Debates of 15 Mar 2022

MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:30 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon
Members, we would commence with the
correction of Votes and Proceedings of
Twenty-Eighth Sitting held on Friday,
11th March, 2022.
Page 1 … 22
Yes, Hon Member for Madina Con-
stituency. Is that right?
Mr Adamu M Ramadan 10:30 a.m.
Mr
Speaker, it is Adentan Constituency.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon
Member, I should not forget that.
Mr Ramadan 10:30 a.m.
Mr Speaker, since you
are my constituent.
Page 22, the item numbered 3(vi); we
find that “Mr Branson Skinned” has been captured as the item numbered (vi) and
Foundation Ghana has been itemised as
(vii); it should read “Mr Branson Skinned” and then “Co-Founder, The OR Foundation Ghana”.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Table
Office would take note and make the
correction.
Hon Members, any more corrections
on page 22?
Very well.
Page 23 … 24.
Hon Members, the Votes and
Proceedings of Friday, 11th March, 2022,
as presented and corrected is hereby
adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, any corrections to the
Official Report of Friday, 25th February,
2022, please?
  • [No corrections were made to the Official Report of Friday, 25th February, 2022.]
    • Mr Patrick Y. Boamah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    rightly so.
    With your prior approval and subject
    to Standing Order 68(3), I would like to
    ask this Question on behalf of Hon Paul
    Apreku Twum-Barimah; Member of
    Parliament for Dormaa East Con-
    stituency.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon
    Member, leave granted; you may ask the
    Question.
    ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:30 a.m.
    MINISTRY OF INFORMATION 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Boamah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would
    want to find out from the Hon Minister
    what fees and charges regime the
    Ministry is applying since this House is
    yet to approve of the Fees and Charges
    Act.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    it is true that this House is yet to approve
    the Fees and Charges Act that would spell
    out the applicable fees and charges. For
    this reason, an overwhelming majority of
    the requests that have been granted were done on gratis basis and for those that
    were asked to pay some amount of moneys, the sums mostly ranged between
    GH₵1 and GH₵2 per page of the production of the information. In some instances where some high figures were suggested by the institutions, the applicants appealed to the RTI Commission and the Commission gave the appropriate orders to review those fees downwards.
    Mr Speaker, but we are before this
    House that the Fees and Charges
    Schedule for the current year should be
    87 ( 67 % )
    42 ( 33 % )
    Disaggregation by Applicant Type
    No. of Requests from Individuals No. of Requests from Institutions

    Oral Answers to Questions

    approved to include the charges for RTI

    so that all of these discrepancies could be

    resolved.
    Mr Boamah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, applicants
    who go to most of the public institutions
    are sometimes turned away by the
    information officers and the reason they
    give is that the applications or requests
    were not addressed to the heads of the
    respective institutions.
    Mr Speaker, I want to know how the
    Hon Minister would educate the public as
    to who must be the recipient or addressee
    of an application.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    respectfully, I would disagree with my
    Hon Colleague if he says that most
    applicants are turned away because the
    data we have suggests that an
    overwhelming majority are actually
    granted the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker, in accordance with
    Sections 19 and 84 of the Act,
    applications are supposed to be made to
    the Information Officer and this includes
    the officer of the public institution
    assigned or designated for the purpose.
    The head of the institution is an appellate
    officer who responds to an appeal when
    the initial determination is not
    satisfactory to the applicant. Therefore,
    we often discourage an application that is
    directly to the head of the institution, and
    in some instances we encourage the
    applicant to reapply directly — Mr Speaker, if I may borrow the expression,
    ‘to the point of first instance' so that if there is a need for an appeal then the head
    of the institution would be brought in to
    respond to the appeal.
    Mr Boamah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, some
    independent observers have made some
    remarks or reports about the implement-
    tation of the Act but the Hon Minister has
    given us a very rosy picture about the
    implementation of the Act. So, I would
    want to know from the Hon Minister how
    he would reconcile this.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    firstly, I would particularly commend
    civil society organisations who have
    made it a point to test the system by
    applying for information at various
    Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
    Mr Speaker, with your permission I
    would mention the Media Foundation for
    West Africa who have done a lot of these
    applications.
    From our end, we have also reached
    out to these civil society organisations to
    furnish us with copies of some of these
    surveys that they have done and to attend
    upon an invitation to the Ministry so that
    we can understand what they have also
    realised that we may not be privy to so
    that we could reconcile any information

    Oral Answers to Questions

    they may have with what we also gather

    officially. However, the information I am

    providing to the House this morning is the

    official information from the RTI

    Officers at the various Ministries,

    Departments and Agencies who have

    been recruited and posted there as well as

    those who have been designated to play

    this function at other Ministries,

    Departments and Agencies.
    Mr Emmanuel K. Bedzrah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would commend the House for
    the passage of the RTI Law and allow me
    to also commend the various institutions
    who have worked with this Law so far.
    Mr Speaker, indeed 223 applications
    were received from the various
    individuals and institutions, but I would
    want to find out from the Hon Minister
    how many of these 223 applications were
    responded to with the information that
    was needed by the various applicants.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    for the year 2020, 72 of the applications
    were granted, six were rejected, three
    were transferred, three were referred and
    one was deferred. For the year 2021, 95
    applications were granted, seven rejected,
    six transferred, 17 referred, two were
    deferred and two were reviewed. For the
    year 2022, out of the 10 applications that
    have been received so far, eight have
    already been granted, one has been
    rejected and the other one has been
    referred to the appropriate ministry,
    department or agency to respond to it.
    Mr Francis-Xavier K. Sosu 10:30 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, a careful look at the response by
    the Hon Minister would show that in
    2020, an average of 22 requests were
    made in every quarter. In 2021, the
    figures show that an average of 32
    requests were made in each quarter. The
    first quarter of 2022 is about ending but
    so far 10 requests have been received. Mr
    Speaker, this shows that there is some
    reduction in activism or requests to the
    RTI Commission.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to know
    from the Hon Minister if he could tell us
    what accounts for this reduction
    considering the year-on-year comparison.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the history of RTI implementation in
    other jurisdictions shows that in the very
    first year there are attempts to test the
    system. So, in the very year, there is often
    a very high number of applications but
    sometimes this would dwindle over the
    period. This may explain why in the very
    first quarter of implementation there was
    such high requests.

    Mr Speaker, but I agree with my Hon

    Colleague on the other Side that for all the amount of money that have been spent, the hours of Executive and Parliamentary

    Oral Answers to Questions

    time spent in legislating on the RTI, it is a bit disappointing that even in subsequent years, these are very few number of requests that have come through. On our part, we concede that we need to do a lot of public education and advocacy to get a lot more people aware that the RTI Act is in full operation and can be accessed. The RTI Commission is charged by law to lead the public education. We have had cause to draw their attention to the fact that they also need to step up on their public education so that a lot more awareness is created.

    But, Mr Speaker, may I take advantage of the opportunity here to also reach out to the entire country, particularly, the academic community-A lot of our young people have complained about difficulties in getting access to information when preparing their dissertations, et cetera, because a lot of institutions sometimes operate as though they are doing a favour. The RTI Act gives a legal cover for one to apply for information from public institution for purposes of academic exercises and dissertations. So may I take advantage of this to also reach out, particularly, to the academic community to make use of the Act to apply for information from public institutions.

    Also, to our colleagues in the media,

    we want to encourage a lot more use of the RTI Act and a lot less resort to speculation and hearsay. The RTI Act as well grounds a person to, by law, get access to information for purposes of media work. So while conceding that the

    numbers have not been very exciting as compared to all the time and money we have spent on passing the RTI Act, may I encourage various stakeholders to employ the Act to access information.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Ms Abla D. Gomashie 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would like to ask, out of curiosity, what
    the interest areas have been based on the
    data that the Hon Minister has shared
    with us.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    I have a bit of data on that to share with
    my Colleague, the Hon Member on the
    other Side.
    Mr Speaker, in 2020 for example, 24
    of the requests that we received focused
    on the economic sector or on the
    economy-Ministries, Departments and
    Agencies associated with the economy.
    22 of them were on public safety; 21 of
    them were on the social services sector;
    10 of them on the administrative sector
    that is the Attorney-General's
    Department, Ministry of Information and
    the other administrative sectors, and eight
    of them were focused on the infrastruc-
    ture sector, that is roads and related
    sectors.
    Mr Speaker, in 2021, 51 of the
    requests were focused on the economy or

    Oral Answers to Questions

    the Ministries, Departments and Agencies

    associated with the economy. So we have

    the Ministry of Finance, Trade and

    Industry, Ministry of Energy, and those

    related Ministries. 29 of them were

    focused on the infrastructure sector; 27 of

    them on the administrative sector, and 19

    of them on the social services sector.

    Mr Speaker, as I mentioned, we are

    just around the first quarter of 2022 so we

    would do well to share the data by the

    time I appear before the House to present

    that formal information.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Ramadan 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Hon Minister what the average response time is. I am asking this because there seem to be a delay with a lot of responses. Fourth Estate for instance, requested a piece of information from the Ministry of Local Government in September 2021. They have done a follow-up and they are yet to receive any response. Also, in August of 2020, they wrote to the Ministry of Education requesting information on the COVID spraying. After a year, they got a response that that information would be with the Presidency. They did a follow up to the Presidency and the Presidency came back after a whole year again saying that that information would be with the Ghana Education Service. So, I would want to find out what the average
    response time is for people who make requests for information.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    in accordance with the Act, there are timelines for various types of information request. Information that does not border on security and personal security of individuals, for example, is supposed to be provided within 14 days or a response to it is supposed to be made available in 14 days and that response would communicate, for example, the charge associated with it and the form through which that information would be made available. On other kinds of information that are of a pressing nature, there is a 48 hour window on it.
    Mr Speaker, to the best of my
    knowledge, these timelines have as much as possible been complied with. The law envisages that it is possible that the information officer in a particular institution may not respond in time and may not alert us that he or she has not responded in time. So the law has made room that when the timelines are missed, the applicant ought to consider it as having been denied and trigger the appeal process thereon to ensure that it is delivered within time.
    The specific example that my Hon
    Colleague cited, I would have to acquaint myself with it but my word out there would be that if the timelines are missed,

    Oral Answers to Questions

    the law requires a person to consider it as information that has been denied and if the applicant is not satisfied with it, he should quickly appeal to the head of institution. If the applicant is not satisfied with that within the timelines, he should appeal to the RTI Commission.

    Mr Speaker, the Commission has

    shown a lot of resilience in taking some very firm and tough decisions against Ministries, Departments and Agencies that have not complied and I would like to commend the Executive-Secretary and the Board of the Commission for showing fidelity with the Act.

    So, I want to encourage any person

    who has reason to feel that timelines have been delayed should take advantage of the provision of the Act that says that it should be considered as denied and appeal to the head of institution or the Commission to get redress immediately.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Kwame G. Agbodza 10:50 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, we thank you for the oppor- tunity and we thank our Hon Colleague for coming to brief us.
    Mr Speaker, just a request to the
    Minister. Now that people are finding it difficult to know who to address, can we just develop a one-paged template, which would clearly state the right person to address, maybe leave a place for the date and other things so that some of the
    questions would require the ticking of boxes and maybe put it online and in information offices of the district assemblies. So that it lessens the thinking of the ordinary person on what to put on the letter. I think that would also help people in my constituency a lot. Would he consider that, Mr Speaker?
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    I would want to inform my Hon Colleague that not only have we considered that. We have actually implemented that. So, at every public institution, there is a template for applying for information, which simplifies the request that is being made in accordance with the requirement of the Act and we encourage applicants to, as much as possible, adopt that template so that it makes it very easy for them. That same template has also been made available online. I would, perhaps, share with the Table Office, the URL so that those who intend to apply online could do so.
    Mr Speaker, we are also in the process,
    through the Access to Information Division of the Information Services Department, of rolling out an online records management system which then allows the websites of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to have a tab for requesting for information. This can be filled out online and then sent directly to the RTI officer at the Ministry, Department or Agency to respond to it. These are some of the measures we are

    Oral Answers to Questions

    taking to make it easier for people to apply for information.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Isaac A. Odamtten 10:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    I would want to ask the Hon Minister for
    Information what the reasoning is for the
    rejection, given the fact that the Media
    Foundation for West Africa has indicated
    clearly that the reason for less
    information being requested is the
    punitive fees being charged.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    first of all, it would be incorrect to say
    that the reason for less information being
    requested is the punitive fees being
    charged. This is because as I have
    explained to the House, majority of the
    grants that have been done have been on
    gratis basis, and at no cost to the
    applicant. A good number of them have//
    been between about GH₵1 or GH₵2 per page for the reproduction.

    Admittedly, there has been one or two

    instances where some high figures were

    proposed by the agencies and the

    applicants quickly resorted to the RTI

    Commission, and it ruled that those

    figures were a bit high and recommended

    the right figures. There is no data to

    suggest that people are not applying

    because of the fee or the GH₵1 or GH₵2.00 or because of that isolated incident.

    Mr Speaker, secondly, the data

    available which I have shared with this

    House shows that there have been grants

    than rejections. As I mentioned, in 2020,

    20 grants against six rejections, and in

    subsequent years, there were similar data.

    There were 95 grants in 2021 as against

    seven rejections. In 2022, so far, there

    have been eight grants against one

    rejection. Again, the data does not

    support the claim that there are a lot of

    rejections or that majority of the

    applications are being rejected. It may

    lead somebody to say that, maybe-Even

    though my Hon Colleague did not say

    that, it may be a reason for which people

    may not apply.

    Mr Speaker, we would concede that a lot more public education needs to take place by the Commission, by the Access to Information Division of the Informa- tion Services Department, and by the Communications Committee so that all the money we have spent on passing RTI, all the Executive and Legislative hours we have spent on debating it clause by clause, all the 17 years it went through, not only 223 requests should be received, but a lot more people will take advantage of it. I have already mentioned that we encourage journalists, persons in academia to, as much as possible, take advantage of this Act to apply for information.

    Oral Answers to Questions
    Mr Samuel O. Ablakwa 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, can the Hon Minister share with this House some data on the breakdown of rejection? Do we have a situation where majority of the rejections are on national security grounds, because some analysts have raised concerns about the national security window being used to reject requests from the general public? So we would want to know about the reasons given for the rejections.
    Mr Oppong-Nkrumah 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    before you here and now, I do not have that but that is information that is available to the Access to Information Division of the ISD and we can furnish the House with it. Just to reiterate that there has been an overwhelming grant of the requests that come in. It is just in few cases that rejections have taken place but I will do well to furnish the Table Office with the deep dive of the reasons of the very few rejections that have taken place so far.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Very well.
    Hon Minister, you have only one
    Question for today. We thank you for attending upon the House to answer the Question. You are discharged.
    Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    guess we can now go on to the Urgent Question. There are other two ordinary Questions to be answered by the same Minister so we start with the Urgent Question.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we
    can start with the Urgent Question because that one does not need the Answer to be advertised in the Order Paper but with the ordinary Questions, the Answers are in the Order Paper. So, I think as we deal with the Urgent Question, there should be an Order Paper Addendum with the Answers for the regular Questions.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Yes, Hon
    Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Develop- ment, please take the appropriate seat.
    Very well, the next Question is in the
    name of the Hon Member for Bibiani- Anhwiaso-Bekwai. Hon Member, you may please ask your Question.
    URGENT QUESTIONS 11 a.m.
    MINISTRY OF LOCAL 11 a.m.
    GOVERNMENT, 11 a.m.
    DECENTRALISATION AND RURAL 11 a.m.
    DEVELOPMENT 11 a.m.
    Mr Alfred Obeng 11 a.m.
    None

    Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai): Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development when the Bibiani- Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipal Assembly will conduct election to elect a Presiding Member as the Assembly does not have a Presiding Member since January 2020.

    Urgent Questions

    Minister for Local Government,

    Decentralisation and Rural Develop-

    ment (Mr Dan Botwe): Mr Speaker, the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipal

    Assembly has been without a Presiding

    Member since January 2020 when

    Assemblies were inaugurated. This is as a

    result of a pending court decision on a

    writ filed by an Assembly Member.

    Mr Speaker, sub-sections 4 to 6 of

    Section 9 of the Model Standing Orders

    on the Election of Presiding Member of

    Assembly indicate that if a candidate fails

    to obtain two-thirds of all votes of

    members of the Assembly on two

    consecutive run-offs, held within ten days

    after the first run-off, the two candidates

    shall step aside for fresh nominations.

    The Assembly Member who failed to

    garner two-thirds of the votes, refused to

    be barred from running again for the

    position of Presiding Member for

    Bibiani-Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipal

    Assembly. He, therefore, proceeded to

    file a suit at the Sefwi-Wiawso High

    Court on the grounds that the Bibiani-

    Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipal Assembly

    has not expressly adopted the Model

    Standing Orders for District, Municipal

    and Metropolitan Assemblies (Gazetted

    on 12th July, 2019). He further went

    ahead to file an interlocutory injunction

    restraining the Coordinating Director and

    the Electoral Commission from

    convening any further meetings for the

    purposes of electing a Presiding Member.

    Following the lapse of the tenure of

    Presiding Members across the country in

    February 2022, a stakeholder meeting

    comprising Assembly Members, Heads

    of Departments and Chiefs in the area

    was convened to discuss the way forward.

    This culminated in the injunction being

    set aside by the Court to enable the

    Electoral Commission conduct elections.

    The Assembly has scheduled 29th March,

    2022, for the election of a Presiding

    Member.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Yes Hon
    Member, you may ask your follow-up
    question.
    Mr Obeng-Boateng 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would want to ascertain from the Hon
    Minister what measures the Ministry has
    put in place or will put in place to ensure
    that the people of Bibiani-Anhwiaso-
    Bekwai Municipality catch-up with other
    municipalities after being starved of
    development for almost 27 months now.
    Mr Botwe 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, as stated in
    the Answer to the Question, fortunately,
    the stakeholders have met and now, the
    Court has set aside the earlier injunction
    so it is now clear. I will therefore follow
    the process as enshrined in the Model
    Standing Orders. By what the Coordina-
    ting Director of the Municipal Assembly
    has communicated to us, on the 29th of
    March, 2022, Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai
    Municipal Assembly should be able to
    elect a Presiding Member.

    Urgent Questions
    Mr Obeng-Boateng 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is all.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Very well.
    Hon Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, there are two more Questions to be answered by you. Since the Order Paper Addendum has been distributed, we can go on to that so that you do not leave the chair and come back.
    Hon Members, has everybody got a copy of the Order Paper Addendum?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes we have.
    11. 10 a. m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Very well.
    In that case, we would move on to the
    Question numbered 970, which stands in
    the name of the Hon Member for
    Bole/Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana.
    Completion of Savannah Regional
    Offices
    Mr Yusif Sulemana (NDC -
    Bole/Bamboi): Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the
    Hon Minister for Local Government,
    Decentralisation and Rural Development
    when the Savannah Regional Offices of the
    Coordinating Council, Education, Health and
    Agriculture will be completed.
    Mr Botwe 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, in November
    2019, work commenced on the 3-Storey
    Savannah Regional Coordinating Council
    (RCC) administration block at Damongo, and
    three two-storey administration blocks, each
    for the Regional Directorate for Education,
    Health and Agriculture located at Damongo,
    Daboya and Bole respectively.
    A report from the supervising consultants,
    Architectural and Engineering Services
    Limited (AESL) dated 9th March, 2022,
    indicates that the Savannah Regional
    Coordinating Council (RCC) administration
    block is 93 per cent complete, and this was
    verified by officials from the Ministry and the
    RCCs during a field visit undertaken from 2nd
    to 3rd March, 2022. With work progressing
    steadily, it is expected that internal and
    external finishing works would be completed
    and handed over by 30th June, 2022, to serve
    its intended purpose. The status of works of
    the Regional Directorates of Education,
    Health and Agriculture is as follows:
    Construction and completion of two-
    storey administration block for Regional
    Director of Ghana Education Service at
    Damongo is 18 per cent complete.
    Construction and completion of two-
    storey administration for Regional
    Directorate of Health at Daboya is 79 per
    cent complete.
    Construction and completion of two-
    storey administration block for Regional
    Directorate of Agriculture at Bole is 60 per
    cent complete, however, progress of work has

    Urgent Questions

    been negatively impacted by the COVID-19

    pandemic as well as irregular flow of funds.

    Annex one provides a picture of works

    that have been taken out.

    Mr Speaker, works on all the projects are

    progressing steadily. It is envisaged that the

    two-storey administration block for Regional

    Directorates of Ghana Education Service in

    Damongo and the Regional Directorate of

    Health in Daboya would be completed by 30th

    June, 2022. However, the Ministry in

    consultation with AESL is to review the

    status of work to expedite completion of the

    two-storey administration block for the

    Regional Directorate of Agriculture at Bole.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just
    have to take it like that. A portion of all that
    the Hon Minister said is not even captured on
    the Order Paper, and I think that we would
    need to address the issue because it is not
    healthy. However, my supplementary
    question is that in the case of the agricultural
    office in Bole, as part of my duties as the Hon
    Member of Parliament for that area, I have
    visited that structure quite a number of times
    and I have identified very huge cracks in that
    particular building. I have discussed it with
    the Regional Minister and he admitted it. I
    would want to find out from the Hon Minister
    whether he would consider terminating that
    project. This is because in my opinion, even
    though I am a lay man, it is a shoddy work
    that is being done there. Would the Hon
    Minister consider terminating the Project?
    Mr Botwe 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, as stated in my
    Answer, we have the supervising consultants;
    Architecture and Engineering Service
    Limited, (AESL), and they do present
    periodic reports on the projects that they are
    supervising. This has not come to my
    attention, and I have not read it in the reports
    that they present, but with this information,
    we would refer it to the consultants for them
    to address this particular problem that the
    Hon Member is raising.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would want to know from the Hon Minister
    how much it would cost the State to complete
    the agricultural office in Bole.
    Mr Botwe 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the cost of all
    projects before they commence are
    advertised. The people who tender for it and
    the costs of the projects are known as they
    were tendered when people bought the forms
    to apply for it. So, it is an information that can
    be supplied to the Hon Member once he
    contacts the RCC, who have immediate
    supervisory role over the projects in the
    Region. If he also wants the Ministry to give
    him that information too, we can do that
    because the cost of all projects undertaken by
    Government are advertised, and are known,
    so he can easily get it.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Minister is asking me to go to the RCC
    for the cost of the structure. I thought that this
    was the right platform and place to ask for
    this information, so I am surprised.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Hon Member,
    our rule is that when information is already
    available in the public domain, if you ask it
    as a regular Question, it would not have been
    admitted. So, it is the same thing; it is not
    admissible if the information is available.
    Kindly ask another question.

    Urgent Questions
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I agree
    with you, but I do know that figures that are
    advertised are not the figures that are usually
    awarded so if the Hon Minister tells me that
    because they were advertised I should take
    that figure as the cost of the structure, then I
    beg to differ. It is the advertised figures that
    are available, and not the awarding figure.
    There is a difference. Sometimes we can
    advertise with a figure but by the time that we
    are done with the procurement process, the
    figure changes.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    The award
    would be made by the regional coordinating
    council, so that information would be
    available at the Regional Coordinating
    Council. You are entitled to ask for it from
    there. If you have another question on the
    same one, you may kindly ask it or I would
    move on to your next Question.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would want to find out from the Hon Minister
    the procurement method that was used in the
    case of the Bole Agricultural Office.
    Mr Botwe 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I stand here to
    answer these questions as the Hon Minister
    for Local Government, Decentralisation and
    Rural Development. The Ministry has not
    awarded any contract to that contractor, so I
    am unable to tell the Hon Member the
    procedure.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Hon Member,
    you are done with your three supplementary
    questions.
    Very well.
    The Hon Minority Deputy Whip wanted
    to ask a question on that one.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Committee of Local Government and Rural
    Development paid a working visit to all the
    newly created six regions last year and at that
    time, that of the Western-North Region,
    which was given to a Chinese contractor had
    been completed with the exception of five
    other regions which were given to local
    contractors, which have not yet been
    completed. I would want to know whether
    that of the Western-North Region had been
    completed last year, and whether that of the
    five regions which were given to local
    contractors are still nearing completion in
    2022. I would want to know from the Hon
    Minister, what account for the delays in the
    five other regions with the exception of the
    one that has been done by a foreign
    contractor. Is there any funding challenges?
    We would want to know.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    Hon Leader,
    the question was in respect of Savannah
    Regional Offices. So, if you do not have any
    question on Savannah Region, you may file
    your own Question in respect of the other
    regions. This question is not a fall over from
    Savannah.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    question is to know what accounts for the
    delays in the completion of the Savannah
    Regional projects.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
    The Hon
    Minister has answered them. You
    probably were not paying attention

    Urgent Questions

    because he actually enumerated the

    challenges.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member for Bodi, you are welcome. I
    will recognise you.
    Mr Sampson Ahi 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would want to find out from the Hon
    Minister -—
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    I have
    given the floor to —
    Mr Ahi 11:20 p.m.
    Have you not called me?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Not yet. I
    just recognised you. You are welcome
    back from the Economic Community of
    West African States (ECOWAS) Parlia-
    ment.
    Mr Andrew D. Chiwitey 11:20 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would want to find out from
    the Hon Minister whether the regional
    agriculture office in Bole/Bamboi
    includes connecting electricity to the
    project site. Mr Speaker, the community
    where the project is sited has no
    electricity so, I would want to find out — I do not want a situation where the project
    would be completed, and then we would
    now have a hurdle of getting electricity to
    the project site. Hence, I would want to
    find out —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, you can find out from the RCC
    all that is involved.
    Mr Chiwitey 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon
    Minister in charge of the sector should be
    able to tell us whether the project covers
    that.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, if you paid attention, the Hon
    Minister said that at the time the award
    was made, it was not the Minister for
    Local Government, Decentralisation and
    Rural Development who was responsible.
    Therefore, if you ask him to go back to
    his old Ministry, which has ceased to
    exist — [Laughter].
    Hon Member for Bodi, you may now
    ask your question.
    Mr Samson Ahi 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in one
    of the responses by the Hon Minister, he
    said that the Ministry of Local
    Government, Decentralisation and Rural
    Development was not responsible for
    awarding the construction of those
    regional offices. The Hon Minister is
    aware that the Ministry that awarded
    those projects was under him and now it
    has been joined to his current Ministry,
    Ministry of Local Government, Decentra-
    lisation and Rural Development.
    At that time, it was the Ministry for
    Regional Reorganisation and Develop-
    ment that awarded those contracts which

    Urgent Questions

    has now been joined to the Ministry of

    Local Government, Decentralisation and

    Rural Development so, how can he tell us

    his Ministry did not award those

    contracts?
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me place
    on record that we are prepared to supply
    any information that Hon Members, and
    for that matter, anybody wants to know
    about projects and the works of the
    erstwhile Ministry of Regional Re-
    organisation and Development. It is also
    important to note that when you are
    acting in an official capacity, you cannot
    pretend that as you are the Minister for
    Local Government, Decentralisation and
    Rural Development and because you
    have been a Minister for Youth and
    Sports before, you can go ahead and
    answer any question that is asked about
    sports.
    As I said, if there is any specific
    information that Hon Members want
    about those projects that were awarded,
    and any development that took place
    during the time of the Ministry of
    Regional Reorganisation and Develop-
    ment, when those questions are asked, we
    will prepare and come and answer them.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member for Bole Bamboi, kindly ask
    Question 971
    Seed money for Savannah Region
    and how it was utilised
    Mr Yusif Sulemana (NDC —
    Bole/Bamboi): Mr Speaker, I rise to ask the
    Minister for Local Government, Decen-
    tralisation and Rural Development how much
    seed money was given to the newly-created
    Savannah Region and how the money was
    utilised.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, upon the
    successful creation of six additional regions in 2018, the then Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Develop- ment (MORRD) made a provision of twenty million Ghana cedis (GH₵20 million) as seed money under capital expenditure in its 2019 budget for execution of projects in the Savannah Region for the smooth operations of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC). Of this amount, the Ministry expended GH₵2,000,200 in 2019 on the procurement of vehicles and office equipment for the operations of the Savannah RCC as of 31st December,
    2019.
    In addition, the Ministry, in sub-
    sequent years, made provisions in its annual budgets, and has to date spent GH₵24,443,337.57 on the construction of offices for the Regional Administra- tion and Decentralised Departments, as well as the procurement of office equipment and other logistics for the operations of the Savannah Region.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Minister said that GH₵2.2 million was expended in 2019, and part of it was used to procure vehicles. I would want to

    Urgent Questions

    find out from him whether he is aware that one of the pick-ups that was purchased got lost.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the then
    Savannah Regional Minister reported that incident to the Police and my office at that time. I am aware of that.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Minister said he is aware that one of
    the pick-ups for the Savannah Region got
    lost. I would want to find out from him
    what he has done so far to recover this
    vehicle.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as I indicated
    in my answer, the RCC of Savannah
    reported the matter to the Police, and so,
    it is between the RCC of Savannah and
    the Police. As of now, I do not have any
    information on the progress of the work
    of the Police in that matter. If the Hon
    Member had indicated that he wanted to
    know about that, I would have asked the
    current Minister for the Savannah Region
    to brief me on that.
    I also expected that the Hon Member,
    being a very active MP in the Region,
    could have easily got this information
    from the Regional Minister in Damongo
    or the Police about the progress of work.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Minister keeps saying that I could
    contact the Regional Minister for
    information. It is not for him to decide
    where I go for my information. That
    should be on record. When he was the
    Minister for Regional Reorganisation and
    Development a vehicle got lost and it was
    reported to him. Three years down the
    line, he, as the Minister for Local
    Government, Decentralisation and Rural
    Development, says if I want information
    about it, I should go to the RCC. He is the
    Minister responsible for that Ministry.
    Can he tell us about the whereabouts of
    the vehicle?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, do you know the whereabouts
    of the vehicle?
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as Minister
    for Local Government, Decentralisation
    and Rural Development, I have not
    received any report of a missing pick-up.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    am very confused. Mr Speaker, the Hon
    Minister said that the Regional Minister
    reported to him when he was the Minister
    for Regional Reorganisation and
    Development. At the same time, he says
    that he has not received any report. Can
    he please reconcile this? On one hand he
    says the issue was reported to him; on the
    other hand, he says he does not have any
    report so, which is which?
    11. 30 a. m.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have tried to
    draw attention to the Hon Member that
    much as we are prepared to explain any

    Urgent Questions

    matter that we have knowledge of, the

    confusion arises when he says that as

    Minister for Local Government, it was

    reported to you that a pick-up is missing,

    and for the past three years, I have not

    done anything about it. And I am saying

    that as Minister for Local Government,

    no report has been made to me.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    In effect
    are you saying that when the vehicle got
    missing, you were not the Minister for
    Local Government.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was a
    Minister for Regional Re-organisation
    and Development. At that time, it was
    reported to me and I contacted the
    Regional Minister and a report was made
    to RCC. So, yes, when I was the Minister
    for Regional Re-organisation, the report
    was to me but the Hon Member says that
    as the Minister for Local Government and
    Decentralisation, a report was made to
    me, it is not correct.
    The report was made when I was
    Minister Regional Re-organisation and
    Development. And we contacted the RCC
    and they reported to the Regional Police
    Command. So that one, any further
    information on that, the RCC should be in
    a better position to explain that.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Very well,
    on the Order Paper Addendum, there is a
    Question which was not advertised in the
    original Order Paper so I jumped it. The
    Question numbered 910 is in the name of
    the Hon Member for Kpando, Mrs Della
    Sowah.
    Hon Member, you may ask your
    Question now.
    The basis for naming streets in
    Kpando Municipality as Bean Street
    and Parsnip Road instead of names
    like Agbodza Street, Ablenyi Road
    and Tagboto Close.
    Mrs Della Sowah (Kpando) 11:20 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister
    for Local Government, Decentralisation
    and Rural Development, the basis for
    naming streets in Kpando Municipality as
    Bean Street and Parsnip Road instead of
    names like Agbodza Streets, Ableny:
    Road and Tagboto Close.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Street
    Naming and Property Addressing Policy,
    stipulates that Street Naming and
    Property Addressing is an exercise which
    makes it possible to identify the location
    of a parcel of land, public places or
    dwellings on the ground, based on a
    system of names and numbers. It is
    important to note that the development of
    a street naming and property addressing
    is not a one-off activity but a process that
    is continuously expanded and refined
    over time.
    Mr Speaker, the Nationwide Digital
    Property Addressing System commenced

    Urgent Questions

    in earnest in 2017 and Assemblies were

    expected to submit names of streets and

    properties by 31st May, 2021. Some

    Assemblies were unable to submit their

    data by the timeline set. As a result, the

    National Digital Property Addressing

    Secretariat generated provisional street

    names to meet the project timelines.

    Metropolitan, Municipal and District

    Assemblies (MMDAs) have been tasked

    to adhere to Chapter 2, Section 21.5, of

    the Street Naming and Property

    Addressing Guidelines which stipulates,

    in the case of existing streets with no

    names, the respective Department of

    Physical Planning shall, in consultation

    with the relevant traditional authorities

    and community leaders (or relevant major

    stakeholders), select a street name in

    accordance with the requirements set out

    in Section 2.1.1 of the Guidelines.

    Kpando Municipal Assembly was

    among the Assemblies that delayed in the

    submission of the approved street names

    for collation into the National Database.

    Accordingly, the National Digital

    Property Addressing Secretariat,

    generated provisional street names to

    enable the project to meet the expected

    timelines.

    In line, therefore, with the Street

    Naming and Property Addressing Guide-

    lines, stakeholder consultative meetings

    have subsequently been held by the

    Kpando Municipal Assembly to agree on

    street names to be forwarded to the

    Secretariat by end of March 2022 for the

    necessary action to be taken.
    Mrs Sowah 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, granted, the
    Minister says the names were provisional,
    however, could they not have generated
    local names? Parsnip, for example is not
    a vegetable eaten by the people of the
    Volta Region, could they not have used
    names like ademe, etin — names that are familiar with the diet of the people of the
    Volta Region rather than foreign diets?
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as stated in
    the guidelines of the Digital Property
    Street Naming Policy, the Assembly, and
    for that matter, Kpando Municipal
    Assembly, should have had consultative
    meetings with the stakeholders including
    Traditional Leaders to generate these
    names. It is not late for them to do that; as
    I have said, they are supposed to have a
    stakeholder consultative meeting and
    they have agreed that by the end of March
    2022, they would be able to replace some
    of these names that they are not
    comfortable with.
    Mrs Sowah 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just want
    to say that if the National Digital Property
    Street Naming Secretariat is generating
    temporary names, they should generate
    local names because I realise that the
    names are names of foods and vegetables.
    We have local vegetables and local diets;
    we have wakye and we have kokonte, can
    we not generate such names as temporary

    Urgent Questions

    names rather than the foreign rice, bean,

    parsnip, et cetera.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Yes, Hon
    Minister, that is her suggestion.
    Mr Botwe 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do agree
    that they could do that but at times, there
    is some sensitivity that has to be well
    addressed. That is, the proper thing to do
    is for the Assembly to meet the
    Traditional Leaders and other stake-
    holders so that they get their appropriate
    names.
    There are some streets, when you use
    somebody's name, they would tell you
    that this Chief did not live in this area.
    And even though the name might not be
    referring to a particular known person
    that they want to honour, the National
    Secretariat may not want to delve into
    applying some of these local names. But
    when they use some of these generic ones
    that are foreign ones as a temporary
    measure, then, the Assembly should meet
    and say that they are naming this street
    after Agbodza or Ablenyi Road and
    Tagboto Close. And for Kpando, for
    example, I know a particular Sowah, a
    very known, respectable, learned
    gentleman. I would have loved that his
    name is used in Kpando but I am saying
    that I would encourage the Hon Member
    who is a member of the Municipal
    Assembly to get the Assembly to meet the
    deadline that they themselves have
    proposed as March 2022 to meet and
    discuss this thing to find the appropriate
    names for the street naming. In so doing,
    I would also make a contribution for a
    Sowah Street in Kpando.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, are you done?
    Mrs Sowah 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:20 p.m.
    Very well,
    I will move on.
    Hon Members, the Question numbered
    919 —
    Hon Minister for Local Government,
    Decentralisation and Rural Development,
    we thank you for attending upon the
    House to answer Questions. You are
    discharged.
    The next set of Questions are to be
    answered by the Hon Minister for
    Environment, Science, Technology and
    Innovation.
    Hon Members, the Question numbered
    919 which stands in the name of the Hon
    Member for Amenfi West, the Hon Eric
    Afful.

    Urgent Questions
    MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, 11:20 p.m.
    SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND 11:20 p.m.
    INNOVATION 11:20 p.m.
    Mr Eric Afful (Amenfi West) 11:40 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister
    for Environment, Science, Technology
    and Innovation, what stimulus packages
    have been earmarked to motivate
    individuals and companies which are into
    collection, marketing and recycling of
    plastic, metal and canned waste as these
    reduce the cost of removing waste in
    Ghana.

    Minister for Environment, Science,

    Technology and Innovation (Dr

    Kwaku Afriyie): Mr Speaker, the

    Ministry currently does not have any

    defined or clear-cut stimulus packages for

    actors within the plastic waste value chain

    (i.e. collectors, producers, and recyclers)

    because current financial models are

    inadequate. However, the Ministry

    through various programmes and inter-

    venetions has provided support to the

    actors. For instance, in September 2021,

    MESTI in partnership with Nestlé Ghana

    Limited presented 20 new tricycles, 1,060

    gloves, 60 waste picking tools, and

    overalls with reflectors to Pure Water

    Waste Collectors Association (PWWCA)

    to enhance their activities. So far, the

    partnership has supported the association

    with over 40 tricycles since its inception

    in 2019.

    Part of the Plastic Waste Recycling

    Fund (Customs and Excise Act 863,

    2013) has been earmarked to support

    individuals and companies who are into

    the collection, marketing, and recycling

    of plastic waste through Pilot Projects

    within selected Municipal Assemblies.

    The Pilots would be designed within the

    circular economy approach where private

    sector players (collectors and recyclers)

    are expected to partner with Municipal

    Assemblies in dealing with plastic waste.

    Indeed, they are doing so now.

    Mr Speaker, to solve the packaging

    waste and pollution crisis, a compre-

    hensive circular economy approach is

    required. With an overarching govern-

    ment strategy in the form of the National

    Plastics Management Policy approved by

    Cabinet and yet to be launched, the Policy

    would be accompanied by an Extended

    Producer Responsibility (EPR) Scheme.

    Extended Producer Responsibility

    (EPR) is the only proven and likely way

    to provide funding that is dedicated,

    ongoing, and sufficient for projects such

    as these. But the collection, sorting, and

    recycling of packaging typically costs

    Urgent Questions

    more to do than the money it makes. So,

    there is a public good element and we

    acknowledge that we have to use public

    funds to aid this endeavour. Without such

    funding mechanisms, it is unlikely that

    packaging collection and recycling would

    scale to the extent required.

    The Government currently maintains

    that the top priority is identifying and

    tailoring an EPR system that is best suited

    to Ghana. The dialogue process has

    started through National Plastic Action

    Partnership and other channels ensuring

    stakeholder involvement.

    MESTI is considering policy options

    that consider innovative ways of

    integrating the informal waste sector into

    the entire set-up of the mechanism

    without compromising livelihoods for the

    thousands of operators employed in the

    sector. At this stage, the whole recycling

    process is an informal driven sector.

    Mr Speaker, the Ministry is currently

    engaging all stakeholders within the

    sector (producers, manufacturers,

    collectors, and recyclers) on the

    following:

    a) Identify the legislation that could be enacted against indiscriminate

    disposal of plastics without

    disruptting the activities of the

    private sector.

    b) Gain first-hand information on the challenges affecting plastic waste collectors and recyclers and all others within the value chain.

    Mr Speaker, I am happy to announce that in recent weeks, I have gone round through the value chain to make this assessment.

    c) Find solutions to deal with plastics, especially single-use plastics, and plastics under 20microns. The under 20microns plastics are the ones that fly all over the place.

    d) Bring the Private sector on board and look for avenues where Government could help firms who are into recycling access sustainable financing to expand their operations

    e) Discuss ways of engaging the impoverished, mostly female, and the community of waste pickers.

    Last week, I was at the dumpsite at Kpone and I was mortified to realise that over 70 per cent of those pickers and handlers are mostly female. That area has to be looked at carefully. I will consult the acting Hon Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection so that we can find ways to help those women.

    f) Discuss the possibility of establishing a circular economy

    framework for plastics.

    Urgent Questions

    g) Identify ways of adopting an extended producer responsibility

    (EPR) scheme & financial

    sustainability strategy.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Afful 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank the
    Hon Minister for an elaborate Answer.
    Mr Speaker, with your permission, I
    beg to quote the first paragraph of the
    Hon Minister's Answer which says:
    “The Ministry currently does not have any defined or clear-cut
    stimulus packages for actors
    within the plastic waste value
    chain…”
    So, I would like to ask him whether
    they have any plan to give these packages
    to companies and individuals.
    Dr Afriyie 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Answer I
    provided indicated the elements of
    actions that could be done to help them.
    That is why I said that we are looking at
    legislation and programmes to augment
    — In fact, the whole of the recycling, process happily, is in the domain of the
    private sector. In line with our philosophy
    and thinking, the Government does not
    intend to compete with them but there are
    certain gaps where because of the
    economic model, they are not interested
    in and I am referring specifically to the
    single used plastics and the under
    20microns; the thin plastics. In the
    northern part of the country, they fly all
    over the place but in the southern belt
    because of the forest cover, they are not
    appreciated. These plastics are mostly
    single used plastics and under 20microns,
    the very thin ones. Those are the areas
    that the model does not make it
    economical for the private sector to
    collect.

    Mr Speaker, if we address our minds

    to plastics such as the ones we call Kufour

    gallons; the gye nyame plastics, — I know Amenfi West very well and in towns like

    Fordjourkrom, for example, people fight

    over the waste so that they could sell them

    to the recyclers. So, that is not a big

    problem. A lot of recycling is going on

    but we are doing models on the under 20

    microns and we would help the private

    sector to be able to pick it by retooling the

    economic model so that it makes financial

    sense for them to pick it up.

    However, in the final analysis, if they

    do not pick it up, we will come with a

    system that will make it viable for public

    money to be invested in it so that the last

    dregs of plastics are collected.
    Mr Afful 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to
    find out from the Hon Minister if he has
    ever engaged these companies and

    Urgent Questions

    individuals in his programmes since he

    took office.
    Dr Afriyie 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I missed the
    last sentence. [Interruption] Yes, I gave
    an illustration that, last week, I engaged
    them when I went to Ashaiman in the
    house of the young man who recycles
    plastics into good use and has built a
    structure with it and it looks so nice. I do
    not want to promote any company but
    there is a company called Eco or so on the
    Spintex road or Ashaiman road - They use plastics to manufacture roofing tiles.
    In fact, they incorporate 30 per cent
    melted plastics with river sand and it has
    better thermal properties than the one we
    use. I will recommend that we use them
    in all our projects — Please, with the Common Fund for Hon Members, we
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon
    Minister, how much is your Common
    Fund and how many roofing sheets can it
    buy?
    Dr Afriyie 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, if you have a
    school building which has been ripped
    off, I notice that, sometimes, Primary 6
    buildings get ripped off and if you are
    doing restitution, as far as roofing is
    concerned, I would recommend that and
    if you see me, I would intervene with the
    - I had a word with them and they said that they would give a rebate.
    So, we should give that industry
    money so that they would have a reason
    to continue in that regard. I am
    advocating that even Government - I would soon table a Paper that
    Government projects will consciously
    promote recycling because we are using a
    circular economy.
    Mr Speaker, I can tell you that one
    aspect that I did not answer is that the
    used cans of tomatoes and sardines - you can take my word for it and go to the
    refuse dumps; you can hardly find them.
    Things are happening around us that we
    do not notice. The used cans of tomatoes
    cannot be found at any place because they
    are in high demand due to what is
    happening.
    Due to the high cost of these base
    metals on the national market, when you
    dispose your used canned milk, they
    collect them and even in the villages, they
    cannot be found.
    So, a lot of recycling is going on, even
    with wood products, and that is what we
    mean by a Circular economy. We are here
    to use policy and Government funds to
    aid in that process so that Ghana can be
    — Already, we are a country in West Africa where a secular economy has
    taken off but Ghanaians are largely
    unaware.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon
    Member for — Dr Agyeman-Rawlings?

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    I always forget the name of your

    constituency.
    An Hon Member 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank
    you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon
    Member, I said Dr Agyeman-Rawlings.
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings 11:50 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to ask the Hon
    Minister whether the Ministry has
    considered, as part of legislation, putting
    a levy at the retail level in order to change
    customer behaviour as in other
    jurisdictions where people are given the
    option to pay for a plastic bag or to take a
    paper bag or a reusable bag as opposed to
    continuing down the use of single use
    plastic bag.
    Dr Afriyie 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, it is
    under serious consideration and being
    incorporated into our policy framework.
    However, in line with what I said, we do
    not want to disrupt industry, so we are
    very careful. That is why we are going
    round — As I speak, officials are
    engaging captains of industry — we have
    a public private sector entity in place
    which I co-chair with, for example, the
    CEO of Nestle Ghana Limited, on this
    issue. We want to cause the minimum
    disruption to industry but, yes, I would
    answer that inevitably, there are gaps in
    the legisla-tive landscape.
    Mr Speaker, we realise that legislation
    is a very important and strategic tool to
    get this secular thing as far as recycling of
    materials are concerned. I would like to
    emphasise because industries might be
    listening; we want to do this as quickly as
    possible with minimum disruption. So,
    we are engaging consumers and that
    would be the last act of my visit and I
    intend visiting the large consumers and
    see what would come by way of
    legislation.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon Eric
    Opoku and then Hon Member, you have
    spoken, so if there is no other oppor-
    tunity, I would take three more con-
    tributions before I come back to you.
    Mr Eric Opoku 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the
    Hon Minister's Answer, he indicated to the House that, currently, Ghana is in
    packaging of waste and pollution crisis, a
    situation that demands an urgent solution.
    However, the Hon Minister talks about
    part of the plastic waste recycling fund,
    which has been earmarked to support
    those who are into the collection,
    marketing, and recycling of plastic waste.
    Can the Hon Minister indicate to us
    exactly what amount has been set aside to
    deal with this situation?
    Dr Afriyie 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, at this very
    moment, I cannot indicate to Parliament
    the exact accruals that are going into that
    endeavour. However, suffice to say that

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    the amount is even not sufficient. The law

    has been passed but there is a problem

    with the collection mechanism.

    Currently, if my memory serves me

    right, only 65 out of about 360 items that

    have been identified to fall under that

    category that can be levied for these

    purposes, are in the pipeline. So, it is a job

    evolution and I would like to assure the

    Hon Member that if he files another

    Question asking for the specifics, I would

    hone in on that and come and answer him.
    Mr Richard Acheampong 11:50 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, we all know that Government is
    spending a lot of money in terms of global
    warming due to climate change and so on.
    However, the individual waste collectors
    — the interest of some of them is to extract copper. They pick the waste — if we visit areas around the Korle Lagoon
    and areas in the Odododiodoo Con-
    stituency, they burn these waste materials
    in order to extract the copper and it causes
    environmental pollution and we are all
    going to be affected.
    Mr Speaker, is the Government
    putting in place any measure to control
    the burning of waste in order to extract
    copper to be sold?
    Dr Afriyie noon
    Mr Speaker, I believe that
    I am supposed to answer about three
    Questions and along the line, an Hon
    Member's Question would answer the intervention made. But be it as it may, my
    answer is yes. There are programmes in
    place to stop those people from burning
    the waste. The problem is with
    enforcement and, as I keep saying, the
    Ministry is an offensive midfielder, that
    is, if I may use football terminology. We
    do all the policy actions and legislations
    but we particularly share our mandates
    with the local government structure, so
    they would have to enforce it. Those who
    burn these things do so against the law, so
    if the Hon Member sees it, the Hon
    Member can suo motu take an action but
    suffice to say that as an offensive
    midfielder, if I am in a strategic position
    to score, I would shoot score, as Thomas
    Partey has been doing, but for now, we
    rely on other sector actors to ensure that
    these policies are translated into action.
    Mr Mahama Ayariga noon
    Mr Speaker, Question 919 refers to plastic waste but I keep hearing the Hon Minister make copious reference to electronic waste management. My understanding is that the two issues and the policy issues relating to both are different and there are two different Funds. There is a Plastic Waste Fund, which is collected by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation, and there is the Electronic Waste Fund, which is also collected on behalf of Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, but I did not get the

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    distinction clearly in the Hon Minister's answers.

    Also, I want to find out from the Hon

    Minister —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker noon
    Hon
    Member, you have just one follow-up question, so what is your question?
    Mr Ayariga noon
    Mr Speaker, the initial
    comments are just to draw his attention, so I am now asking the question. Mr Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Minister if he is implementing the biodegradable plastic policy which the Ministry initiated some time ago as a motivation to deal with the plastic waste problem.
    Dr Afriyie noon
    Mr Speaker, on his
    preamble, the plastic waste and e-waste are anchored on a single policy, which is a circular economy, but how they are fashioned out and their programmes differ. For example, with regard to the e- waste, the materials recorded are not plastics per se but even with the plastics, they are not segregated. For instance, in a car, there could be electronics that are plastics and also e-waste and these ones must be recycled. Mr Speaker, but these are matters of details but the principle is that they must be recycled.
    Also, in terms of specifics, the issue
    about the biodegradables is true but there are some technological challenges. With regard to definitions, the Hon Member would recall that, for example, the oxo-
    biodegradable are ingested by bacteria and other microorganisms so that they would be truly biodegradables but there are certain plastics that are broken into nano particles but, in the strictest sense of definition, they are not degraded and they are even dangerous because they can get into the food chain for us to ingest. Mr Speaker, it means at the end of every month, one would have ingested into one's system waste particles about the size of the national identification card. These are the nano particles that we have to —
    Mr Speaker, yes, we are not running
    the programmes and I visited the industries and saw that some of them are using the oxo-biodegradable. I am waiting for the technical people for us to certify those who are doing the oxo- biodegradable that have been scienti- fically proven to be truly biodegradable and those that are torn into minute particles that are more dangerous. In fact, from the medical point of view, we are better off with those big plastics instead of they being broken down for us to ingest them.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker noon
    We would
    move to the Question numbered 920 which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Keta, Mr Kwame D. Gakpey.
    Status of e-waste management and
    policy measures in Ghana
    Mr. Kwame D. Gakpey (Keta) noon
    Mr Speaker, I rise to ask the Minister for

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    Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation the status of e-waste manage- ment in Ghana and policy measures being put in place.
    Dr Afriyie 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control
    and Management Act (Act 917) and its
    Regulations (LI 2250) set the background
    for a new and innovative strategy towards
    the sustainable management of e-waste in
    Ghana. The National Integrated e-waste
    Management Scheme was launched in
    2018 to implement the provisions of Act
    917.
    The Ministry is currently piloting an
    incentive-based collection of e-waste at
    Old Fadama (Agbogbloshie) to reduce
    the indiscriminate disposal and burning
    associated with the management of e-
    waste. Since the commencement of the
    incentive payment system at
    Agbogbloshie in 2020, the Project has
    purchased over 134 tonnes of e-waste
    cables, 31 tonnes of mixed batteries, and
    3.6 tonnes of thermoplastics. These
    materials would otherwise have been
    burnt by the scrap dealers and further
    polluted the environment. The Ministry is
    working assiduously to hand over these
    accumulated e-waste types to accredited
    recycling companies for sound recycling.
    The Ministry is leveraging on
    interventions and projects with inter-
    national partners such as the German
    Government, World Bank, and Swiss
    Government, to provide capacity through
    training of both formal and informal
    actors within the value chain.
    Government actors such as MESTI, EPA,
    E-waste Fund, and MMDAs are being
    supported to come out with regulatory
    and legislative options for e-waste
    management.
    Lessons learned from all these
    interventions are expected to feed into the
    full operationalisation of the National
    Integrated E-waste Management Scheme
    and operationalise the implementation of
    Act 917. This is expected to create
    businesses and increase job opportunities
    for the private sector, especially the
    teeming youth who are currently engaged
    in the Adhoc collection, dismantling, and
    burning of harmful electrical and
    electronic equipment.
    Mr Speaker, the advanced Eco Levy is
    the main source of Fund for the E-waste
    Fund. Manufacturers or importers of
    electrical and electronic equipment are
    mandated by law to pay the advance eco
    levy in respect of electrical and electronic
    equipment specified in the fifth schedule
    of Act 917. Total eco levies collected as
    of December 2021 amount to
    GHC1766516927.

    Currently, the eco levy is still being

    collected on only 20 per cent of the HS

    Codes being 65 out of 365 items. The

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    Ministry, together with the EPA and E-

    waste Fund, has held stakeholder

    consultations for the rollout of the

    remaining items. The 100 per cent rollout

    is expected to take off before the end of

    the second quarter of 2022. The

    collection of eco levies on the Integrated

    Customs Management System (ICUMS)

    is now fully linked to the E-waste Fund

    under the control of the Fund

    Administrator.

    Modalities are being put in place to

    start the disbursement of the funds once

    all the items on the HS Codes have been

    effectively rolled out for collection.

    MESTI, in consultation with the EPA and

    the Fund, is also developing procedures

    and processes to ensure the effective

    disbursement and usage of funds once the

    full rollout begins.

    The Ministry is also working with the

    EPA, Fund Administrator, and other

    stakeholders to develop a blueprint for the

    implementation of the National

    Integrated E-waste Management Scheme.

    Some components of the scheme are the

    institutional and regulatory system,

    material flow system, E-waste manage-

    ment system, pricing/fee system,

    incentive system, among others. This

    blueprint will help integrate all these

    components for the effective implement-

    tation of the scheme.

    Mr Speaker, finally, the Ministry has

    initiated the process of developing a

    National E-waste Policy and

    Implementation Plan. The Policy will

    focus, among other areas, on the

    following:

    a) Establish the framework for a

    circular economy for the

    management of e-waste just like

    we did for plastics and other

    recyclables.

    b) Institute an EPR System for e-

    waste management.

    c) Identify sustainable financing

    models for e-waste management.

    d) Create continuous awareness on

    the environmentally sound disposal,

    collection, and recycling of

    electronic waste in Ghana. Mr

    Speaker, this is very important.

    We would start, especially with

    our children in school.

    e) Outline the standards and proce-

    dures for activities related to the

    disposal, collection, and

    recycling of e-waste.

    f) Define roles of all key stake- holders involved in the electrical and electronic equipment value- chain, including manufacturers, importers, users, collectors, and

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    recyclers of electrical and elec- tronic equipment.

    g) Establish a classification of

    business models and business players within the value chain.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Gakpey 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like
    to use the opportunity to thank the Hon Minister for this elaborate information.
    Mr Speaker, as a matter of fact, home
    appliances, ICT, home theatre, enter- tainment devices, electronic utilities, office and medical equipment are all part of e-waste issues in Ghana. As we speak, in Ghana, 99.98 per cent of the e-waste is being processed through the informal sector. Only 0.2 per cent is processed through the formal sector. These e-waste contain some mercury, lead and other harmful chemicals. I would like to find out from the Hon Minister what measures are being put in place in the informal sector to curtail pollution of our soil, water, air, and wildlife.
    Dr Afriyie 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I lost track of
    his ultimate question — What is the Ministry doing in protecting the soil —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    And
    waterbodies?
    Mr Gakpey 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, a lot of
    chemicals coming out of e-waste are polluting those —
    Dr Afriyie 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is the
    essence of this exercise; except that,
    perhaps, we started late in the history of
    this country. This thing should have been
    started a lot earlier. I am not too sure
    about the figures that he quoted - about
    99 per cent being recycled by the
    informal sector. But I agree with him that,
    in fact, all the actions being taken are
    really informal sector-based and our
    policy is to encourage that. Government
    does not want to compete with anybody
    in this kind of business if the model
    makes it clear that it is a very legitimate
    and profitable business to engage in.
    What MESTI intends to do is to make
    sure that there is safety elements and all
    that is tied in are obeyed. Then, of course,
    we realised that, inevitably, all these
    models would have cracks in them; there
    would be certain aspects where it might
    even make economic sense for one to
    collect. That is why because of the public
    good element, we would step in to do it.
    But let me confess that we have not had
    time to do all these. Hopefully, during my
    tenure — I believe in systems — we
    would have put in the systems that would
    ensure that these things that are ongoing
    and have reached the advanced stage in
    the developed world, Ghana would also
    become the go-to country, especially in
    our sub-region.

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    Suffice to say that we are in a big haste

    to make sure that this thing happens. But

    for now, I would side with him that a lot

    of waste are going into the atmosphere,

    the soil, and the environment in general

    including even the oceans that we are not

    — because of capacity issues and many

    confounding factors, taking care of. But

    we would get our acts together so that we

    would have a big go at it and solve this

    problem.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Gakpey 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control
    and Management Act, Act 917 and its
    Regulation, LI 2250, set the background
    for the e-waste management and mandate
    the Ministry to collect eco levy to
    facilitate e-levy issues in the country.
    Based on the Answer provided by the
    Hon Minister, some funds have been
    generated. The law mandates the Ministry
    to use part of the money for monitoring
    and enforcement of the framework that
    established this regulation. I would like to
    find out from the Hon Minister whether
    this fund is being used for monitoring and
    enforcement of the law.
    Dr Afriyie 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I cannot give
    a definite answer in the sense that I have
    already conceded that all the items that
    we look upon, only 65 items have been
    captured and it is a job in evolution. The
    amount that has been collected is not
    sufficient but I would like to inform the
    House that a lot of monitoring is going
    on.
    In fact, even this model is coming to
    amplify a job that EPA is supposed to do
    anyway. So, as a matter of policy, there is
    monitoring in the mining communities,
    for example, that this e-waste, together
    with heavy metals and other things, are
    not let out into the environment. So, in
    that sense, sources of money and others
    are coming in. That was the routine which
    was not sufficient which generated the
    idea that we should have a dedicated fund
    for e-waste. But as of now, apart from the
    Secretariat which is being set up, we have
    issues. So, the formal monitoring which
    would then engender the expenditure on
    these things are not going. Only the
    structures are being built and I have no
    shame in conceding to that.
    Mr Gakpey 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is serious.
    E-waste is something that we need to take
    a critical look at as a House. It is very
    serious and dangerous. So, in the process,
    I would like to thank the Hon Minister
    and ask that proper recycling processes
    need to be put in place to protect us and
    the future generation because e-waste is
    actually a danger to the environment.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    That is a
    comment. Thank you.

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    Dr Sebastian N. Sandaare 12:20 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, one way of handling the issue of
    e-waste is to limit the extent of
    importation of products into the country.

    I want to find out from the Hon Minister what policy measures are in place. It could be in collaboration with other agencies to ensure that we really manage the importation of second-hand products that come to this country, because Ghana is seen as one of the countries that is more like a second-hand place for deposit of e-waste from other developed countries.
    Dr Afriyie 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member is right. With all due respect, if he listened carefully to the Answer to the main Question, I said that as for plastic waste, we have a policy which has been accepted by Cabinet, but we are yet to develop a policy on e-waste. The question the Hon Member has asked will follow from that policy document. It is a technical issue so I have to accelerate the process so that, hopefully, it happens under my tenure. I have noticed that building systems and structures is the Minister's remit, so I have to whip them into line.
    Mr Speaker, I must concede that these
    are very technical issues which have the potential to impact on markets, people's livelihoods, and what not. So, the tension between very deliberative and taking
    quick action is there. That is why I would plead that we would be given time so that we do what is good for us. What the Hon Member has asked for will fall from the policy. When the policy is accepted, that is when we can put under certain provisions that certain things should not be done, and certain things should not be imported.
    Mr Speaker, of course, under other
    laws, some of these second-hand things
    are being regulated under certain
    categories, so it is not a free-for-all like
    that. I am adverting the Hon Member's mind to that one too.
    Dr Hamza Adams 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    thank you very much for the opportunity
    to ask a follow-up question. The E-Waste
    Management Project has been going on in
    Greater Accra Region for some time now.
    I would want to find out from the Hon
    Minister whether he has plans of
    extending the project to other parts of
    Ghana, especially in the north and when
    he intends to do so.
    Dr Afriyie 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry
    has every plan and intention to go
    countrywide, and that is why we are
    piloting at Agbogbloshie to see what
    works and what does not work. We would
    also follow it up with the policy that we
    have talked about. We have a draft
    programme in place, but it is like a lattice
    but we have to let everything fall into
    place; otherwise, we may be taking action
    which might not be cost effective - as far

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    as funds are concerned, we would be

    dissipating funds.

    So, a simple answer to the question is

    that we would want to go nationwide but

    we are waiting for the policy action. Even

    if we have to come for legislation, we

    would do that. But before then, we have

    to get all the policy actions right. We are

    doing a policy review right now.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Very well.
    I will give the last one to Hon Dr
    Agyeman-Rawlings.
    Dr Agyeman Rawlings 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    thank you. I would like to enquire from
    the Hon Minister what the current
    situation is with regard to the establish-
    ment of the e-waste and the electrical
    collection and recycling centres as
    provided for by the law.
    Dr Afriyie 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon
    Member would have to help me. I do not
    know whether there are breaks; I did not
    hear her last question.
    Dr Agyeman Rawlings 12:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, my question was that given the
    fact that the law provides for the Ministry
    to set up recycling and collection plants,
    how far has the Ministry gone to achieve
    this particular agenda?
    Dr Afriyie 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you would
    realise I said that with the main thrust of
    recycling and collection plants, we would
    want to leave them to the public sector
    domain. In certain jurisdictions, that is the
    main focus. I have said time and time
    again that if there are certain areas - We have not even started the recycling and
    collection plants in the first place. Only a
    few companies have them here, and their
    capacity is nothing to write home about
    unlike plastics. But the e-waste, there is
    virtually no capacity.
    When there is an indication that the
    private sector is interested, we will
    gleefully leave it to them but if there are
    gaps and there are certain areas that the
    private sector is not interested, then as a
    Minister, I will ensure that we invest the
    public funds in those areas. If it means
    that we have to set up recycling plants, so
    be it. This is because just as the Hon
    Member said, the public good element is
    priceless; we cannot put money on that.
    But for now, we are in the rudimentary
    stage as far as e-waste recycling is
    concerned. What has made waves is what
    is happening at Agbogbloshie. Even
    though the write-up from this shows that
    it is good and friendly, we would want to
    do a thorough and scientific deal about it,
    so that if Government would want to
    intervene and set up recycling plants on
    accounts of public good, we would look
    at it. But for now, we would prefer that
    the private actors set up shops and deal
    with them, and we will help them. If it has
    to come by way of subsidy too, we can.
    An Hon Member — rose —

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    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, not another one from you,
    please. Hon Members, we will come to
    the next Question which stands in the
    name of the Hon Member for Pru East, Dr
    Kwabena Donkor.
    Facilities and ecosystems available to
    turn laboratory-based inventions into
    commercial products in Ghana
    Dr Kwabena Donkor (NDC - Pru East) 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for
    Environment, Science, Technology and
    Innovation what facilities and ecosystems are
    there to turn laboratory-based inventions into
    commercial products in Ghana.
    Dr Afriyie 12:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as you may
    be aware, the Ministry of Environment,
    Science, Technology and Innovation per
    its mandate is required to promote and
    advance the application of Science,
    Technology and Innovation (STI) for
    socio-economic development. In line
    with government's vision to place
    science, technology, and innovation at the
    centre of socio-economic development,
    my Ministry works closely with all sector
    Ministries to coordinate and mainstream
    issues relating to STI.
    There have been some significant
    steps taken not just at the level of my
    sector Ministry but by the Government of
    Ghana to set up the enabling ecosystem
    for the commercialisation of laboratory
    inventions. By the end of my submission,
    you would have realised that the
    ecosystem is made of the interactions
    across various sectors and actors.
    Before I proceed, permit me to
    simplify the value chain of the technology
    development or simply put, inventions
    and their commercialisation within the
    STI ecosystem. Mr Speaker, this is very
    important; otherwise, we will be in jungle
    territory.
    The value chain is likened to that of the
    energy industry where we have the
    upstream, midstream and the down-
    stream.

    Upstream constitutes the inventors and

    technology developers. By their

    activities, scientists, universities, re-

    search and development institutions,

    foundries, technology parks and some

    industries conduct their own Research

    and Development (R&D) to develop

    technologies and inventions.

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    The midstream is the point of

    technology transfer where technologies

    are transferred from developers to

    marketers. This transfer is incumbent on

    the proof of ownership in the form of

    Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) - the

    commercial basis for technology

    transfers. The known IPRs in the

    technology space is Patents and the Plant

    Breeders Right. Therefore, any form of

    invention or technology developed

    without an IPR becomes open-source

    invention or technology and could be

    exploited by third parties without

    restriction. Indeed, this is the bane of the

    third world.

    As we speak, we have a lot of

    technologies which through millennia has

    been developed and is being snapped-up

    by the industrialised world even without

    our knowledge. This places limitations on

    the commercialisation of transfer and

    technologies. Entrepreneurship and

    innovation are part of the downstream

    where technologies get to the final

    consumer by way of marketing and using

    the inventions or technologies for

    economic activities that translate into real

    outputs.

    Mr Speaker, I am happy to inform you

    that there are a number of laboratories in

    Ghana, R&D institutions or universities

    even though they need to be upgraded to

    keep pace with modern laboratories. The

    development of a Foundry and Machine

    Tooling Centre is being spearheaded by

    the Ministry of Environment, Science,

    Technology and Innovation (MESTI) is

    at an advanced stage of completion under

    the GhanaCARES Programme. The

    Ministry, in collaboration with other

    sector Ministries, is also championing

    various initiatives in this regard.

    I am reliably aware of the initiative by

    the Ministry of Education for the drastic

    investment in developing and upgrading

    science resource centres and laboratories

    to support research. Besides, this August

    House has passed the Ghana National

    Research Fund Act, 2020 (Act 1056), to

    provide public funding for R&D and

    other related matters. My Ministry is

    working closely with the Ministry of

    Education to operationalise this act so

    that among other sources, government

    can have dedicated funding to finance

    R&D infrastructure including state-of-the

    art laboratories among others.

    Mr Speaker, it is worth mentioning

    that amongst the numerous Intellectual

    Property Right laws in Ghana, the Patents

    Act, 2003 (Act 657), and the Plant

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    Variety Protection Act, 2020 (Act 1050),

    are two important Acts put in place to

    provide incentives for technological

    inventions and the breeding of plant

    varieties respectively. Hitherto, our

    agricultural scientists could not own

    rights to their breeds or inventions

    thereby denying them the royalties they

    deserve due to the absence of the related

    IPR on it. I must commend the Hon

    Minister for Food and Agriculture for

    being instrumental in the passage of this

    Act, not forgetting the crucial role played

    by the respective Select Committees and

    this House as well.

    Mr Speaker, it is noteworthy that

    operational commercialisation occurs in

    the private sector through interactions

    with entrepreneurs, financial markets

    (venture capital, Development Banks,

    stock markets, et cetera.) and inventors to

    translate these inventions into products

    and innovation.

    Thankfully, the Ghana Enterprises

    Agency has been mandated to develop the

    entrepreneurial skills and support the

    development of Enterprises. I am also

    aware of the activities of the National

    Entrepreneurial and Innovation

    Programme (NEIP) which has potential

    for the commercialisation of laboratory

    invention and are playing key roles in

    start-ups, technology parks and frontier

    technologies among others. Research

    institutions such as the Council for

    Saentific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

    are also contributing their quota. The

    CSIR — Savanna Agricultural Research

    Institute (SARI) has developed the

    inoculant that is used to increase the yield

    of crops such as maize, cowpea, et cetera.

    The CSIR has also developed varieties of

    yam, maize, et cetera as part of the

    Planting for Food and Jobs Programme. I

    must admit that even though there are

    ongoing efforts to coordinate and link-up

    these ecosystems, we need to further

    double our efforts in our collaboration

    with all relevant sectors and actors to

    accelerate the commercialisation of

    inventions. I have taken notice of these

    gaps and I am happy to inform you that,

    under the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project,

    my Ministry has initiated the

    procurement process to develop a

    framework for technology transfer

    amongst inventors, technology develop-

    ers and entrepreneurs.

    An STI Management Information

    System has also been initiated to

    consolidate all the information across the

    value chain of technology development

    and inventions to provide an interactive

    Urgent Questions

    platform for actors in the technology and

    innovation ecosystem. My Ministry has

    also initiated the process of setting up a

    commercialisation centre at the CSIR to

    translate their inventions and tech-

    nologies into commercial outputs. Some

    level of education and training has also

    been initiated under the Ghana Jobs and

    Skills Project to educate actors in the

    ecosystem on these matters.

    Additionally, the Ministry with

    financial assistance from UNESCO and

    technical support of one of our Agencies,

    CSIR-STEPRI has developed a document

    on the STI ecosystem and we are the first

    country on the African Continent to

    publish its STI4SDGs Road Map

    Document alongside Japan and Serbia -

    we are among the first in the whole world.

    This forms part of an initiative to

    strengthening STI for sustainable

    development in line with the 2017

    UNESCO Recommendations on Science

    and Scientific Researchers (RSSR).

    Mr Speaker, to provide renewed

    policy direction for the innovation

    ecosystem, my Ministry has initiated the

    process for the revision of the National

    STI policy which will amongst others

    have a strong link to Ghana's Industrial,

    Trade and Economic policy and to

    incorporate emerging trends within the

    global arena. I would like to assure this

    House that my Ministry will continue to

    work collaboratively with all relevant

    stakeholders in our journey to make

    science, technology and innovation the

    key pillar in the socio-economic

    development of our nation and I will

    continue to count on the support of

    colleagues to deliver.
    Dr Donkor 12:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have
    listened to what in Pru East, we would
    call a “dogotruwenchi” English, to wit, “a
    long-winded English”. Mr Speaker, I
    asked a very simple question. Our
    universities have consistently been
    involved in innovation, research and
    development, but how do we com-
    mercialise it to the benefit of the country?
    That was the essence of my Question, so
    I would come with my first supple-
    mentary question.
    Mr Speaker, is there any policy or
    provision on incubators, technology
    paths, et cetera to commercialise these
    inventions and research already lying
    fallow in our universities and research
    institutions?

    Urgent Questions
    Dr Afriyie 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed so.
    But I must confess, the problem with
    MESTI is that by the way it has been
    constructed, a lot of things take place and
    it is not apparently known to the
    Ghanaian public. For example, the
    President thought that amongst the
    weaknesses in the Corperate Social
    Responsibility (CSR) sector was the fact
    that the commercial wing was very weak.
    So I am under instruction even to elevate
    the commercial wing into the equivalent
    of one of the CSIR institutes to be on the
    same pedestal as Forestry Research
    Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Science and
    Technology Policy Research Institute
    (STEPRI), Soil Research Institute and so
    forth.
    Mr Speaker, embedded in this year's
    budget are funds to make sure that the
    commercial wing of CSIR is brought up
    and that they are staffed by professional
    marketers and those who can link
    between the researchers and the markets.
    We do not expect professors to become
    commercial people overnight.
    Hon Member, that problem has been
    identified and we are taking steps to
    rectify them. Even before we set up
    additional structures, I must inform you
    that — I went on a tour to the north and
    there is a bio-stimulant which has been
    commercialised. Anybody who has been
    to the Savanna Agricultural Research
    Institute (SARI) knows that they are
    applying a bio-stimulant which makes
    sure that, for example, when you apply
    them to all the legumes, particularly
    bambara beans, and even when you do
    not apply fertiliser, you would still get 30
    per cent more yield. If you apply them in
    conjunction with fertiliser, you would get
    over 50 per cent yield.
    Again, talking about commercial-
    lisation, in the Planting for Food and Jobs
    Programme, over 90 per cent of all the
    grains and legumes have emanated from
    the laboratories of CSIR. For example,
    the dobidi, ɔbaatanpa and all the rest - I
    am only explaining; we are not
    complaining. MESTI does not get all the
    kudos; all the kudos go to the Ministry of
    Food and Agriculture. That is why, in one
    of the submissions beforehand, I said that
    we are an offensive midfielder. Thomas
    Partey has not been set up to score goals
    — he scores only when he is in a very
    advantageous position. Otherwise, he
    must pass to Granit Xhaka or somebody
    for him to score. That is how we have
    been set up, but we are doing a lot of

    Urgent Questions

    things which have actually been

    commercialised.

    I can tell you for a fact that if you take

    the odum tree, apparently, if the seed does

    not pass through the gut of a mammal and

    you plant it, it will wither away. As I

    speak now, the scientists have found a

    way of propagating the odum tree and

    afrormasia tree which is on scientists'

    tool that they are endangered species

    commercially. FORIG is dealing with the

    foresters; so, right now, under the

    programme the foresters are drawing up.

    I notice that they are replanting afromosia

    trees, for example. Afrormasia is called

    kokodua. These are not apparent to

    Ghanaians. MESTI and its agencies are

    doing a lot of work, and they are being

    commercialised as we speak now, but I

    concede that we could do a lot more and

    bring them to the attention of the

    Ghanaian public.
    Dr Donkor 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would
    want to ask the Hon Minister whether the
    Ministry has any plans to facilitate, as the
    lead State agency, the provision of funds
    for entities commercialising Ghanaian
    inventions?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    I thought
    the Answer he gave explains your
    question.
    Dr Afriyie 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, unfor-
    tunately, I was distracted by one of my
    Hon Colleagues, and so, I would, in all
    humility, ask the Hon Member to repeat
    his question.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, repeat your question please.
    Dr Donkor 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, does the
    Ministry have any plans to facilitate, as
    the lead State agency, the provision of
    funds for entities commercialising
    Ghanaian inventions?
    Dr Afriyie 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think
    young inventors need special help, and
    there are programmes out there to help
    them. We always play a supporting role.
    There are several actors out there, but
    since becoming a Minister, I have drawn
    attention to the fact that in terms of the
    visibility - in fact, if you get into our
    webinar series, MESTI is becoming more
    visible as I speak. We have programmes
    to help young actors in that field.
    Dr Donkor 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, recognising
    that the Ghanaian State is the largest

    Urgent Questions

    single purchaser of goods and services,

    would the Hon Minister assure this House

    that the State would prioritise the

    purchase of Ghanaian invented goods and

    services?
    Dr Afriyie 12:40 p.m.
    Indeed so, Mr Speaker.
    But we are not a control and command
    economy. According to some of our laws,
    Government is even subjected to
    competition from all entities including
    those which are external to us. These are
    legal issues, and if the House would help
    me, we would do that. We would
    prioritise it. For some of them, I know
    that you can go by the District Assembly
    level through their own legislative
    actions. At the higher level, there are even
    certain parts of our economy we have to
    open up to competition including
    Government-sourced goods and services.
    The position of MESTI has been that
    Parliament should help us. On our own
    volition, we cannot do that because a lot
    of the purchases and whatnots are done
    by the other sectors. Thus, if Parliament
    would enact laws or Legislative
    Instruments that would make it
    compulsory for Government to take on
    the goods and services from agencies
    from CSIR for example, why not?
    For example, we are building primary
    schools, and the Building and Road
    Research Institute (BRRI) has conducted
    research into bricks and the use of
    pozzolana cement. However, the
    Ministry, on its own volition, cannot give
    a policy direction that we should use that.
    If I were to go into the details, it would
    engender debate here. Maybe, if my Hon
    Colleague would see me, then, he would
    see that I have a lot of problems —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, on bricks, it is true what BRRI
    has done that but nobody is training
    bricklayers. I have had that experience. I
    tried to use bricks, but I struggled to get
    bricklayers. You buy the bricks but
    people are not trained to do bricklaying;
    it is rather the regular masons. The policy
    should follow up with people who would
    learn because if they do not know how to
    lay the bricks, they would discourage you
    from buying.
    Dr Afriyie 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is a chicken
    and egg situation. If the market demands
    it, I am sure CSIR would rise to the
    occasion. I take this challenge.

    Urgent Questions

    Just before I go, recently, for example,

    the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD)

    was cutting down cocoa trees in the

    Western North Region because of the

    Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease

    (CSSVD) and MESTI intervened and

    provided tissue culture plants for

    plantation. They have signed an

    agreement with them and they would use

    them this year. We are doing a lot of

    things which are unknown to Ghanaians.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Thank
    you, Hon Minister, for attending upon the
    House to answer Questions. You are
    discharged.
    The last Question is to be answered by
    a Minister of State, but it does not state
    which one.
    Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh 12:40 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, on the very last Question, as was
    discussed, we have received a corres-
    pondence from the Hon Freda Prempeh to
    the fact that they are still in the process of
    gathering information. I am reliably
    informed that the Table Office has
    accordingly informed the Hon Ablakwa
    in whose name the Question stands
    advertised.
    Mr Speaker, we can now go on to
    Statements. There is a Statement admitted
    in the name of —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    You are
    giving information; wait for me to close
    before you jump into the other ones.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    see my Hon Colleague is in a hurry —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, kindly resume your seat. You
    have given me the information, let me
    move on before you bring your
    application.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    take a cue. Thank you.
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:25 p.m.
    He is over speeding
    meanwhile he accuses me of over
    speeding.
    Mr Speaker, it is true our Hon
    Colleague wrote a letter and our attention
    has been drawn to it. We only hope that
    these Questions could be re-scheduled for
    next week instead of just re-scheduling
    without giving a definite time. So, we
    would be grateful if our Hon Colleague
    would ensure that Hon Freda Prempeh
    would be communicated to so that next

    Urgent Questions

    week, we schedule for her to come and

    answer.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Very well,
    that brings us to the end of Question time.
    Now we move on to Statements —
    [Pause] —
    Dr Cassiel A. B. Forson — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Sorry,
    Hon Member?
    Dr Cassiel A. B. Forson 12:25 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I just would want to draw the
    attention of the Majority Chief Whip to
    the fact that there is a major Government
    Business sitting on the Order Paper for
    days — the Supplementary Appro-
    priations Bill. Honestly, we are breaching
    the 1992 Constitution. This should have
    been done last year. So, I would have
    thought that he would vary the order of
    Business of the House as stated on the
    Order Paper for us to deal with the
    Supplementary Appro-priations Bill
    because it is standing for months, and it
    should go through by now. I do not know
    why we are delaying it because it is
    urgent. If we do not do that and a new
    Supplementary Appropriation Bill comes
    in, you would not have the way to
    rationalise the two. Please, let us do it
    now.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    am in total agreement with my Hon
    Colleague except to say that I looked at
    my watch, and it is ten minutes to 1
    o'clock. I anticipate that the Statements
    time would not travel more than twenty or
    thirty minutes after which we could now
    vary the order of Business and take such
    important matter. So, I am in total
    agreement but please, let him deliver the
    Statement after which we could go ahead
    and take the other important public
    Business.
    Mr Speaker, the Questions, well, the
    Hon Muntaka — [Interruption].
    Alhaji Muntaka — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Yes, Hon
    Member?
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, from
    the indication given by the Hon Member,
    it means that we would take the Statement
    without contributions because if he says
    it could be dealt with in ten minutes, the

    Urgent Questions

    only way that could be done is when the

    Statement is read without taking contri-

    butions from Members. Unless, maybe,

    he is saying that we should resort to just

    one contribution from each Side after the

    Statement has been made to be able to

    make progress. Either than that, I do not

    see how we could kill the Statement in

    twenty minutes. If that is the unders-

    tanding, then, that would be fine so that

    the Statement is made and a Member each

    from both Sides contributes and we move

    on.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    think I said thirty minutes. It is a very
    important Statement; yes, we are
    constrained with time —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Leader,
    let us agree as to how we would want it.
    If we take the Statement, how many
    people would contribute so that we move
    on?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    two contributions from both Sides, plus
    Leadership.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Two
    Members each plus Leadership? It
    becomes three —
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    including Leadership.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Two
    including Leadership? One each and if
    Leaders feel to contribute— so, in total,
    four contributors to the Statement; am I
    right?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Yes, Mr
    Speaker. And we limit it and control the
    contributions.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Very well.
    Which of the Statements — I think two
    Statements were discussed at pre-Sitting
    meeting.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    had intimated earlier that that which
    stands in the name of the Hon Jinapor
    would be taken tomorrow so the one to be
    taken today stands in the name of the Hon
    Andy Appiah-Kubi.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Very well.
    The Hon Member for Asante Akim
    North, Hon Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi,
    you may now read your Statement.
    The Hon Second Deputy Speaker to
    take the Chair.
    STATEMENTS 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Andy K. Appiah 1 p.m.
    None

    Asante Akim North): Mr Speaker, in

    Ghana, the agricultural sector remains a

    major contributor of pollutants into the

    environment, causing tremendous harm.

    These agrochemicals, in the form of

    fertilizers, weedicides, and pesticides are

    exposed to humans, animals, plants,

    water bodies, soil/sediments and the

    atmosphere in Ghana.

    Water bodies, fish, vegetables, food,

    soil and sediments have been found to be

    chemically contaminated. Thus, the

    intensive use of agrochemicals involves a

    special risk for field workers, consumers;

    not forgetting the unacceptable residue

    levels in exportable products, which

    situation serves as barrier to international

    trade.

    There is considerable evidence that

    farmers have overused agrochemicals

    especially fertilizers, weedicides and

    pesticides. It is evident from biological

    monitoring studies that farmers are at

    higher risk for acute and chronic health

    effects associated with agrochemicals due

    to occupational exposure.

    An epidemiological survey and

    haematological studies on the probable

    effect of pesticide on the health status of

    farmers in Akomadan and Afrancho

    Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region of

    Ghana, conducted by Mensah et al (2004)

    revealed that most of the farmers have

    experienced sneezing (56%), skin

    irritation (65%), headaches (48.2%),

    dizziness (40%), abdominal pains (20%),

    and cough (57%).

    Medical officers believe that some

    medical conditions and deaths among

    Ghanaians perceived to be "natural" may

    be related to pesticide abuse, partly

    because poisonings are hard to diagnose.

    In early December 2010, the then Upper

    East Regional Minister, Mr Mark

    Woyongo, announced that 12 farmers had

    died after eating food infected with

    pesticides and that an additional 63 had

    Statemants

    been treated and discharged from

    hospital. In late 2010, 15 farmers died

    from suspected poisoning from

    pesticides in the Upper East Region

    (NPAS, 2012).

    Pest management in cocoa in Ghana is

    highly dependent on use of highly

    hazardous pesticides (HHP). Of the 16

    insecticide active ingredients approved

    by Cocobod, 12 features on the PAN

    International HHP list and 8 are on the

    UTZ Pesticide Watch List.

    Residue of organochlorine pesticides

    were determined in 32 cocoa bean

    samples selected from sixteen cocoa

    farms in Dormaa West District in Ghana

    in 2018.

    Water samples from rivers in the

    intensive cocoa growing areas in the

    Ashanti and Eastern Regions of Ghana

    have been found to contain lindane and

    endosul-fan.

    Water samples from Akumadan, a

    vegetable farming community in the

    Ashanti Region and different areas of

    Ghana revealed the presence of

    significant levels of pesticide residues.

    The Volta Lake was also found to be

    mildly contaminated with lindane, DDT,

    ODE and endosulfan (Acquaah et al.

    1997).

    Recent studies on eye health of

    Ghanaian cocoa farmers report moderate

    to severe damage levels, some occurring

    after pesticide spraying. Cocobod-

    approved pesticides are classified as

    highly acutely toxic to humans as per

    consultancy report for UTZ (2018).

    Studies on pesticide residue in

    exportable cocoa beans collected from

    selected growing districts in the middle

    belt of Ghana and the two shipping ports

    at Terma and Takoradi also showed

    detectable amount of pesticide residue.

    Ground water contamination of

    chemical fertilizers has been linked to

    gastric cancer, goiter, birth malformation

    and hypertension, testicular cancer and

    stomach cancer.

    Excessive volatile and water borne

    nitrogen from fertilizers may cause

    respiratory ailments, cardiac diseases and

    cancers.

    Synthetic urea produces ammonia

    emanation which contributes to acid rain,

    ground water contamination and ozone

    deposition.

    Statemants

    Impact of Synthetic pesticides on

    export rospects of Ghana

    Ghana missed $5billion from export

    earnings target from fruits and vegetables

    in 2019 due to interceptions. Exports of

    vegetables from Ghana to the EU is at

    times hampered by the presence of

    organisms that occur on the EU list of

    harmful organisms. Between 2008 and

    2011, the number of notifications had

    doubled from around 40 per year to about

    80 per year. In 2013 the notifications

    doubled again to 160 per year and in 2014

    the number of notifications reached 236.

    Chemical fertilizers and pesticides

    increase soil acidity that favours spore

    germination, development of fungi,

    bacteria, bugs, destructive insects, weeds

    and increase pest resistance resulting in

    produce contamination and reduction in

    shelf life.

    In August 2014, the EU officially

    notified Ghana on numerous inter-

    ceptions of horticultural products from

    Ghana at the EU borders due to the

    presence of harmful organisms. (Source:

    myjoyonline; 31st July, 2014). Large

    quantities of yam exported to the United

    States from Ghana were rejected as most

    were found to be unwholesome upon

    arrival (Source: Daily Guide: 1st April,

    2014).

    EU threatened a ban over quality of

    Ghana's cereals (Source: Ghanaian Times:

    15th May, 2015).

    Solution

    There is currently no legislation in

    place in Ghana which covers restriction

    for the importation and application of

    chemical substances in our agricultural

    practice, save the aflatoxin control in

    maize grains as per Legislative

    Instrument (L.I) 2428 of 2020.

    It is evidently clear that the use of

    chemicals in farming is common in

    Ghana and occurs through chemical

    fertilizers, weedicides and pesticides,

    from handling through usage to disposal.

    To minimise the abuse and its con-

    sequential effects on humans, environ-

    ment and trade, there is the need for

    legislation to promote organic agriculture

    whilst limiting the use of chemical

    pesticides and fertilizers. There is the

    need for strict adherence to the rules and

    regulations in order to ensure a safe

    environment and unrestricted access to

    international markets.

    Statemants

    As we speak, countries such as

    Denmark, Chile, USA, France, Japan,

    Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South

    Africa, Tanzania, Chad, and Egypt have

    developed legislation to promote organic

    agriculture with targets to face out

    chemical use in agriculture.

    Conclusion

    The following reasons provide justi-

    fication for government to support the

    development of domestic organic agro-

    culture:

    — Improved health of citizens,

    reduced health risks for

    farmers, farm workers and con-

    sumers.

    — Protection of natural resources

    (eg. Water) and biodiversity.

    — Improved quality of soil and

    attendant long-term high

    productivity.

    — Improved market access,

    especially due to high demand

    for organic produce on the

    International markets.

    — Improved profitability in

    farming.

    Mr Speaker, my prayer is that, upon

    your guidance, this House enacts

    legislation to promote the use of organic

    substances for improvement of agricul-

    tural produce.

    1.05 p.m. — [MR SECOND DEPUTY
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Yes, Hon
    Member for Trobu?
    Mr Moses Anim (NPP - Trobu) 1:10 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity
    to contribute to the Statement.
    Mr Speaker, the application of
    agrochemicals is a human activity so, if
    we do not effectively regulate human
    activity, we would continue to have
    problems. Even in this House where we
    have some privileges, it gets to a point
    where we mention “point of order” and
    “point of correction” and we even say that
    what a person has stated is unparlia-
    mentarily so the person should
    “withdraw” and “apologise”. It is all in a
    way to regulate even those of us in this
    Chamber who have some privileges. It is
    to regulate our activities and make sure

    Statemants

    that we remain within the confinement of

    the law.

    Mr Speaker, it is human activity that

    has broken the aquatic ecosystem which

    has led to our inland waters being

    polluted to a point that it has become very

    difficult to develop aquaculture. In the

    third paragraph of the Statement which

    indicates that “water bodies, fish,

    vegetables, food, soil”, et cetera,

    agrochemical application and pesticides;

    because human population has increased

    and we wanted to improve the quantity of

    food production, achieve food security

    and because some pests have also

    emerged that are so resistant, it has

    culminated in the release of a lot of

    agrochemicals and that is where we need

    regulation. That is where we need

    extension officers to ensure that

    quantities in its application are exact and

    up to standard.

    Mr Speaker, when it rains and there is

    a runoff, it enters into water bodies and it

    ends up at the sea. In 2012, Canada lost a

    huge number of aquatic animals after a

    heavy downpour and a massive runoff.

    When they did the analysis, they realised

    that the liver, brains and hearts of the

    aquatic animals have become defective. It

    even goes down to reduce how the

    aquatic animals gravid and sound.

    Mr Speaker, as I speak, the Ministry

    has gone down to analyse a lot of inland

    waters that we really want to use to beef

    up aquatic aquaculture to ensure that the

    depletion and the over exploitation of the

    marine resources through aquaculture as

    a strategy, would be gotten back.

    Therefore, weedicides, pesticides, and the

    over application of fertilisers have had

    effect on the environment. It is in this

    wise that these days we talk about organic

    farming because at the end of the day, the

    residual left off of our products do not

    meet the ISO standards. As indicated in

    the Statement, as a result of this, Ghana

    has lost a lot of resources in the

    exportation of our vegetables.

    Mr Speaker, when I used to work at

    ASTEK — The Hon Majority Chief

    Whip would bear me out that on the

    Nsawam enclave towards Aburi, large

    quantity of the smooth cayenne pineapple

    was produced, exported and for local

    processing. However, because of the

    residual pesticides, weedicides and the

    over application of the fertiliser, we are

    not able to meet the ISO standard and it

    has really affected the exportation of our

    vegetables. It is time we bring

    regulations, and extension officers to

    Statemants

    educate and teach the farmers. The

    farmers have to break-even and make

    profit; therefore, increase in productivity

    and yield has become an issue.

    No farmer or fisherman would want to

    go into farming and fishing respectively

    and at the end of the day, he loses. He

    would really have to make profit and as a

    result, yields and productivity has

    become an issue and how we even use our

    land tenure system is forcing farmers to

    apply chemicals in order to increase

    productivity and to ensure food security.

    Mr Speaker, our attempt to ensure

    food security should not be at the

    detriment of the future and posterity. That

    is why sustainable management is the

    way out and if we carefully look into this

    Statement to ensure that we are able to

    sustainably manage our natural resources

    such as our water bodies, land, as well as

    agriculture, we should be able to meet the

    international standards and produce more

    for ourselves and export the excess.

    However, in an attempt to do that we

    need to regulate this human activity and

    ensure that our extension officers get the

    exact quantities for our farmers to utilise.

    Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you

    as well as the Hon Member who made the

    Statement. It is so timely and we need to

    take a critical look at it.

    Mr Joseph Kwame Kumah (NDC -

    Kintampo North): Mr Speaker, thank

    you very much for the opportunity to

    contribute to this very important

    Statement.

    Mr Speaker, agrochemicals directly

    affect plants such as cereals just as the

    Hon Member who made the Statement

    said. Much exposure of plants to

    agrochemicals causes sycosis, yellowing

    necrosis of foliage and distribute toxic

    into our system. The rate of application,

    if not controlled, in the long run, would

    make us lose our land tenure system to the

    zero degree where plants cannot have

    their natural survival.

    However, it is not only plants that are

    affected by the agrochemicals, our

    buildings as well. Very soon, if care is not

    taken, a lot of buildings are going to

    collapse. Now, Ghanaians do not engage

    in communal labour in our communities

    Statemants

    but everyone uses agrochemicals to clear

    out weeds. Upon a critical observation,

    houses where weeds are sprayed with

    chemicals, the foundation levels normally

    develop a greenish colour which fosters

    the growth of fungi. Similarly, when we

    use agrochemicals on concrete blocks, a

    careful observation would reveal that

    those blocks naturally reduce in size.

    Mr Speaker, so, apart from crops,

    agrochemicals have an effect on our

    cement projects that we undertake. In

    most communities, we see ‘natural storey buildings', being formed due to erosion. By this, I mean, the land is degrading as a

    result of erosion taking away the surface

    land and most of the buildings are

    hanging on top.

    So, as a nation, if we do not

    immediately check the kind of

    agrochemicals that are imported, not only

    would it affect crops but our buildings as

    well would begin to collapse and

    successive Governments would suffer to

    fix most of these buildings in the future.

    Mr Speaker, it is a very good

    Statement and we need to solve that

    problem.
    Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku (NPP - Offinso South) 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you
    for giving me the opportunity to
    contribute to this important Statement. I
    would also like to thank the Hon Member
    who made this Statement for bringing this
    important subject to the fore.
    Mr Speaker, I was part of a team that
    surveyed the country to determine the
    extent of faking of chemicals in the
    system and the results would shock you.
    In some instances, the labels displayed on
    the chemicals are different from the
    content; some of the active ingredients
    are different, some have expired and yet
    are being sprayed on our crops.
    I hold in my hand, a product which
    was seized by the National Intelligence
    Bureau (NIB), formerly the Bureau of
    National Investigations (BNI). This
    product is called ‘Three- In-One'. When the product was seized, it was sent to the
    Cocoa Research Institute for content
    analysis and I have in my hands the
    results. In terms of the active ingredient,
    the product is as good as water; in fact, it
    does not contain any chemical at all.
    However, surprisingly, the product is
    highly acidic - the average pH is around 5.0 — God knows —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, what is the name of the product?
    Dr I. Y. Opoku 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    product is called ‘Three-In-One'.

    Statemants
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, is it a —
    Dr I. Y. Opoku 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this
    product is being marketed as fungicide,
    insecticide and fertiliser. So, the
    unsuspecting farmers did not actually
    know what they were using this product
    for but surprisingly, it is acidic. Only God
    knows how many of us have consumed
    products that were sprayed with this
    product.
    Mr Speaker, our environment is being
    polluted. There is a weedicide called 2-
    4D; 2- 4- dichlorophenocyacetic acid. As
    the name suggests it is acidic and it is
    causing a lot of havoc in the system. Most
    of the various weedicides contain this
    product and that is why some time ago,
    some COCOBOD's consignments to
    Japan were rejected because the product
    contained this 2-4D.
    When this 2-4D is applied on our
    farms, it does not only kill the weeds but
    all the organic matter, micro and macro
    organisms. Where this product has been
    applied continuously for more than five
    years, the land is literally dead.
    Mr Speaker, someone sent an SOS
    message to us when I was the Executive
    Director at the Cocoa Research and we
    went to visit that farmer in the Western
    Region. For five continuous years, that
    farmer had not harvested a crop from his
    farm because he had applied this 2-4D
    product on his farm.
    As a result of this indiscriminate
    application of pesticides, we are
    destroying the beneficial insects. If we go
    to our cocoa farms now, cocoa farmers
    are resorting to artificial pollination
    because the insects that are responsible
    for pollination have been destroyed due to
    the indiscriminate application of
    chemicals.

    No farmer or fisherman would want to

    go into farming and fishing respectively

    and at the end of the day, he loses. He

    would really have to make profit and as a

    result, yield and productivity has become

    an issue and how we even use our land

    tenure system is forcing farmers to apply

    chemicals in order to increase

    productivity and to ensure food security.

    Again, in the cocoa industry, some

    time ago, certain insects were minor

    insects and one did not need any chemical

    intervention to control them. Now,

    Statemants

    COCOBOD has to spend huge amounts

    of money to control those insects. One of

    them is called sidote therapis devastans

    and the other is, batisilia.

    Mr Speaker, our attempt to ensure

    food security should not be at the

    detriment of the future and posterity. That

    is why sustainable management is the

    way out and if we carefully look into this

    Statement to ensure that we are able to

    sustainably manage our natural resources

    such as our water bodies, land, as well as

    agriculture, we should be able to meet the

    international standards and produce more

    for ourselves and export the excess.

    However, in an attempt to do that we

    need to regulate this human activity and

    ensure that our extension officers get the

    exact quantities for our farmers to utilise.

    Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you

    as well as the Hon Member who made the

    Statement. It is so timely and we need to

    take a critical look at it.

    Mr Speaker, sometime ago, these

    insects were minor and we did not need

    any chemicals to control them. If one

    goes around the country to inspect

    vegetables now, one would see a lot of

    deposits of fungicides on the vegetables

    and some of these products are consumed

    in their raw states. For example, when we

    examine tomatoes critically we would see

    copper deposits on them. Some of these

    pesticides are post-insecticides and others

    are pre-insecticides, however, some of

    these farmers are using these chemicals

    interchangeably that is why we have

    some of these deposits on the vegetables

    that we consume.

    Mr Speaker, as said by the other

    contributors, if we really want to reduce

    our medical bills then we have to address

    this issue very well otherwise we would

    be killing ourselves slowly because a lot

    of the products we consume are highly

    contaminated with these fungicides.

    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I

    thank you for the opportunity.

    Hear! Hear!
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
    I would
    now listen to the Leadership.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    there was an initial agreement but we
    have exhausted the number of Hon
    Members who are to contribute.

    Statemants

    Mr Speaker, we can now move to

    Commencement of Public Business and

    take the item numbered 8(b) on page 4.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end
    of Statement time so we would now move
    to the Commencement of Public
    Business. Item numbered 8 on page 4 of
    the Order Paper.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    we would begin with items numbered
    8(b) and (c) and I seek your indulgence
    for the Paper to be laid by the Hon Deputy
    Minister for Finance on behalf of the Hon
    Minister for Finance.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Deputy Minister for Finance?
    Deputy Minister for Finance (Mr
    John A. Kumah) (MP): Mr Speaker, I
    beg to seek your permission and the leave
    of the House to withdraw the Paper that
    was referred on 2nd March, 2022 and to
    relay it as has been advertised as items 8
    (b) (i) and (ii).
    Mr Speaker, respectfully, when it was
    referred to the Committee, some major
    errors were identified and so we have to
    withdraw it, do the corrections and relay
    it.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
    Very
    well. Leave granted.
    PAPERS 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    we can now take item numbered 8 (c) and
    I seek your leave again for the Hon
    Deputy Minister for Finance to lay the
    Paper on behalf of the Hon Minister for
    Food and Agriculture.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    notice that the Hon Deputy Minister for
    Food and Agriculture is our Hon
    Colleague but other Cabinet Ministers are
    present in the Chamber and probably they
    may have joined the Hon Minister for
    Food and Agriculture at Cabinet to
    consider the Memorandum on this
    particular issue. So, why should we
    bypass the Hon Minister for Roads and
    Highways and the Hon Minister for
    Communications and Digitalisation and
    still ask that the Hon Deputy Minister for
    Food and Agriculture should lay the
    Paper a even though Cabinet colleagues
    of the Hon Minister for Food and
    Agriculture are present in the Chamber?
    except that they have not declared that
    they are running for the Presidency —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    I would request that the Hon Minister
    for Communications and Digitalisation
    lays the Paper on behalf of the Hon
    Minister for Food and Agriculture.
    Minister for Communications and
    Digitalisation (Mrs Ursula G. Owusu-
    Ekuful) on behalf of (the Minister for
    Food and Agriculture) —
    Contract Agreement between the
    Government of the Republic of Ghana
    (Represented by the Ministry of Food and
    Agriculture) and the Action Construction
    Equipment Limited of India for an
    amount of twenty-four million, nine
    hundred and eighty-four thousand, four
    hundred and ten United States dollars
    (US$24,984,410.00) to finance the

    Papers

    implementation of the Establishment of

    Assembly Plant for Tractors, Backhoe

    Loaders and Fabrication of Agricultural

    Implements in Ghana.

    Referred to the Committee on Food,

    Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    we can now take the item numbered 13 on
    page 6 with your leave I beg to move the
    Motion for and on behalf of the Hon
    Majority Leader.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, item numbered 13 on page 6 -
    Motion.
    The Hon Majority Chief Whip would
    move the Motion on behalf of the Hon
    Majority Leader.

    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak

    Muntaka: Mr Speaker, with the greatest

    respect to my Hon Colleague, this is a

    loan facility and the loan was taken by the

    Hon Minister for Finance or a

    representative. Unfortunately, this can

    only be rescinded by a Minister. This is

    because when a Minister lays a Paper, we

    cannot get another person because we

    have had — the Majority Leader has just

    walked in. We have to get the person who

    laid it to rescind the decision. [Inter-

    ruption] — We have had a situation (and

    the Majority Leader would know) where

    someone comes to lay and another time,

    he said he was not even aware that it has

    been rescinded.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Hon Member, I think the issue is
    moot now. The Hon Majority Leader is
    here. May we invite him to move the
    Motion?
    Hon Majority Leader, item numbered
    13 on page 6 stands in your name. So
    you may move the Motion.
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:30 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I introduced this matter to
    Parliament. I did so in the capacity as the
    Majority Leader and Leader of the House
    and not as a Minister. In that regard, if the
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader has my
    consent, he could do this in respect of my
    humble self if I am away. Indeed, the Hon
    Minority Leader, if he has my consent,
    because I am doing so in the capacity as
    Majority Leader could also be assigned
    the responsibility to do that. So, if I am
    being told that is not the dispute, where
    Papers

    Papers

    then is the dispute arising from? But to

    cut a long story short —
    MOTIONS 1:30 p.m.
    Alhaji Muntaka 1:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Majority Leader knew very well that
    he could not have laid this in his capacity
    as a Majority Leader. He could not lay a
    loan facility as a Majority Leader and
    Leader of House. He might have done
    that in his capacity as Minister for
    Parliamentary Affairs on behalf of the
    Minister for Finance and he knows that
    there is no way a Majority Leader and
    Leader of the House would lay a loan
    facility on behalf of the Minister. That is
    not possible. He knows that.
    [Interruption] — He says that I do not
    understand what I am saying but I am
    drawing your attention to it. He could not
    have done that. He could only do that on
    his behalf as the Minister for
    Parliamentary Affairs and if he is
    insisting that he did that then as the
    Majority Leader, that was absolutely
    wrong and he knows that.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    once again, let me correct my brother.
    What was done was approval of a Motion
    — a Resolution by a Motion. It is a
    contract amount, which was done in my
    capacity as the Majority Leader. Mr
    Speaker, you understand that.

    Rescission of Approval of Loan Agt. b/n GoG & Czech Export Bank

    Chairman of Finance Committee

    (Mr Kwaku A. Kwarteng): Mr Speaker,

    I rise to second the Motion and in the

    process, explain that this facility was laid

    by the Hon Minister for Finance and

    referred to the Finance Committee; a

    Report was brought back to this House;

    and this House did give approval. So,

    Parliament owns that approval.

    Unfortunately, the Ministry of Finance

    could not sign the agreement with the

    financier and therefore the Ministry of

    Finance is actually looking to replace the

    facility and has come to this House to lay

    another request for a different financing

    to replace the failed financing that was

    earlier contemplated.

    Mr Speaker, at the Committee, the

    Ministry of Finance informed us about

    the reasons they were unable to sign the

    agreement following the approval that we

    gave. So, as would be indicated when we

    proceed to move the request, we would

    explain why this happened and therefore,

    we consider that this House would have

    to rescind its earlier decision in order that

    we would be free to move the second. It

    is not the Ministry of Finance

    withdrawing an approval that is owned by

    Parliament right now. That is my under-

    standing.

    Mr Speaker, by that, I second the

    Motion and request this House to proceed

    to debate and adopt the Report.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    — rose —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Hon
    Ranking Member for Finance
    Committee?
    Ranking Member (Mr Cassiel Ato
    Baah Forson ): Mr Speaker, in as much
    as I support that this Motion for rescission
    be supported, I strongly believe that it is
    the Hon Minister responsible for Finance
    who should move the Motion.
    Mr Speaker, I say this because the Hon
    Minister responsible for Finance laid a
    document before us that was actually
    referred to the Finance Committee. The
    Motion to adopt the Finance Committee's
    Report was moved by the Hon Minister
    responsible for Finance to commit the
    Republic of Ghana into a loan agreement
    with the Export Credit Agency of Czech
    Republic.
    Mr Speaker, for some reason, the loan
    did not go through so the Hon Minister

    Rescission of Approval of Loan Agt. b/n GoG & Czech Export Bank

    responsible for Finance has brought to us

    a new agreement which was apparently

    referred to the Finance Committee and we

    have debated it and accepted it.

    Mr Speaker, the Report is before us.

    We hope that that would be carried out

    but my concern is that before then, the

    existing one needs to be rescinded before

    we can proceed and that is why I believe

    that inasmuch as we all support the

    principle that it should be rescinded, the

    Deputy Minister for Finance is here. He

    should have been the right person to

    move the Motion to get it rescinded and

    then moving on, we can adopt the new

    Report. That is all. We are not against it

    but we think that the right person should

    have been the one to rescind it.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    wish to assist for us to put all the debates
    to rest. I have listened to my Hon
    Colleagues and so we want to accede to
    the request and to that score, I seek your
    leave for the recission to be done by the
    Deputy Minister for Finance.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Hon
    John Kumah, I believe you have your
    eye on page 6, item numbered 13. So
    you may do that on behalf of your
    Minister.
    MOTIONS 1:30 p.m.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, who would second it?

    Ranking Member of Finance

    Committee (Dr Cassiel Ato Baah

    Forson): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the

    Motion that was moved by the Hon

    Deputy Minister for Finance.

    Mr Speaker, I believe this is straight

    forward. The loan was approved by us on

    the 6th November, 2020. It was in the

    middle of COVID-19 pandemic. If you

    check the references to the House, I stated

    that I doubt this loan will go through

    considering the impact of the pandemic,

    particularly on Czech Republic. It is not

    surprising that the Hon Minister for

    Finance is calling on us to rescind the

    decision of Parliament. I support it

    wholeheartedly and I believe that when

    the new loan comes, we will be able to

    discuss it dispassionately. I believe that

    we have to rescind the decision.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    So we
    are not going to have any debate.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu — rose —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Minority Leader?
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna
    Iddrisu): Mr Speaker, we are all in this
    country. The Supreme Court has ruled
    and it has now provided a dichotomy
    between a debating quorum and a
    decision quorum or a voting quorum
    pursuant to Articles 102 and 104 of the
    1992 Constitution.
    Mr Speaker, looking at the com-
    position of this Parliament, I am not sure
    we would not be in contempt of the
    Supreme Court, if you proceed to put the
    Question when we do not have a voting
    quorum as it is required in Article 104,
    and the ruling of the Justices of the
    Supreme Court. We are no longer masters
    of our own procedure by that ruling.
    Therefore, Mr Speaker, you may not
    proceed with the Question; this not a
    voting quorum.
    We do not have voting quorum.
    Article 110 was to serve our purpose that
    we were masters of our own procedure,
    that has been called to question. We are
    no longer masters of it; no decision will
    be taken in this House without more than

    Rescission of Approval of Loan Agt. b/n GoG & Czech Export Bank
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the Hon Minority Leader is rehashing the
    obvious. We are not in contention; we
    agree totally. In fact, we can hold on with
    the Question. That was the agreement I
    had with the Hon Minority Chief Whip,
    so there is no problem with that.
    Mr Speaker, we will put an ice on the
    Question and proceed to take item
    numbered 14.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, my understanding now is that
    we all move the Motions without taking
    the Question.
    Hon Members, let us turn to page 7,
    the item numbered 14, Motion.
    Yes, Hon Chairman of the Finance
    Committee?
    MOTIONS 1:40 p.m.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Chairman, I am getting the impression
    that item numbered 14 should have
    followed item numbered 13. If item
    numbered 13 has been dealt with, then it
    should have been followed with item
    numbered 14.
    So, if we could not put the Question on
    item numbered 13, can we go ahead with
    item numbered 14?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    item numbered 13 is procedural, but the
    two of us have entered into some form of
    agreement that for all the Motion —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, the two of?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the two Sides; that we will take the
    Motion and yet, we will hold on with the
    Questions until the appropriate time when
    the Questions can be taken.
    So, we can proceed and take item
    numbered 14 regardless —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Chairman of the Committee, let us
    hear you?
    Mr Kwarteng 1:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I present
    the Committee's Report.
    1.0 Introduction
    The Term Loan Facility Agreement
    Amongst the Government of the
    Republic of Ghana (represented by the
    Ministry of Finance). Deutsche Bank
    AG, Frankfurt (as Arranger and
    Original Lender), an TMF Global
    Service (UK) Limited (as Facility
    Agent) for an amount of thirty-eight
    million, nine hundred and twenty-
    eight thousand. eight hundred and
    ninety-eight euros (€38,928,898.00) to
    Finance the Construction and
    Equipping of 40-Bed District Hospitals
    at Ayensuano, Effiduase and Offinso,
    and the Completion and Equipping of
    Old Tafo Maternity and the Kumasi
    South Maternity Blocks was the
    presented to the House on Monday 20
    December, 2021 in accordance with
    Article 181 of the Constitution and
    Section 56 of the Public Financial
    Management Act,/2016, Act 921.
    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 Finance
    Committee for consideration and report.
    The Comrnittee subsequently met and
    discussed the Agreements with the Hon.
    Deputy Ministers for Finance and Health,
    Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah and Alhaji
    Mahama Asei Seini as well as officials
    from the Ministries of Finance and
    Health.
    The Comrnittee hereby submits this
    report to the House pursuant to Order 16
    l (i) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.

    The Committee is grateful to the

    Deputy Ministers and officials from the

    Ministries of Finance and Health for

    attending upon it and assisting in the

    deliberations.

    2.0 Reference

    The Comrnirtee was guided by the

    following documents during its delibera-

    tions on the Agreements:

    ▪ The 1992 Constitution of the

    Republic of Ghana.

    ▪ The Standing Orders of the

    Parliament of Ghana.

    ▪ The Public Financial Management Act, 2016

    (Act 921).

    Loan Facility Agreement between the

    Government of the Republic of Ghana

    (represented by the Ministry of Finance)

    and the Czech Export Bank (Ce ska

    Exportini Banko A.S.) of the Czech

    Republic for an amount of thirty six

    million, thirty thousand, six hundred and

    Fifty Euros (€36,030,650.00) and Export Credit Guarantee of three million, seven

    hundred and thirty thousand, six hundred

    and fifty euros (€3,730,650.00) from Export Guarantee and Insurance

    Corporation of the Czech Republic to

    finance the Construction and Equipping

    of 40 Bed District Hospitals at

    Ayensuano, Effiduase and Offinso and the

    Completion and Equipping of the Old

    Tafo Maternity and the Kumasi South

    Maternity Blocks.

    3.0 Background

    The increasing rate of population

    growth across the country has exerted

    enormous pressure on the existing health

    facilities, stretching them beyond their

    operational limits and thereby resulted in

    increase in outpatient visits to the various

    hospitals in all the regions of Ghana.

    However, programmes to address health

    infrastructural development on the other

    hand, have not kept pace with the

    growing demand for health services as a

    result of increasing rate of population

    growth in the country.

    This has led to congestion and

    pressure on the utilisation of the existing

    health facilities, including health

    workers, as they operate above their

    established capacities. These challenges

    are further compounded by inadequate

    funding for the Ministry of Health's

    capital investment plan and the rising cost

    of maintenance of the traditional health

    infrastructure.

    In response to these challenges, the

    Ministries of Health and Finance

    therefore entered into an Agreement with

    Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt and TMF

    Global Service (UK) limited for an

    amount of €38,928,898.00 to finance the

    construction and equipping of three (3)

    40-Bed District Hospitals at Ayensuano,

    Effiduase and Offinso, and the

    Completion and Equipping of Old Tafo

    Maternity and Kumasi South Maternity

    Blocks. The Projects forms part of

    governments overall objective to improve

    health infrastructure, and increase access

    to quality healthcare delivery across the

    country.

    4.0. Project Objectives

    The overall objective of the project

    is to increase access to healthcare

    delivery through expanding the

    capacities of existing health facilities

    and providing new facilities in Districts

    with limited access to health

    infrastructure. The key objectives of

    the projects are as follows:

    i. Bridge the equity gaps in geographical

    access to health services;

    ii. Ensure sustainable financing for the

    health care delivery and financial

    protection for the poor;

    iii. Improve efficiency in governance and

    management of the health services;

    iv. Enhance national capacity for the

    attainment of the health related MDGs

    and sustain the gains;

    v. Intensify prevention and

    control of non-commu-

    nicable and other commu-

    nicable diseases.

    5.0. Justification For Government Action

    Government intends to secure the

    credit facility to facilitate the

    construction, retooling and equipping

    of selected health facilities to address

    the gaps in healthcare infrastructure,

    particularly in Districts without

    Hospitals. The aim of the construction,

    retooling and supply of equipment to

    the selected hospitals is to address the

    shortfalls in the provision of infra-

    structural facilities and biomedical

    equipment including the problem of

    maternal/neonatal care services, patient

    transport and handling in health

    facilities, patients lying on the floor,

    laundry services, sterilisation services,

    dietetic services, emergency care

    services, poor quality of electricity

    supply, water supply and where

    possible address medical oxygen

    supply in selected hospitals.

    The projects are also in fulfilment

    of the government's commitment to

    enhance healthcare infrastructure to

    provide universal healthcare services to

    oil citizens in Ghana.

    5.1. Terms and Conditions of the Loan

    The entire project cost for the

    Construction of three (3) 40-Bed capacity

    Hospital and expansion work on the

    Maternity Block of two hospitals would

    be financed by a Term Loan Facility from

    Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt with

    insurance cover from African Trade

    Insurance (ATI) with the sum of thirty-

    eight million, nine hundred and twenty-

    eight thousand, eight hundred and ninety-

    eight euros (€38,928,898.00). The terms

    and conditions of the Credit Facility are

    as follows:

    7.0. Project Description And Scope

    The project seeks to expand health

    infrastructure in line with the govern-

    ment's agenda to improve access and

    quality of health services across the

    country. A successful implementation of

    the project will result in increasing access

    to health services through the con-

    struction and equipping of three

    additional Forty-Bed District Hospitals in

    three Districts. The project also intends to

    revamp, retool and supply hospital

    equipment to selected hospitals.

    Also, part of the project fund would be

    applied to renovate and revamp existing

    structure in the selected hospitals and for

    procurement and installation of medical

    equipment and other accessories in the

    maternity wards of Kumasi South and

    Tafo Hospitals in Kumasi. Again, part

    Terms and Conditions Deutsche Bank Facility Facility Amount €38,928,898.00 Grace Period 2 years Repayment Period 8 years Tenor 10years Interest Rate 7.5% p.a. (fixed) Upfront Fee l .50 % f1at of the facility e €570.000.00

    (Financed)

    Agency Fee €170,020.00 {Financed)

    Legal Fees (Slaughter and May) €88,878.00 (Financed)

    of the facility would be applied to the

    provision of associated residential

    accommodation at Abrepo and for the

    provision of post construction training

    for staff.

    The scope of the project covers the

    construction and equipping of 40- Bed

    District Hospitals at Ayensuano,

    Effiduase and Offinso, and the com-

    pletion and equipping of Maternity

    Blocks at the Old Tafo and the Kumasi

    South hospitals. The two key com-

    ponents for the Project are as follows:

    a. Constructions and equipping

    of 3 No. 40-Bed District Hospitals

    at Ayensuano, Effiduase and

    Offinso, which will comprise the

    following activities:

    i. Design ond Construction of 3

    40-Bed District Hospitals.

    ii. Procurement and installation

    of medical equipment and

    accessories.

    iii. Installation of ICT equip-

    ment.

    b. Revamping, retooling and

    equipment supply for the

    selected Hospitals

    i. Completion and equipping of two maternity Blocks.

    ii. Supply and installation of ICT Equipment and electro-

    nical systems.

    Supply and Installation of medical and

    non-medical furniture and equipment.

    Attachment: Please find attached to

    this report is details of the project scope.

    Refer in Columns 165-174

    8.0. Observations

    The Committee having critically

    examined the amended and restated

    Agreement made the following obser-

    vations:

    8.1. Parliamentary Approval

    The Committee noted that Parlia-

    ment at its Twenty-Third Sitting of the

    Third Meeting held on Saturday, 7th

    November, 2020 approved by

    resolution, the Loan Facility Agree-

    ment between the Government of the

    Republic of Ghana (represented by the

    Ministry of Finance) and the Czech

    Export Bank (Ceska Exportini Banka

    A.S.) of the Czech Republic for an

    amount of thirty six million, thirty

    thousand, six hundred and fifty euros

    (€36,030,650.00) and Export Credit Guarantee of three million, seven

    hundred and thirty thousand, six

    hundred and fifty euros (€3,730,650.00) from Export Guarantee and Insurance

    Corporation of the Czech Republic to

    finance the Construction and Equipping

    of 40-Bed District Hospitals at

    Ayensuano, Effiduase and Offinso and

    the Completion and Equipping of the Old

    Tafo Maternity and the Kumasi South

    Maternity Blocks.

    The project was to be executed by

    Messrs MZ Liberec with Golden

    Mainland Ghana Limited as Local

    Partners through a supplier credit

    agreement. Officials from the Ministry

    of Finance informed the Committee

    that, the facility was not signed due to

    the inability of the main contractor,

    Messrs MZ Liboerec, to provide

    performance security and advance

    payment guarantee for the project.

    In July, 2021, Messrs MZ Liberec,

    the main contractor, pulled out of the

    project thereby rendering the suppliers

    credit invalid. The supplier credit

    facility was subsequently terminated

    and replaced with a Loan Facility from

    the Deutsche Bank. To ensure the

    execution of the projects for the benefit

    of the Communities, the Government of

    Ghana through the Ministry of Finance

    has entered on Agreement with

    Deutsche Bank for a credit facility

    amounting to €38,928,898.00 to finance

    the project.

    The Committee therefore recommends

    to the House to rescind its earlier decision

    on the approval granted for the Loan

    Facility Agreement and the Suppliers

    Credit Facility and approve the replace-

    ment facility to finance the projects.

    On whether the Ministry has

    incurred cost as a result of the decision

    by Messrs MZ Liberec to pull out of the

    contract, the Deputy Minister for

    Finance assured the Committee that, no

    cost was incurred. She indicated that

    the insurance component was also

    financed through the loan Facility with

    Czech Export Bank {Ceska Exportini

    Banko A.S.). Because the facility could

    not fall through, the insurance com-

    ponent was not paid.

    8.2. Financial Impact

    The Committee sought to

    understand the impact of the facility on

    the country's debt stock. The Deputy

    Minister however assured the Com-

    mittee that the facility was factored into

    government's medium term debt

    strategy and as a results, forms part of

    governments borrowing plan for the

    medium term as published under

    Appendix 10c of the Budget Statement

    and Economic Policy of the

    Government for the 2022 financial

    year. She indicated that the projects

    forms part of government's priority

    projects selected for debt financing in

    2022 and the estimated debt service

    cost will form part of the debt service

    projections for the year. The drawdown

    on the facility also forms part of the

    determination of the projected budget

    deficit for 2022.

    8.3. Benefits of the Project

    The Committee observed that there

    is continuous increase in Out-Patient

    visits to various hospitals in all the

    Regions of Ghana but the development

    of health infrastructure has not kept

    pace with the demand. The country has

    216 administrative Districts of which

    only 109 have District Hospitals

    leaving some 107 District without

    District Hospitals. This has led to

    congestion and pressure on the

    utilization of most of the adjoining

    health facilities compelling them to

    operate above their established

    thresholds.

    This situation affects patients'

    satisfaction and the quality of health

    service delivery in the Districts. The

    project therefore seeks to construct and

    equip three District Hospitals in the

    selected districts to improve health

    service delivery.

    9.0. Conclusion

    The Committee after a careful

    examination of the Agreement is

    convinced that the facility, when

    approved will help expand access to

    health services to be in line with

    governments overall agenda to improve

    health infrastructure in Ghana. The

    Committee therefore recommends to

    the House on the following:

    1. To rescind its decision on the

    approval of the Loan Facility

    Agreement between the

    Government of the Republic of

    Ghana (represented by the

    Ministry of Finance) and the

    Czech Export Bonk (Cesko

    Exportini Banka A.S.) of the

    Czech Republic for an amount

    of thirty six million, thirty

    thousand, six hundred and fifty

    euros (€36,030,650.00) and

    Export Credit Guarantee of three

    million, seven hundred and thirty

    thousand, six hundred and fifty

    euros (€3,730.650.00) from

    Export Guarantee and Insurance

    Corporation of the Czech

    Republic to finance the Construc-

    tion and Equipping of 40-Bed

    District Hospitals at Ayensuano,

    Effiduose and Offinso and the

    Completion and Equipping of the

    Old Toto Maternity and the

    Kumosi South Maternity Blocks

    and

    2. To approve the Term Loan

    Facility Agreement Amongst the

    Government of the Republic of

    Ghana (represented by the

    Ministry of Finance), Deutsche

    Bank AG, Frankfurt (as Arranger

    and Original Lender), and TMF

    Global Service (UK) Limited (as

    Facility Agent) for an amount of

    thirty-eight million, nine hundred and

    twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred

    and ninety-eight euros

    (€38,928,898.00) to Finance the

    Construction and Equipping of

    40-Bed District Hospitals at

    Ayensuano, Effiduase and

    Offinso, and the Completion and

    Equipping of Old Tafo Maternity

    and Kumasi South Maternity

    Blocks in accordance with

    Article 181 of the Constitution,

    Section 56 of the Public

    Financial Management Act, 20 l

    6 (Act 921) and Order 169 of the

    Standing Orders of the Parliament

    of Ghana.

    Question proposed.

    Ranking Member of the Committee

    (Dr Cassiel Ato B. Forson): Mr Speaker,

    I rise to second the Motion that was

    moved by the Chairman of the Finance

    Committee.

    Mr Speaker, in doing so, I would like

    to state that what came before us was a

    loan agreement between the Government

    of Ghana and the Deutsche Bank. The

    Commercial Agreement between the

    Government of Ghana and the contractor

    did not appear before the Finance

    Committee, and we were not called upon

    to consider the commercial agreement.

    So, our job was to look at the loan

    agreement between the Government of

    Ghana and Deutsche Bank, which is a

    reputable company.

    GoG-Deutsche Bank AG-TMF Global

    Services (UK) Ltd Agreement for the

    Construction and Equipping of District

    Hospitals —

    Mr Speaker, the terms that were

    presented to us were that the repayment

    period and the grace period of the loan is

    10 years. This means that it has a two

    years' grace period and a repayment

    period of eight years, giving us the tenure

    of 10 years. The interest rate is 7.5 per

    cent fixed.

    Mr Speaker, we were told that there is

    going to be an upfront fee of 1.5 per cent

    per annum and an agency fee of €170,

    020. According to the Ministry of

    Finance, the legal fees would be paid to a

    company called Slaughter and May, and

    they are going to pay an amount of

    €88,878 for the purposes of the

    structuring of the Agreement.

    Mr Speaker, I believe that this loan is

    an expensive one, but I recognise the fact

    that the Government of Ghana has signed

    an agreement with the company, and

    there is the need for us to ensure that the

    contract is actually executed. So,

    inasmuch as I believe that it is an

    expensive loan, considering what we had

    approved earlier, I still think that we

    should approve it.

    Mr Speaker, however, there are

    underlining concerns, which have to do

    with the company in question that is

    executing this Agreement. I recall, that

    when the matter appeared before us in

    November last year, there were issues

    that the company that is constructing the

    Ayensuano Hospital is not credible

    enough to do the job, and that position

    still holds. According to the members of

    the Committee, we were told that this

    company is a Human Resource (HR)

    company, and they do not have any

    background referencing to the con-

    struction of hospitals, but that is not what

    we are discussing.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, why do you say that?
    Mr Forson 1:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the issue was
    discussed here in November last year, and
    the records would show. At that point, the
    discussion had to do with the company
    that has been given the mandate to
    construct the hospital, and the Committee
    that was tasked with the responsibility to
    do that work raised some concerns. So,
    inasmuch as I am supporting the Loan

    Agreement for the financing of the

    Project, I am only cautioning the Ministry

    that they should do what is right in

    ensuring that the money that we are

    approving would be put to proper use

    because there have been concerns about

    whether the company can do the work or

    not. I am reiterating this point that the

    Finance Committee has not been called

    upon to approve a commercial agreement.

    Our job is to approve the loans that

    would be used for commercial agree-

    ments. Therefore, I am trying to ensure

    that inasmuch as I am supporting the

    Loan Agreement, the issues that have

    been raised in the past still stand, and the

    Hon Minister for Health and the Govern-

    ment must ensure that the right thing is

    done, going forward.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    Thank
    you very much, Hon Member.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if
    you would indulge me, I heard my Hon
    Colleague, the Hon Ato Forson, who is
    the Ranking Member of the Finance
    Committee, speak, and I saw the Hon
    Chairman of the Committee signalling
    you, trying to catch your attention. The
    Hon Chairman of the Committee has a
    response, so you may listen to him. Mr
    Speaker, you even sought to interrogate
    the point that the Hon Ranking Member
    made, so you may allow the Hon
    Chairman to speak to the point that the
    Hon Ranking Member raised.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    Should
    it be before we subject it to debate?
    Very well. Hon Chairman, let us hear
    you.
    Mr Kwarteng 1:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I wanted
    to make the point that the Finance
    Committee does not have a mandate to
    review commercial agreements, and in
    fact, the one related to this. It is
    uncomfortable when the Hon Ranking
    Member gives the impression that the
    Finance Committee was not called upon
    to review the Commercial Agreement.
    Again, it is important that, especially
    those of us in the Finance Committee, we
    realise, that there are equally competent
    people in the other sector Committees. If
    they have sat on the Report and found that
    the Agreement is worthwhile and have
    recommended to this House, which
    recommendation has received the
    approval of Parliament, I think that it is
    unfair on that Committee for any member
    of the Finance Committee to suggest and
    invite this House to consider some

    problems with the work that our own

    members of the sector Committee did. I

    just deem it improper and a thought that I

    should draw the attention to it so that my

    Hon Colleague does not go there again in

    the future.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    Hon
    Minority Leader, would you not wait to
    conclude?
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna
    Iddrisu): Mr Speaker I would want to
    indulge you to contribute very briefly so
    that the Hon Agbodza would conclude for
    Leadership, if I have your indulgence.
    Mr Speaker, I am considering some
    travel arrangements and I need to sign
    some documentation. I would want to
    contribute to the Motion and in doing so,

    —

    Mr Annoh-Dompreh — rose —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Chief Whip, why?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    heard my Hon good Friend talk about
    travel arrangements, and I do not know if
    Leadership is engaging in any travel
    arrangement; if it is a personal one or a
    travel arrangement for Leadership? I do
    not know, but I thought that there is a
    Motion he has to speak to. So, he should
    speak to the Motion and stop talking
    about travel arrangement.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:50 p.m.
    My
    understanding is that as an Hon Minority
    Leader, he would have spoken last, but
    probably, he has his private arrangement,
    so he would want to take his bite before
    he gives the Leadership role to somebody
    else.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 2 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    did not know that in travelling to Tamale
    to my constituency I needed to clear it
    with the Hon Majority Chief Whip. He is
    hereby informed.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to refer you
    to page nine of your Committee's Report.
    I heard the Hon Chairman of the Finance
    Committee respond to the Hon Ranking
    Member. The concluding paragraph of
    the Report reads:

    “…To approve the Term Loan

    Facility Agreement amongst the

    Government of the Republic of Ghana

    represented by the Ministry of

    Finance, Deutsche Bank AG,

    Frankfurt (as Arranger and Original

    Lender) and TMF Global Services

    (UK) Limited (as Facility Agent)”.

    Mr Speaker, we are requesting the

    Finance Committee to do due diligence

    and a further background check on TMF

    Global Services (UK) Limited. My

    cursory examination of who they are is

    that they are an HR entity which

    specialises in payroll in the UK. Now, for

    our purpose in Ghana, we are considering

    them as arranger, a facility agent for an

    amount of €38 million.

    Mr Speaker, whether the Ministry of

    Finance conducted due diligence or not,

    this is our Committee on Finance, and we

    are asking, who is TMF Global Service

    (UK) Limited? We demand to know

    them. There is a referral to us of an

    amount of €38 million to which they are

    associated as agents. Do we know who an

    agent is in law? Mr Speaker, you are a

    lawyer yourself. They are considered as

    agents, and are even coming to get an

    agency fee for representing as a

    “principal”, which the study of my small

    agency law makes me aware of.

    Therefore, we would want to know who

    TMF Global Services (UK) Limited is,

    and their capacity to be associated with a

    transaction of this nature because TMF

    Global Services (UK) is an HR payroll

    entity and nothing more. That is what I

    know about them, and if Hon Members

    doubt me, they should use their phones to

    Google and ask about them.

    Mr Speaker, we support the principle,

    and would want the Government to build

    more health infrastructure, particularly

    for the people of Offinso, Effiduase, and

    Ayensuano. They deserve it, but we

    would want to know the entity we are

    working with.

    Still on page nine, on the conclusion, a

    while ago, the same Hon Majority

    Leader, supported by the Hon Majority

    Chief Whip and the Hon Chairman of the

    Committee, came that they want to

    rescind a decision, and moved a motion to

    rescind that decision.

    Now, again on page nine, we are

    seeing a heading ‘to rescind a decision'.

    Is their Report part of a recission decision

    or on an approval of an amount of €38

    million? A while ago we had granted

    them the leave to rescind, suffice it to say

    that Mr Speaker did not put the Question.

    However, if we come to the conclusion

    and as part of this Report, there is a whole

    paragraph to again rescind their decision,

    then I have some concerns with it.

    GoG-Deutsche Bank AG-TMF Global

    Services (UK) Ltd Agreement for the

    Construction and Equipping of District

    Hospitals —

    Are we dealing with them as two

    separate activities? First, a Motion on

    recission which was moved and

    seconded, to which the Question was to

    be put or in adopting this Report, if we so

    adopt it, it includes a paragraph on

    recission. I have a difficulty with it.

    Mr Speaker, as for the principle of

    expanding health infrastructure, we

    support Government. The projects would

    reduce congestion and reduce pressure on

    the utilisation existing health facilities.

    Mr Speaker, I refer you to page 2 of the

    Committee's Report. Hon Chairmen,

    your Committee Clerks must endeavour

    not to do lazy jobs for Mr Speaker as part

    of the reference documents we have:

    “Loan Facility Agreement between the

    Government of the Republic of Ghana

    (represented by the Ministry of Finance)

    and the Czech Export Bank (Ceska

    Exportini Banka A. S.) of the Czech

    Republic …”

    Is that a reference document? Where is

    the reference document on the €38

    million we are to approve now? I would

    want to know. How come that the original

    agreement which we are rescinding can

    be a reference document, but the main

    beef we are looking at now is not even in

    your reference? Clerks-at-the-Table, is

    that how it should work? I am just raising

    a question. On page 2, under

    “References”, I see the rescinded agree-

    ment. I would want to see the original one

    on the €38 million being approved now.

    Finally, on page 6, Mr Speaker, this is

    what we want the Committee of the Hon

    Chairman and Ranking Member to be

    doing, even though they would tell me I

    should go to the Committee on Health.

    Under “Construction and equipping of 3

    “Design and Construction of three 40-bed

    district hospitals”; “Procurement and

    installation of medical equipment and

    accessories” and “Installation of ICT

    equipment”. Maybe, because I do not

    have the contract document, I am unable

    to raise this other question.

    Ideally, I would have wished to know

    how much of this €38 million is allocated

    to ICT. I would want to know. With

    procurement and installation of medical

    equipment and accessories, I would want

    to know how much is dedicated to it. To

    be fair to them, this is not the contract

    agreement, but because we are rescinding

    a decision, we would need to know all

    this. Mr Speaker, still on page 6, we have

    “Revamping, retooling and equipment

    supply for selected Hospitals”, but

    nothing is said. We just see a list of items.

    Mr Speaker, on the principle of

    supporting the expansion of health

    infrastructure, you can count on my vote

    and support, but I would want to know

    who TMF Global Services Global UK

    are, and their capacity to be arranging a

    facility of €38 million when I know that

    by their registered details in the United

    Kingdom, they are more specialised in

    human resource and payroll activity than

    finance.
    Mr Kwarteng 2 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my first
    comment is in respect of what the Hon
    Minority Leader said with reference to
    page — that the documents referred to did
    not include the working document. If he
    would advert his mind to practice, when a
    referral is made to us, the referral is the
    working document; that is the subject
    matter we are to deliberate on and to
    report back to this House.
    In doing so, there would be important
    documents we should refer to. Those are
    the documents that have been listed. I
    think it is unfair to comment the way the
    Hon Minority Leader did about the good
    work the hardworking Clerks of the
    Finance Committee have been doing.
    Maybe, when he has the chance, he may
    want to retract those words.
    Mr Speaker, second, in response to the
    recission, we should advert our minds to
    why this recission idea even came. When
    the Ministry of Finance appeared before
    us, they wanted the House to approve a
    new facility, but the House had earlier
    approved a financial facility for the same
    project. Thus, it is reasonable that before
    we invite the House to approve the new
    one, the request of the Ministry of
    Finance that the old one did not
    materialise and therefore, it should be
    rescinded should be captured in our
    Report, and that is what we have sought
    to do. The basic request before us in
    respect to this Report is a new facility that
    we are looking for the House to approve.
    Mr Moses Anim (NPP - Trobu) 2 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, as the Hon Minority Leader
    said, the principle is to decongest and
    reduce pressures on our hospitals,
    especially where OPD numbers are

    increasing. Mr Speaker, none of us would

    know where we would develop health

    challenges while travelling. Therefore, if

    you are sent to a hospital close by, and

    you get there and the needed attention is

    not there to take care of you that would be

    a challenge. No matter where a hospital is

    situated, the real principles and issues are

    to ensure that the facilities and adequate

    cares are there.

    Mr Speaker, we can look at the

    numbers as well. The Finance Committee

    has given their Report. By and large, the

    Committee requests us to approve the

    Report. Mr Speaker, there is a two-year

    moratorium, and the repayment period is

    eight years. We think it is all right. The

    tenor is 10 years, and the fixed interest

    rate is 7.5 per cent per annum fixed.

    Maybe, we could ask whether we had

    attempted to bargain for a reducing

    balance. I do not know the terms of

    agreement, but maybe, we could have

    looked at a reducing balance because a

    fixed interest rate would mean that while

    we are paying and still reducing on the

    principal, the interest is still fixed. If we

    had gone for a reducing balance, we could

    have won that argument.

    Mr Speaker, what it would mean is that

    once reducing on the principal and

    paying, maybe, the interest in terms of

    reducing balance could have reduced.

    That is my only issue with the facility.

    Other than that, it meets the principle that

    we all want, and when we take it, I believe

    strongly that it would expand and reduce

    the pressure. Looking at the numbers, I

    believe it is all right, except the fixed

    interest rate that I thought we could have

    bargained for a reducing balance.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, before we continue, indulge
    me to extend Sitting beyond the normal
    time. It is past 2.00 p.m.
    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC
    - Adaklu): Mr Speaker, as my other Hon
    Colleagues have said, any time we have
    the opportunity to provide resources for
    the building of another health facility in
    our country, we should be happy because
    it is in our own interest to have a country
    where our healthcare system is good.
    Mr Speaker, on page 6, under
    paragraph 7(b), it reads:
    “Attachment: Please find attached to
    this report details of the project
    scope.” but I cannot see any
    attachment of the project scope with
    this Report.

    As previously said by the Hon

    Minority Leader, we are here because we

    are told that the original developers and

    lenders pulled out. The question

    somebody would ask is: did both the

    Executive and Parliament do due

    diligence before approving that? Ever so

    often, I keep saying that we rush these

    things through; we never have enough

    time. Companies that are on their feet

    working do not just fold up after

    proposing to undertake projects abroad.

    2. 10 p. m.

    It means that the company was already

    having challenges.

    Mr Speaker that is why the point made

    by the Minority Leader must be taken

    very seriously. I know this is not a

    commercial agreement but if we read the

    background of the TMF Global Services,

    there is nothing close to the construction

    of hospitals so far. I am not saying this

    cannot be the first time they build

    hospitals. But, did the Minister for

    Finance do due diligence to know that, at

    least, from the face of the record we have

    from the company's house in the UK so

    far, the company has no record of

    building any hospital anywhere? What

    made us believe that they are capable of

    doing this? Though they may not be the

    main contractors, when we get to the

    Commercial Agreement, we would look

    at that.

    Mr Speaker, I see this and then, we are

    told that we would spend €38.9 million to

    build four hospitals. Mr Speaker, this is

    one thing the Ministry of Health should

    help us with. My understanding is that the

    floor area of this hospital is just about

    3500 square metres. A standard district

    hospital should be more than 8000 to

    10,000 in terms of footprint on the

    ground. So, when they are doing 3500

    square metres, they should be bold and

    call it a polyclinic or a slightly enhanced

    polyclinic. What is the point in calling

    something that looks like a polyclinic a

    district hospital? Whom are we kidding,

    because we are not going to have all the

    things we need in a standard hospital in

    that project? The scope is limited. So, it is

    hard for us; the Ministry has to develop a

    template so that when we say a district

    hospital, at least, Members of Parliament

    must look at certain parameters to say it

    meets the provision of floor area, the

    provision of clinical areas and other

    things. It must be a standard but we

    cannot have a situation - 120-bed district

    hospital; 160-bed district hospital; 100-

    bed district hospital; 40-bed district

    hospital. What are we talking about?

    Meanwhile, hospitals are measured in

    beds because the bigger the bed, the

    bigger the facility that comes with it. So,

    a 40-bed hospital is close to a polyclinic.

    Mr Speaker, it is not the fault of the

    Ministry of Finance, but what I am saying

    is that when the Minister for Health

    comes here, it is not only about this; this

    is not the first time this is happening.

    Mr Speaker, I can see my Hon

    Colleague is getting agitated. This is not

    happening only now; it has been

    happening, probably, ten years ago. So,

    all I am calling for is that the Ministry

    should devise a standard by which when

    we see a certain hospital, even without the

    Ministry labelling it, anybody can tell that

    this is a polyclinic so that we stop

    confusing ourselves. In any case, if the

    people of Ayensuano were to go to

    Somanya or just the district hospital in

    Bekwai— one 120-bed — look at that

    facility, somebody would think that the

    person who is coming to build the

    Ayensuano one has decided to spend the

    money elsewhere because the difference

    would be too much.

    So, I am just calling for us to be able

    to do something, and we cannot be in

    Parliament and just say that this is what

    the Ministry has brought so we should

    just approve it. Mr Speaker, the Majority

    Leader said something the other day that

    this House must have the ability to hire

    consultants to advise us on these things;

    we should not just say that it was

    approved. And guess what? If it

    backfires, do you know what they would

    say? They would say were you covering

    your face when you approved it?

    Meanwhile, even in this Report, the

    Chairman says we should find attached

    the scope, but where is the attachment?

    He did not give us any attachment, yet he

    is asking us to approve it but if it backfires

    in the future, he would ask us if we were

    blind when we approved it?

    Mr Speaker, in any case, we cannot put

    a vote on it but I do not think we can

    conclusively even put a vote on it in the

    future if the Chairman does not provide

    detailed information as to whether he is

    confident that TMF Global Services has

    got any track record of building hospitals

    anywhere so that we can be confident that

    when we hand over €38 million to them,

    they would be capable to do what is

    expected of them by the people of

    Ayensuano, Offinso, and Kumasi South.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker for

    the opportunity.

    Mr Kwarteng — rose —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
    Hon
    Chairman, you have been correcting the
    Report.
    Mr Kwarteng 2 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this one
    is the Report itself. With your leave, I
    would like to correct the reference that
    the Hon Member made: “Please, find
    attached to this Report details of the
    project scope”. Mr Speaker, I request the
    House to delete that from the Report. I do
    that because the Commercial Agreement
    contains adequately the scope of the
    works. We have summarised it in this
    Report and this reference ought not to
    have been there, so I request your leave to
    cross out the statement just before
    paragraph 8.0 — “Observations namely:
    please find attached to this Report details
    of the project scope.”
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
    Very
    well. Let me come to Leadership.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 2 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    let me commend the Committee for a
    good work done, and also to observe that
    one could still have a reason to rescind or
    amend an agreement even after a proper
    due diligence has been executed. So we
    should not mix the two.
    I listened to the Minority Leader
    carefully when he made reference to the
    company involved as more or less as a
    history in the handling of payroll and all
    that. I think it is most unfair because for
    you to say that the company deals in
    payroll, and hence, the company is unable
    to execute the job at hand would not be
    enough. Anybody who is alleging
    anything inappropriate, same would have
    to prove it; otherwise, you had better keep
    your silence. I have heard people
    copiously mentioned the fact that the
    company deals in payroll continuously. It
    is not enough. The Members of the
    Finance Committee have done a good
    job. I concede that the document is for
    plenary to make commentaries on it but
    anybody who is commenting on this
    Report would have to be considerate
    enough and also give some credit to the
    Committee. After all, if there is a reason
    for us to re-visit this matter, we can re-
    visit the matter.
    I am proud to say that, at least, when
    this project is concluded, it would take off
    some pressure from the Nsawam
    Government Hospital. Mr Speaker, it
    would interest you to know that Nsawam
    is at the middle of Suhum, Ayensuano,
    Amansaman and Aburi, and our
    Government Hospital has come under

    intense pressure because of the limitation

    of health facilities in the surrounding

    areas. So, the people of Ayensuano are

    very happy about this project. And it is

    not limited to only there; it goes to

    Effigyase, Offinso, Kumasi South and

    other places. It is important.

    Mr Speaker, that is not to say that if

    there is a reason for us to raise any matter

    of impropriety, we should shut up. No,

    but I am saying that to the extent that the

    terms of reference given to the

    Committee, the Committee has not come

    short of it, and if anybody has a reason

    that this company so involved cannot

    execute this project, the person must give

    us a better reason rather than just making

    some passing statements.

    Mr Speaker, this is important; we have

    to support Government. The health needs

    of our country is so critical, and if we look

    at the areas that have been strategically

    picked, one cannot help it but commend

    Government. So, I would like to speak in

    support of the Motion, and to urge

    Members not to pick and choose: in one

    breath, I hear people say that they support

    the principle, it is a good move, yet, in

    another breath, they have a problem with

    the partnership the company involved in

    the execution of the project.

    If anyone has a reason, the person must

    prove that reason. The person should not

    just say that they know them to be

    handling payrolls; therefore, they cannot

    do this project. That would be most

    inappropriate and very unfair on the part

    of any Member of Parliament to make

    such an aspersion or observation. It is a

    good project; all of us must come together

    and support it.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the space

    granted.

    Mr Agbodza — rose —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
    Hon
    Agbodza, you have spoken.
    Mr Agbodza 2 p.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker. He
    keeps asking that, because it is in
    reference to the Minority Leader's point.
    Mr Speaker, in this country —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, do not worry; the Minority
    Leader is not here.
    Mr Agbodza 2 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, when one
    registers a company in this country to do
    catering services, the articles of one's

    registration are listed; when one wants to

    do construction, it is listed. This is what

    has been listed at the company' house in

    the United Kingdom as activities: Statutory

    Book Keeping Services, International

    Management Reporting Services,

    Consolidated Reporting Services, And

    Account Data conversion into Europe.

    Mr Speaker, what have these got to do

    with any infrastructural project? So, the

    Minority is just saying that we should be

    careful how these things do. He is not

    saying —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:20 p.m.
    Well
    noted. My Brother, your concerns are
    well noted.

    Your concerns are well noted. I would

    not put the Question because we have put

    an ice on this particular Motion.

    Hon Majority Chief Whip?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 2:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    with the blessings from my Hon
    Colleague, we are squarely in your hands
    now.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:20 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, I am inclined to refer the
    earlier Statement made by the Hon
    Member for Asante Akim North to the
    Committee on Food, Agriculture and
    Cocoa Affairs to look into it and report to
    the House in three weeks.
    Hon Members, it is past 2.00 p.m., so
    I would adjourn the House till tomorrow.
    I thank you for your cooperation and
    indulgence.
    The House is adjourned till tomorrow,
    ADJOURNMENT 10 a.m.
    ATTACHEMENT 10 a.m.
    FUCTIONAL AREAS 10 a.m.
    ATTACHEMENT 10 a.m.
    FUCTIONAL AREAS 10 a.m.
    ATTACHEMENT 10 a.m.
    ASSOCIATED RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION AT ABREPO 10 a.m.
    ATTACHEMENT 10 a.m.
    ATTACHEMENT 10 a.m.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SCOPE OF WORKS 10 a.m.
    FUCTIONAL AREAS 10 a.m.