Debates of 26 May 2022

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Hon Members, I do not
have any message from H.E. the
President and I do not have any formal
communication for the House.
We would move on to item numbered
4 - Correction of Votes and Proceedings
and the Official Report. We would start
with the Votes and Proceedings of
Tuesday, 24th May, 2022. I hope that Hon
Members have the Votes and
Proceedings of Tuesday, and also, that of
Wednesday, 25th May, 2022; I have two
of them.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker,
what we have is for Wednesday, 25th
May, 2022. We do not have that of
Tuesday, 24th May, 2022.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
We would start with that
of Tuesday, 24th May, 2022.
In fact, I should have early on
apologised for the late start of the Sitting.
This was due to the fact that we had
difficulty in printing the Votes and
Proceedings; there were challenges at the
Printing Department. Then immediately
that was surmounted, we had an
Information Technology (IT) challenge
in the Chamber. I am told one of the fuses
was blown, and they had to work on it.
So, even though we were ready to come
in, we could not have done that and that
is why we have started today's proceedings rather a bit later than
scheduled.
I hope that Hon Members would
understand that we need to up our game.
We need to refresh our equipment - I cannot see the Hon Minister for Finance
in the House but at least, the Hon
Majority Chief Whip is available to
convey the message to Government, that
we really need the money to change these
antiquated systems that we are using.
This is because they are now out of date
and we need to upgrade it. So, the Hon
Majority Chief Whip should take it on
board.
As I stated early on, we would start
with the Votes and Proceedings of
Tuesday, 24th May, 2022.
Page 1…4 --
Dr Kwamena Minta Nyarku 11:52 a.m.
Mr
Speaker, my name appears at item

numbered 189 on page 4 as being absent,

but I was present on Tuesday.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Page 4? What is the item
number?
Dr Nyarku 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 6.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
I have not reached page 6.
Dr Nyarku 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am sorry.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
The Hon Member for
Cape Coast North is so eager to take us to
page 6.
Page 5…6.
Yes, Hon Member for Cape Coast
North, your concern is item numbered
189?
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
What is your position?
Dr Nyarku 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I was
present, but my name appears under those
who were absent.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
The list you read has
your name under those present, which
shows that you were present.
Dr Nyarku 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, yes.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Yes, your name is not
under those who were absent. I am sure
you did not have a good sleep last night;
while I was at page 4, you were already at
page 6, and then the issue you raised, is a
no issue at all.
Page 7….10
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 11:52 a.m.
Mr
Speaker, I am most grateful. The item
summarised at page 10, item numbered 9,
from the addresses of the Hon Majority
and Hon Minority Leaders, I recall that
the Hon Minority Leader called for a
probe into the Achimota Forest land
scandal, but that has not been captured.
We only have “the cap on borrowing” and then “an investigation into recent flooding in Accra”, which were raised by the Hon Majority Leader, but the Hon
Minority Leader was passionate about an
investigation into the Achimota Forest
land grab; that has not been captured, so I
thought that if it could be added as a key
highlight as we summarise their
statements on that day.
Mr Speaker 12:02 p.m.
Yes, I think the Hon
Member for North Tongu got it right, but
actually what they did were not
addresses; they were remarks. We just
resumed and they were given the
opportunity to make Welcome Remarks,
but not that they took turns to address the
House, no.

So, Clerks-at-the-Table, kindly take

note of these two issues and properly

capture the issue raised about the

Achimota Forest lands.

Page 11…13
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:02 p.m.
Mr Peter Toobu 12:02 p.m.
Mr Speaker, page 1,
item numbered 1, reads: “the House met at ten minutes in the forenoon” . - I think there is an omission.
- [Pause] -
Mr Speaker 12:02 p.m.
Hon Members, “the House met at ten minutes in the
forenoon”; should read ‘10 o'clock in the forenoon'. So, the Hon Member is right. Clerks-at-the-Table, kindly take note.
Page 2…13 -
Mr Samuel Ablakwa 12:02 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I
am grateful.
Mr Speaker, at page 13, item
numbered (iv) relates to the withdrawal of
your good self, the Rt Hon Speaker, and
the First Deputy Speaker taking the
Chair; what has been captured here is not
the accurate account of what transpired.
When the First Deputy Speaker took the
Chair, the House was not suspended. He
asked the Hon Member for South Tongu,
Mr Kobena Woyome who was making a
Statement on football which you had
admitted, to continue with his Statement.
There was no suspension so I thought
that Mr Woyome continued with his
Statement - [Interruption] - [Pause] -
Mr Speaker, I would want to withdraw
the correction; my attention has been
drawn to the fact that, though the
Statement was read by Mr Woyome,
there were some suspensions on two
occasions. I, therefore, concede
accordingly.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 12:02 p.m.
Mr Speaker, a
lot of Papers were laid yesterday and one
critical Paper that was laid was the
Annual Report on the Staffing Position of
the Office of the President for the period
January to December 2021. Such a
crucial document including the
documents that were laid - it was not for nothing that they should be laid and
distributed to Hon Members; this is for
accountability purposes. If Papers are laid
- the mode of the Presentation of Papers is clearly stated in Standing Order 75 that
‘as soon as sufficient copies are available for distribution' -
Mr Speaker, I do not know for which
reason - we are just 275 Hon Members, but Papers are laid and copies are not
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:02 p.m.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh 12:02 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, I am in agreement with my Hon
Colleague with the passion he spoke
coupled with quoting the right Standing
Orders. However, I think we must be a bit
measured. I have related to the Clerks-at-
the-Table who have served Hon Members
creditably well over the years. In my
opinion, this is a one-off issue, so we can
forgive them for this. We would caution
them and also plead with them to pay
particular attention to some of these
instruments because they are critically
important. So going forward, Hon
Members would want to see a bit of
diligence in terms of making - and the Standing Orders are clear that sufficient
copies should be made available to Hon
Members. The Clerks-at-the-Table
should take it in good strides and make
the necessary amendment going forward.
So, I am in agreement with the
observations made by my Hon Colleague.
Mr Speaker 12:12 p.m.
Hon Members, I think
we have to go through the pipeline to see
where the clog is, whether it is the Clerks-
at-the-Table or the documents, even
though laid, was not made available to
them. So, we would go through that and
see. Usually, I know when they are made
available to the Clerks-at-the-Table, they
are immediately photocopied and
distributed. So, we would look at that, but
the Committees themselves should be
able to follow up and make sure that those
copies are made available to Hon
Members.

It is these Reports from the

Committees - and the leadership of the Committees should ensure that Hon

Members truly have the copies of their

reports. The intention of bringing Reports

is for the leadership of the Committees to

lead the House and to convince other Hon

Members who are not members of the
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:12 p.m.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 12:12 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, on page 14, item numbered
10(i), the first name of the Hon Minister
for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for
the Republic of Mozambique,
‘Verónica', has not been accurately captured so it should be corrected
  • [Mr Cassiel Ato Forson: Veronica bucket].
    • Mr Ablakwa 12:12 p.m.
    Hon Ato Forson says
    “Veronica bucket”, but she is not the one the Veronica bucket was named after — [Laughter].
    Mr Speaker 12:12 p.m.
    Well, I thought it was
    the Portuguese rendition of “Veronica”; there seems to be an accent on the letter
    “o”, but we would check and see what the position is.
    Mr Ablakwa 12:12 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you are
    right. It is the letter ‘o' with an accent above it, but what we have here looks like
    a double “o”. It should be one “o”. While at it, I also observed that the description
    associated with “H. E. Alberto J. Mutukutuku” is not complete. It is captured as “Member of the Assembly of the Republic” with “of Mozambique” missing. It runs through for the others so
    it has to be completed.
    Mr Speaker 12:12 p.m.
    Table Office, kindly
    take note.
    Page 15.
    Hon Members, in the absence of any
    further correction, the Votes and
    Proceedings of Wednesday, 25th May,
    2022, are hereby adopted as the true
    record of proceedings.
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:12 p.m.
    Mr Ablakwa 12:12 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not
    sure the Hon First Deputy Speaker has
    been accurately captured at the second
    paragraph of column 35. Mr Speaker,
    with your permission, I beg to read. It
    reads:
    “Hon Members, I would like to take the next Statement while the Clerks-at-
    the-Table confirms for me whether I
    have sufficient number to take a
    decision”
    It should rather read:
    “Hon Members, I would like to take the next Statement while the Clerks-at-
    the-Table confirm for me whether I
    have sufficient numbers to take a
    decision”
    Mr Speaker, so the corrections should
    be made.
    Mr Speaker, also, in the paragraph
    following that, - the Hon First Deputy Speaker is quoted to have said that “The next Statement is by Hon Members for
    Agona East, Hon Queenstar Maame
    Pokua Sawyerr”. It should be “Hon Member for Agona East” and so that correction should also be effected.
    Mr Speaker 12:12 p.m.
    Table Office, kindly
    take note.
    Any further corrections?
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:12 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, mine is
    not a correction. I am looking at the
    Official Report dated Tuesday, 22nd
    March, 2022. We went on recess on 5th
    April, 2022. After over one and a half
    month of break, one would have expected
    that when we resume, we would have
    almost all the Official Reports up to the
    date ready. Now, we have 22nd March,
    2022 as the most current one. We need to
    find out from the Clerks-at-the-Table
    whether something is preventing them
    from printing the Official Reports
    because by now, we should have all the
    backlogs, clear them so that we would be
    current with the Official Reports. I
    thought that we needed to draw your
    attention so that the Clerk and his team
    would do well to let us have the backlogs
    so that all of them would be looked at
    before this Meeting goes deep into the
    Sittings.
    Mr Speaker 12:12 p.m.
    Hon Members would
    recall that I made some remarks earlier
    about the delay in our commencement of
    proceedings today, and I mentioned that
    we were meeting some challenges at the
    Printing Department. Almost all our
    machines are down except one. The
    previous Parliaments made efforts to try
    and get a replacement. The Parliamentary
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:12 p.m.
    Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh 12:22 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, you are spot on in terms of the
    numbers and arrears, and you speak on
    our behalf. I identify with you.

    Mr Speaker, you know that on any

    day, I would do your bidding in matters

    like this that would go to solidify in

    speaking to the welfare of Parliament as

    an arm of Government. We also need to

    concede - [Interruption]. Maybe, my Hon Colleagues should listen to me in

    silence.

    Mr Speaker, while we lament, we also

    need to concede that the Government has

    also shown an attitude to engage, and has,

    at several times, engaged with us at that

    high level. Without belabouring the point,

    I would want to assure you that we would

    do the needful and everything within our

    means to engage further and ensure that

    ultimately, we would be able to resolve

    these matters.

    Furthermore, some statutory payments

    have been outstanding for a while now.

    The refreshing news is that the Ministry

    of Finance is just about making payment

    in terms of the National Health Insurance

    Authority (NHIA), Ghana Education

    Trust Fund (GETFund) and the District

    Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) to ensure that we ultimately deal with the

    arrears. It is a genuine challenge which is

    not only limited to our country. We have
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members, I do not
    think that this is open to debate. It is a
    statement of fact that I made which has
    been conceded to by the Hon Majority
    Chief Whip and so, we do not have to
    debate it further. We would only solicit
    support to get these things through. Let us
    move on and adopt the Official Report
    first.
    Hon Members, in the absence of any
    further corrections, the Official Report of
    Tuesday, 22nd March, 2022, is hereby
    adopted as the true record of proceedings.
    We may now move on to the next item
    numbered 5 — Statements.
    ANNOUNCEMENTS 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members, before
    we do that, it is important I acknowledge
    the presence of one of our traditional
    leaders. A very important traditional
    leader is with us, and she is in the person
    of Nana Akua Pokua I. [Hear! Hear!].
    She is the Boamanhemaa of Afigya
    Kwabre North Constituency where she
    comes from. She is not alone; her
    entourage is made up of some elders of
    her stool.
    Hon Members, on your behalf, I would
    want to warmly welcome and commend
    her highly for finding time to be part of
    what happens on the Floor of the House.
    We need many more of such leaders of
    our traditional, spiritual and civil society
    to come and be part of the proceedings of
    the House. The public gallery is there and
    if our attention was even drawn, we
    would have given them the most
    distinguished place for dignitaries for
    them to adorn the House with their
    retinue and to learn and later on, share the
    feedback with the Hon Members who are
    their representatives for us to improve on
    the proceedings of the House.
    Distinguished queen mother, you are
    warmly and respectfully welcome to the
    plenary of Parliament. [Hear! Hear!].
    Kindly extend our sincere greetings and
    commendations to your subjects, and to
    assure them that we are together in this
    fight to get rid of ignorance, poverty and
    disease from Ghana. You are mostly
    welcome.
    Hon Members, we would now take the
    item numbered 5 — Statements.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    with respect, I seek your leave to vary the

    Order of Business for us to take items

    numbered 10 and 12 as was discussed.

    [Pause].
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members, I may
    have to suspend Sitting for just a few
    minutes to attend to some urgent matter.
    I would be back in about 10 minutes so
    we could take the items that the Hon
    Member has drawn our attention to. My
    Hon Deputy Speakers are not present in
    the House now. The Hon First Deputy
    Speaker has gone to chair a Committee
    meeting to consider some referrals, and
    the Hon Second Deputy Speaker is out of
    the jurisdiction.
    I would be back in about 10 minutes.
    Sitting of the House is accordingly
    suspended.
    12.30 p.m. — Sitting suspended.
    12.40 p. m. - Sitting resumed.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members, thank
    you for your indulgence.
    Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    with respect, I had earlier sought your
    leave for us to vary the Order of Business,
    and you obliged. So, with respect, we
    may start from the item numbered 10 on
    page 3 of today's Order Paper.
    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak
    Muntaka: Mr Speaker, we have no
    objection because the matter was
    discussed at the pre-Sitting meeting.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members,
    accordingly, we would move to item 10
    on the Order Paper, which is Motions, to
    be moved by the Hon Chairman of the
    Finance Committee.
    Yes, Hon Chairman?
    MOTIONS 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Ranking
    Member?
    Ranking Member (Dr Cassiel Ato
    Baah Forson): Mr Speaker, I beg to
    second the Motion, and in doing so, I
    would like to advert the House's attention to the fact that we have been called upon
    to ratify a Charter that establishes the
    Eastern and Southern Africa Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB).
    Mr Speaker, we were told that in
    arriving at the conclusion that Ghana
    should join the Trade and Development
    Bank of Eastern and Southern Africa,
    even though we were not a member of
    Eastern and Southern Africa TDB, there
    were two options: the first option was for
    Ghana to consider accessing the TDB
    with some benefits, while the second
    option was to maintain the status quo and
    decline the offer to join the Trade and
    Development Bank of Eastern and
    Southern Africa.
    Mr Speaker, we were told that if
    Ghana is to join the TDB of Eastern and
    Southern Africa, it would come with
    some benefits, and the benefits would
    mean that Ghana would be able to access
    money for the purposes of infrastructural
    developments, being it loans. In doing so,
    we were told that article 3 of the Charter
    allows countries that are not Member
    States to still join through institutions or
    through a special application. In doing so,
    the Government of Ghana has decided to
    access the membership of the TDB of
    Eastern and Southern Africa through the
    Ghana Infrastructure and Investment
    Fund.
    Mr Speaker, we were told that one of
    the projects that the Ghana Infrastructure
    and Investment Fund seeks to get money
    from is the Accra-Tema Motorway of
    about US$600 million, which can be
    found on page 6 of the Report. At that
    meeting, I raised the issue that we have
    heard that there are issues relating to the
    Accra-Tema Motorway; therefore, if the
    Ministry or the Ghana Infrastructure and
    Investment Fund would seek permission,
    approval or money from this company for
    the purposes of constructing the
    motorway, then there is the need for
    Parliament to be in the know. This is
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    because it has come up strongly, the issue

    of the contract that has been awarded, the

    quantum, as well as the value for money

    issues. Therefore, there is the need for us,

    as the people's representatives, to be able to know the extent to which they are

    spending the US$600 million. The Ghana

    Infrastructure and Investment Fund

    accepted the call and assured us that if

    they are to go ahead in getting the

    US$600 million, they would indeed let us

    be aware.

    Mr Speaker, apart from the Ghana

    Infrastructure and Investment Fund, they

    may also be able to assess the services of

    the TDC of Eastern and Southern Africa

    for other projects. We were told that

    currently there are other projects that they

    are discussing with them, but we do not

    have the details. However, the one that

    we were told is quite imminent is the

    US$600 million for the purposes of the

    Accra-Tema Motorway.

    Mr Speaker, thank you.

    Question proposed.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Hon Members, I would
    definitely look at my right side to see if
    we have Hon Members who would want
    to contribute, and then look to my left
    before I come to Hon Leaders. However,
    I think that two or three contributions
    from each Side of the House should be
    sufficient.
    Leadership, should we take three
    contributions from each Side of the
    House?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:22 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if
    you do not mind, we would make it two.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    Two?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 12:22 p.m.
    Yes.
    Mr Speaker 12:22 p.m.
    All right.
    Yes, Hon Atta Akyea?
    Mr Samuel Atta Akyea (NPP - Abuakwa South) 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am
    grateful for the opportunity to contribute
    to this important Motion.
    Mr Speaker, our ratifying this Charter
    points me to a very important mandate of
    the bank, which may be found on page 3
    of 8. With your kind permission, I would
    like to read:
    “TDB's footprint covers 22 Member States with a total GDP
    of US$864 billion and a total
    population of 657 million. TDB
    finances and fosters trade,
    economic integration and
    sustainable development and
    advisory services. Some of TDB's sector areas include transport,
    energy, real estate, industrial,
    telecom, agribusiness, and
    financial services.”
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    Mr Speaker, my point of interest is real

    estate. The argument has been made that

    if we want to push affordable housing to

    the dimension that the nation would

    benefit from, it would cost us a lot of

    money, and it is one of the areas that

    would raise our debt stock. That

    argument has been made by those who

    control the purse of this nation, but I beg

    to differ.

    If you look at a country in which the

    deficit is ever climbing and the only

    undertaking is that if we should roll

    affordable housing, we would be able to

    rake in money, with the intangibles such

    as Free Senior High School and other

    areas of the economy, it is later in time.

    But with real estate, Mr Speaker,

    immediately one takes good money and

    applies it well — We also want to say there is a necessity to leverage on the

    Pension Fund because the law that

    created the Social Security and National

    Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says that one of

    the rightful ways to apply the money is in

    the area of real estate, and it is stated

    statutorily. We would sell houses to our

    good people on the back of a credible

    mortgage arrangement founded on their

    own money called the Pension Fund, and

    then rake in profit to pay off the loans. So,

    I am of the view that probably, the

    ratification of this Charter would afford

    us the opportunity to take some good

    money from the bank for purposes of

    affordable housing rollout because of the

    mockery our people face in not finding

    decent places of abode.

    I looked at the financial commitment

    of joining the Charter and found that the

    subscription fee is in the neighbourhood

    of US$5 million, and this may be found

    on page 7. Also, it is only 20 per cent that

    should be deposited, the remaining 80 per

    cent callable. It is my humble view that

    this would not break our necks

    financially, and it is eminently sensible

    that this august House gives

    parliamentary ratification of this Charter

    for us to rake in the benefits. It is my

    prayer that when it is ratified, we would

    take optimum advantage of this financial

    arrangement, especially, in the area of

    real estate for our people to have good

    housing facilities.

    Mr Speaker, I am grateful to you as

    always for your kind indulgence.

    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC

    - Adaklu): Mr Speaker, I beg to speak in support of this Motion to ratify the

    Charter establishing the Eastern and

    Southern African Trade and

    Development Bank, which Ghana intends

    to play a role through the Ghana

    Infrastructure Investment Fund.

    Mr Speaker, indeed, if we treat the

    Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund

    properly, it could become our sovereign

    Fund in a way. A lot of people do not

    realise that when one goes through

    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and

    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    terminal III of the Kotoka International

    Airport, the Ho Airport among others

    today, part of the funding of those

    projects came from the Ghana

    Infrastructure Investment Fund, our own

    money. So we can do a lot. The sad thing

    though is that for a period of time, we

    were not actually paying any money into

    the fund, so now we are trying to look for

    external funding into it. However,

    hopefully, we can draw sustainable funds

    into this and use it.

    Mr Speaker, my main concern is on

    page 6, where the Report says that TDB

    has expressed an interest in participating

    in the financing of a six hundred million

    (US$600 million) Accra-Tema

    Motorway Project. There is no project of

    US$600 million for Accra-Tema

    Motorway.

    Mr Speaker, I have said time and

    again, that the contract signed by the Hon

    Minister for Roads and Highway on the

    16th of December, 2020 is a dead contract.

    Mr Speaker, why? In the first place,

    clause 7 of the contract says that if the

    contract does not become effective within

    three months from the day it is signed,

    that contract is dead, unless the parties

    decide to do something with it.

    Mr Speaker, why has the Project not

    started since then ?
    Mr Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    The phrase “is dead” is yours. It is not part of the -
    Mr Agbodza 1 p.m.
    All right, Mr Speaker,
    the word “dead” is not part. In this contract, either of the parties can decide
    to walk away without any legal or
    financial recourse. Why is this so? At the
    time the Ministry entered into this
    agreement, it was intended that the so-
    called developer was supposed to find
    money and do a Public- Private
    Partnership (PPP). When that failed, the
    Government unilaterally entered into a
    sole-sourced agreement with Mota-Engil.
    Mr Speaker, Government entered into
    this Agreement with a foreign entity in
    clear breach of article 181 (5) of the 1992
    Constitution because Mota-Engil is a
    foreign entity, and that agreement never
    came to this House. Again, instead of
    allowing the contract to die its natural
    death based on clause 7 of the article so
    that we can open a new bid and allow
    people to come on board, the Government
    is holding on to this contract and keeps
    renewing the date since 16th December,
    2020, hoping that they would find money
    to put into the Ghana Infrastructure
    Investment Fund and allow Mota-Engil to
    come and do this Project.
    Mr Speaker, when the bid for this
    Project was reviewed, the engineers who
    reviewed this bid — This is the first point they made after reviewing the bid, and
    they said: “The tender price is 39 per cent above the engineers' figure.” For those who do not know what the engineers
    figure means, it means that when an entity
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    decides to procure a service or goods,

    they may have their own figure, but when

    the engineers say this figure is 39 per cent

    above their figure, it means that this

    Project is US$222 million above what it

    should be. That amount of money can

    build 2,960 Community-based Health

    Planning and Services (CHPS)

    compounds or 3000 six-unit classroom

    blocks, and it can definitely also build

    260 kilometres of road. Why is it the case

    that the Ministry told us that this is not yet

    a contract, yet, it finds expression in our

    expression of interest in joining this

    TDB? We must be curious about it. This

    has nothing to do with me or anybody

    else's personal interest. Is it the case that when the engineers say the Project is 39

    per cent overpriced, the Ministry does not

    believe that the engineers are right?

    Mr Speaker, I am happy for the House

    to approve the ratification of this

    Agreement, but I do not think that the

    Government should cajole Parliament to

    say that indeed when they came to ratify

    it, the House was informed of

    Government's intention to take US$600 million to build the Motorway because as

    far we are concerned, Government does

    not have a legitimate contract on the

    construction of the Motorway.

    In any case, Mr Speaker, if the

    Government of Ghana is ready to go and

    borrow the money for the contractor, then

    the top ten road contractors in this

    country can build the Motorway. All

    that is required is concrete and steel, and

    it is not rocket science. So, why should

    the Government go and get a company

    which has got so much bad press in

    Malawi? In fact, they were kicked out of

    Malawi for all sorts of things, so why

    should we keep them in Ghana and go and

    borrow money that Ghanaians would

    later pay, only to give it to this foreign

    company while Ghanaian road

    contractors are owed over GH₵10 billion, which the Government is unable to pay?

    Yet, the day Government finds this

    money to do this work, Government

    wants to give it to a foreign company.

    Mr Speaker, as a citizen of Ghana, I

    find this to be very unpatriotic. That is

    why I would support the approval of this

    ratification so that we can get some

    money into the Ghana Infrastructure

    Investment Fund to do things that matter

    to us. However, I am totally opposed to

    the rendition on the ratification on the

    page numbered 6 that suggests that there

    is a so-called project worth US$600

    million dollars called “Accra-Tema Motorway”. There is no legitimate contract as such. Therefore, I would

    encourage the Hon Chairman to humbly

    expunge that sentence from the Report to

    give Hon Members the comfort that we

    are not approving an illegality because

    Mr Speaker, we want the road to be done.

    But for me, to wake up and realise that

    there is a possibility of this nation

    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and

    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    throwing away at least 13 district

    hospitals, 2,600 CHPS compounds and

    3,600 possible six-unit classroom blocks

    because this is part of the contract that the

    Ministry of Finance signed and the

    valuers of the contract said that this bid

    from Mota-Engil is 39 per cent above the

    engineer figure.

    Mr Speaker, which true Ghanaian will

    sign this? We would discuss whether that

    contract is right on another day, but for

    the comfort of this House, the Hon

    Chairman should expunge the rendition

    that suggests the use of US$600 million

    for the Accra-Tema Motorway from this

    Report to show that this Side of the House

    would not approve anything that is

    against the intention of the Fund.

    With these few words, I thank you for

    the opportunity, and encourage Hon

    Colleagues to support it only if that part

    is expunged. Without that, I feel this is a

    very bad idea.

    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Members, I would
    give the opportunity to the Hon Chairman
    to respond to the request of the Hon
    Ranking Member of the Committee on
    Roads and Transport to expunge the first
    paragraph of the Report as captured at
    page 6 of 8 which he has quoted. It is just
    a four-line paragraph.
    Hon Chairman, what do you say to
    that?
    rose
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    Why are you trying to
    —
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    with respect, I also listened to my Hon
    Colleague. We cannot expunge all the
    four lines, and the reasons are not far-
    fetched. He based his argument on the
    contract, but the four lines are not limited
    to only the US$600 million Accra-Tema Motorway. It also talks about the
    renewable projects such as the solar and
    other agribusiness projects in the Ghana
    Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF's) pipeline. Probably, we could distinguish
    the part that is limited to the US$600
    million related to the Accra-Tema
    Motorway, but the other part of the
    paragraph must stand.
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    I wanted us to hear from
    the technical person— The Chair we put there, was it the Hon Ranking Member,
    then, the Hon Leaders could come in. Let
    us hear from him whether they got the
    figures for what was just stated, to isolate
    the one that deals with only the Accra-
    Tema Motorway, so that they could
    capture the rest. If they do, then we could
    look at the Hon Member for Nsawam-
    Adoagyiri, Mr Annoh-Dompreh's point and take the decision.
    Hon Chairman, please go on.
    Mr Kwarteng 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, first this
    is a Motion for the ratification of a
    Charter; that is what is really before us.
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    The paragraph the Hon Colleague refers

    to captures information that was provided

    to us. That paragraph has nothing to do

    with the concerns my Hon Colleague has

    raised. He is speaking to a contract he

    deems as unlawful. No contract was

    mentioned here. The fact that there is an

    interest in a US$600 million Accra-Tema

    Motorway Extension Project does not

    mean that it is necessarily with a

    particular contract which he has referred

    to. The Committee has no information to

    the effect that this US$600 million is for

    the contract that he has concerns about.

    Therefore, if we were to expunge this,

    and to suggest to Government that

    Parliament has not approved of the

    US$600 million, it means that project

    cannot be done at all.

    If he has concerns with the contract,

    we must find the appropriate means to

    deal with it. No contract has been

    mentioned in this paragraph, so I would

    request that we leave it as it is.

    The second point is that, this is a

    Committee Report. If this information

    was provided, it is a matter of fact which

    we have captured as was presented to the

    Committee. If, as the Chairman, I would

    like to expunge facts which have been

    presented to the Committee, I am not sure

    I would be doing the right thing.

    Respectfully submitted, Mr Speaker.

    Mr John Abdulai Jinapor (NDC-

    Yaapei/Kusawgu): Thank you, Mr

    Speaker. I am a member of the Finance

    Committee. Indeed, as the Hon Chairman

    said, our job is on the Charter, so why do

    we not restrict ourselves to the Charter?

    Why do we want to stray into a so-called

    Accra-Tema Motorway project? Why did

    we not talk about the Bekwai or Asafo

    Interchange? Why did we decide that as a

    Committee to specifically want to deal

    with the Accra-Tema Motorway?

    We are not just talking about the

    Motorway; we are saying that “of the circa US$600 million Accra-Tema

    Motorway and extension projects, this is

    specific. All of us have done some level

    of project work. To even quote the figure

    US$600 million tells us that some

    detailed work has been done. We are not

    just saying the Motorway project, but a

    US$600 million project. This means that

    some work has been done; it has been

    quantified, and something has been

    determined.

    Mr Speaker, I would like to find out

    from the Hon Chairman, if we take this

    paragraph out, how does that harm the

    Report? It is harmless, so I am of the view

    that we should do the needful and take it

    out, proceed and deal with the substantive

    issue.
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Members, the Hon
    Chairman raised an issue as to whether it
    is proper for him as the Hon Chairman to
    come and try to lead the House to
    consider this Charter. He could, on his
    own, have taken out something that has
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    come from the Committee without they

    not having to go back to consider it

    because he has the mandate of the

    Committee to present the Report, which

    is what he has done. And that portion he

    is talking about was part of the facts that

    were presented to the Committee, so he

    was just capturing the facts. However, the

    US$600 million does not only refer to the

    Accra-Tema Motorway and expansion

    projects, but also a couple of renewable

    projects such as wind and solar, and

    agribusiness opportunity in GIIF's pipeline. That is why we were talking

    about desegregating the figure, so that we

    know how much is for the Accra-Tema

    Motorway Project, and the other projects

    because they are not shown here.

    Yes, Hon Ranking Member of the

    Finance Committee?
    Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson (NDC - Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam) 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    for emphasis, the GIIF was specific. It
    said US$600 million for the Accra-Tema
    Motorway and its expansion. Therefore,
    the US$600 million, as captured in the
    Report, is not for both projects. It is only
    for the Accra-Tema Motorway. Our
    concern is —
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    I agree, but that is not
    what the Report says, so if you would
    want to do some corrections, that could be
    done.
    Dr Forson 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Report
    was probably not clear enough, but the
    amount we were given at the Committee
    was US$600 million for that project - [Interruption]. For the records, I have not
    signed the Report. It was signed by the
    Hon Chairman. It is straightforward.
    Mr Speaker, what the Hon Ranking
    Member for the Committee on Roads and
    Transport is trying to say is that he has no
    concerns with us ratifying the Charter,
    but his concern is that, if care is not taken,
    GIIF would go and borrow the US$600
    million and create the impression that
    Parliament has approved it. That cannot
    be the case, so we would approve the
    Charter and let them do more work on
    whatever they would like to do, and bring
    it back to us to approve.
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    I am tempted to agree
    that this paragraph is not really very
    germane to the issue that is before the
    House, which is on the Charter. So, let us
    approve the Charter, and move on. The
    fears that are being raised are real,
    because we have heard and Hon Members
    on this Floor have tried to use such
    adoption of Reports and approval of some
    Resolutions to say that there had been
    technical approval of some documents.
    They even say that it has already been
    approved when a document was being
    considered.

    Those are the fears they have raised,

    and this is because of our experience. So,

    I do not think there is anything wrong

    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and

    Development Bank (TDB Charter)

    with the request being conceded to

    withdraw that paragraph from the Report

    of the Committee. Let us move on.

    I may have to urge the Committee

    Members to go with the House and permit

    the Chairman to humbly withdraw that

    paragraph as not part of the Report for us

    to just adopt it and approve the Charter by

    ratification.

    Hon Members --

    Mr Kwarteng — rose —
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Chairman?
    Mr Kwarteng 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is
    just to seek your guidance. Would it be
    sufficient to just take the figure “600” out, so that the project may be financed from
    anything, but the figure is taken out?
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Well, if you want to be
    mentioning projects, there are so many
    other projects you should have
    mentioned. Why are they also not part of
    the Report? This Charter has nothing to
    do with specific projects. It is just for us
    to approve the Charter to enable us to be
    a member of that group which would
    open the door to a number of
    opportunities for us, so it would go
    beyond that.
    I think it is a very good idea: a fresh
    air that is being blown to the economy,
    and we should embrace it. Therefore,
    kindly withdraw that paragraph and let us
    move on.
    Mr Kwarteng 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am duly
    guided; hence, the second paragraph on
    page 6 of 8 is expunged from the Report.
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, based on
    the guidance of the Hon Leaders and how
    the debate as has rolled out in the House,
    I would direct that the Hansard
    Department withdraw the first paragraph
    of page 6 of 8 because the paragraph on
    top of the page comes from the next page,
    so that should be withdrawn from the
    Report.
  • [Paragraph accordingly withdrawn by leave of Mr Speaker]
    • Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, we now
    move to the item numbered 12.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    you have given the rightful directives. I
    was just notifying you that we may have
    to suspend the Resolution to that Motion
    and then go on to the item numbered 12
    We are suspending all Resolutions until
    further notice.
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    That is exactly what I
    did because I can see that that the House
    is not properly constituted to take the
    Resolutions.
    Hon Members, item numbered 12.
    Ratification of the Charter Establishing the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
    Development Bank (TDB Charter)
    MOTIONS 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, you
    would be given the opportunity to make
    your points known. At the end of the day,
    the decision would be taken by the House,
    so patiently listen to the Ranking
    Member.
    Dr Forson 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as I said, I
    am seconding this Motion with a lot of
    ‘cold feet and chills', and maybe, ‘headache'. This is because at the Committee level, we were constrained -
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Actually, I had to sit up
    because I could not understand seconding
    a Motion with ‘cold feet and chills.' [Laughter]. This is a situation that we
    would refer to as an oxymoron. This is
    clear contradiction in terms; I do not
    know what that means.
    Dr Forson 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I will give
    you a lot more explanation as to why I am
    developing the chills and cold feet -
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Even though you are
    seconding it?
    Mr Ato Forson 1:10 p.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    If you are objecting to
    it, you cannot second it. When you
    second a Motion, basically, it is to
    support what the Chairman or whoever
    moved the Motion. If you are opposed to
    it - Seconding is to say that you agree to what has been presented, but when you
    disagree, you do not second. That is my
    understanding; if I am wrong, please you
    can draw my -
    Dr Forson 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I second the
    Motion -[Interruption] - because our job was to look at the terms and conditions of
    the loan.
    Mr Speaker, the terms and conditions
    of the loan are that we are going to have
    a 42.5 per cent grant for this loan. We
    were told that the maturity period is 20
    years, and a grace period of five years.
    The indicative interest is 0.927 per cent - less than one (1) per cent per annum.
    Mr Speaker, as part of the requirement
    for the Finance Committee, our duty was
    to look at the terms and conditions of the
    loan and to ascertain whether it was a
    good loan or a bad one.
    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health
    Response Ghana Projects

    Mr Speaker, on that basis, I have

    nothing against the loan itself because it

    meets the minimum ‘concessionality' of 35 per cent. This loan is 42.54 per cent

    grant, making it a concessional loan. Mr

    Speaker, in fact, and to be honest, this is

    one of the cheapest loans that we have

    seen in the last one and half years.

    Mr Speaker, my concern has to do

    with the use of the proceeds. I say this

    because if we refer to the document

    before us, the Committee's Report, we were told that this loan, again, would be

    used for the purposes of COVID-19

    response. This is coming at a time that the

    Government has failed to appropriately

    account to this august House how much

    money we have used from the COVID-19

    money. I believe this is a matter we

    should all be interested in.

    Mr Speaker, the COVID-19 expenses

    are piling on and on. Today, we have been

    called upon to borrow another €75 million adding to the original amount that

    this country has already spent on the

    Corona Virus. I think that the time has

    come for this House to be given the

    opportunity to vet the COVID-19

    expenses so far.

    Mr Speaker, apart from that, we were

    again informed that the Government had

    two options. First was an option to fund

    the expenses that this money was going to

    be used for from our own Consolidated

    Fund. Second was to go for the loan for

    the purpose of executing the project,

    considering the fact that it is a cheap loan.

    Again, Mr Speaker, we were told that

    they could also delay the execution of the

    project before alternative funding

    mechanisms are arranged. Mr Speaker,

    the Committee was informed that since

    the European Investment Bank is giving

    us a concessional loan, more or less, a

    cheap loan, the Government of Ghana

    decided to go for the loan because if they

    had decided not to go for it, they might

    end up borrowing from the domestic

    market at a very expensive rate.

    Mr Speaker, today, our debt levels are

    increasing. The Central Bank, since last

    Monday, announced to all of us that

    Ghana's nominal debt is GH₵391billion.This amount excludes the Sinohydro loan. It excludes the

    GETFund Daakye Bond. It also excludes

    what we call the Energy Sector Levies

    Bond. If we add all these, our debt is

    GH₵409 billion. With the rate at which we are going, I would not be surprised

    that we would end the year 2022 with a

    public debt of almost 90 per cent of our

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Mr Speaker, we are in difficult times.

    This Government must immediately

    place moratorium on new loans. The

    loans are becoming too much. The

    options are there. They should go and

    look for other ways of getting money and

    not always resort to borrowing. I know it

    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health Response

    Ghana Projects

    is tempting because it is a cheap loan but

    that may not be the option. The option is

    to mobilise the domestic revenue and to

    use them appropriately.

    Mr Speaker, we were told that when

    we passed the E-Levy Bill, it would be a

    panacea for all our problems. The E-levy

    Bill has been passed, where are they

    going again? We were told that the E-

    Levy would cure Mr Ablakwa. Why are

    they borrowing again? Clearly, there is a

    problem. They should stop borrowing. If

    a person is in a hole, the first thing he

    should do is to stop digging. The New

    Patriotic Party (NPP) must stop digging.

    They would dig and dig until they cannot

    find Ghana anymore. This is where we

    are. The borrowing is too much and the

    Government must put an end to it. The

    loan, I agree, is a cheap loan. It is

    tempting but they should be careful

    because the rate at which they are going,

    Ghana would be in trouble.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority
    Chief Whip?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the Leadership has consulted. We get the
    sense of the House; hence, before you put
    the Question, we would want to stand this
    Motion down and then --[Uproar]-- I heard one of the loud statements made by
    the Hon Ranking Member. It is the
    expectation of the Ministry of Finance to
    come to this House and give a proper
    account of how moneys received have
    been spent so far and that is a valid
    observation. To that end, the Leadership
    has consulted and we would stand this

    Mr Speaker, the House is also not

    properly constituted to take that decision

    so we make this legitimate appeal and

    request. I am waiting for your kind

    wisdom and direction in these matters

    then we can proceed.
    Mr Emmanuel K. Bedzrah 1:20 a.m.
    —rose
    —
    Mr Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Emmanuel
    Bedzrah?
    Mr Emmanuel K. Bedzrah (NDC - Ho West) 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know the Hon
    Majority Chief Whip has made a proposal
    to you but it is in your bosom to agree or
    disagree and thank you very much for
    giving me the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker, having said that, this
    Motion to approve a sum of €75 million for nothing but COVID-19 expenses is
    too farfetched. I believe that those of us
    on this Side would not approve this loan.
    Why would we not approve this loan? We
    all know that even the President has asked
    that we should not wear our nose masks.
    The President has given us full immunity
    against COVID-19, we are walking
    around - there is no COVID-19 in this country. For this Government to borrow
    so much as €75million - this is just for
    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health
    Response Ghana Projects

    “chop-chop”. Therefore, I would like to urge all my Hon Colleagues that we vote

    against and disapprove this loan as we are

    Thank you.
    Mr Dafeamekpor 1:20 a.m.
    — rose —
    Mr Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Dafeamekpor?
    Mr Dafeamekpor 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank
    you. I heard the Hon Majority Chief Whip
    say on the Floor a while ago, that the
    House is not properly constituted. I want
    clarification. Is he raising a matter of
    quorum? Mr Speaker, I want to be
    guided.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza — rose -
    Mr Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Yes, Mr Agbodza?
    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC
    - Adaklu): Mr Speaker, I beg to speak in response to the Motion moved by the
    Chairman and seconded by the Hon
    Ranking Member.
    Mr Speaker, as a matter of fact, when
    I look at the rendition of the front page - I opened page 7, which is paragraph 5 of
    the Report. The headline appears to be at
    variance with the real reason for this.
    Mr Speaker, I nearly died of COVID-
    19. I was saved by God and the good
    medical officers who took care of me
    and I am ever grateful to God and the
    medical staff. So, whenever I hear
    COVID-19, for me, it is not a joke. It
    was a fine line between me being here or
    six feet underground by now.
    When I read the project interventions:
    “Increasing the existing healthcare infrastructure capacity
    for COVID-19 patients through
    the reconfiguration and adaption
    of hospital or other health care
    facilities.”
    Mr Speaker, COVID-19 has exposed
    us as a country. We were not ready for it.
    In Accra, only few hospitals could
    actually take in patients and look after
    them so they are saying this loan would
    be used to reconfigure some facilities.
    Maybe, Parliament could request the
    ability to house an extension or
    something here as well in case another
    pandemic comes.
    “Reinforced the healthcare workforce preparedness
    (training, equipment and
    reorganisation).”
    Is it necessary?

    Mr Speaker, I think it is. Where I have

    a problem is that part of this money will

    be used to procure Personal Protective

    Equipment (PPE) and other things. We

    bought billions of cedis' worth of PPEs

    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health

    Response Ghana Projects

    and other things, and I do not think we

    should use any part of this money for

    things like that. However, I totally agree

    that we should go and reconfigure

    existing health facilities and other things.

    We should reinforce oxygen

    production capacity in the country. Mr

    Speaker, when I was hospitalised at Ga

    East, I saw relatives go out to buy oxygen

    in tanks and bring it to patients because

    there was a day it ran out. I was put on a

    mobile oxygen plant because when that

    facility was built by the private sector,

    they had not even added the oxygen

    production unit before COVID-19 came

    in. So, when I hear that we need to build

    more oxygen production units across the

    country, in my view, it is a choice

    between life and death.

    Mr Speaker, I believe that these items

    — and the last one: when we had COVID-19, some of us took issues with

    the fact that despite that we had Noguchi

    Medical Research Institute, and that the

    Ghana Airport Company accepted results

    from Airport Clinic Limited when people

    wanted to do their Polymerase Chain

    Reaction (PCR) tests, we signed a

    contract to do COVID-19 testing at the

    airport with an entity which Hon

    Okudzeto Ablakwa and everybody talked

    about. Now that they have taken the

    money and have gone away, we want to

    borrow money to expand. Mr Speaker, I

    plead with Government, if they are going

    to use part of this money, they should go

    and expand the capacities of Noguchi

    Medical Research Institute and Airport

    Clinic Limited so that in case we have

    such problems in the future, we would not

    need another person from the frontiers to

    take millions of dollars from us; rather,

    we would be able to do this ourselves.

    Mr Speaker, for these reasons, I am tempted to feel that although the caption says that the loan is for COVID-19, what I see in some of them, in terms of the intentions, as a former COVID-19 patient, I am tempted to believe that some of these things — [Interruption] — and, my Hon Colleagues should know that it is not funny. I saw some colleagues in the bed next to me who are no longer here with me, so I always say that when I hear “COVID-19”, it is not a joke. It is those of my Hon Colleagues who had small sneezes and got better, (sneezed just a little and recovered quickly) who take it for granted. For me, they know my story already.
    Mr Speaker, for these reasons, I would encourage my Hon Colleagues 1:30 p.m.
    let us reconsider our position on this and ensure that when — as you have directed, if the Committee brings it back, — they have already said they are going to withdraw it — if they bring it back, and we see that they have taken out the things that we can do — but if it is going to expand and create capacity and build oxygen plants for all of us, I would encourage my Hon Colleagues to reconsider it.
    Mr Speaker, that is my contribution.

    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health

    Response Ghana Projects
    Mr Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Hon Members, we have
    a Motion to adopt a Report of the
    Committee, and that Report is about the
    financing agreement between the
    Government of Ghana and the European
    Investment Bank for an amount of
    €75,000,000.00 for the COVID-19 Health Response Ghana Project. The
    Motion has been moved and seconded.
    The request, after some contributions, is
    for us to stand down the Motion. Now, he
    is not asking for withdrawal because from
    Order 81 and 82, once the Motion has
    been moved and seconded, it is now
    before the House. He should have sought
    the leave of the House to withdraw, but
    he is not talking about withdrawal; he is
    talking about us standing the Motion
    down.
    From the interventions of Hon Members, I see that there is the unwillingness of Hon Members to go with the Committee until the moneys that have been expended on COVID-19 are accounted for. [Hear! Hear!] In principle, from the contributions, Members are not against getting such facility as described by the Hon Ranking Member of the Committee as “cheap money”. However, first they should account for what has been given to them before we go ahead to even approve the “cheap money”. We are not happy, and we will not support Government to go in for a domestic loan because it would be more expensive. We are prepared to support Government to go in for such “cheap money”, but could you kindly tell
    us how you have utilised what we have approved?
    Hon Members, the people of Ghana blame the Executive arm of Government for some of these things. I believe it is Parliament that should be blamed, not the Executive, because we have all it takes to make sure that the right thing is done. It is Parliament that is weak and reneging on its duties and functions. So, I would complete my submission by directing that the Ministry of Finance should appear before this House and account for all the moneys that we approved for utilisation for the COVID-19 pandemic — [Hear! Hear!] — It is only then, and only after that that this Motion may find expression on the Floor again to be approved or disapproved by this House. I so direct.

    Hon Members, I have another commitment because you know we have with us here Senators and Members of Parliament from Canada, and we have a meeting with them at exactly 2.00 p.m. It is almost 15 minutes to time. I would plead with Leadership, if there is anything for you to continue, I would ask the Hon First Deputy Speaker to take the Chair. If not, then I will proceed to adjourn proceedings for the day.

    Mr Annoh-Dompreh — rose —
    Mr Speaker 1:30 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority
    Chief Whip —
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 1:30 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in
    total support, I would move for the
    Financing Agreement between GoG and EIB for the COVID-19 Health
    Response Ghana Projects

    adjournment of the House to tomorrow at

    10.00 a.m. in the forenoon. I so move.

    Ahmed Ibrahim: Mr Speaker, I beg

    to second the Motion for adjournment,

    and in doing so, I would like to add that

    even though you gave a direction

    considering the wisdom of this House,

    unfortunately, the Hon Minister for

    Finance was not here to sense the

    temperature. So, while seconding this

    Motion, I entreat the Government Chief

    Whip to convey this directive to the Hon

    Minister for Finance before the technical

    team does the appropriate

    communication.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I second the

    Motion.
    Mr Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon Members, before I put the Question, clearly, when directives are given by the Speaker, we have the processes, a framework to carry out those directives. And so the Clerk — [Interruption] — Hon Member! You turned on your microphone, and you are just talking to everybody. The Clerk and the Table Office will definitely do the proper thing by officially communicating to the Hon Minister the exact words of the directive, and we expect the Hon Minister to comply. If not, you know the powers of this House; they will be applied with full force. So, we do not have to burden the Majority Chief Whip with the task of having to convey this matter to the Hon Minister. That is informal. This has to be put in writing. So, that is what will be done.

    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 1:40 p.m.
    Hon Members, before I adjourn the House, I have seen that a number of you are now not complying with the dress code of the House. There are some dresses we call informal and there are some we call formal. The dress code mandates and enjoins us to come to this House formally dressed. The term “decent” is used, but some of the things I see you wearing are singlets - [Laughter] - and when you wear a singlet into the House, you are naked; therefore, you have difficulty in catching the eye of the Rt Hon Speaker.
    Hon Leaders, please take up your role and make sure that the proper thing is done, particularly the Hon Whips - that is why you are there. That is your area of focus - to maintain discipline and order. I have seen it for some days now. I would not recognise any naked person in this House again. You would be seen as a stranger and you would be walked out of the floor of the House.
    The House stands adjourned till tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.
    ADJOURNMENT 1:40 p.m.