.m.
Very well.
That brings us to the end of Statements for today. We will return to Public Business and the Hon Second Deputy Speaker will take the Chair.
MOTIONS 7:28 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Kwaku Kwarteng) 7:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Cal Bank Ghana Limited, (as facility Agent, Mandated Lead Arranger, Lender, and Security
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:28 p.m.
Item numbered 20.
Loan Agreement between the GoG/CAL/Bank Gh. Ltd./Other Financial Institutions to finance Infrastructure and Residencial facilities towards the Hosting
and Organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023
Chairman of Committee (Mr Kwaku Kwarteng) 7:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Cal Bank Ghana Limited, (as facility Agent, Mandated Lead Arranger, Lender, and Security Agent) and other financial institutions (as Original Lenders) for an amount of one
hundred and seventy million United States dollars (US$170,000,000.00) to finance the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023.
Mr Speaker, I beg to present the Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
The Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Cal Bank Ghana Limited (as Facility Agent, Mandated Lead Arranger, Lender and Security Agent) and other financial institutions (as Original Lenders) for an amount of one hundred and seventy million United States dollars (US$170, 000,000.00) to finance the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023 was presented to the House on Thursday 15th July, 2021, by the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance, Mrs Abena Osei-Asare on behalf of the Minister responsible for Finance.
Pursuant to article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and Orders 169 and 171 of the Standing Orders of the House, the Agreement was referred to the
Committee on Finance for consideration and report.
The Committee met and discussed the Agreement with the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Mustapha Ussif, an Hon Deputy Minister for Finance, Mr John Ampontuah Kumah and a team of officials from the Ministries of Finance and Youth and Sports.
The Committee hereby submits this report to the House pursuant to Order 161 of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Committee is grateful to the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and the officials for attending upon the Committee.
2.0 References
The Committee referred to and was guided by the following documents inter alia during its deliberations on the Agreement:
The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana;
The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana; and
The Public Financial Manage- ment Act of 2016 (Act 921).
3.0 Background
Infrastructural development is of paramount concern to His Excellency the President, and generally the good people of Ghana, because of its role in promoting cross-sectorial progress and growth of the economy. Consequently, the provision of sports infrastructure will not only promote the development of sports and provide basis for Ghana's strategic position for hosting local and international competitions and tournaments but would also provide the grounds and facilities for other recreational, cultural, formal and informal activities, congresses and others that are of substantial value to the public and the Ghanaian state.
The quantity, quality and general characteristics and/or nature of the infrastructure provided depends among others on the purpose of the infrastructure, the direction of the State, the legitimate expectation of citizens and more importantly, the availability of funds.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports requires Olympic standard facilities that will place the country in a more capacitated stage for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023 and by public financial expenditure expectations, the
Chairman of Committee (Mr Kwaku Kwarteng) 7:38 p.m.
purpose. However, in this case, since the loan is being taken from a local bank or a group or consortium, Government of Ghana will end up saving the 5 to 6 per cent of the US$170million. For me that amount is quite big and it is important that we stress on it.
Mr Speaker, what I find very curious is that since the loan is going to be sourced from the local banks, it is indeed important that some of the Ghanaian companies are given extra preferences and opportunities to invest in order to undertake some of these functions.
We know that companies like Mawums and CONSAR Limited are involved to the tune of about US$54million. The remaining US$140 million is being funded by a foreign company and I submit that going forward, the Ministry should endeavour in engaging Ghanaian companies.

This is because I believe that with the work that the foreign company is doing, there are local Ghanaian companies that can do it. This company is actually incorporated in the United Kingdom and they are here as a branch so they would not pay

corporate income tax at the same magnitude a local company would have paid because of the tax treaty arrangement. This is why it is important to raise this concern.

Mr Speaker, again, you would notice that as part of the export credit arrangement, most companies that the Government of Ghana signs unto and bring as part of the export credit agency arrangement and EXIM Bank, ends up importing 60 to 70 per cent of almost all the goods and services that were supposed to be used for the purposes of this construction. This loan would mean that Ghana would not be obliged to import 60 to 70 per cent of the US$170 million, obviously for the purpose of the construction and that is why I believe that this would be beneficial to the Republic of Ghana than the previous arrangement.

Mr Speaker, I would conclude by saying that I would like to encourage the Ministry of Finance to look into domestic source of financing by engaging some of our local banks to be able to fund activities of this nature because it is more beneficial than bringing in EXIM Bank loans or export credit agency loans. Some of those loans only benefit us in terms of the structure but the economy generally does not benefit any time we go for these loans. I believe that a loan

of this nature would benefit us as a country far more than the export credit agency loans and the EXIM Bank loans.

Mr Speaker, thank you.

Question proposed.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:38 p.m.
Hon Members, we would take a contribution each from both Sides.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -- Banda) 7:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make few comments in support of the Motion on the Floor.
Mr Speaker, the Report was just given to me and I want to raise a few things that baffles me so that the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports would explain to my understanding and to anyone who is also confused.
Mr Speaker, option 3 is about a hybrid model and constructing key facilities at Borteyman and the completion of the ongoing Legon Sports Stadium and the refurbishment of the Legon Hostel facilities.
Mr Speaker, the completion of the sports stadium at the University of Ghana is laudable and a great move. This has been there for a very long
time, therefore, if there is a facility that would enable the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports to complete the ongoing work there then I would support it.
However, reading through the Report, I have seen that after the completion of the project, there would be a University of Sports for Development. I want to know if this would be at the University of Ghana or does it mean that after completion of the sports stadium at the University of Ghana and the Borteyman facilities, the University of Ghana would be branded as a University for Sports Development? Mr Speaker, I would want clarity on this.
Mr Speaker, we have just finished a Statement on the late Professor Mills and I know we have the Winneba Sports College. The University of Ghana is the premier university of the country and it was the university that produced the engineers, the lawyers, doctors and so on -- [Interruption] --
Mr Speaker, an Hon Member is signalling me to wait till when we get to the commercial agreement but I want to be convinced and if not, I would do my research and wait for the commercial agreement. Mr Speaker, but as a product of the University of Ghana where I studied
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:38 p.m.
Any other contributor? [Some Hon Members, no.]
Hon Members, I would put the Question.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved Accordingly.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:38 p.m.
We would now take Resolution numbered 21. Hon Deputy Minister, you may move the Resolution.
RESOLUTIONS 7:38 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE 7:38 p.m.
HOUSE HERE BY 7:38 p.m.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 7:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I seek your leave for us to move procedural Motions numbered 23, 26 and 29.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:38 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Chairman of the Committee.
Suspension of Standing Order 80(1)
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Johnson K. Adu) 7:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move
That notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which requires that no Motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Johnson K. Adu) 7:38 p.m.


of the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture on the Commercial Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports) and Contracta Construction UK Limited for an amount of one hundred and forty-five million, eighty-six thousand, and fifty- seven United States dollars fifty-four cents (US$145,086,057.54) for the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023 may be moved today.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:38 p.m.
Hon Chairman, you may now move the substantive Motions numbered 24, 27 and 30.
GoG/Contracta Construction UK Ltd./CONSAR Ltd./
Mawums Ltd. Commercial Agreement for the Provision of
Sports Infrastructure and Residential Facilities for the
Hosting and Organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in
2023
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Johnson K. Adu) 7:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move
That this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture on the Commercial Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports) and Contracta Construction UK Limited for an amount of one hundred and forty-five million, eighty-six thousand, and fifty- seven United States dollars fifty-four cents (US$145,086,057.54) for the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All African Games in Accra in 2023.
AND 7:38 p.m.
OLYMPIC SPORTS COMPLEX AND UNIVERSITY OF 7:48 p.m.
Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 7:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion, and in doing so, I have few comments to make.
Mr Speaker, after perusing the entire contract for the three companies that would execute these projects, the contractor that would handle the project at Borteyman is supposed to undertake the various jobs including building a (1,000) thousand-seater competition swimming pool, eight-lane warm-up swimming pool, a thousand seater multipurpose sports hall, five hundred seater temporary dome, five tennis court complexes including 1,500 collapsible to 1,000 seater centre court, access roads, general utility infrastructure, construction packing lots and constructional administration block et cetera for an amount of US$145 million.
Mr Speaker, the same goes with CONSAR Limited that they would upgrade and complete the Legon Sports Stadium thus also spending about US$50,187,000.
Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome (NDC -- South Tongu) 7:48 p.m.


Mr Speaker, Mawums is also a local company doing a similar work of refurbishment of hostel facilities at the University of Ghana, Legon, just to make the meaning of the hybrid concept adopted by Government in hosting the African Games, 2023.

Also, the contract would come to force when certain conditions are fulfilled, and it is worth-mentioning that key is the parliamentary approval, the signing of the Contract Agreement, submission of Performance Security of the Contractor to the employer key, among them being the value for money audit report. We were not able to get it, but I think it is in the process and being done, according to the Hon Minister. Hopefully, that would be ready in a few weeks from now. When they get it, all the conditions would be fulfilled before the contract comes to force.

By ratifying this, it does not kick the contract into action, we have to wait for certain conditions precedent.

Mr Speaker, when the Hon Ranking Member for the Finance Committee was speaking, he clearly mentioned the need for some attention given to local companies to also enjoy some jobs going forward. So clearly, the Committee found space in its Report to make mention of the fact

that local companies are also given place in the subcontract portions of these projects so that they can benefit in the whole job.

Next time, if it is possible, we should look within than going out because by now I believe we have the expertise, the people, the ability and capacity over the period which with the scope of work we intend to carry out, Ghanaians can handle that for which reason there is the need for us to give a lot more attention to them.

Mr Speaker, also on the environmental impact assessment, it is key, and I just would want to reemphasise and reiterate that the Report, as we requested was not ready. The Hon Minister has indicated his readiness to push for that to be ready because it is very important. He also promised furnishing us with documents to fulfil conditions precedent so that the House would know that for monitoring purposes.

Mr Speaker, with these and what my Hon Chairman has indicated, I believe everything is quite alright. So, I support the Motion.
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 7:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the Motion and to make these few comments.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister previously came here and told us they adopted Option 3 of the Programme which is to refurbish or complete existing sites because of the quantum of money available. I have these few comments about the contract.
Mr Speaker, if you look at the scope of work, it appears the Ministry is still in the process of firming up exactly what would be built. Hon Members should be aware that not all the facilities are permanent; some would be game facilities so that when the Games are over, they would commission and relocate them to somewhere else. This should be on our minds.
Second, Mr Speaker, I would want the Hon Minister to take note that normally, we allow contractors up to 20 per cent advance payment. In this contract, it is 15 per cent. Also, the contract talks about allowing them insurance guarantee. The right thing to do is to go for a bank guarantee and rather give them 20 per cent advance payment based on a bank guarantee instead of the 15 per cent with insurance.
Mr Speaker, also, the Minister should note that the standard in this country is for 12 months defect liability period. I have seen 180 in the
document, which is not acceptable at all.

It should be 12 months defect liability period. We are told VFM is condition precedence - that is these figures are just budgets. We do not have full design or BOQ to determine whether everything is alright but the good thing is that they would do value for money with a reputable organisation to be able to determine that.

Mr Speaker, I also noticed that they are intending to do a schedule of payment. Sometimes, when we approve things in this House and say milestone payment, we tell the contractor that he can raise a certificate every two months or every month. What tends to happen is that the developers pin government down to it and say that when the certificate is raised, whether the work has been done or not, Parliament has approved that the amount of money should be paid.

Mr Speaker, the Ministry should make sure that the milestone payments are pegged to actual work done on site so we do not just give them money because it is end of the month and they should raise a certificate. If we do that, we would realise that the
Mr Emmanuel K. Bedzrah (NDC -- Ho West) 7:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I also beg to support the Motion and to make a few observations from your Committee's Report.
Mr Speaker, this House is called to approve a commercial agreement, and looking at this document, it is not
a commercial agreement. We all have in this House, Public Financial Management Law and in that law, Members of the Finance Committee have a criteria that they use to approve financial agreements and therefore, any commercial agreement that comes to this House, we also need guidelines as to what exactly we are looking for irrespective of which Committee it belongs to.
Mr Speaker, this Report is just putting together words and adding feeding agreement. This is my first time in this House that I have seen a FIDIC condition of contract added to a report. The actual particulars of conditions are not detailed enough. There are two separate contracts. One ovation contract which we have with CONSAR, which is already working on the site. He has his own contract and only needs support to continue. In this Report, we do not know whether CONSAR is to use the FIDIC condition, which we have now or the condition of contract that he is working with. Then we have two other contractors who are fairly new who would be using the FIDIC contract.
Mr Speaker, yes indeed, if we have two different contracts and they gave us only one condition of contract and we are called upon to approve it, telling us that we should approve for only one condition of contract, then
there is a little problem but I believe that the Minister is taking note of that. I have also noticed that in the condition, a contract sum is not a fix sum contract and I want this House to take note that it is subject to fluctuation so it means that the moneys we are allocating or approving for this commercial contracts could go high or could come down. This House must take decisions so that whatever we approve here, whether it is going high, the Ministry should come back to the House or accept that the fluctuation should be given to the contractor irrespective of how much it goes up. These are things that we should be discussing as a House so that tomorrow, nobody would come back and say that this House has approved US$170 million and then now the contract sum is over US$250 million. We should agree on that.
Mr Speaker, finally, I have noticed that as my Hon Colleague has mentioned, the advanced mobilisation would be secured with security from a financial institution. The same thing applies to performance bond. Performance security would also be secured from the financial institution, which is all right.
Mr Speaker, I also urge that the condition precedence that would make this contract come into fruition
should be fulfilled. I have noticed, as I mentioned that papers contract has not been signed between the Ministry and the contractor. So we are looking at a draft contract. The Minister is doing very well but next time, he should sign a contract before bringing it to us. This is because what we are witnessing now is just a draft contract and not a full contract.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you.
Mr Benson T. Baba (NDC -- Talensi) 7:58 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much. I would want to support the Motion and in doing so, I want to draw the attention of the House to article 37(5) of the 1992 Constitution which with your permission I quote:
“The State shall ensure that adequate facilities for sports are provided throughout Ghana and that sports are promoted as a means of fostering national integration,health and self- discipline as well as international friendship and understanding.”
Mr Speaker, you would agree with me that all these facilities are concentrated in one development zone. Meanwhile, we have three development zones. Even though the agreement is to concentrate the games in one location, I want that this
Mr Benson T. Baba (NDC -- Talensi) 8:08 p.m.
House and for that matter the Ministry of Youth and Sports would also consider that going forward, the other developmental zones would also be considered in the provision of sports infrastructure in line with article 37(5) of the 1992 Constitution.
Mr Speaker, when we met, we observed that the post-games usage of the facility is also very critical. For instance, the location of the games may generate another problem similar to what happened when the roads were tight some time ago and the university decided to block all entrance and exit points which created some difficulties for motorists who hitherto were using that road to access either Madina or Achimota. I would want that the Ministry of Youth and Sports should have an MOU. with the university because investing a huge sum of about US$50 million is no mean and small amount and for the facilities to be left unattended to by elite athletes or made unavailable for elite athletes to use them.

It would mean that we have just Provided an infrastructure or facilities which will only be used for the African Games and then once a while, we would have some games coming. So, the MoU should capture the post-

games usages of the facility, so that it would be for the benefit of sportsmen and women, and to enhance the development of talents in the country.

Mr Speaker, Winneba Sports College was established purposely to train sportsmen and sportswomen by providing camping facilities. It is also for training coaches and other technical officials in the various disciplines. I would have thought that an accompaniment of trying to develop the Winneba Sports College to play its statutory role would have been made available in this particular document. But all is not lost and I believe that this would be the first time that the Ministry would come to this House to request for funds to continue with post-sports infrastructure. I think that priority must be given to Winneba Sports College, so that it would continue to play its statutory role.

Mr Speaker, most of us were trained there. I was trained in the former specialist training college, and I came out as a physical education expert. That was what brought me up the sports ladder. Winneba Sports College has the potential. It has done it before, and it is capable of doing it again.

Mr Speaker, the maintenance of the facility is also another critical issue.

If you would recall, all the infrastructure that had been developed, for example, the Stadium in Sekondi which was built for Cup of African Nations (CAN), 2018 and then the Accra Sports Stadium, constantly, we go round rehabilitating and repairing them because the usage of the facilities have not been considered in the maintenance of those infrastructure. Moneys allocated to the Ministry is always inadequate to maintain the facilities. Let us maintain them properly, so that we can add more to them, and Ghana can depend on sports as an economic entity. Sports is business. We have seen it in other countries, and with these infrastructure that we would use for the African Games, we should be able to expand to cover all parts of this country.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:08 p.m.
Hon Minister, I would just re- emphasise what Hon B. T. Baba said. This facility focuses on the southern sector because of the nature of the sports that we would have. Bear in mind that we have the middle and northern sectors. Next time, try to get facilities for the middle and northern
sectors, so that we can have holistic development of sports in Ghana.
Mr James Klutse Avedzi (NDC --Ketu North) 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to raise some few points which would ensure that the Minister carries on with that.
Mr Speaker, according to the Motion, we are approving the agreements where at the end the actual will be different from what we are approving now. Also, we would need to have value for money. I would want to express the point that value for money is very important. That would determine the actual at the end. If we do not do it and at the end the cost becomes unbearable, then we would blame ourselves as a House. So, the condition precedent, which is the value for money audit must be undertaken as early as possible.
Mr Speaker, if we add the three contracts, the sum is over US$195 million, but we have approved the financial agreement of US$170 million. The Minister said that there is budget provision for the deference. We should not have a situation where the budget will not be able to meet the difference, because that can also affect the work. So, the Minister of Finance should ensure that when the payment is due, the portion that the budget will finance should also be
RESOLUTIONS 8:08 p.m.
Mr Mustapha Ussif 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move that,
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 181(5) of the Constitution the terms and conditions of any international business or economic transac- tion to which the Government of Ghana is a party shall not come into operation unless the said terms and conditions have been laid before Parliament and approved by Parliament by a Resolution supported by the votes of a majority of all Members of Parliament;
PURSUANT to the provisions of the said article 181(5) of the Constitution, and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister
responsible for Youth and Sports, there has been laid before Parliament the terms and conditions of a Commercial Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports) and Contracta Construction UK Limited for an amount of one hundred and forty-five million, eighty-six thousand, and fifty- seven United States dollars fifty- four cents (US$145, 086,057.54) for the provision of sports infrastructure and residential facilities for the hosting and organisation of the 13th All Africa Games in Accra in 2023.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 8:08 p.m.
HEREBY RESOLVES AS 8:08 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE 8:08 p.m.
HOUSE HEREBY RESOLVES 8:08 p.m.
Mr Woyome 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may we now take item numbered 9 on page 7 of the Order Paper?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:08 p.m.
Hon Leader, can we take items numbered 9 and 10?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if you so permit. But I thought that the Reports were different.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:08 p.m.
Hon Leader, the Reports are separate, but from the same commission; Forestry Commission. So, the Chairman can consider both Reports.
MOTIONS 8:08 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 8:08 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Reports of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Annual Report of the Forestry Commission for the years 2016 and 2017.
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I present your Committee's Reports.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Annual Report of the Forestry Commission (FC) for the year 2016
was presented to Parliament on 17th June, 2021 by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon Samuel Abdulai Jinapor in accordance with the Forestry Commission Act of 1999 (Act
571).
1.2 Pursuant to Order 177 of the Standing Orders of the House, the Report was referred to the Committee on Lands and Forestry by the Rt Hon Speaker for consideration and report.
1.3 The Committee met with the officials from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission to consider the report. The Committee is grateful to them for their input.
2.0 Reference
The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations:
i. The 1992 Constitution;
ii. The Standing Orders of Parliament;
iii. The Forestry Commission Act, 1999 (Act 571);
iv.Timber Resources Manage- ment Regulations of 2017
(L.I. 2254);
Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 8:08 p.m.
Table 2: Performance of Visitation to Ecotourism Destination
5.3 Timber Industry and Development Division
5.3.1 Export of Timber and Wood Products Ghana's timber export trade recorded an increase in volume
from 367,061m³ in 2015 to 396,992m³ in 2016, representing an increase of 8.2 per cent. In terms of export revenue, 2016 recorded €224.96 million as against €187.63 million achieved in
2015, representing 20 per cent appreciation.
5.3.2 Plantation Timber Production
The plantation timber production was increased from 125,262m³ in 2015 to a total volume of 126,110m³ in 2016, representing an increment of 1 per cent.
Table 3: Plantation Timber Production (2015-2016).
5.3.3 Rolling out of Ghana Wood Tracking System (GWTS)
The FC in 2016 organised the Legality Assurance System (LAS) - GWTS orientation exercise for over eight hundred and fifty (850) personnel of FC. The objective was to orient Staff on managing GWTS and minimise the occurrence avoidable ‘red flag' in the system.
5.3.4 Plantation Establishment by Government and Private Sector
The Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy (2016 - 2040) was launched in 2016.
In 2016, an estimated 6,727ha of plantation was established by the Government and private developers. An area of 5,390has of forest plantation was established On- reserve. Out of the total On-reserves plantation, 1,152has was planted by the Government, which comprised of 650has FC/Industry Plantation Fund in Dormaa Forest District and 501.84has under the Forecast Investment Programme (FIP).
A total of 4,238has of plantations were established by 26 Private Commercial Developers On-Reserve nationwide, of which 1,694has was under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the Commission.

The African Plantations for Sustainable Development (APSD), a private forest plantation developer, established 1,337has of Eucalyptus plantations in Off-Reserve Areas.

The Commission established 12 tree nurseries in the Transitional and Savannah Zones, within forest districts with high rates of charcoal production, using proceeds from the Charcoal Conveyance fees.

Five hundred and thirty-seven thousand, one hundred and ninety- nine (537,199) seedlings were produced, and 331,641 seedlings were distributed for planting.

5.4 Capacity Enhancement and Training for Staff

Three hundred and ten (310) staff benefitted from professional training programmes, both local and international.

The Forest Plantation Department staff acquired training in Collect Earth Software for the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector under the West Africa Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Project.

5.5 Financial Performance

The financial performance review of the Forestry Commission for the year 2016 is outlined in table 4 below:
Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 8:18 p.m.
permits were only issued to applicants in some regions of the country to salvage trees in the Off-reserves which were undergoing development such as road construction, human settlement, expansion, and cultivation of farms as permitted by LI 1649 of 1998 (Timber Resources Management Regulations).
The Committee expressed concern about the mysterious abandoned logs that keep restocking and how the logs get on the ground in the first instance to warrant salvage permits to log operators occasionally. The Committee is of the view that inspection by Forest Guards must be intensified by the Commission to prevent illegal felling of endangered trees for personal gains.
6.5 Employee Turnover
The Committee observed that the Commission in 2016, recorded a high employee turnover, a phenomenon that has repeated itself over the years. According to the Commission, the two major causes of employee turnover in the Commission were retirement and exit by death.
The Committee expressed concern about the fact that several attempts by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to seek for financial
clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit Staff to replace the exited Staff had been unsuccessful. The Committee noted that the situation had adversely affected the core areas of operations and performance of the Commission.
The Committee recommends that as a matter of priority and urgency, the Ministry of Finance should give clearance to the Commission to hire and replace employees who have exited to enhance their monitoring activities.
6.6 Fight against Illegal Chainsaw Operators
The Committee observed that one of the major challenges associated with forest degradation was illegal Chainsaw activities. According to the Commission, progress has been made concerning the fight against illegal Chainsaw Operators. Among the key interventions instituted is the Ghana Wood Tracking System (GWTS) which records forest tree stock, harvesting and transporting from a natural forest.
The above notwithstanding, some illegal Chainsaw activities still exist. The Committee accordingly urges the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to intensify its efforts at ensuring continuous forest protection and plantation development.
6.7 Ecotourism Development
The Committee observed that the overall population of visitors to the ecotourism sites and the zoological gardens (zoo) increased from 209,054 in 2015 to 217,903 in 2016. The Committee noted with satisfaction some interventions and routine maintenance activities that were carried out on the facilities to improve upon their conditions. Nevertheless, the Committee was worried about the non-participation of tourists in some ecotourism sites and to zoological Gardens (zoo) in 2016.
The Commission assured the Committee that it recognises the potential of ecotourism development in revenue generation and safeguarding the ecological integrity of the ecosystem. In that regard, a Directorate has been established since 2019 to help the utilisation of ecotourism resources and enhance environmental management practices.
The Commission noted that Public- Private Partnerships (PPPs) would help develop and create tourism attractions at ecotourism sites. It was further revealed that the World Bank had expressed interest in supporting the development of some ecotourism areas which would increase the number of visits and revenue mobilisation when completed.
The Committee urges the Commission to continue to explore other innovative avenues to improve upon the ecotourism facilities to help generate revenue.
7.0 Conclusion
The efficient management of natural resources and the restoration of the degraded environment are critical to wealth creation as well as sustainable economic growth. The Committee observed that progress towards ensuring the restoration of degraded land and forest loss cover has not been encouraging. Accordingly, the Committee urges the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to intensify the implementation strategies, and programmes aimed at improving the forest and wildlife resources.
The Committee recommends to the House to adopt its report on the Annual Report of the Forestry Commission for the year 2016.

Committee recommends House to adopt its Report on the Annual

Report of the Forestry Commission for the year 2016
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu Adabor) 8:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu Adabor) 8:18 p.m.


A total distance of 21,337kms of forest boundaries were inspected and 22,600kms cleaned.

Rapid Response Teams were deployed to control encroachment and illegal entry into forest reserves and wildlife-protected areas.

A National REDD + Forum was organised to sensitise stakeholders and the general public and galvanise high-level political support to implement mitigation strategies in Ghana.

The Ghana Cocoa-Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP) document was finalised and submitted to form part of the Carbon Fund Portfolio.

A draft Forest Reference Level was established and has been submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Forty-nine (49) hectares of the model plantations were established against the annual target of 30 hectares.

On the development of plantations (green zones) around Sacred Groves and the replanting of degraded areas

within the Groves, a total area of 183 hectares were planted as against a target of 200 hectares, representing about 92 per cent achievement.

A total of 31.2 hectares of Off- reserve plantations were developed by tree planter groups formed under the project. However, this was below the target of 1,500 hectares.

35.8 hectares of seed orchards were established and maintained against a target of 128 hectares.

Three hundred and thirty-four thousand, nine hundred and ninety- nine (334,999) tree seedlings of desirable species were supplied to cocoa farmers for integration into their farms (old and new).

One hundred and seventy-two (172) hectares of woodlots were established out of a target of 550 hectares for fuelwood and charcoal production.

4.2 Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD)

The total quantity of timber harvested from Natural Forest Production in 2017 was 654,505m3 and On-reserve being 631,140m3 and Off-reserve 41,365m3.

Table 1: Timber Production from Plantation (2016-2017)

In 2017, Plantation Timber harvested was 117,874m3 (On- reserve being 16,923m3 and Off- reserve; 100,951m3).

The total volume of all timber and wood products exported decreased from 396,992m3 in 2016 to 339,227m3 in 2017.

4.3 Wildlife Division (WD)

4.3.1 Forest and Wildlife Policy and Legal Regimes

Fourteen (14) Response Teams to some identified hotspots, forest reserves, and wildlife-protected areas were deployed.

53,686 assorted lumber, 37 logs, two shotguns, and 158 chainsaws were seized.

A total of 79 vehicles together with 185 suspects were arrested for engaging in various forest and wildlife offenses.

A total of 113 “chanfan” and 45 water pumping machines were seized as well as an estimated 953 hectares of illegal farms were destroyed during the year under review.

4.3.2 Wildlife Infraction

One hundred and ninety-six (196) poachers were arrested during patrols, out of which 78 were prosecuted with the support of the FC trained prosecutors.

Ninety-five (95) shotguns, 64 chainsaw machines, five motorbikes, and a gold detector were confiscated in Mole, Kyabobo, Bia, Bui and Ankasa Conservation areas.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu Adabor) 8:18 p.m.


4.3.3 Staff Recruitment

A total of 50 staff were recruited to replace staff who had exited and 234 staff were also engaged on contract and stationed across the Divisions, Departments, and Units of the Commission.

4.3.4 Infrastructural Development

Atewa Range Extension Forest and the Southern part of Atewa Range Forest Reserve have been earmarked for the Biodiversity Offset Programme by Newmont Mining Company.

Wildlife monitoring was conducted in all 10 regions in 2017.

Education of FC Staff on ICT Security Awareness was conducted.

4.3.5 Development of Ecotourism

Renovated the tourists' reception and chalets at the Ankasa Conservation Area and completed a new reception at Shai Hills Resource Reserve.

Introduced abseiling and rock- climbing activities at the Shai Hills Resource Reserve to boost tourism in the park.

Warthogs and Zebras were introduced to Shai Hills Resource Reserve, which has significantly enhanced visitation.

Table 2: Performance of Visitation to Ecotourism Sites

The number of visitors to ecotourism sites and to zoological gardens decreased from 217,903 in 2016 to 187,261 in 2017, representing a 14 per cent decrease from the number of visitors realised in 2016.

5.0 Observations and Recommendations

5.1 Financial Performance

The Committee noted that out of the budgeted IGF of GH¢36.7 million, a total amount of GH¢109.8 million, representing about 199 per cent of the budgeted amount was recorded.

The Committee further observed that out of the budgeted amount of

GH¢73.3 for Compensation, GH¢66.1 million, representing 90 per cent of the budgeted amount was released during the year.

In the year under review, an amount of GH¢11.3 million was budgeted for as a Donor Component of the total budget. However, by the end of December, 2017, GH¢23.2 million was received from Development Partners, representing an increase of GH¢11.9 million over the total budget for the year. The Committee was informed that the main reason for the high increase in the inflows from Development Partners was the transfer of funds from the African Development Bank and the World Bank for the Forest Investment Programme (FIP 1 & 2) in the course of the year.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu Adabor) 8:18 p.m.


The total amount received for the year under review exceeded the budgeted amount of GH¢121.3

million by 64 per cent. Table 3 below gives a summary of the revenue performance for the year under review.

Table 3: Financial Performance for 2017

The Committee commended the Commission for an increase in its IGF for the year under review. However, the Committee was of the view that the Commission should have used the previous year's expenditure as a benchmark for forecasting the ensuing year's revenue to ensure realistic budgeting. The Committee also urges the Ministry of Finance to ensure proper forecasting of all revenue streams from Development Partners to give more credibility to the budget.

5.2 High Staff Turnover

The Committee noted that the Commission had recorded a high staff turnover of 146 during the year under review, showing an increase of 12 per

cent as against a total number of 128 recorded in the previous year. Despite the high attrition, the Commission was given financial clearance to recruit only 50 staff. The shortfall in the Staff strength, led the Commission no other option than to contract over 200 National Service Personnel who had fully served their term with the Commission to continue operating within the various Divisions, Departments, and Units.

The recurring instances of non- replacement of exited Staff of the Commission is worrisome as it impedes the implementation of programmes and policies by the Commission. The Committee appeals to the government, to as a matter of

priority and urgency, give clearance to the Commission to recruit the additional staff for effective performance.

5.3 Ecotourism Development

The Committee noted that the Commission scheduled numerous activities for the year under review to boost economic activities at the various ecotourism sites throughout the country. Some of the completed projects included the renovations of some reserves, construction of houses for resettlement, and the introduction of abseiling and rock-climbing at the Shai Hills Resource Reserve, among others. The Commission also informed the Committee of its efforts to partner with private companies to undertake ecotourism developments.

Despite the Commission's effort to improve upon its facilities to encourage the patronage of ecotourism sites, the Committee noted that the number of visitors to the various sites and to the zoological gardens (zoo) had decreased from 217,903 in 2016 to 187,261 in 2017.

The Committee urges the Commission to be more proactive and Implore innovative arrangements such as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the development of ecotourism to

serve as an alternative source of livelihood and safeguard the environment. The Committee also recommends to the Commission to place signposts at the Shai Hills Resource Reserve to signal motorists on the presence of monkeys so as to abate unfortunate killing.

5.4 Protection of Forest and Wildlife Resources

The Committee observed that the Commission had made demarcations and mounted pillars along boundaries of some selected forest reserves to prevent illegalities and encroachment. However, the absence of real-time monitoring within the catchment of the protected areas limits the ability of the Commission to identify and quantify the extent of encroachment and the illegal activities in the protected areas of the country.

The Committee recommends to the Commission to employ technology such as the Geographic Information Systems using Satellite Imagery for the effective monitoring of forest reserves and illegal activities.

5.5 Public Education

The Committee lauded the public education and awareness initiative of the Commission. It noted with satisfaction that one hundred and
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu Adabor) 8:18 p.m.


eighty-four (184) biodiversity conservation sensitisation pro- grammes were organised for first and second cycle schools. Also, 258 communities around Wildlife Protected Areas and Ramsar Sites were educated on the importance of wildlife and its utilisation.

6.0 Conclusion

Forest and wildlife resources are essential elements to the socio- economic development of the country. However, the high rate of illegalities has led to over exploitation of these resources over the period. The Committee is of the view that the Commission will be able to achieve its mandate of ensuring effective protection, conservation, develop- ment, and regulation of forest and wildlife resources in the country if it is well resourced.

The Committee recommends to the House to adopt its reports on the Annual Report of the Forestry Commission for the period of January to December, 2017.
Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo (NDC -- Wa Central) 8:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and make a few comments.
Mr Speaker, this Report is very important, given the closeness of the Report to present circumstances. In the last few years, Reports were given with a time lapse of nearly a decade. This time round, there is a three year lapse from 2017 to 2021 and four years from 2016. This is an improvement over the past years when Reports were laid.
One of the things we did was that we encouraged them to try and close the gap, so that when Reports are brought, we can comment on them and help them to catch up with the challenges they are facing. One of things that we have recognised is that the Forestry Commission has a number of issues that pose challenges to them.
These challenges essentially are the degradation of land, illegal chainsaw operators destroying the forest and the need for them to stop them in order to plant trees to recoup the lost lands. This is very crucial for them, given the fact that a lot of efforts are made using Rapid Response Teams of in order to fight off these individuals and groups of people who just walk into the forest and cause confusion on the land.
Mr Speaker, we have noticed that they have made a number of efforts to try to reclaim the land and make
sure that private individuals who are working on the land are able to contribute to the restoration of the land. The issue of the forest not being controlled effectively is because indigenous people are finding it difficult to live off the land. More and more, it is their livelihood and source of income, so they find it difficult to leave the land in peace because they live off it.
As a result, even though there are efforts to reclaim the land, they are finding it difficult to do so. That is where we try to sympathise with them but encourage them to use other means -- for example, providing alternative livelihoods for those who live on the land, so that they can live off the land and be able to allow them to do their work effectively.
One of the challenges we also faced with the ecosystem is the use of the land as an incentive for tourism to revamp. The challenge is that this is becoming difficult, even though between 2015 and 2016, there had been an increase. In the 2017 Report, there are challenges that are recurring. The same challenges of how to protect the land, people using the land illegally as and when they like and the fact that there is enough work to be done.
We noticed that in order to support them, one way we can do it is to support them to get more people to work because they have a big labour shortage which is critical to the Commission.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I would like to second and support the Motion. Thank you.
Question proposed.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:18 p.m.
I would invite the Hon Member for Asokwa, then I would come to Leadership? Yes, Hon Member?
Ms Patricia Appiagyei (NPP -- Asokwa) 8:18 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Broadly speaking, the Report actually highlighted the key achievements of the Commission and some challenges encountered during the 2016 period. However, the Report clearly demonstrates that all activities undertaken during the period were geared towards achieving the vision statement of the Commission as well as the overall goals and strategies of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II and the Sector's Medium Term Plan. Ultimately, the activities undertaken by the Commission in 2016 are expected to result in sustainable management of Ghana's forest and wild resource.
Ms Patricia Appiagyei (NPP -- Asokwa) 8:28 p.m.


I think it is heart-warming to note that the Commission made progress to fight a number of illegalities going on in the forest reserves including, chainsaw operators, illegal mining and farming as indicated on page 18 of the main Report. Even more interesting is the fact that most of the people involved in these illegal operations were prosecuted in accordance with the law. Guns were seized and given to the Ministry of the Interior and seized lumbers were auctioned within the catchment area where they were seized.

Mr Speaker, one of the major concerns I have is the sale of these lumbers within the same catchment area because it does not serve as deterrent and I want the Ministry to take cognisance of that fact because the lumbers are scarce and could be sold at any price. So, the same people who are the illegal operators would repurchase and sell them out and it does not stop or deter them from engaging themselves in these illegal practices.

There is also a school of thought where people think that seized excavators should be given to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). We should not behave like ostriches. We know

very well that the MMDAs are involved in these illegal mining, so giving them these items would empower and encourage them to do what we want to stop them from doing.

With regard to the plantation establishment and maintenance of plantations, even though in the Report they were not able to achieve it, it is no mean achievement. To establish these plantations is a remarkable achievement so the Ministry should ensure that more private people would be engaged in it and it is encouraging to also learn that people are interested in the establishment of these plantations.

One thing we also have to commend them on is the fact that in the establishment of the plantation, they do not just leave them but they set out monitoring scheme for sustainability and it is something that we need to encourage.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I support the Motions.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -- Banda) 8:28 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Motions.
Mr Speaker, I have taken a careful look at the two Reports which are
from the same Agency and I expected that the layout of both of them would look the same. However, the 2017 Report is more detailed than the 2016 Report and I do not want to believe that the information contained in the 2017 Report as not indicated in the 2016 Report. If that is not the case, then I strongly believe that the 2016 Report is too hollow and lacks vital information.
In the 2017 Report, there are comparisons with regard to the number of visitors in the 2016 and the number of visitors in the 2017 in the tourism, forestry or national parks. However, in the 2016 Report, the comparison of 2016 and 2015, was not indicated. So, how could we know whether we have made progress or not? The essence of annual reports is to strengthen the oversight function of this House. We already laged behind but I must commend the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for being the first to bring their annual reports to this 8th Parliament. They have done well and as it is usually said, it is better late than never.
In the 7th Parliament, we followed up with some departments and agencies to bring their annual reports but because of the components of the financial and audited accounts attached to the annual reports, most of them run away. However, the
Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has shown the way. We must take it upon ourselves to make sure we either come as a way to ask questions on the floor of the House or roll up the other tools so that the other departments and agencies follow same. Some annual reports have been outstanding for four, five or six years.
Mr Speaker, a careful look at the 2017 Report shows that there was a decreased trend in the visitation of the tourism sites but the revenue accrued to the Forestry Commission was on the ascendency. I thought it was the increase in the fees and charges that deterred tourists to visit the tourist sites. They were able to increase their revenue by 199 per cent in 2017 - if that is true. However, visitation to the tourist sites decreased by 14 per cent. So, whiles the visitation of the tourist site decreased, the revenue increased. The increase in the revenue is a good thing but we must find the root causes of why people do not visit the tourist sites or the national parks and other facilities.
Mr Speaker, the Report also indicated that a budget of GH¢11.3 million was budgeted for as the expectation from donor partners. However, donor components increased from GH¢11.3 million to
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -- Banda) 8:28 p.m.


GH¢23.2 million and these moneys were received from the African Development Bank. It was a good thing and I believe it underscored the reason a lot of youth were recruited into the Forestry Commission. They provided a lot of jobs. If that is true, I expected to see such a thing in the Report. Maybe, the recruitment happened in 2018 even though the funds were received in 2017. If that is the case, I leave that portion of my submission for the 2018 Report.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would want to commend the Commission and also call upon them to expedite action on the 2018 Report so that we could be able to access ourselves as to whether we have made judicious use of those increased revenue from GH¢36 million to one hundred and something million Ghana cedis.

Mr Speaker, with these few comments, I support the Motion.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP -- Nsawam-Adoagyiri) 8:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the Motion.
Mr Speaker, I would begin my submission on the note of disagreeing with my Hon Colleague. I have seen the two Reports and I think they are detailed enough. There is an attempt
to draw comparison and relativity and so, it is very positive and open and one cannot help but commend it. This is clearly a positive sign of the Akufo- Addo-led Government and we cannot help but to admire it.

Mr Speaker, I want to commend my good friend, the Deputy Minister and his Ministry, outfit and the Chairman but to agree with my Colleague that they should press on. I am sure we can do more than we have done.

There is an achievement of reduction in chainsaw operation by a tracking system which for me is a novelty. For a long time, I have followed the forest operation and I think this is positive and we should be proud about it.

Mr Speaker, then there is expression of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) concepts and our attempt as a country to respect the international convention related to the United Nation Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCCs) which are international conventions that Ghana has signed on to. So, there is clear and consistent attempt by the Ministry to meet these international conventions.

Today, with respect to forest conservation and protection, one cannot live in his small country and do it. It is a globalised village and what we do in Ghana connects to other parts of the world. That is why our attempt at meeting, for instance, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the REDD+ concepts are all key concepts.

Why would the World Bank (WB) come to collaborate with us especially in support of planting of trees and all that? It is because they see some good light in this country in some of the good things we are doing. If we look at the two Reports, there is an abundant expression about the growth of seedlings. It has been a challenge for a long time to find seedlings to plant. I am happy to note and report that this is something we need to be proud of.

I however, wish to caution and remind the Minister and the Ministry that we have had and heard complaints of our forest guards and our youth who are into afforestation not receiving consistent payments. We are told there are arrears of payments. We would want to urge the Minister and his Ministry to ensure that we bring finality to these arrears and

encourage the youth to help in the plantation of trees and the protection of our forests.

Mr Speaker, let me conclude on this note; I made some good impression from the contributions the Hon Pelpuo made when he talked about the protection of the forest and the involvement of locals. It cannot be the situation that we take people from one district to another to protect the forest. We must cultivate the habit of using the real indigenes to protect the forest because they know their way out of the forest and when we encourage them, they should be able to protect it.

Finally, on carbon sink, we must put in more effort to rake in the necessary global advantages that come with it but having said that, it would not be out of place to commend the Minister and to urge him to continue on that path to ensure that we get all the other arrears in terms of the Report brought to this House.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:38 p.m.
Hon Members, let me invite the Hon Deputy Minister to just give a brief remarks so that we bring this to a conclusion.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:38 p.m.
I thank you very much, Hon Deputy Minister.
Hon Members, the Reports have been with us and we have debated. I will put the Question.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 8:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may we now take item numbered 8 (a) on page 3 of the Order Paper? With your leave, I would ask the Hon
John Kumah, the Deputy Minister for Finance to do the laying.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 8:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, ordinarily, I would not have raised any objections but looking at the item, it is supposed to be laid by the Minister for Health. The Hon Majority Chief Whip is seeking permission for the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance to lay it.
Mr Speaker, if he can make some short explanatory statement before laying the Paper it would be all right because I know that this Paper was just recently brought to this House and laid. There is a variation on it but none of the Ministers for Health is present. A Deputy Minister for Finance is to lay it. If he can make a short explanatory statement as to whether there is a variation on the existing one already laid here before we can grant him that leave to lay same.
M r A n n o h - D o mp r e h : M r Speaker, I thought my friend and I have an understanding and we have been working together but I will not litigate. I can assure him that the Deputy Minister for Finance is capable of giving him that explanation he so desires to get and to carry him along.
So, there is no problem, if Mr Speaker may so direct?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:38 p.m.
Yes?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 8:38 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is not that I am proving difficult. This is something I would have allowed the Minister if he himself or his Deputy were present to lay it because the document was just recently brought before us. If there is a change and a new one is to be laid, at least, it is only appropriate that a short explanatory statement is made on the reason for the variation and why he is laying.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minority Whip, this is just laying, so, please, allow.
Mr A. Ibrahim 8:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Standing Orders make provision for that.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
Hon Minister, please go ahead.
PAPERS 8:48 p.m.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
Hon Majority Chief Whip, I think we are tired. Tell us something.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 8:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we are not tired. We are strong. Based on consultations I had with my Hon Colleague, may I now move for the adjournment of the House to tomorrow 2 p.m.?
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
Yes, Hon First Deputy Whip?
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 8:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we have been here for more than four
hours and ordinarily, there would be no need for a motion to be moved for adjournment. However, it is only important that the Chair makes an announcement to the public in order for visitors not to troop into the Parliamentary Chamber tomorrow because last week Friday when the Business Statement was being read, it was made clear that the Hon Minister for Finance would be in the House tomorrow to present the Mid- Year Review.
Mr Speaker, if there is a change in programme, it is only appropriate that as we adjourn today, we clear the air for the public to be aware that the Mid-Year Review is no longer coming off tomorrow Thursday, 22nd July, 2021 as was programmed on the Business Statement for last week Friday. If the air is not cleared off, tomorrow by the time we come here, the public gallery will be full only to be told that the Mid-Year Review would not come on.
So, I think that the acting Leader of Government Business would have to make a short statement on that, just for the public to have confidence in the House that there is a change for which reason it would not come off.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Majority Chief Whip, would you tell Ghanaians something?
Mr Annoh-Dompreh 8:48 p.m.
Mr Speaker, first of all, I commend my good Friend for bringing the matter up and nudging us accordingly. So that is what it is that at the conclave, we came to a consensus and based on some good consultation that went on, the originally planned programme of the Mid-Year Review which was supposed to be presented by the Hon
Minister for Finance has been re- scheduled to next week Thursday, 29th July, 2021. This is just a confirmation.
Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:48 p.m.
I wish to thank all of you for your active participation even up to this time.
ADJOURNMENT 8:48 p.m.