Debates of 31 Mar 2023

Hon
Members, we would proceed with the
Correction of Votes and Proceedings of
Thursday, 30th March, 2023.
Page 1…8?

Mr
Speaker, page 8, item numbered 4(5), I
do not know if Mr Ebenezer Okletey
Terlabi did not register yesterday, but he
was here in the Chamber until Sitting
was adjourned. I would just like to alert
you since he is not around today, but he
was here throughout yesterday.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table would vouch
and correct the proceedings.
Page 9?

Mr Speaker,
in the second line of the item numbered
5(ii) on page 9, the letter “n” is omitted
in the word “injunction”. It should read “injunction”, and not “injuction”.

Very well.
Page 10?

Mr Speaker, the third
line in the Question numbered 1171 of
the item numbered 8(i), should read
“feeder roads”, and not “feeding roads”.

Hon
Member, kindly repeat what you said.

Mr Speaker, I see
“feeding roads”, and I think that it should be “feeder roads”.

Very well.
Page 11?

Mr Speaker, I have a
minor correction in the third line of the
Question numbered 1657. It should read
“Amasaman”, and not “Amansaman”.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table would take
note of that and correct it.
Page 12…16?

Mr Speaker, the item
numbered 10 on page 16 has to do with
an issue of procedure. I have observed
that — if we look at where the Motion was moved, as a matter of procedure, I
would like to find out if it is not
appropriate to make it “Moved by the Hon Member for Okaikwei Central and

Hon Vice Chairman of the Finance

Committee, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah”, so that it would correspond with Mr

Thomas Nyarko Ampem's because it was Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem's constituency that was indicated. This

runs through the various pages where we

have the Motions and Resolutions

moved and seconded. Those ones too

should be corrected as well.

I direct
the Clerks-at-the-Table to insert the
constituencies of all the Hon Members
who are mentioned in addition to their
names.

Mr
Speaker, by way of consistency, I
noticed that the constituencies and
positions of the movers of the Motions
are omitted. For example, “Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Hon Majority
Chief Whip on behalf of the Hon
Chairman, and seconded by the Hon
Member for Juaboso, Mr Kwabena
Mintah Akandoh”. We would normally add “Ranking Member of the Committee on Health” to be consistent. So, we should have the positions on both the
Majority and Minority Sides. It runs
through, so if all could be corrected.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table are directed
to effect those corrections accordingly.
Page 30…34?

Mr Speaker, on page
34, when I do my arithmetic, I do not get
100 per cent in the percentage column of
the NHIS Formula, so, the Clerks-at-the-
Table could look at it again. I keep
getting 99.98 per cent, and there has been
no rounding up. All the decimal numbers
are there as you would observe, so they
could take a second look at it.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table would check
and effect the corrections.
Page 35…40?

Mr Speaker, I am sorry
to take you back to page 35. It is just a
single correction.
The letter “k” is omitted in the name
“Patrick”. On page 35, the item
numbered 27, when one comes down
“moved by the Hon Vice Chairman of the
Finance Committee, “Mr Patric Yaw
Boamah…”. The letter “k” is omitted in
the name “Patrick.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table should effect
the correction.
Page 40…42?

Mr Speaker, I would like
to plead with you to make this correction
because of the records. I would like this
caption in the Votes and Proceedings to
be corrected for the sake of the records.
It reads “… The vaccines, medicines, equipment, and vehicles to support the

health sector for the period 2023 -2025.” The date should rather be for the period

“2021-2023” because page 8 of yesterday's Order Paper has it so. Since what we have in the Votes and

Proceedings is different, if we compare,

which one should it be? If we take

yesterday's Order Paper and turn to page 8, it has the date “2021-2023”, but the Votes and Proceedings for today

captures the period “2023-2025”. For consistency, we should kindly find out.

I am
advised by the Clerks-at-the-Table that
what was on the Order Paper was an
error and it was corrected on the Floor.
So, what is reported is correct.
Page 42, 43?
Yes, the Hon Member for Kwadaso,
Prof Nyarko.

Mr Speaker, on the
page numbered 43, under Committees,
on Members Holding Offices of Profit,
we read: “The Hon Member for Fomena, Second Deputy Speaker and Chairman,
Mr Andrew Amoako Asiamah presided.” The name should rather be captured as
“Mr Asiamah Amoako”.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr First
Deputy Speaker, is your name Mr
Amoako Asiamah or Asiamah Amoako?

Mr
Speaker, it is Mr Asiamah Amoako.

Very well.
The Clerks-at-the-Table should take
note and rearrange the name.
Page 44, 45?
Yes, Hon Second Deputy Minority
Whip?

Mr
Speaker, I was at the Committee on
Education meeting but my name has not
been captured.

Hon
Member, which page is that? That should
be page 45. Right? Very well. The
Committee Clerk would assist the
Clerks-at-the-Table to verify and correct
the records.
Page 46…55?
Hon Members, subject to the
corrections already effected, the Votes
and Proceedings of Thursday, 30th
March, 2023, is hereby adopted as the
true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, we have three Official
Reports for correction. We have the
Official Reports of Wednesday, November
30th, 2022; Thursday, 1st December,

We would start with the Official Report

of Wednesday, 30th November, 2022.

Hon Members, please, any corrections?

Mr Speaker, right from
the cover page, the content and the
Motions, I noticed that with previous
Official Reports, the rendition is “Debate

on Government's Financial Policy, 2023” and not “Government's Financial Policy, 2023” as has been captured here. This tends to be misleading because

when one goes there, it is not the

presentation of the Government's Financial Policy but a continuation of the

debate. So, if they can insert “Debate on Government's Financial Policy, 2023” as they do on other days in other Official

Reports, then we would have some

consistency and clarity.

Mr Speaker, in column 144, the last

paragraph, they should take a second

look at the constituency, “Ejumako Enyan Essiam”. The slashes have been taken off.

Mr Speaker, then at column 238, the

word “Parlia-mentary”, should be looked at.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful.

Very well.
Any further corrections?

Mr Speaker, in column
8, the last but one line, it says “… and
eighty 1000 metric-ton capacity ware-
houses throughout the country.” The
figure “80” is spelt in words and “1000”
is written in “figures. They should either
write eighty thousand in words or in
figures. Then —

Hon
Member, please, let us get it straight
here. I think, the two represent different
things —

Pardon me, Mr
Speaker.

The
eighty (80) is referring to the number of
warehouses and the “1000 metric-ton” is referring to the capacity. So, I do not
think it is wrong.

All right. We would
move to column 12. Before the first
paragraph, we read, “Accelerating Agri- cultural Development through Value
Additions”, but because it is a direct quote, we have to be very careful. This is
because the Hon Minister's direct quote was “Value Addition”, but the letter -s- has been added to the word “addition”. We need to check that and correct it.
Mr Speaker, the last correction is in
column 16, the top sentence, the last but
one word “agriculturral produce”. There is a double -r- in the word but it is
supposed to be one.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Very well.
The Hansard Department would take
note and effect the corrections.
Any more corrections? In the absence
of any further corrections the Official
Report of Wednesday, 30th November, is
hereby adopted as the true record of
proceedings.
Hon Members, we would move to the
Official Report of Thursday, 1st
December, 2022.

Please, any corrections?

Yes, Hon Member for North Tongu?

Mr Speaker, I have a
similar correction to make on the cover page, as I did with the other one. On Motions, under content, they should insert “Debate on”, so that it would read, “Debate on Government's Financial Policy”.
Mr Speaker, there are some few
additions. At column 144, the last paragraph, it reads: “… Since then, none of his Hon Ministers nor Members of Parliament (MP) nn the Majority Side…” It should be “…on the Majority Side”. There is the need for some editorial clean-up.
Mr Speaker, in column 217, the word
is “judicial notice”, not “judicious notice”, so if it could be corrected accordingly.

Very well
noted. The Hansard Department would take note and effect the correction.
Hon Members, any more corrections,
please?
In the absence of any further
corrections, the Official Report of Thursday, 1st December, 2022, as corrected, is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, the last one for today is
the Official Report of Tuesday, 6th December, 2022. Any corrections, please?

Mr Speaker, in
column 13, I believe the first word of the
sentence which starts from column 12
should be “‘save' to evaluate”, and not
“suave”.

Very well.
I am trying to make sense out of that
whole sentence: how “suave” was put
there. The Hansard Department would
look at it again and effect the appropriate
correction.
Hon Members, any more correction,
please?
In the absence of any further
corrections, the Official Report of
Tuesday, 6th December, 2022, as
corrected, is hereby adopted as the true
record of proceedings.

Hon
Members, there are six Urgent Questions
to be answered by the Hon Minister for
the Interior, the Hon Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Regional Integration, and the
Hon Minister for Health.
We will start with the Hon Minister for
the Interior. The Question numbered 5(a)
would be asked by the Hon Member for
Kpando, Mrs Della Sowah.
Hon Member, please, ask your
Question.

Mr Speaker I beg to ask the
Hon Minister for the Interior what steps
the Ministry is taking for the National
Identification Authority (NIA) office in
Kpando to resume operations.
Minister for the Interior (Mr
Ambrose Dery) (MP): Mr Speaker, the
Kpando District Office in the Volta
Region is among the 276 district offices
established by the NIA in November
2021. The office space was provided by
the District Assembly like the other NIA
offices across the country. The office
currently occupied by the NIA in
Kpando was previously occupied by the
Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic
Communication (GIFEC).
Mr Speaker, when NIA took over the
office, there was an outstanding
electricity bill of GH₵3,862.82. Efforts by the district registration officer to get
the Kpando District Assembly to settle
the debt to enable NIA take over a debt-
free metre proved futile, resulting in the
disconnection of electricity to the office.
Mr Speaker, when the disconnection
was brought to the notice of the NIA
management, the executive secretary
authorised the release of GH₵5,229.49
for the payment of the total debt on the
metre in order to restore electricity. The
payment has since been effected, and it
is expected that the Kpando NIA office
would resume work at full capacity.

Mr Speaker, indeed, I
can confirm that the GH₵5,229.49 has
been paid. However, when I visited the
office, they said they did not have cards
to continue with the registration. I
wonder when the cards would be
available for them to do the registration.

Hon
Minister, do you have any such
information because this was different
from the Question that was asked?

Mr Speaker, I would not be
able to answer that because it is not
directly related to this Question. I do not
have the information.

Hon
Minister, very well. Kindly verify and
share the information with her.
Hon Member, do you have any other
supplementary questions?

Mr Speaker, on that note,
I would like to ask what timeframe he
would take to verify and get back to me
on when the office's operation would
begin.

Hon
Member, this one was not the Question
and it is not related to the follow-up
question. So, deal with him privately on
that. You can move on and ask your next
Question, which is numbered 5(b) on the
Order Paper.

Steps to Clamp Down

on Internet Fraud

Mr Speaker I beg to ask the
Hon Minister for the Interior what steps
the Ministry is taking to clamp down on
internet fraud.

Mr Speaker, I would
answer to the extent that is under the
Ministry of the Interior.
Mr Speaker, to deal effectively with
the emerging incidence of internet fraud
using names and identities of
personalities to defraud unsuspecting
victims, including the use of mobile
payment systems, the Ghana Police
Service, with the support of the United
Nations Children Education Fund
(UNICEF), has set up an ultra-modern
digital forensic laboratory at the Cyber
Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID). The facility provides
a sound environment to conduct digital
forensic analysis and investigations on
seized devices allegedly used to commit
internet fraud.
Mr Speaker, the Police Administration
has, additionally, set up a special Cyber
Crime Investigation Section that handles
cyber related offences. There is also a
Cyber Patrol Section that surfs through
cyberspace to detect and prevent
cybercrime activities. The Police
Administration is considering a Cyber
Crime Unit in all the 16 administrative
regions to handle cyber cases.
Mr Speaker, a lot of successes have
been achieved in the fight against
internet fraud. Over 2,000 fake
Facebook accounts have been taken off
over the last three years. Several arrests
of suspects perpetrating these crimes
have been made and successfully
prosecuted while others are at the various
stages of investigations and prosecution.
Mr Speaker, the Police Administration
is also sensitising members of the
general public on good cyber hygiene
practices on social media platforms. This
includes sensitisation workshops and
seminars in the areas of good cyber
hygiene practices and Child Online
Protection, among others.
I will like to take this opportunity to
urge anyone who has fallen victim to any
cybercrime to report to the Cybercrime
Unit at the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) Headquarters for
prompt action.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I am saying this because they were here
in Parliament and I approached them and
one ASP Asante said that they were from
the Cybercrime Unit. They opened the
internet up and I showed them my
Facebook account so they could take
down the rest, but they are still there. As
we speak, yesterday, two new ones
popped up in my name using my image
to defraud people. That is why I am
asking this Question that is very dear to
my heart.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I
want to assure the Hon Member that I
will do a follow-up with the Police, but
as the Answer shows, it is an ongoing
engagement; while the Police are
working hard, sometimes the Police pull
the accounts down and others come up.
However, we will not relent.
I will let the Police know that in the
Hon Member's specific case, two other platforms have been opened, then we see
how we will deal with it.

Hon
Minister, this is a matter which affects,
practically, every one of us in
Parliament. As they pull down, some
new ones pop up, but I do not know how.
This is because, often, they give names
of people and numbers to pay money to.
So is it not possible for the Police to trace
the mobile phones to find out who these
persons who collect the moneys and
purport to be the agents are. This is
because, we try personally and they
refuse to give any more information.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
We all face the challenge of this
cybercrime activities. As I indicated, we
have been able to get 2,000 fake
Facebook accounts taken off and have
also prosecuted but it is ongoing. We
have to continue with the fight but I
believe that the Cyber Security Authority
would come to help. As you can see, we
are dealing with the aspect that comes
within our purview but we need a more
concerted effort. A number of people
have been arrested, but I would be the
first to say that we are not at the end of it
at all.
Thank you.

My only
advice is for Ghanaians to be aware that
no MP would contact you directly to say
that they have protocol, so pay them
money. I would advise that if anybody
purports to be an MP and he contacts you
and says that they have a protocol job so
pay them money, that person is
obviously a fraudster.

Mr Speaker, thank
you, for the opportunity. I would like to
find out from the Hon Minister whether
his outfit would consider publishing
details about pending cases involving
cyber fraud. Not too long ago, my
cousins and I managed to apprehend
cyber fraud suspects who were using my
image on Facebook to defraud people.
That case was reported to the Accra
Regional Crime Office; it is being
prosecuted but in the quiet.
We can have measures in place for
such cases to be published to serve as a
deterrent because the suspects involved
in that case who are now the accused
persons are very young persons; 21-year-
old boy, very young and innocent-
looking. Maybe, that would help to deal
with the problem; we publish details of
such cases from time to time to deter
those who want to engage in such
conduct.

Yes, Hon
Minister? Would you consider that?

Mr Speaker, I have no difficulty dealing with that but I want to encourage Hon Members that we do not

have to wait until Question time. These are things that happen on a daily basis and if they cannot get to the Police but can get to us, I am sure that we can assist. I can tell that in my own experience, we have arrested people, got to the prosecution and it was sad because sometimes we did not have the witnesses to come, and other issues.

However, what we have to consider is

to consult the Attorney-General as to whether when a person is a suspect, is it sufficient to publish his or her name even before conviction, and what it does to reason.

I would like to consult the Attorney-

General on that one and I believe that you agree with me on that.

Very well. Yes, Hon Member for Bole/Bamboi, Mr Yusif Sulemana?

Mr Speaker, I am grateful. I would like to find out from the Hon Minister, when he says that we should not wait until Question time, I have been a victim and I have written to his outfit on two occasions and I am yet to receive feedback; when will I receive feedback?
Thank you.

Very well.
This is a private one, so you would deal
with it privately.
The Hon Minister may respond.

Thank you very much, Mr
Speaker. The Hon Member for
Bole/Bamboi has written, but this is a
gentleman that I interact with daily and I
am sure that we even interacted today.
Beyond writing, he could deal with me
directly to expedite action.

Mr Speaker, I
would like to start by commending the
Hon Minister. The Police Administration
sent officials who were here to engage
us, to start with. However, I would like
to know from the Hon Minister if there
are efforts to build the capacity of police
stations across the country. This is
because I get the impression that anytime
we report such cases at the district level,
we are told that the case has been
forwarded to the Headquarters because
they do not have capacity.
Can the Hon Minister confirm that,
and if it is the case, what plans would he
want to put in place to ensure that at the
district level, capacities are built for such
cases to be dealt with?

Mr Speaker, I believe that
in my Answer, I did state that the Police
Administration is considering Cyber
Crime Units in all the 16 administrative
regions. We are also in touch with
development partners to talk about how
to enhance the capacity at the various
levels.
As my Answer has shown, UNICEF
helped to establish this laboratory, so we
would extend the units, but continue to
explore support to see how we can
enhance the capacity in all the regions.
Yes, we have plans to do that.
Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the
opportunity. I would like to find out from
the Hon Minister whether there is any
communication with Facebook, given
that a lot of this is happening on
Facebook platforms, to ensure that
people who do not have the relevant
qualifications or identification are not
allowed to open accounts in the name of
others. This is because, once one has a
verified account, there should be an
algorithm in place that should stop
people from using their details to create
new accounts. So, is there any com-
munication with Facebook to actually try
and put something like this in place?

Mr Speaker, what the Hon
Member has said is very important, but I
can tell you that we are struggling
internationally with the culpability and
liability of these Facebook and other
service providers. We were even coming
out with a model law that we may have
to pass.
In Jerusalem, Israel, there was a
problem as to what extent we could hold
them responsible. It is a thing that we
have no difficulty consulting, but
sometimes these service providers do not
stand up to their responsibility of
protecting users. However, it is something
that we should certainly have. As I said,
the legality and culpability is a thing that
we are working internationally to see
how we could get a legal framework to
hold them to it. I am sure some of us in
our various capacities have interacted
with the discourse internationally.

Mr
Speaker, please, permit me to read out
this message before I ask my question. I
received a message around 11.00 a.m.
this morning from a constituent and it
said: “If you applied for the current GS recruitment through an MP, call them for
appointment letters. Political protocols
were released yesterday”. The constituent asked: “Please Hon, how true is this message?”
Hon Minister, are we able to trace the
originators of such messages and punish
them because I believe this message is
not true. This is because I do believe that
no recruitment protocols were given to
Hon Members of Parliament, but we
would see some of these messages
forwarded to us by our constituents
making it look as if Hon Members of
Parliament get protocols but we do not
release those protocols to our
constituents. Is it possible for us to trace
originators of such messages so that they
are punished?

Mr Speaker, it would be
interesting to let us know that two days
ago, I received that message myself. It
was a lady and she said she has been
chatting with me on Facebook. I told her
I am not on Facebook. What we could do
is that I would first of all encourage the
agencies to come up with publications
which should be done from time to time
to tell people that they should be on their
guard; these protocol recruitments are
not on.
Having said that, we would realise that
when I was answering, I spoke about the

extent I could go as the Hon Minister for

the Interior.

The Hon Minister for Communication

and Digitalisation is here and she would

have some information that would

enhance the discussion that we are

having now. However, we would try to

get the agencies to come out with

statements that would protect us. This is

because the constituents are going to

hold us for what we do not have and I

know as we are going for primaries, it

might be used against us. We would do

that as soon as possible.

Yes, Hon
Minister for Communication and
Digitalisation?
Minister for Communication and
Digitalisation (Mrs Ursula G. Owusu-
Ekuful): Thank you, Mr Speaker. There
is a lot of collaboration between the
Cyber Security Authority and the Ghana
Police Service in clamping down on such
internet fraud. As we have repeatedly
told Hon Colleagues, it would be useful
if they notify us of any such incidence
because the cybersecurity does have a
relationship with Facebook by which
they can pull down unverified accounts.
However, as the Hon Minister for the
Interior indicated, as fast as they are
pulled down, many more do get set up. It
is an ongoing battle; it is like our fight
against any kind of crime. The fact that
we are taking measures to combat those
criminal activities does not mean that
those activities would end at some point
in time. Criminals would keep taking
advantage of these opportunities and
would keep experimenting with these
things.
So, it is incumbent on all of us to
notify the appropriate authorities as soon
as any such incidence come to our notice,
so that they could take the proper
remedial actions. However, there is a
good deal of cooperation between the
Ghana Police Service and the Cyber
Security Authority in this space. I would
urge Hon Colleagues to bring it to the
attention of any of these agencies as soon
as they take place.
This is why the SIM card registration
exercise is so absolutely critical because
it is through this exercise that we can
identify these perpetrators and actually
facilitate the investigations and
prosecution of some of these
perpetrators. Without this database, it
would have been almost impossible to go
after them because they use these SIM
cards to get the monies paid to them
fraudulently and they discard those SIM
cards. Now that we have this database, it
is possible to identify those who are
undertaking these activities.
It is absolutely important that we work
in close collaboration with these
agencies so that they can nib these anti-
social activities in the bud.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, I thank the
Hon Minister for Communication for
what she has added but just to remind us
that ASP Asante Antwi was here and I

would advise that we keep reporting

these occurrences and that would

facilitate expeditious resolution of these

matters.

Yes, Hon
Second Deputy Minority Whip?

Mr
Speaker, I would like to ask the Hon
Minister whether they do follow-ups
whenever we arrest some of these
internet fraudsters. This is because, last
year, I arrested one myself, took the
person to the Nima Police Station,
followed up to the Police Headquarters
and they made it a foolish case. I asked
Questions about it; the Hon Minister
came here and answered the Questions
and said they would take it up. Up till
now, I have not heard anything. All the
effort I put in as a woman to arrest the
person myself became useless.
Do they do a follow-up when we put
in the effort to help the police get those
who are doing this fraud business? This
is because, till now, I have not heard
anything.

I think his
answer says that many of them have been
prosecuted but I think your specific case,
you did not bring it to his attention so he
would follow up for you.
Ms Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare — rose
—

Yes, Hon
Member for Techiman North? I would
give you the last opportunity and I would
move on.

Thank
you very much, Mr Speaker, for the
opportunity. I would like to ask the Hon
Minister for the Interior what steps he is
taking to educate the general public on
the internet fraud menace. This is
because day in day out, they are duping
people who are falling prey to this scam.

Yes, Hon
Minister?

Mr Speaker, I would like to
reiterate the point that I stated in my
Answer; the police are sensitising
members of the general public and they
have television facilities among others.
However, they have stated that they are
sensitising members of the public on
good cyber hygiene practices on social
media platforms and it includes
sensitisation workshops and seminars.
Mr Speaker, I would like to emphasise
that we have to be working at this
problem daily. We would be surprised
that I have taken witnesses to the police
and at a certain stage, they faced
challenges because the witnesses did not
exactly cooperate. I would encourage us
that while I convey our feelings to the
police, we should all continue to put
pressure and be more alert when we are
dealing with cybercrime because it
affects all of us. I see it daily.
Mr Speaker, I would like to reiterate
the point that ASP Asante Antwi is there;
they should get the complaints to him
because he is never fed up.

We
should all be very wary because the

tricks keep changing. I have transferred

money to two people or I wonder if it was

the same person claiming to be Bishop

Sarpong and Archbishop Daniel Yinka

Sarfo. I did it about twice before I

discovered that I was being scammed.

This is how they come with different

schemes so we should all be alert.

We would move to Question number

5(c), which stands in the name of the Hon

Member for Bunkpurugu, Mr Abed-

Nego Azumah Bandim.

Measures to Curb Armed Robbery in

Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District

Mr Abed-Nego Azumah Bandim

(NDC — Bunkpurugu): Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Hon Minister for the

Interior what measures are put in place to

curb the increasing cases of armed

robbery in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri

District.

Mr Speaker, the
Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District Police is
responsible for the Bunkpurugu-
Nakpanduri and Yunyoo-Nasuan Local
Government Districts. There are three
police stations in the two districts with a
total of 49 police personnel. This
indicates that the police to citizen ratio in
the district is 1 police to 2,842 citizens,
which is far below the United Nations
(UN) requirement of 1 to 500 police-
citizen ratio. This notwithstanding, the
police administration has put in
measures to combat robberies and other
violent crimes in the district.
Mr Speaker, the measures include
intelligence-led policing; mounting of
police checkpoints at robbery-prone
areas; and escort of commercial vehicles
and market women to and from various
markets. Other measures include intensive
foot and vehicle patrols, and organised
swoops at criminal hideouts. Some
newly passed-out constables have been
posted to augment the existing police
strength in the district to perform
visibility duties.
Mr Speaker, it is expected that two
platoons of the Formed Police Unit
(FPU) would be deployed soon to fight
robbery in the area. This would curb the
increasing cases of robberies and other
violent crimes in the North East Region
and Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo Districts in
particular.
Thank you.

Mr Speaker,
due to the frequent armed robberies in
the area, I had to write to the Inspector
General of Police (IGP) through the
District Commander and the Regional
Commander asking for some police
posts, particularly, on market days. The
market day comes once in a week, that is
every Monday. I wrote this request two
years ago and as I speak today, I have not
received even an acknowledgement
letter from the Police Service.
May I know from the Hon Minster,
what he is going to do about my request
to, at least, establish a police post or

ensure that police are available every

Monday to protect market women?

Mr Speaker, I would only
answer this question to the extent that he
has asked here, but I would not be able to
answer the absence of a response save to
draw the attention of the IGP that he has
raised that concern. I have told him
already that some of the measures that
we have put in place are intelligence led
policing; mounting of police checkpoints
at robbery prone areas; escort of
commercial vehicles and market women
to and from various markets; and the
swoops. So, on market days, we would
deploy police not just to the markets, but
in fact, go with the market women from
where they start to move to the market
and to the market. Please, we will
continue to do what we can.
I do not know what his idea of a police
post is, but these checkpoints that they
will establish would serve that purpose
and I have added that we are going to
establish two platoons of FPUs to
supplement the security situation in the
area.

Mr Speaker,
the Hon Minister indicated that they have
put in place a mechanism where the
police could escort these market women,
but per my interaction with the District
Chief Executive (DCE) and the police
commanders on the ground, they
indicated to us that they have logistical
challenges, and sometimes, they cannot
even buy fuel to move from one place to
the other. What is the Hon Minister
doing about that? They have recently
posted more police for which we are
grateful, but there are logistical
constraints which would not allow them
to move from one place to the other.
What would the Hon Minister do about
it?

Mr Speaker, I think I have
to cooperate with my Hon Colleague. I
am happy that he has acknowledged that
we have posted more police. He has
realised that some of the approach is to
make up for the lack of resources to
procure fuel. When we are escorting the
market women, we do not need our own
vehicles. Sometimes, we get onto the
vehicles that carries the market women
and we go and come back.
Yes, with the general situation, we do
as much as we can and we allocate, but
we also advise the District Assemblies,
and other sources might be contacted.
However, yes, I would raise this matter
with the Police Administration and we
would see what we could do about it.

Hon
Member, you have one more question.

Mr Speaker,
this is more or less an appeal. Will the
Hon Minister consider providing
visibility motorbikes to the police in my
Constituency to assist in curbing these
incidents?

Yes, Hon
Minister? Hon Member, did you say
visibility motorbikes?

Yes, visibility
motorbikes.

Very well.

Mr Speaker, first of all, I
have already told the Hon Member that
some of the newly passed-out constables
have been posted, which he has
acknowledged, and that is to augment the
existing police strength in the district to
perform visibility duties, so we have got
that ongoing. I want to tell him that each
of the two platoons of the FPUs comes
with a set of 30 motorbikes, so that is
how we hope to solve his problem of
motorbikes.

Hon
Minister, for now, we thank you for
attending upon the House to answer
Questions. I am not sure whether you can
be discharged now. Do you have any
more Questions? — [Pause] — No. You
can be discharged now. You are
discharged.
Hon Members, the next Question is to
be answered by the Hon Minister for
Defence. Hon Minister for Defence, can
you take your seat now? — [Pause] —
Hon Minister for Health, you are in a
hurry, but it is not your turn yet. It is the
turn of the Hon Minister for Defence to
answer Questions now.
Question number 5(d) is to be asked by
the Hon Member for Madina, Mr Francis
Xavier Kojo Sosu.

Mr Speaker, given the fact
that the release by the Ghana Police
Service (GPS) shows that none of the
people who were violently violated by
these military men form part of the initial
suspects that were arrested by the Police,
and given the fact that the Military High
Command has also admitted excesses of
the violations that went on at Ashaiman,
does the Hon Minister not think that it is
rather not too impressive that at this stage
— No specific action has yet been taken? This is because the Hon Minister clearly
said in his Answer that the Military High
Command would review the operations.
How long does it take for such operations
to be reviewed and how soon would we
see an action by the Military High
Command?

Mr Speaker, the Hon
Member is asking for my personal
opinion; he asked if I do not think — but whatever be the case, members of the
Armed Forces are motivated and driven
by discipline, service to work, and the
ability to die and sacrifice their lives for
the country. So, when operations are
done like the Hon Member has said, the
Military High Command would under-
take a thorough review of the entire
exercise. Depending on the nature of the
exercise; it can take three days, a week,
or even a whole month. However, I said
that the review is being undertaken, and
when the whole exercise is over, action
would be taken by the Military High
Command on those that needs to be
taken, and I would give the Hon Member
that assurance, but if he asks me whether
those who were arrested by the Police
and those who were arrested by the
Military may differ in the charges that
are given to them, I cannot give a
personal opinion on that. This is because
the court proceedings may lead to other
arrests, so I want to stay off that
particular thing and not commit any
statement here that can be used in any
court of law.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, can the Hon
Minister give assurances or estimation of
the timing: how soon would this review
take? I say this because between 7th
March and now, 31st March, is quite
some reasonably time. So, would the
Hon Minister be able to tell us from his
briefing how soon this review would
end, so we would know exactly the
recommendations? Can the Hon Minister
give us some timelines to what the
Military is doing?
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, it is unwise
to give a specific timeline, and I cannot
give a specific timeline.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr
Speaker, I would like to find out from the
Hon Minister for Defence whether it
would not be more helpful, particularly
to the Armed Forces, considering that we

are told this was an operation sanctioned

by the High Command. Would it not be

better if we had an independent

committee to look into this matter

instead of the Ghana Armed Forces

appearing to be investigating itself? I am

looking at public trust and confidence, so

has the Hon Minister considered that

option: an independent committee or an

article 278 commission of inquiry? This

is because this is a major issue, and it

even led to the death of one of the victims

in the brutalities. So, has the Hon

Minister considered that option for

public trust and confidence in the

outcome of the investigation, instead of

what may appear to be a bit inward or

self-serving, where the Military seems to

be investigating themselves?

Mr Speaker, I would
advise that we tread cautiously in trying
to set up commissions on operations that
had been sanctioned by top Military or
security agencies. If it is an illegal
operation, that is a bit better, but once an
operation is legally sanctioned, the first
thing one does is to review it, and if there
is a need to go beyond that review, then
it is opened, but at this stage, it is too
early for me to start suggesting that it
may go beyond the review. In the Wa
incident, it was the Military that
reviewed, and people were punished for
it. In several incidents, even in galamsey
incidents, the Military reviewed its
exercise, and some people have lost their
jobs. Some people were removed from
the Military, so I would want to assure
the Hon Member that the Military is
reviewing it. We should give them the
chance to review, and if Ghanaians are
not satisfied, we can take the matter to a
different level.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr
Speaker, I would like to ask the Hon
Minister whether after the investigation,
Parliament would be furnished with a
copy of the report. This is because we
want to know the outcome of the
investigation.

Mr Speaker, it has never
been the practice to furnish Parliament
with the report, but it is up to Parliament.
If it deems fit for Parliament — In any case, a Committee of Parliament visited
the place, and I think that it is the starting
point. I was there with them, and I think
we should start from there.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Some Hon Members — rose —

I would
give one last to —

Thank you
very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, the incidents of the
populace resisting the law enforcement
agencies, and especially in this case, the
Military, and also the actions of the
Military within the public space have all
come up in recent times and have
become very topical. Is the Hon Minister
worried about the image the Military and
agencies under him are creating for
themselves, and if he is, what would he
do to address that? I am particularly

worried about the Military because I

have three generations of Military people

in my life, and they have, for many years

and as long as I have lived, been

examples of discipline, but that is

waning. Would the Hon Minister do

something about it, and what exactly

would he do?

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, I would like
to thank the Hon Member for this
question.
I do not agree with her when she says
that it is waning. In fact, if we compare
the military of the 80s, 90s and now,
things are rather improving. The Hon
Member can check her history and she
would understand what I am talking
about. Maybe, she did not experience it
— I have lived in four conflicts and I
know what the Ghana Military can and
cannot do — Four conflicts: in 1981,
1991, 1994, and 1995. So, if there is
somebody who knows what can and
cannot happen, I am a living example
here. I would just like to say that
improvements and suggestions are
necessary, and all of us, including the
Military itself, would be worried about
any image — even a small infraction
would get us all worried, and we think
that there are improvements.
Therefore, yesterday, for example, I
got the Chief of Defence Staff to call all
the commanders to talk about things that
we are worried about so that we can all
see how we can make sure that at the end
of the day, the Military serves the people
of Ghana for which they were created.

I would
now move on to the next Question,
which stands in the name of the Hon
Member for Juaboso to the Hon Minister
for Health.
Hon Minister for Defence, you are
discharged.
Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin —
rose —

Hon
Deputy Majority Leader, what is it?

Mr
Speaker, with your special leave, may we
take the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs
and Regional Integration? We had some
prior discussion and I should have
informed you ahead of time. So, it is just
a plea, so that we could take the Hon
Minister for Health afterwards.

Minority
Leadership, the application is — I think
we miss the Hon Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Regional Integration; let us
abide her for a while. The application is
declined.
Mr Akandoh, kindly ask your
Question, it is only one.

Mr Speaker, I would leave that decision
to you.

Mr Speaker, is the Hon
Minister aware that since the June-July
2021 batch started their service about
nine months ago, they have never
received any allowance?

Mr Speaker, I
am aware of this fact, that is why we
wrote for financial clearance. We have
written two such letters and we have now
gotten close to the end of the tunnel. I
have full assurance from the Ministry of
Finance that these moneys would be paid
by the end of April.

Mr Speaker, I would
like to find out from the Hon Minister,
how much in total does the Government
owes these nurses.

Mr Speaker, we
have close to about GH₵160 million.

Mr Speaker, how many
rotational nurses are we talking about
here?

Mr Speaker, we
have close to 15,000 rotational nurses.

Very well.
Hon Minister —
Mr Samuel Ablakwa — rose —

Hon
Member, you have asked too many

Yes, Hon Member?

Mr Speaker, I am very
grateful. I would like to find out from the
Hon Minister for Health if provision has
been made in the 2023 Budget to take
care of these arrears because this is a
human rights issue. They have been
petitioning us from our constituencies to
Parliament. The last time, they followed
us here and petitioned a number of us.
They say they cannot pay rent; some of
the ladies are really complaining, and are
being tempted to do other things I do not
want to talk about here. So, does the Hon
Minister have provision in the 2023
Budget to take care of the GH₵160 million arrears?

Mr Speaker, we
have that provision made in the Budget.

Hon
Minister, we thank you for attending
upon the House to answer Questions — You are discharged.
It is now the turn of the Hon Minister
for Foreign Affairs and Regional
Integration — Question numbered 6(f), to be asked by the Hon Member for
Jaman South, Mr William Okofo-Dateh.

Mr Speaker, I beg to ask
the Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Regional Integration, the steps being
taken by the Ministry to reduce the huge
backlog of processed passport
application forms since 2022.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Regional Integration (Ms Shirley
Ayorkor Botchwey): Mr Speaker, the
steps being taken by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
to reduce the backlog of printed passports
include improving the capacity of
passport printing machines and
increasing the capacity to vet completed
applications.
The Passport Office's inability to print or process applications within the
stipulated time frame last year, as I have
indicated on several and numerous
platforms, was largely due to supply
chain challenges, which was as a result
of the COVID-19 pandemic and most
recently, the Russia-Ukraine War.
Fortunately for us, the Ministry took
delivery of 300,000 passport booklets in
October, 2022.
Mr Speaker, I am pleased to inform
this august House that with the number
of booklets supplied, the backlog cases
reduced from over 120,000 in October
2022, to 22,698 by December 2022. But
for the frequent breakdown of our
printing machines, all the backlog would
have been cleared.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Regional Integration is about to receive
two giant industrial printing machines in
three weeks from the World Bank, under
the Public Sector Reforms for Results
Project (PSRRP). The arrival of these
machines will help the Passport Office to
clear all outstanding backlogs within a
week. It is imperative to indicate that
these giant industrial machines have the
capacity to print about 2,000 passports
within an hour. It must be noted that
completed applications go through
various levels of vetting in order to
ensure that only eligible applicants are
issued with the Ghanaian passport.

To this end, the Passport Office has

increased the number of vetting staff,

who are also tasked to do extra hours

occasionally, including working on

weekends in order to clear outstanding

passports yet to be printed.

Mr Speaker, while efforts are

underway to clear the backlog, the

Passport Application Centres, parti-

cularly, those in Kumasi and Accra, have

been saddled with a phenomenon of

uncollected passports. Even though

applicants are usually informed through

text messages that their passports have

been printed and sent to the various

passport application centres, a lot of

passports are yet to be collected.

The Ministry recently issued a public

announcement, and some applicants did

turn up and collected their passports. We

will continue to cause such announce-

ments periodically. I wish to use this

opportunity to apologise to our

compatriots who are yet to receive their

passports, and also to assure this august

House and the entire citizenry that the

Ministry has put in place enough

measures to prevent a future occurrence

of this unfortunate incidence, and

promise smooth and efficient service

delivery.

I also wish to assure this House that

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

Regional Integration continues to give

emergency applicants for passports the

utmost attention that they require.

I thank you for your attention, Mr

Speaker.

Mr Speaker, if I
got her right, the Hon Minister is telling
this House that they are expecting some
giant printing machines that are coming
in within two weeks, and after the
machines have arrived, they are going to
clear the back-log of passports within a
week.
Mr Speaker, I just want to ask the Hon
Minister when they expect to install
these machines. She should know the
timeframe so that she can say, for
example, that from next month, we will
have a shorter period of processing
passports in this country.

Mr Speaker, as the
Hon Member has said, I did indicate that
we would be receiving the machines in
three weeks. Once the machines are
installed, they would be put to use
immediately. Let me say that the
machines, currently, are going through
some configuration with our booklets to
make sure that by the time the machines
are installed, there would not be any
transition in terms of having to now put
the machines into some kind of
configuration.
So, everything is being done to ensure
that once the machines are received, it
goes into use immediately. It should not
take more than a week, I believe, after
the machines are installed. So, let us give
ourselves a month after the machines are
installed for the machines to be in
operation.

Mr Speaker, I commend
the Hon Minister for her responses and
the work she is doing to clear the back-
log. Listening to the Hon Minister
carefully, Mr Speaker, she has addressed
the second leg of the passport-printing
process, which is the role of the Passport
Office, and I am sure that is where the
giant printing machines would be installed.

However, I know that there is the

second aspect, which relates to the

private sector vendors, those who print

the booklets. I know the Ministry does

the bio page, but there is the aspect

relating to the printing of the booklets

that Buck Press Limited and others have

been working on. Is the Hon Minister

saying that that aspect does not have any

challenge in the chain?

I am looking at the entire value chain,

and I am wondering if we do not have to

also avert our minds — because she has

only talked about the printing machines

for the Passport Office, but how about

the private vendors who print the

booklets? This is because I know that the

last time we met, there was a challenge

with them as well, in terms of supplying

the booklets. We have not heard anything

about that aspect so I want to find out

from the Hon Minister if the back-log at

that end has been cleared.

Mr Speaker, in my
Answer, I did talk about the supply chain
issues that created the backlog in 2022.
Fortunately, we have procured over
300,000 since December. We are in the
process of also doing another order just
to make sure that we give enough time
for the delivery of the booklets. That has
been taken into account to make sure that
at every given time, we do have enough
booklets.
Now, what we need to do, like I have said, is the other angle of the problem, which is to address the printing problem. Now, we have booklets. The issue is the printers, which do not have large
capacity to print. So, we are addressing that. Once that is addressed, we have a whole range of different processes that have been sorted out.

Very well.
Hon Minister, we thank you for
attending upon the House to answer the Question. You are discharged.
Hon Members, we move on to item 6.
The set of Questions for item 6 are to be answered by the Hon Minister for Communication and Digitalisation. Yes, Hon Minister?
Minister for Communication and
Digitalisation (Mrs Ursula Gifty
Owusu-Ekuful): Mr Speaker, I regret to inform the House that I have still not received the Answers to the Questions asked and so I would plead for a bit more time to enable me put the Answers together so that I can respond to the Questions that my Hon Colleagues have asked.

The
Leadership mentioned this to me but I wanted her to communicate that herself that the particular agency did not bring the information as required. So, I would direct the Table Office to reschedule all the Questions, and inform the —
Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami
Dafeamekpor — rose —

There is no further comment on this one. Thank you very much. We will proceed.

Yes, Leadership, are we moving to

Public Business? Are we to take the

Statement now?

Mr Speaker, at
the commencement of Public Business,
we would start —

Or shall
we take the Statement on our late former
Colleague, Mr Ato Panford?

Yes, Mr Speaker,
we should.

Very well.
I will invite the Hon Member for
Kwesimintsim, Dr Prince Hamid Armah,
to read the Statement in memory of the
late Mr Ato Panford, the former Member
of Parliament for Shama.

Mr Speaker, it is with
profound sorrow and a deeply heartfelt
sense of loss that I rise before you to pay
tribute to the late Dr Ato Panford, whose
rather untimely and unexpected demise
occurred on Sunday morning, February
12, 2023, at the Ghana Ports and Habours
Authority (GPHA) Hospital in Takoradi.
We are once again solemnly reminded of
the profound truths in the words of
William Shakespeare when he said, and
I quote in part:
“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely
players; they have their exits and
their entrances; and one man in his
time plays many parts…”
Mr Speaker, although we are well
aware of the inevitability of death, we
nevertheless truly regret the loss and
departure from the earthly realms of our
former Colleague, Compatriot and
Friend. But as we mourn his passing, we
also reminisce, acknowledge and celebrate
his remarkable life, his distinguished
career as a technocrat and politician, and
even vastly important, his positive and
lasting contributions to the Shama
Constituency, the Western Region, and
our beloved country.
Mr Speaker, Dr Ato Panford was an
astute politician and a statesman who
served his Constituency and country
with integrity, selflessness, dedication,
and passion. He was a man of deep
conviction, unwavering principles, grim
determination, with an unbridled com-
mitment to public service. We remember
Dr Ato Panford as a consummate
professional, technocrat and a respected
legislator who demonstrated astute
political acumen and an unwavering
commitment to the welfare of his con-
stituents, as well as the progress of this
country. A true gentleman with a warm
personality, he carried himself with
dignity and poise, yet always remained a
bridge-builder who was admirably affable,
courteous, and cooperative in all
engagements with all his Colleagues on
both Sides of the political divide in this
House, his constituents and beyond.

Mr Speaker, as a Member of the

Seventh Parliament, representing the

Shama Constituency in the Western

Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic

Party (NPP), Dr Ato Panford dutifully

served this House, and by extension, this

country from January 2017 to January

2021. He played a significant role in

improving political discourse and

engagement, advocating for develop-

ment in his Constituency and shaping

this country's political landscape. His

meticulousness was amply evident in his

legislative and political endeavours. He

infused his submissions on the floor of

this House with wisdom, and seasoned

his arguments with reason. His sharp

analytical mind drilled to the core of

critical issues, bringing to the fore

insightful contributions to debates in this

House. His hallmark of consummate

intellectuality, intricately combined with

deeply-rooted practicality was uncommon.

Mr Speaker, Dr Ato Panford's

considerable experience in Ghana's

political arena was invaluable in

advancing the Business and overall

progress of this august House. His

contribution to the passage of critical

legislations that advanced the interests of

the good people of Ghana cannot be

overemphasised. With one accord, we

recount a few of the deeds of a man who

was an astute expert in international

trade and commerce, and distinguished

himself as an industrialist with close to

three decades of experience across both

the private and public sectors. His role as

a senior advisor of enterprise audit of the

African Continental Free Trade

Area (AfCFTA) National Coordinating

Office has helped firmly establish and

prominently position AfCFTA as the

world's largest free trade area, bringing

together the 55 countries of the African

Union and eight regional economic com-

munities. Among other engagements, he

also served as Vice-Chairman of the

Trade Industry and Tourism Committee

of the Seventh Parliament.

Mr Speaker, these are but a few of the

many attributes exhibited, a few of the

roles played, a few of the accom-

plishments chalked by our departed

former Colleague, and indeed, these are

worthy of mention. But beyond his

political career, Dr Ato Panford was a

man of impeccable character, a devoted

family man, and a loyal friend to many.

He was known for his humility,

kindness, and unwavering commitment

to the pursuit of excellence in all his

endeavors. He was a man who inspired

many with his words and actions, and his

impact on the lives of those who knew

him will be felt for generations to come.

Mr Speaker, the demise of Dr Ato

Panford is a great loss to this House and

to the people of Ghana. On behalf of this

august House and the people of the

Western Region, I wish to extend our

deepest condolences to his family and

friends who are beside themselves with

grief at this time. We join them in

mourning his passing, and we pray for

God's comfort and strength to be with

them during this difficult time. We are

grateful for his selfless service and

positive contributions to our country, and

we celebrate his life, legacy, and the

indelible mark he has left on Ghana's

political landscape.

May the gentle soul of Dr Ato Panford

rest in perfect peace.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your

attention.

Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah

(NPP — Takoradi): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. First and foremost,

we thank Dr Prince Hamidu Armah for

such a beautiful Statement in celebrating

the life of the late Dr Ato Panford.

Hon
Minister, please hold on.
Hon Members, having regard to the
state of the Business of the House, I
direct that the House sits outside the
regular Sitting hours.
You may continue, Hon Member.

Mr Speaker, Dr
Ato Panford was somebody I had known
since the early 90s, in fact, when he used
to be the Deputy Chairman of the
Western Regional Association of Ghana
Industries. He rose to become the
Chairman for both Western and Central
Regions. Therefore, when it comes to the
issue of entrepreneurship, businesses,
industrialisation and manufacturing, Dr
Ato Panford was clearly there, and I
believe that it was the same spirit and
energy he brought to bear when he
became a Member of this House.
Mr Speaker, Dr Ato Panford was
known to have been in the production of
pepper paste, water and ice cream in this
country. He also became the Chairman of
the National Board for Small Scale
Industries, which graduated into what we
call the Ghana Enterprise Agency. Even
in the era of COVID-19, Dr Ato Panford
was clearly in the tracks, making sure
that Ghanaian businesses that had
suffered because of COVID-19 were
supported by Government, and over
200,000 Ghanaians were supported
under the President's initiative during the COVID-19 period. So, when we talk
about Dr Ato Panford and the
industrialisation of this country in
supporting businesses to stand on their
feet, especially, small-scale and
medium-scale enterprises, clearly, he is
somebody we need to support in this time
that the family is in need.
Mr Speaker, politically, Dr Ato
Panford's preparation towards becoming an MP had been long overdue. In fact, he
had gone through a lot of primaries
before he won. When he won, he had
major difficulties even in his Constituency
to the extent that with time, people like
us had to be working with him and other
contestants to make sure that he won the
seat for him to be part of the Seventh
Parliament of this country.
Mr Speaker, when he came to the
House, everybody could feel his humility
and energy. Even though he was a
Backbencher, he was all over the place.
Clearly, this shows that this was a man
who was made for Ghana and he was a
man who came to support Ghana.
Mr Speaker, until recently, when I
became a Regional Minister, Dr Ato
Panford became one of the advisors to
the Ministry of Trade and Industry under
the Africa Continental Free Trade Area

(AfCFTA) programme and for the first

batch of companies that participated in

the programme, Dr Ato Panford made

sure that two of the companies in the

Western Region participated in the

programme, especially, the tile manu-

facturing company called Keda Ghana

Ceramics Ltd, which is one of the first

companies that has been exporting out of

this country under the AfCFTA protocol.

Mr Speaker, therefore, I believe that

this is a life worth celebrating. I would like to use this opportunity to wish the family our condolences, and we believe that the God that giveth and the God that taketh will still be able to sustain his energy throughout the family and throughout Ghana.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this

opportunity.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful for
this opportunity to contribute to this
Statement to eulogise our Hon Colleague
who passed on a few weeks ago.
Mr Speaker, as a Muslim, when one
encounters such situations, one is
encouraged to say that, “From Whom we have all come and to Him we shall
return”. Indeed, the loss of Dr Ato Panford is a great loss not only to his
family, but to the nation as well. I got to
know him in the Seventh Parliament
when we all came to this House together.
Mr Speaker, we served on the
Committee on Trade, Industry and
Tourism. Indeed, at the end of the day, he
became the de facto Chairman of the
Committee because of his hard work. He
was such a kind-hearted person — a successful businessman who would go to
any length to ensure that businesses in
this country were given the necessary
support.
Mr Speaker, it was his belief that once
our business was doing well, many jobs
would be created. So, he assisted in
ensuring that so many Bills were passed.
The Ghana Standards Authority Act — What he did was, first, to make a
Statement on this Floor and call for the
amendment or a repeal of the previous
Act. This was responded to positively by
the Rt Hon Speaker, which led to the
repeal of that Act, and now we have a
new Act, which could be attributed to him.
Mr Speaker, that is not all. The Ghana
Standards Authority Act could also be
attributed to the hard work of Dr Ato
Panford. Indeed, he made a Statement in
this Chamber. Hon Members contributed
to it and the Rt Hon Speaker directed that
there was the need for the old Act to be
repealed. So, if today we have a new Act,
one could say that it was as a result of his
effort.
Mr Speaker, so in my view, Dr
Panford left behind a good legacy, and as
humans, we have all come here and one
day we would return to where we came
from, but what is important is when one
leaves this earth, others should be able to
say good things about the deceased. The
deceased Hon Member was once here,
and today, I can testify that he
contributed meaningfully to the

development of this nation during the

four years he served in this Parliament.

Mr Speaker, even when he lost his re-

election and was home, he kept in touch

with us, continued to show interest in the

work of the Committee. On several

occasions, he called me to find out how

the Committee was doing. Indeed, he

wanted to know what the Committee was

doing to assist the African Continental

Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to enable it

assist businessmen and women to create

more jobs.

Mr Speaker, he was not one of those

who you would think that once he had

lost his re-election bid, he should not

show interest in what was happening in

this House. He showed so much interest

in the Free Zones Board and had

proposed that the Free Zones Board Act

be repealed. Indeed, there is the need for

that Act to be repealed.

Mr Speaker, I am so saddened that this

happened. But as I said, we have all

come from Him; God, and to Him we

shall all return, whether one likes it or

not. I would just ask that the good Lord

would have mercy on his soul and give

him a resting place. To his family, I share

my condolences with them. I know what

they are going through, but the good

Lord is there for them.

Mr Speaker, on this note, I thank you

for the opportunity.

Some Hon Members — rose —

Mr Carlos
Ahenkorah?
Hon Member for Shama, you would
be the last person to speak on the
Statement.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful
for the opportunity to say a few words
about our late Hon Colleague, Dr Ato
Panford, a gentleman's gentleman whom I have known for many years even before
politics. He was someone who carried
himself so well when it came to
entrepreneurship. He was an industrialist
and led the Association of Ghana
Industries (AGI) for many years to what
we see it to be today.
Mr Speaker, Dr Panford came to this
House during the Seventh Parliament
and was able to prove to all and sundry— especially, people from his constituency
— that he was a gentleman who was ready to provide proper service to this
country.
Mr Speaker, indeed, in the Seventh
Parliament, he was the Vice Chairman of
the Committee on Trade, Industry and
Tourism, but even though he was the
Vice Chairman, he actually acted as the
Chairman of the Committee because the
Chairman of that Committee, which was
Nana Amaniampong Marfo, saw so
much prowess in him that he actually
allowed him to lead the Committee in the
way he, Dr Panford, desired. I am sure
that if Hon Members listened to what my
Hon Colleague on the other Side just
said, the Committee had so much
confidence in this gentleman that one
cannot run down or downplay his
contribution to that Committee as far as
the Seventh Parliament is concerned.

Mr Speaker, besides, this Hon

Gentleman was also the Chairman for the

National Board for Small Scale

Industries (NBSSI) Board. It was during

his time that he managed to get Master

Card, which is today helping us with our

YouStart Programme, and all other

projects that he actually championed

while he was the Board Chairman for

NBSSI during the Seventh Parliament.

Mr Speaker, when it comes to his

constituency, he managed to be the first

person to get a radio station for the

Shama area. This station today, I am

sure, is probably the busiest, if we want

to look at what happens on the airwaves

in that area. Dr Ato Panford aspired his

best for this Party. They put up a

constituency office in his Constituency

before he, unfortunately, lost his seat in

the year 2020.

Mr Speaker, I am sure that if we want

to write about Dr Panford today, we

would fill about 30 notebooks and would

still not finish writing about him: his

relationship with people; how subservient

he was to people; a good listener, and a

team player.

Mr Speaker, Dr Ato Panford really

suffered a lot of ailments when he left the

Seventh Parliament. He battled some

conditions; at the point, one ailment

would lead to another. Going back and

forth from one hospital to the other. No

one expected such a strong man who

used to be seen as somebody who was as

fit as a fiddle, as we love to say, to die

just like that. But it so happens that when

death was ready to pick someone, there

is nothing one could do about it.

Mr Speaker, at this juncture, all we

need to say is, “Dr Ato, fare thee well.” We extend our condolences to the

family. We express our sympathies to the

constituents of Shama and hope that his

memory will never be lost in this

Parliament. I wish him God's guidance. Rest in peace, Dr Panford, rest in peace!

Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah

(NDC — Ho West): Mr Speaker, thank you. I also rise to add my voice to the

tribute in honour of our late Hon Brother,

Dr Panford.

Mr Speaker, just within the month of

March, we have paid tributes to two of

our former Hon Colleagues who were

Members of the Seventh Parliament, as

well as one of our current sitting MPs

who lost his life few days ago.

Mr Speaker, this brings to mind what

we do in this House, whether we are

prepared to live the full haul of life after

exiting this House. The Good Book tells

us that there is time for everything: a

time to be born and a time to die.

Whatever we do within the time that we

are born and the time that we pass on to

eternity counts on this planet earth.

Mr Speaker, we all know Dr Ato

Panford, especially those of us he met in

this House, know that he was not the hot-

headed kind of person. He was loved by

all of us because he came across all

political divides in this House. In this

House, we can clearly see those who do

practical politicking on this Floor and

those who believe that national issues

should be paramount to anything else in

this House. But, after we leave this

House, how will people see us? Will they

see us as people who always do politics

with national issues or people who

believe in national discourse and

national issues?

Mr Speaker, just a year or two after

leaving Parliament, people pass on to

glory. What really is the problem? I have

just checked his age, and he was only 61

years old. That means that he was 58

years old when he left this House, and at

61, he had passed on to glory. Who

would take care of the children? This

calls for national discourse on Members

of Parliament (MPs).

Mr Speaker, we sit in this House for

very long periods and we do not even

check our health. As we were discussing

this morning, we do not go for medical

check-ups, and when we do not come

back into this House, within a year or

two, we pass on to glory with all these

memories and good things that they have

that could be an asset for this nation.

Then, wherein lies our essence of being

here?

I know some of our Hon Colleagues

will not come to this House again. In just

the next two years, in the Ninth

Parliament, are we going to pay tribute to

those who have spent so much and done

so much for this nation? No! Let us take

care of our health. Let us do thorough

medical check-ups. I know it is not only

the medical check-ups that would

prevent us from passing on, but let us

also take good care of ourselves.

Mr Speaker, we do not take care of

ourselves. It is true that we do not even

eat well. We have dietitians here, yet we

do not even visit them to eat very well.

We leave this Chamber and rush to our

offices. Sometimes, you see our Hon

Colleagues eating gari soakings in their

offices. They do not even have places to

rest; they rush back to the Floor and do

all kinds of things till around 2.00 a.m.

before we get back home, and by 10.00

a.m., we are supposed to be on the floor

of this House again.

Mr Speaker, we need to take a holistic

look at our health and all that we do in

this House. Can we sometimes change

our Sitting times? Maybe, we could do it

in the night as we proposed some time

ago or change the time that we Sit so that

we could do whatever we want to do,

rest, and when we come, we are

refreshed to do proper work and go back

with energy, so that when we come back

the following day, we would have energy

to work for the nation. We cannot work

for the nation, and after a year or two

when we are no longer in this House, we

pass on to glory. We have not helped

ourselves.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I

wish the family well; my condolences to

the good people of Shama and all the

people that he has left behind.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Minister for Health (Mr Kwaku

Agyeman-Manu) (MP): Mr Speaker, I

rise to contribute to eulogise my very

good friend, a family friend and a

partner.

Mr Speaker, Dr Ato Panford has been

like a family name in my home, a name

in my Constituency, and even a name in

Takoradi, where I was visiting him. The

Hon Member for Esikadu/Ketan, Mr Joe

Ghartey, will bear me out. I was one of

those who encouraged him to come to

Parliament.

Mr Speaker, my friend was an

industrialist and a farmer, whose

endeavours I can vouch impacted on so

many poor people in our country. When

my Hon Colleague, the Western

Regional Minister, was paying tribute to

him, he mentioned how he was

producing pepper paste, and this took

him to several places for him to do

projects that gave him the raw materials

he was processing for export.

Mr Speaker, I met him at the Ministry

of Finance when he was making efforts

to get support from Government to go

into industrialisation. At the time, I was

a Deputy Minister for Finance and we

could not help him much, but I became

so interested in the type of work he was

trying to do. The type of pepper paste he

was producing for export was of world-

class standard. No wonder, eventually,

he became a top person among those who

were doing industrialisation in our

country. No wonder when he came to the

Chamber as the MP for Shama, he was

part of the Committee on Trade, Industry

and Tourism, and he even chaired an

agency within the Ministry of Trade of

Industry.

Mr Speaker, our Hon Colleague, the

former MP for Shama, got ill, sought

treatment outside country, came back

and continued his treatment at Korle-Bu

Teaching Hospital. Almost every two

weeks when he was supposed to go for

review, he would pass by my place, and

I would see him off.

Mr Speaker, his death is so sad. He

died at the age of 61. That is not what

anybody would have wished for. His

wife and family are lamenting. The

young men who he was there with are

mourning, and I am also mourning, just

as all of us who are here in the Chamber.

Mr Speaker, I only pray for his soul,

that the good Lord keeps him somewhere

very good that we can meet again when

we leave this transitional space. With

these few words, I extend my

condolences to the wife and the family,

and hope that he would rest in the bosom

of the Lord.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Deputy Minority Leader (Mr

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah): Mr

Speaker, let me thank the Hon Member

of Parliament for Kwesimintsim for the

eulogy for the departed Hon Ato

Panford.

Mr Speaker, it is a small world indeed,

because of how I came to find out that

Mr Ato Panford was actually my brother-

in-law. My good friend was the MP he

defeated, Mr Gabriel Essilfie. Actually,

before the election, I was passing

through the constituency one day and I

saw the NPP office strategically placed

close to the police barrier. The first thing

I did was to call Mr Gabriel Essilfie and

ask why he would sit there and allow the

NPP to place its office right there. He

said that he tried, but they would not give

him the location, and that he did not

know how the man who was trying to

unseat him did it. That was a sign that my

good friend, Mr Essilfie, was facing a

very stiff competition from a man who

could be very dangerous.

Frankly, when Dr Panford won and

came to Parliament, I happened to work

with him on the Committee of Trade,

Industry and Tourism and he was the

Vice Chairman. It was very clear to me

that he was a very resourceful and

hardworking man who made things

happen.

Mr Speaker, we were seated one day

when he made a call and mentioned his

father-in-law, Apostle Akya. I asked him

who that was, because he was my

relative who passed on not too long ago.

It happened to be my uncle that passed

on, and he was married to his daughter

that I had not been in touch with. So, my

relationship with Dr Panford actually

grew. He was indeed a very hardworking

man. Reference has been made to the

thorough Statement he made here on the

issues that really confronted the Ghana

Standards Authority.

This Statement has led to the ruling by

the Rt Hon Speaker which, subsequently,

led to the passing of the Ghana Standards

Authority Bill. This has brought up a lot

of very good things that are helping

Ghana.

Mr Speaker, therefore, on a day like

this, we pay tribute to him. He was also

very passionate about the African

Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),

about how Ghana would be prepared to

take advantage of it, and we can talk

about the kind of consulting role he

played for the Ghana team. On a day like

this, we mourn with his family, but more

importantly, it also brings up the

question as has been raised: the health of

Hon Members of Parliament, especially

those who leave Parliament. We must

ask: Why is it that when one leaves

Parliament, within a short period, if God

is not on one's side, one dies? The question of our health is something that

we must address, and if, probably, there

has to be some requirement for Hon

Members of Parliament to do some

quarterly checks, it has to be done

because it is getting very serious and

worrisome.

Mr Speaker, to be brief, our Hon

Colleague, Dr Ato Panford, the departed,

left a mark in Parliament, and we mourn

and remember him. We mourn with the

family, and we would like to say on this

day that we were very proud of the work

he did, not only for Parliament, but for

the people of Ghana. May his soul rest in

peace.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Yes, Hon
Member for Shama?
Mr Ghartey — rose —

Hon
Member for Shama, I want you to be the
last speaker, but Mr Joe Ghartey wants to
say something.

Mr Speaker, I cannot take the
turn of the Hon Member for Shama since
the late Hon Member was from his
constituency, but I would also like to
contribute.

Yes, you
can, so that he would be the last speaker.

Mr Speaker, if I am
taking the turn of the Hon Member for
Shama, I would yield to him.

Hon
Member, no. If you speak, I will give the
last slot to him.

Mr Speaker, I thank you
very much. I will be very brief. The first
time I met Dr Panford was in my hall in
Esikado. I had come back from
campaigning. It was in the night, and I
wanted to go straight to my bedroom and
sleep. My elder sister and my wife were
sitting in the hall with this gentleman,
and they asked me to come and listen to
him because he had fantastic ideas. I
spent quite a while listening to him talk
about what we can do as a country about
industry and other topics, and it was
worth my while.
Mr Speaker, from that day, Dr Panford
became my friend. He was more like a
brother because Shama is a constituency
next door. I remember that when he was
first coming to Parliament, he organised
a football competition, like most of us
do, and he was spending quite a bit of
money, and I cautioned him to take it a
little easy because it is a long-distance
race and not a sprint. To cut a long story
short, he won, and I think he did a good
job for the people of Shama.
Unfortunately, he has joined the fathers
above.
Mr Speaker, I remember that when we
went to commiserate with his wife, we
went with all the Hon Members of
Parliament from the Western Region, but
even the strength of our delegation could
not bring him back to life. The world is
but a stage, each man having his entry
and his exit, and we are told in the book
of Ecclesiastes that it is better to go to a
house of death than to go to a house of
birth. One would wonder that when
somebody dies, he is gone, and,
therefore, why should that be better than
to go to a place where a person has been
born? It is because it reminds us that one
day, we shall also all die. As we stand
here and eulogise our Hon Colleagues
who have departed, including Dr
Panford, we should remember that our
time will also definitely come, and we
pray that when our time comes, we shall
find our names written in the Book of
Life, and we shall join the faithful
departed in the heavens above.
Mr Speaker, with these truly few
words, not the Parliamentary jargon
where after one hour, they say, “with these few words”, I respectfully take my bow. I thank you very much.

Very well.
Now, Hon Member for Shama, you may
make your eulogy.
Mr Samuel Erickson Abakah (NPP
— Shama): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to speak to the ongoing

discussion and the good things my Hon

Colleagues have spoken about my

immediate predecessor, Dr Ato Panford.

Mr Speaker, the late Dr Ato Panford

was a strong, dedicated, flamboyant, and

eloquent gentleman. He came onto the

political scene in the Shama

Constituency at a time we were gearing

up, and we had about two contests at the

primaries where he beat me. I remember

that some of my ardent followers told me

not to allow Dr Ato Panford to address

my people because when he comes, they

would all fall for him, and lo and behold,

they did.

Mr Speaker, we are speaking about a

man who spent his time and energies to

execute his visions and convictions. He

was dedicated to his work, and ensured

that until he accomplished that which he

had set his mind on, he would not give

up. It is very sad that although death is

inevitable, it is difficult for us to come to

terms that he would depart at such a time

like this. He was such a visionary leader

and a very good competitor. I would say,

once again, that he was also a prophet.

Why do I say that? About two months

prior to his demise, there was a live radio

discussion at which programme, he

intimated to the people that he was going

over for a higher service, and that he was

not going to contest again for the Shama

Seat. Little did we know that it was a call

for a heavenly duty. I would say, quoting

from the Gospel according to St John,

chapter 11, verses 25 and 26:

Jesus said to her, “I am the

resurrection and the life. Those who

believe in me, even though they die,

will live, and everyone who lives

and believes in me will never die...”

Mr Speaker, I know the works of Dr

Ato Panford will forever remain. His

name, though he is gone, shall forever be

on the lips of the people of Shama whom

he had the onerous duty to represent in

this august House at the Seventh

Parliament.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon
Members, as is our practice, I shall invite
you all to observe a minute's silence in memory of our departed Hon Friend.
Shall we rise.

Several Hon Members: Amen.

May the
soul of the late Dr Ato Panford and the
souls of all the faithful departed rest in
eternal peace. Amen.
Several Hon Members: Amen.

Yes, Hon
Majority Chief Whip?

Mr Speaker,
we have agreed to take the last Statement
for the day, to eulogise our late Hon
Colleague, the Hon Member for
Kumawu, Mr Philip Basoah, and that
would be done by the Hon Member for
Kwadaso, Prof Kingsley Nyarko.

Very well.
Hon Members, I am advised that the
family of our Hon Brother, Mr Philip
Basoah has formally come to inform the
Rt Hon Speaker of the demise of our
departed Hon Colleague. That is why
this tribute is being admitted at this stage.
Hon Member for Kwadaso, you may
make your Statement now.
Tribute to the late Mr Philip Basoah

Mr Speaker, I thank you for
the opportunity to share this tribute
regarding my very good friend and
classmate, the Hon Member for
Kumawu, Mr Philip Ata Basoah.
Mr Speaker, we met on the
Tweneboah Kodua Secondary School
campus in the year 1986, and we
completed in the year 1991. Mr Basoah
was a very active, intelligent, committed
and dedicated individual. He was a day-
student from form 1 to form 5, but almost
every school day, he would come to
school on time. Rarely would one see Mr
Basoah coming to school late, and
because of that, I remember that the
headmaster of the school at that time, Mr
Allan C. Cole, made Mr Basoah the Day
School Prefect. That was the first time a
day-student would be made a prefect, so
it was a special jubilation for Mr Philip
Basoah.
Mr Speaker, Mr Philip Basoah was a
calm person. He was also polite,
respectful and humble. He was also a
fighter. If we look at his political career,
we would see that he had been fighting
all along; he fights and wins. In the midst
of serious opposition and tough times, he
would always sail through.
Mr Speaker, after leaving the
University of Cape Coast in the year
2000, he was lucky to be appointed as the
District Chief Executive (DCE) for
Kumawu between the years 2005 and
2009. He also had a stint at the Ghana
Education Service (GES); he taught at
the Agogo Senior High School. He was a
member of the Sixth Parliament from the
year 2013 until he passed on Monday,
27th March, 2023.
Mr Speaker, prior to Mr Basoah's demise, we visited former President
Kufuor in his home on 21st March, 2023,
where we had a very good time and
conversations with the former President.
On Thursday, a day before he was rushed
to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, we
met in the washroom and had
discussions; we discussed a whole lot of
issues. Anytime I met him, I would call
him “Senior” because he was my Hon Senior in the House.
Mr Speaker, Mr Philip Basoah is no
more. When I began my political career,
he was one of those who advised and
guided me on how to go about it. A good
person is gone. In this House, you would
see him always quiet and reserved, but he
was very deep up here. He was
intelligent, very helpful and supportive.
We are going to miss a very good person.
Mr Speaker, Mr Basoah has gone
through a lot. There are some personal
things about him that I would not say, but

in the midst of all these turbulent times

and difficulties, he was resolute. Philip

was a survivor. I am sure that the Good

Lord would give him befitting peace

wherever he is.

Mr Speaker, my heart goes out to his

family, especially his wife and little

children. I know that the Almighty God

would give them comfort and help them.

Mr Speaker, I pray and plead that,

looking at the state of his children, if this

House could take it upon ourselves to do

something for his children, and if we do

this for them, I am sure that wherever he

is, his soul would be happy. On that

score, I would like to wish our Hon

Brother “Damirifa due. Due ne amanehuhu”.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the

opportunity.

Several Hon Members — rose —

Yes, Hon
Member for Odododiodio?
Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye
(NDC — Odododiodio): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity granted me
to contribute to this important Statement
on the demise of our Hon Colleague and
Friend, Mr Basoah.
Mr Speaker, my days in this House
have given me some comprehension into
two simple characters in the House;
those of us who we could call “very hard- line politicians” and those we could call “very accommodating politicians”. If I have to mention one in the second
category, I would mention Mr Basoah.
He was very friendly, objective and firm
in his beliefs.
Mr Speaker, what endeared me so
much to this gentleman was the fact that
in the midst of difficulties and challenges,
he would still smile. Recently, after the
approval of nominees for the various
district assemblies, he went through that
harrowing experience in his district, as
the Hon Ranking Member on the
Committee on Local Government and
Rural Development, I met with him to
get his insight into what happened, so
that it could form the basis for our
Statement in reaction to the incidence
that characterised the approval of the
MMDCEs. For somebody who had been
attacked and embarrassed in such a
manner, he was smiling while speaking
to me. When we indicated that we were
going to call for a Parliamentary
Committee to investigate these attacks,
he told me “Do not waste your time. I would survive it.” I left him with a different impression about politicians.
Mr Speaker, everyday when one met
Mr Basoah, he was full of confidence,
and he was always quiet and he would
always smile. I have never heard him use
those acidic words and language on any
of his Hon Colleagues in this House. He
was a very different politician. After the
demise of the former Hon Member of
Parliament, Dr Akoto Osei —

Hon
Members, the Hon Second Deputy
Speaker would take the Chair.
Hon Member, you may continue.

2.53 p.m. —

Mr Speaker, after
the demise of Dr Akoto Osei, when I
heard about Mr Basoah, the only thing I
told myself was, why are our Hon
Colleagues on the other Side losing the
good men among them? “Good men”, because these are the nice people you
would meet who are not hot-headed
politicians like some of my Hon
Colleagues that I am seeing right now.
Very humble and very respectful people
and they talk to you first as a human
being and second as a colleague and not
as a politician or an opponent.
Mr Speaker, that morning, when we
heard that our Hon Brother was in a
difficulty, all that we said to ourselves
was that may the Almighty God save him
because everybody, all of us on the
Minority Side, was worried about him.
We did not know that what had happened
would be the last time we would be
seeing him in this House. I wish that as
we remember him today, his life and
character would reflect on all of us and
sometimes think about the relationships
we have here that we would sustain
beyond these walls and not sometimes
the hot language we use at each other.
Mr Speaker, with these words, I wish
the Almighty God would keep him and
give him perfect rest and I wish that we
shall continue to remember the Basoahs
of this House.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Very
well.
Let me come to the Hon Member for
Sunyani West, Mr Awuah.
Minister for Employment and
Labour Relations (Mr Ignatius
Baffour Awuah) MP: Mr Speaker, I
would like to take this opportunity to
thank the maker of the Statement and to
add that this House would really miss Mr
Basoah.
Mr Speaker, I got to know the Mr
Basoah way back in the year 2005 when
he was made the District Chief Executive
(DCE) of Kumawu. I was then the
Regional Minister and anytime Regional
Ministers had to meet with the DCEs, he
was one person I related so well with. It
was therefore not surprising that when he
came to meet me here in the House in
2013, we bonded. As a senior to him,
anytime he needed to get an
understanding of how things work here
in the House, he would politely approach
me and we would speak. As if by
coincidence, he also became the
Chairman of the Committee on
Employment, Social Welfare, and State
Enterprises. A Committee I relate with as
an Hon Minister that does business with
that Committee. He worked so well with
all the Members of the Committee
irrespective of which of the House Side
that Member came from, and together we
worked to achieve a lot not just for the
Committee but also for my Ministry, the
Ministry of Employment and Labour
Relations. Little did we know that death
was going to lay its hands on this young
hardworking man.

Mr Speaker, anytime he came to me, it

was about either the business of a

Committee or something that has

something to do with our Ministry and I

recall that the last time he came to this

House, he sat with me and we had quite

a lot of discussions on an impending

programme that he wanted to participate

in, only to hear the next day that he had

collapsed. While we were praying that he

would come back and join us, the

unwanted news was what we heard.

It is so sad that this House has lost such

a gentleman, somebody who is so

committed to his work. As an Hon

Member of Parliament, I know that as a

politician, he fought a lot of battles to be

able to regain his position here as an Hon

Member of Parliament but that never in

any way discouraged him from pursuing

his mission of being a Member of this

House. I know posterity is would

remember him as an MP who fought so

well for his people and for his country.

Mr Speaker, perhaps at this point, all I

can say is that we wish him well

wherever he may find himself, and the

good Lord who actually knows best on

what he planned for him has called him.

We pray that the good Lord would give

him a perfect rest.

Mr Speaker, on that note, once again,

I would like to thank the maker of the

Statement.

Hon
Members, let me come to the Hon
Member for Builsa South.

Mr Speaker, I thank you
for giving me the opportunity to eulogise
our Hon Colleague and Friend, the now
the late Mr Philip Basoah.
Mr Speaker, Philip was a friend, and
as a Member of the Public Accounts
Committee, I had the opportunity to
interact and share ideas with him on a
personal and intimate basis.
Mr Speaker, one would admit that his
nature and demeanour was in direct
opposition to mine but interestingly we
were very good friends. I think the good
deeds and contributions that he made are
well captured and have been testified to
by Hon Colleagues. However, it is only
fair that I relate an instance that really
underscores his humanity and his
willingness to share and show concern
about the plight of others.
As Members of the Public Accounts
Committee of this Parliament, we had
the opportunity of attending the
Conference of African Public Accounts
Committees in neighbouring Liberia. Mr
Speaker, on the day that we were
scheduled to return to Ghana, we got the
information that the pilots of Kenyan
Airlines had gone on strike. Having
checked out of our hotel in preparedness
to depart, we clearly faced some instant
difficulties including what to eat. The
Hon Philip Basoah, apparently, had in
his room banku, shito, and sardines. As
generous as he was, he invited all of us
to his room and we gleefully consumed
the food that he had brought, perhaps, in
anticipation of any eventuality.

Mr Speaker, I relate this story to

underscore the type of person we are

talking about and the person we have

lost. I can only say, we miss him already.

We extend our condolences to his

immediate family and his constituents

and we say that it is not just a loss by the

family, his constituents, and his political

party but is a great loss to mother Ghana.

We wish him well where he is and we

know the good Lord would keep him in

his bosom until we reconvene again.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Let me
come to the Hon Member for Offinso
North.

Mr Speaker, I thank
you for giving me the opportunity to
contribute to the Statement ably made by
the Hon Member for Kwadaso on the
demise of the Hon Member for Kumawu,
Mr Philip Basoah.
Mr Speaker, the good people of
Kumawu have lost an illustrious son.
The good people of Ashanti have also
lost a politician who was so humble and
a politician who was so eager and
anxious to bring development to the
people. He was admired by the people,
particularly the rural people in Kumawu.
Mr Speaker, I got to know Mr Philip
Basoah in 1992, in the students' activist days when we were into politics, at the
time when Ghana had been ruled by the
military for some time, and as young
university students, we were so eager to
have democracy restored to Ghana. That
was when I happened to meet Mr Philip
Basoah in the company of the Hon
Member of Parliament for Manhyia
South and a couple of others, and we have
now found ourselves here in Parliament.
Mr Speaker, indeed, the Hon Member
for Manhyia South, Dr Matthew Opoku
Prempeh, was our regional coordinator
then in our school days, coordinating
affairs of our students' activism, trying to make sure that democracy is restored
in Ghana, and the rhyming of the hoops
of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). That
was where I first met Mr Philip Basoah.
Mr Speaker, no wonder he also
pitched camp to his base, which is
Kumawu, and he later became the
secretary to the executive committee
within that constituency. By dint of hard
work, in 2005, when H. E. the former
President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor,
became the President, he was also
appointed a District Chief Executive
(DCE) to serve the people of Kumawu,
and the same time, the people of Offinso
North.
Mr Speaker, through that cohort, he
worked so hard to bring development to
our respective districts. He was so much
loved by the people and he was so
humble. He worked so hard to endear
himself to the people, particularly the
chiefs and all that.
Mr Speaker, eventually, in 2009, when
I also became an Hon Member of
Parliament for the people of Ghana, he

joined in 2012 and became the Hon

Member of Parliament for the people of

Kumawu. Indeed, we served on several

committees together. In all these, he

excelled. He served the committees with

a kind of diligence and hard work, and

with the sense of bringing development

to the good people of Kumawu.

Mr Speaker, he was so humble and a

real gentleman. He was a person who

loved to act, rather than speak. He was a

person who was caring. We worked

together to have a very good close

family, and interestingly, he had a series

of challenges in terms of family and all

of that. For the past three years, he has

always concentrated and devoted a lot of

his time, attention and resources to try to,

at least, see his wife survive from some

protracted diseases. However,

unfortunately, he could not even live to

see the end of the full recovery of his

wife, when just last week, after a series

of stressful work, we were together here

and all that, and the next thing we heard

was that our Hon Friend and Brother is

gone to his maker. It is really sad.

Mr Speaker, this also brings to mind

that the work of Parliament is such that

we need to advert our minds to the lives

and health of Hon Members of

Parliament. The work is so stressful. We

do not even have systems where we

counsel and psyche ourselves to be able

to attend to health needs. Hon Members

of Parliament are so vulnerable such that

with little illness, we are no more.

Mr Speaker, I think that it is about time

that, as a House, we think about how we

would be able to work to improve upon

the well-being of Hon Members of

Parliament. It is so important because

some of the deaths could have been

easily averted if there have been some

structured provisions to address our

health needs.

Mr Speaker, we have lost an illustrious

Hon Brother and Son. The people of

Kumawu and the family, indeed the wife,

sons, and the entire Kumawu

Constituency party fraternity have lost a

real gentleman. It is my prayer that the

good Lord would continue to protect his

soul and prepare a very quiet place in the

bosom of the Lord, so that when we join

together, we would celebrate the Lord.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the

opportunity given me to eulogise my

Hon Brother.

Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami

Dafeamekpor (NDC — South Dayi): Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for

the opportunity to add my voice to the

Statement made by my Hon Brother,

Prof Nyarko, in respect of Mr Basoah.

Mr Speaker, indeed, last week

Thursday, 23rd March, 2023, when you

adjourned the House after the debate and

the decision that the votes would be

taken the following day, he beckoned me

and we walked out. We engaged in some

discussions until I got to the first lift. We

stood there for a couple of minutes and

then we parted company. We said good

night to each other, he asked whether

there would be action the next day, and I

said that I could not tell. That was how

we parted, only to get here on Friday to

be told that he had fallen seriously ill.

Mr Speaker, Mr Basoah and I served

on the Public Accounts Committee. He

was a very effective member. He was

equally effective as the Hon Chairman of

the Committee on Employment, Social

Welfare and State Enterprises, where Mr

Kwabena Donkor serves as the Hon

Ranking Member, and which now

operates like the Public Accounts

Committee because of the interrogation

of the annual accounts of the State-

owned Enterprises (SoEs). So, their

work in promoting the oversight

responsibilities of this House was a very

critical one. It was so effective that last

year, if we would recall, they did a lot of

work in respect of the SoEs, and it

became very topical in this House.

Mr Speaker, Mr Basoah was a very

quiet man and very effective. He was

always in the House to perform his

duties. As the Hon Member for Builsa

South said, we would miss him a lot on

the Public Accounts Committee because

of how he carried himself and how we

worked together.

Mr Speaker, this also brings to the fore

that as Hon Members and as a House, we

should have a relook or a re-evaluation

on how we work in this House. The work

is sedentary; it is made up of about 95 per

cent of sitting. We sit for very long

hours, so instead of asking Hon

Members to produce their annual

medical reports when we are freshly

elected, I would like to suggest that we

should now have annual medical review

so that we are not reviewed medically

every four years like Parliament does.

We should be interested in reviewing

our health every year because I still

cannot believe that the late Hon Member

for Kumawu, Mr Philip Basoah, whom I

saw on Thursday night, fell sick the next

day and is not with us today. There ought

to be signs, but there was none on

Thursday night when he was leaving

here. So, we need that to be done for all

of us. It appears that within the past one

week, MPs and former MPs have been in

the news for these reasons.

Mr Speaker, I want to end by

extending my condolences especially to

the family. I am aware that his wife too

is not well. I can only pray that she will

stay stronger and be able to go through

this painful exit of her husband who has

actually been helping to maintain her

current health status. Also, my

condolences to the New Patriotic Party

(NPP) for losing such an effectively

quiet man on their Side. I pray that the

people of Kumawu would cease the

opportunity and get the New Democratic

Congress (NDC) to replace him to be

able to contribute towards the work on

the Floor.

I thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. My
heart weeps, my head aches, and I still
cannot believe that the late Hon Member
for Kumawu, Mr Philip Basoah, is gone.
Last Thursday, I spent some time with
him; we normally have our pep talks
whenever he comes in. I have been to
court and disciplinary meetings with

him. We always seem to have similar

issues in our constituencies and we have

been struggling since 2013.

All the things that my Hon Colleagues

have said are true. What I would want to

add is the concluding part because I

remember that on Thursday, we

strategised on how in the next two years,

we were going to work hard and make

sure that we win our primaries. I am still

in shock.

Mr Speaker, he always mentored me

and told me to hold on. He was so

hopeful and I still cannot believe that he

is gone. We miss him and we know that

God will keep him safe wherever he is.

[Hon Member sobs].

Mr Patrick Boamah — rose —

Yes,
Hon Member?

Mr Speaker, I

I would
ask the Hon Minister for Greater Accra
Region to continue.
Minister for Greater Accra Region
(Mr Henry Quartey) (MP): Mr
Speaker, I rise to contribute to the
Statement ably made by the Hon
Member. Perhaps, I share the same
emotions with the Hon Member who just
contributed to the Statement. The late
Hon Member for Kumawu, Mr Philip
Basoah, was a very humble gentleman,
quiet, and as a matter of fact, very
reserved. So much so that sometimes one
wonders, with the greatest of respects,
how he even went through his primaries
to emerge as a candidate and even go
through the general elections taking
cognisance of the challenges that we go
through as politicians to come to this
august House. His demise reminds me of
our departed Hon Colleague, Mr Agyarko.
However, it raises eyebrows and a lot
of questions as to the pressure and stress,
for that matter, on Hon Members of
Parliament in plenary. I sat by the late
Hon Member for Kumawu, Mr Philip
Basoah, the day before he passed. In fact,
I was sitting by him while he was having
his usual kenkey. We spoke and little did
I know that the following morning, he
would be gone.
What are we on earth for, as human
beings? I do not know, but, again, it
sends a clear signal to us.
Mr Speaker, perhaps, this is a fine
opportunity to respectfully — I know that is in existence already, but as MPs,
are there some structures in place for us
by way of having counsellors,
psychologists or specialists? We have
come too far as parliamentarians not to
have a hospital of our own. Maybe, the
time has come for Parliament, as the
Legislature, to have a hospital built
purposely for MPs. I know that may
sound a bit discriminatory but it would
be appropriate to have that. Not just the
MPs, we have the Clerks-at- the-Table
and all who facilitate the work of
parliamentary practice.
I listened to a post on WhatsApp, and
clearly, it tells me that the Hon Gentleman

had problems in his constituency. There

was too much pressure and load on him

and I know that quite a number of my

Hon Colleagues here are experiencing

same. Well, God giveth and He taketh.

Mr Speaker, I am getting emotional

and may have to leave, but we express

our condolences to his family and

constituents and I pray that this appeal

that I have made would be considered;

that Parliament should have a medical

facility.

On weekends, we drive around Accra

and we have no place to even sit as a

recreational centre as a Member of

Parliament because an Hon Member sits

somewhere and the next thing is that they

are on a front page — An MP was found here eating waakye. These two things

also help one to ease off the stress; a

recreational area and a medical facility

for us.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I

thank you very much for the opportunity.

Thank
you very much.
Let me come to the Hon Ranking
Member.

Mr Speaker, I rise to add my voice
to the Statement eulogising the passing
of the late Hon Member for Kumawu and
Chairman of the Committee on
Employment, Social Welfare and State-
owned Enterprises, Mr Philip Basoah.
Mr Philip Basoah was a gentleman's gentleman.

He was long-suffering and, stubborn

when it came to protecting the truth, he

was unmovable and unshakable no

matter the cabal staged against him. Mr

Basoah was so strong in his convictions

that he became the leader of what others

called “Basoah and Co” but he believed in consensus building. Indeed, on the

Committee, Mr Basoah's best friend was Mr Haruna Iddrisu. He would be the first

to say “Kwabena, Leader says he would be coming. Kwabena have you reserved

some reading materials for Leader?” Where reading materials mean documents

that we work with. More importantly, Mr

Basoah was willing to learn. We would

get to the Committee meeting and if the

subject matter or if we have an SoE in the

energy sector before us, he would open

the meeting and say “Kwabena, handle them”. He would sit down and take notes because he would say that he was

disadvantaged in that sector.

He was a leader who gave people the

opportunity and the space to operate. Mr

Basoah was a gentleman. He represented

what I see as the best ethos of politics;

gentle, persuasive, long-suffering,

persevering, but committed to a course.

When I read the press-release by the New

Patriotic Party (NPP) that NPP flags

should fly at half-mast across all NPP

Offices, I saw that as a vindication for a

man who had been so badly persecuted

by people who did not understand him.

In death, he won the battle of honour,

integrity and he showed us that

ultimately, no political cabal would

succeed if we are strong, committed and

loyal to our Party.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

I will
take one from each Side of the House and
— All right, Hon Member for Okaikwei Central, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah?
Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah (NPP —
Okaikwei Central): Thank you very
much, Mr Speaker. I am paying this
glowing tribute to my Hon Brother,
client, Hon Friend and above all my
brother-in-law. Mr Basoah was my
akonta; this is how I refer to him and
truly he was my akonta in Wuraso
Kumawu. We shared a lot of things in
common. There was not a single time I
would drive through Bompata and I
would not stop at Kumawu and eat my
ampesi with him. I would always find
him at the late Mr B. A. Mensah's residence waiting for me, prepared his
ampesi with some soup and would call
me on my way from Accra asking na
waduru he? I would tell him I just got to
Adonfe and I would join him in 30
minutes.
Mr Speaker, let me read a message to
you from his personal assistant (PA)
when he fell ill and I quote:
Hello Hon, good morning. The doctor
says there is now more oxygen flowing
through the body. That is an improvement
from the level from yesterday. So, we are
still hoping there is a continuous upward
trajectory. However, they insist no
visitors for now.
We kept on pursuing a good course to
save our Hon Brother's life. We kept on praying. I left the Chamber, all of us left
on Friday early morning. Mr Speaker,
you and I were in Kumasi for Sir Dennis' wife's funeral so I was always in touch with the PA and the brother.
Mr Speaker, Kumawu has gone
through a lot in our politics. I am sure the
Hon Majority Leader would contribute
from Mr Reo Addai Basoah's time to Mr Yaw Baah to Mr Philip Basoah, and the
troubles in Kumawu politics. In the
midst of all these happenings, was our
good Brother, Mr Philip Basoah, who
was the District Chief Executive (DCE)
under former President Kufuor's time.
Mr Speaker, the question is whether
my akonta enjoyed his life as a politician
and as an Hon Member of Parliament
(MP). We all saw what happened to him
during the selection of the DCEs; we all
saw that. He harboured a lot of pain. His
wife was not feeling too well. He always
had to leave the kids in school and come
and spend time in Accra and what have
you.
Mr Speaker, in the 2020 elections of
Kumawu, while the President of Ghana,
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was
gathering over 80.6 per cent of the votes,
my brother was raking around 51 per
cent of the votes in Kumawu. An
independent candidate was able to win
not less than 11,000 of the votes; Basoah
only clinched 14,000.
Mr Speaker, our Hon Brother went
through a lot in Kumawu and I believe
that we ought to be fair and candid with

what we speak about on this sad day. My

dear sister from Juaben could not end her

contribution because she knows what I

am talking about. So, it does not matter

what I would want to say but to wait for

the day that we would lay our brother to

rest and to wish the family well until we

meet again.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker,
for the opportunity to contribute to this
tribute to our Hon good Friend, Mr Philip
Basoah. This man was a great man in all
respect. He was gentle, kind and
considerate in everything he did and as
an Hon Member of Parliament, I got to
know he was so committed to his
constituency and party.
Mr Speaker, I got to understand him
more than I used to when we travelled
together. After interacting for some time,
he opened up to me and told me what was
deep inside him and the pain he was
going through. At the time I was
speaking to him, it did not leave him at
all. He felt very bad that he had
committed himself to his party, but there
were people within the party who
worked against him. This shows that he
was a man of character and despite all the
challenges he faced in life, he was still
committed.
Indeed, he told me that he still loved
his party and wants to make sure that in
everything he did, the party would stand
first before anything. It shows that he is
exemplary in character; he is exemplary
in commitment to a cause, and he could
be trusted with everything that the party
wanted to do, and he wanted to convey
this to the people who wanted him down.
Mr Speaker, in his death, he has
conveyed it. This shows that people do
not change by externalities which may be
working against them. The character of a
person will not change because other
people have a different character; it
simply means that they are strengthened
by whatever they are.
Mr Speaker, the death of this Hon
Friend of ours shows that we need to do
more than we are doing. Mr Speaker, I
would like to suggest to you to make it
compulsory that at the beginning of
every Session or maybe every Meeting,
every Hon Member of Parliament w
should bring a comprehensive medical
report about themselves, so that we know
that they are fit and strong. These sudden
deaths that occur to many of our Hon
Friends and Colleagues is disturbing, and
it should not be allowed to continue if we
can avoid it by taking precautions for
ourselves.
Mr Speaker, I know that when I came
to Parliament the first time, at every
Meeting, our doctor would come and it
was compulsory for us to do all the
checks about ourselves. We did not need
to present it to anybody, but there was an
avenue for us to check everything,
especially, our internal glands, and the
prostates for the men. I think it is
necessary, and we should go back to it
and make sure it becomes a part of our
lives. Lots of people are dependent on us,
and the nation itself is dependent on us.

So much is invested in a Member of

Parliament to the extent that it is critical

and synonymous to the progress of the

nation. Members of Parliament represent

the people of Ghana and our voices

represent the totality of the voices of the

people, so care must be taken, not just by

the status quo, but by ourselves, so that

we can live long and do what we are

required to do as Members of Parliament.

His death was a big shock. It reminds

me of what Shakespeare said about death

that it is a brief candle which comes and

goes. The men and women who strut and

fret on earth would suddenly leave the

earth. We leave the earth, but something

remains here, and this is the character we

bring into being while we were alive;

what we leave behind as human beings

committed to the causes we belonged,

and eventually, the niche we carve in the

totality of society.

Mr Speaker, in remembering our Hon

Friend and in paying this eulogy to him,

we would say that may he rest in peace,

and may he be received at the right side

of God, so that he would have benefitted

from all the good he has done. In the end,

it is to make sure that the total Ghanaian

population lead worthy lives. He did

what he did for the people of Ghana, his

constituency, the Parliament of Ghana,

and for all of us.

May he rest in peace.

May I
come to Leadership? — [Pause] — Very well.
Ms Safo — rose —

Yes,
Hon Member for Dome Kwabenya?

Thank you very
much, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank
the maker of the Statement for bringing
this Statement to the Floor.
We were all saddened by the
unfortunate incident of losing a brother
and a friend. Mr Basoah and I entered
Parliament the same year and we actually
sat close to each other. He was an
advisor. He would be there for you when
you needed him. He would share
constituency issues with you and advise
you on the way forward. I think Ghana
has lost a great son and my heart pours
out to the family of the late Mr Basoah,
the NPP fraternity, myself and my
family. I say so, because he would
always call my father his uncle; he would
always make time for my church
invitations and he would stay throughout
the programme with me. This is
somebody who cares; somebody you can
call a friend, a brother, a husband. I know
that the good Lord would keep him in
His bosom. As the Holy Bible always
states, we should always give thanks to
the Lord in all situations.
Mr Speaker, I would end my
contribution with damirifa due. May the
soul of our Hon Brother rest in perfect
peace.
I thank you for the opportunity, Mr
Speaker.

Thank
you very much. Yes, Hon Majority
Leader?
Mr E. Opoku — rose —

Very
well, Hon Member for Asunafo South?
Mr Eric Opoku (NDC — Asunafo
South): Thank you very much, Mr
Speaker, for the opportunity to also join
Hon Colleagues in paying tribute to our
Hon Brother and Colleague who exited
some few days ago.
Mr Speaker, Mr Basoah has been a
friend and a brother to all of us. He was
a very honest person who wanted to be at
peace with anyone he came across.
However, he has gone through a lot of
painful experiences and he shared these
experiences with some of us.
Mr Speaker, you are aware that you
and Mr Basoah went through the same
ordeal and, therefore, you have a
practical feel of exactly what he went
through — [Laughter] —. As politicians,
what we must understand is that life is
too short, so if by the grace of God, we
are given the opportunity to lead, let us
respect each other. Power would not be
with us forever. One day, no matter what
happens; regardless of the situation and
influence, we would leave power behind,
so let us treat our Hon Colleagues with
some respect. Let us understand that we
are all in this struggle for the common
good of our people.

In fact, it is painful that at the age of

50 and above, we have lost an Hon

Colleague of his calibre, but we also

have to look at the pressure that we go

through as politicians, and the pressure

that we needlessly mount on our Hon

Colleagues, even within the same party.

We have to look at all these things and

make sure that, yes, politics is not a

vehicle for people to assume power to do

the things that they want for themselves,

but a vehicle to assume power and render

services to our people.

Mr Speaker, some few days ago, while

I was coming from my office to this

Chamber, I met my Hon Colleague on

the corridor. We spoke for about 10 to 15

minutes, and he shared with me some of

the painful experiences he had gone

through. Mr Speaker, can you imagine

that as an elected representative of the

people, even when the DCE of his own

district was appointed, he was prevented

from participating in the confirmation of

the DCE. This was something that ought

to have been condemned by this House,

but Parliament did not do anything about

it.

Mr Speaker, those who have the

Executive power did nothing about it.

This is unfair, and these are some of the

things that we must come together as a

House and condemn to ensure that we

instil discipline in our body politic. Mr

Speaker, I mentioned you because you

also went through the same experience.

At some point, you nearly resigned from

politics, but God saved you. We pray that

the soul of the departed would rest in

perfect peace. My prayer is that may the

good Lord protect our Hon Brother and

give him peace.

Mr Speaker, what is most critical is the

family and children he has left behind. Is

there any arrangement in place by

Parliament to take care of the wife and

children? There is nothing. So normally,

what happens is that even immediately

after the death, we would be thinking

about by-election without looking at how

we can take care of the kids he has left

behind. It is about time we put

mechanisms in place to support some of

these children. When one sees some of

our Hon Colleagues out there, he or she

would get worried. Just some two

months ago, a former Hon Colleague of

ours, who was here for three terms was

ill; there was no money, and some of us

had to contribute to enable him to pay the

hospital bills. When we are in the House,

every day, we hear the public talk about

Members of Parliament (MPs) making

money, but when one leaves Parliament,

within 10 days, it would be seen that

everything changes. That is the reality of

parliamentary life.

Mr Speaker, what they say of us is

exactly the opposite of our situation, so

this is reminding us that regardless of our

age, power and influence, one day, we

would also be called to eternity. So, let

us put measures in place that would put

smiles on the faces of the kids and family

that we would leave behind; otherwise,

we would sit here, talk and express all the

ideas as if given the world, we can even

govern, and eventually leave our families

in the institution of everything.

So, Mr Speaker, I thank you for the

opportunity, and it is my prayer that the

good Lord, who brought us here and

would call us at the appropriate time,

would take good care of our Hon

Colleague, give him a special place in

His heavens and protect the family that

he has left behind. It is my prayer that all

of us, as politicians, would, from today,

come to the realisation that power is just

for a short time, and whenever we are

given the opportunity, we should treat

our Hon Colleagues as equal human

beings with the same respect, so that all

of us, one day, when we appear before

the Almighty God, would have something

positive.

Mr Speaker, on this note, I wish him

very well. Thank you.

Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-

Mensah-Bonsu): Mr Speaker, thank you

for the opportunity to add my voice to

eulogise our Hon Colleague who

departed the earth in circumstances that

indeed, shocked all of us.

Mr Speaker, in these days of carnage

and sundry bestialities, death really no

longer agitates most people; however,

the sudden transition of Mr Philip

Basoah touched the hearts of men and

women in this House. Mr Basoah most

times kept to himself, and, indeed, he

was a man who was bearing a very heavy

load on his shoulders. He was a man of

few words, and one could see, in any

encounter with him, that he was a

struggling man, within and without.

Mr Speaker, he was, indeed, a man of

sorrow, a survivor of all manner of

conspiracies around him, and yet, by the

kind courtesies of God, he managed to

overcome. Here in this House, the then

Hon Minority Leader and I elected to

make him the de facto Chair of the

Special Budget Committee, and he

discharged his responsibilities in a very

responsible manner, and anytime he had

problems, he reclined to us to seek our

own advice on the way forward for us.

Mr Speaker, only yesterday, some

Hon Members from the group of the

Special Budget Committee arrived in

Ghana from a trip that we embarked on

in Israel, which was rooted when he was

the de facto Hon Chairman of the Special

Budget Committee. Unfortunately, after

the 2020 elections, he had to be shifted

to the Committee on Employment,

Social Welfare and State Enterprises to

chair while he left the Special Budget

Committee to be chaired by Ms Patricia

Appiagyei.

Mr Speaker, I think it is important that

I clear this: because the Rt Hon Speaker

announced the transition of our Hon

Colleague from the Chair that he had

collapsed, I think it was taken on face

value and made to appear as if the man

had collapsed in Parliament, so all news

coverage was to the effect that Mr

Basoah had collapsed in Parliament.

Nothing could be farther away from that,

and, indeed, the day when we heard —

Some people were suggesting that if

he was stable enough, perhaps we could

ferry him to the precincts of Parliament

to be counted among those people who

would be voting. I insisted that not

knowing the exact condition, it would be

risky to do that because if we brought

him and anything happened, it would be

attributed to Parliament. We did not do

that and it is good that we did not go on

that path. If we had, and the man had

transitioned the following day, I shudder

to think what would have happened in

this House: it would have been disastrous

for the image of Parliament that we

forced him to come, and then the health

status declined which led to his death. I

am saying nothing of that sort happened.

Mr Speaker, is it not ironic that when

we first came to this House in 1997, the

first person who represented the

constituency on the ticket of NPP was

one Mr Basoah who at a critical time

when we had to vote, had to be ferried

from the 37 Military Hospital to this

House to participate in the voting. Not

too long thereafter, Mr Basoah

transitioned. There was a by-election,

which Mr Yaw Baah won and came to

Parliament. Then another Basoah comes

to replace Yaw Baah, and that Basoah

also transitioned midstream in the

performance of his duties in this House.

That is perhaps a paradox that may be

difficult to unravel.

Mr Speaker, today, the family came to

formally inform us about the transition of

Mr Philip Basoah, which is what has

occasioned the tribute that has been paid

in his honour by Prof Kingsley Nyarko,

the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso.

Mr Speaker, it is important that this

information came to be passed to us

because the House would be adjourning

sine die today, and upon adjournment,

we may not, perhaps, come back. Within

60 days of the transition, and as the

amendment that was effected in the

Constitution provides, there must be a

by-election. So, when the family came

and we were discussing it, we reminded

them that our Colleagues on the other

Side of the political divide, the NDC,

would be having their Parliamentary and

Presidential primaries on May 13, 2023.

The last Saturday before the expiry of the

60 days would be May 20, 2023, and if

we want to have the House join ranks to

give him a befitting burial and funeral,

then perhaps, the likely date would be the

20th of May, 2023. The family indicated

that they are going to process it and get

back to us. But I believe that, maybe, in

the final analysis, the funeral may hold

on the 20th of May, 2023, then the burial

service may follow on the 21st of May,

2023. So, that may be the tentative

arrangement but I am not the family head;

I am just talking about what happened

today in our encounter with the family.

Mr Speaker, the affairs of this world

are very difficult to comprehend. Knowing what we saw about the man the day before his transition, one cannot really bring any science to analyse it; one can only hope that this earth will lie gently on him, especially given what we are hearing about the condition of his spouse — not the best of circumstances. Maybe, this is one case that we have to come together to see how to salvage the situation even after his transition. So, my hope and trust is that his soul would be afforded eternal rest in peace.

Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for

the opportunity.

Hon
Members, since the Rt Hon Speaker
made us to observe a minute's silence on Tuesday, we would not do same again
but only to wish him a peaceful rest with
the Lord.
Leadership, I come to you for
direction?

Mr Speaker, at
the commencement of Public Business,
item number 8(a)(i) and (ii) on page 4 of
the today's Order Paper, and I seek your leave for it to be done by the Hon Deputy
Minister of Finance.

Very
well.
Hon Members, let us turn to page 4 — At the Commencement of Public
Business. We would begin with the
presentation of Papers by the Minister
for Finance —
Is the Hon Minister for Finance here?

Mr Speaker, I
sought your leave for it to be done by the
Hon Deputy Minister for Finance.

Very
well. Hon Deputy Minister for Finance?

Yes,
Hon Majority Chief Whip?

Mr Speaker,
we should take the item numbered 8(b)
on page 5.

Yes,
Hon Minister for Employment and
Labour Relations?
By the Minister for Employment and
Labour Relations —
(b) Contract Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of Ghana
(represented by the National Pensions
Regulatory Authority/Ministry of
Employment and Labour Relations ) and
the Attain Enterprise Solutions Limited
(in partnership with Omni Technologies
Limited) for an amount of three million,
six hundred and ninety-five thousand,
three hundred and thirty-eight United
States dollars, eighty-seven cents
(US$3,695,338.87) for the deployment
of a Risk-Based Supervision (RBS)
System and ERP System Platform.
Referred to the Committee on
Employment, Social Welfare and State
Enterprises.

Leadership, are we doing the 8(c)?

Mr Speaker,
on the same page, we can now move on
to the item numbered 8(d) (ii) and (iii).
Mr Speaker, with your leave, the Hon
Vice Chairman of the Committee is here,
so if he would be allowed to take them
—

Very
well. Hon Member for Okaikwei
Central?
By the Vice Chairman of the
Committee (Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah) on
behalf of the Chairman —
(ii) Report of the Finance Committee
on the Financing Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of Ghana
(represented by the Ministry of Finance)
and the International Development
Association (IDA) of the World Bank
Group for an amount of one hundred and
fifty million United States dollars
(US$150,000,000.00) to finance the
West Africa Food System Resilience
Programme - Phase under the Multi- Phase Programmatic Approach.
(iii) Report of the Finance
Committee on the On-Lending
Agreement between the Government of
the Republic of Ghana (represented by
the Ministry of Finance) and the
Development Bank Ghana (DBG) for an
amount of one hundred and seventy
million euros (€170,000,000.00) to

support the establishment of a

Financially Sustainable Development

Bank under the Finance Contract

Agreement between the Government of

the Republic of Ghana (represented by

the Ministry of Finance) and the

European Investment Bank for an

amount of one hundred and seventy

million euros (€170,000,000.00) for the establishment of the Development Bank

of Ghana (DBG).

Mr Speaker,
understandably, under the rules, I would
find it difficult to come in. We are
borrowing to set up a development bank,
and we are asking Parliament to consider
a loan to establish a development bank
but when we asked that this bank be
brought to Parliament to be established
by an Act of Parliament, we were told
that would not be done. So, why is
Parliament now coming to consider a
loan agreement for the establishment of
the same bank? We would recall that we
even warned that we should learn from
the experiences of the collapsed banks
and use Parliament to meet some of the
issues that emerged from that.
I have a difficulty accepting that on the
day Parliament is rising, we want to
borrow €170 million to set up a bank, which has already been established. I
think that this one must be stood down
for us to look at it thoroughly when we
come back because we already have a
development bank. I can understand why
we are doing this. Publicly, in this
House, we demanded that the Hon
Minister for Finance comes here so that
we establish the development bank by a
Bill and by an Act of Parliament and to
deal with the concerns following the €23 billion, which was spent in getting those
collapsed banks and their customers.
On the day we are rising, they want to
borrow to set up a development bank. Mr
Speaker, with all respect, in the interest
of oversight, the Committee should stay
action on this matter and let us go and
come.

Yes,
Hon Vice Chairman of the Committee?

Mr Speaker, I disagree
with the Hon Member for Tamale South.
This House has the Development
Finance Institutions Act, 2020, which
regulates development finance
institutions like the Development Bank
of Ghana (DBG). The European Bank
gave a facility to the DBG and they are
now on-lending the facility.
We sat as a Committee for two days
with the authorities of the Bank and we
are satisfied, and that is why we are
laying the Report. So, we cannot lay a
Report and have an Hon Member arrest
the laying of the Report. This is novel, so
I beg to disagree with the Hon Member
for Tamale South.

Mr
Speaker, the loan was contracted by the
Government of Ghana, and not the DBG.
The Government of Ghana is on-lending
the loan to the DBG, so that they can get
it back in future to be able to use it for
the purposes of debt servicing. So, it is
Government of Ghana that borrowed the
money from the European Investment
Bank. Government of Ghana has signed

an agreement, so it is this House that

approved the loan between Government

of Ghana and the European Central

Bank. What we seek to do now is to on-

lend the loan to the DBG so that we can

get the money back.

Mr Speaker,
just as the Hon Minority Leader is saying
— and there is a practice and indeed, a
convention in this House, when
Government has contracted a loan and
then on-lends it for the procurement of
vehicles, for instance to Ghana Private
Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU),
which is a private entity, so people
should understand these things.
However, if we are looking to question
the basis of what we do, that is another
conversation but that, this House has
done so before on many occasions. The
Hon former Minority Leader should live
his past and he would recollect what I am
saying.

Hon
Members, with this understanding, the
Report has been duly presented. They are
to be distributed to Hon Members.
Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?

Mr Speaker, I
just realised the earlier referral related to
item 8(b), the Paper laid by the Hon
Minister for Employment and Labour
Relations was rather referred to the
Finance Committee. It should be referred
to the Committee on Employment,
Social Welfare and State Enterprises.

The
Finance Committee? That is where I
made the referral to.

No, Mr
Speaker. With respect, it should not be
referred to the Finance Committee. It
should rather go to the Committee on
Employment, Social Welfare and State

Very
well.
Hon Members, the earlier referral to
the Finance Committee is rather to the
Committee on Employment, Social
Welfare and State Enterprises. Are we
adding the leadership of the Finance
Committee?

No, Mr Speaker.

All
right. The referral is now to the
Committee on Employment, Social
Welfare and State Enterprises.

Mr Speaker,
may we now turn to the Order Paper
Addendum and take item 1(a)(i) and (ii).
Mr Speaker, with your leave, it is to be
done by the Hon Deputy Minister for
Finance.
By the Deputy Minister for Finance
(Mrs Abena Osei-Asare) on behalf of the
Minister —
i) Annual Report on Public Private Partnership Projects for the year
2022.

ii) Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund for the

year 2022.

Referred to the Finance Committee.

Mr Speaker,
on the same page, item 1(b) on the Order
Paper Addendum to be presented by the
Hon Vice Chairman of the Committee.
By the Vice Chairman of the
Committee (Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah) on
behalf of the Chairman —
(i) Report of the Finance Committee on the Loan
Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of
Ghana (represented by the
Ministry of Finance) and the
Government of the Republic of
Korea (acting through the
Export-Import Bank of Korea

Mr Speaker,
we would move to item 1 on the Order Paper Addendum 2. Let me seek your leave for it to be done by the Leader of the House on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole.

Mr Speaker, as the Hon Majority Chief Whip has indicated, I am standing in for the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. This Committee was chaired by the Rt Hon Speaker himself when we sat.
By the Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-
Mensah-Bonsu) on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee —
Report of the Committee of the Whole
on the Draft Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations,
2022.

Mr Speaker,
we can now turn to the original Order Paper, page 7 and take item number 12. I would further seek your leave to take it for and on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee.

Hon
Members, let us turn to page 7, item listed 12 — Motion. It is to be moved by the Chairman of the Committee.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move:
That this honourable House adopts the
Report of the Representatives from the
Parliament of Ghana to the Pan-African
Parliament on the First Ordinary Session
of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-
African Parliament (PAP) held from
Monday, 24th October, to Friday, 11th
November, 2022, in Midrand, South
Africa.
Mr Speaker, in so doing, I present the
Committee's Report. I invite the Official
Report Department to capture the
entirety of it while I limit myself to the
conclusion of the Report.
1.0. Introduction
1.1 Pursuant to Rule 28 of the Rules of
Procedure of the Pan-African
Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament
(PAP) held the First Ordinary Session of
the Sixth Parliament from Monday, 24th
October to 11th November, 2022. The
theme for the Session was “Building
Resilience in Nutrition on the African
Continent: Accelerate the Human
Capital, Social and Economic
Development”.
1.2 The Session was attended by the
representatives from our Parliament. They
are:
i. Hon Joseph Osei Owusu — Hon First Deputy Speaker & Leader of the Delegation
ii. Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh — Hon Majority Chief Whip/Member

iii. Hon Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak — Hon Minority Chief Whip/Member

iv. Hon Collins Dauda — Hon Member

v. Hon Ophelia Mensah — Hon Member

1.3 The Delegation was accompanied

by the Schedule Officer, Mr Eric

Owusu-Mensah, Ag Deputy Clerk

(Finance, Administration and

General Services)

2.0. Official Opening of the Session

2.1. The Session was officially opened by the President, Hon Chief

Charumbila. He welcomed Members

back to the House. He called on

them to reflect on what would

differentiate the Sixth Parliament

from the predecessor Parliaments.

He noted PAP, as an institution is

charged with the mandate to work

closely with Regional and National

Parliaments. He called on Member

States that had not ratified the

Malabo Protocol to do so to enable

the Parliament to have legislative

power.

2.2 On the theme for the Session, the

President stated that, Africa was

net importer of food. However,

due to value chain disruptions

occasioned by the COVID — 19

pandemic and the conflict in

Ukraine, Africa had been left

vulnerable to food shortage. He

bemoaned the handling of the

themes of the African Union (AU)

as projects with definitive start and

end dates without proper evaluation

of whether the themes were

achieved or not. He called on PAP

to continuously follow up on the

implementations of the themes,

irrespective of whether the themes

had lapsed or not.

2.3 He expressed his commitment to

lead PAP to get all countries in

Africa to honour the Maputo

Protocol on Accelerated Agri-

cultural Growth and Transformation

for Shared Prosperity and Improved

Livelihoods. He stated that his desire

is to work towards elevating the

Sixth Parliament to a stage to be

remembered as a parliament that

worked beyond political rhetoric to

address challenges facing the

African Continent.

3.0 Adminstration of Oath

3.1 In line with Rule (9) of the Rules

of Procedure of the PAP, a total of

fifteen Members from Burundi,

Morocco, Mozambique, Somalia,

Tanzania and Kenya subscribed to

the Oath of Office.

4.0 Messages of Solidarity

4.1 The following Dignitaries presented

messages of solidarity at the

official opening of the Session:

i. Rt Hon Sidie Mohamed Tunis — Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament

ii. Hon Rawhi Fattouh — Speaker of Palestine National Council

iii. Rt Hon Baroness Patricia — Secretary General of the Scotland (KC) Commonwealth.

5.0 Address by the Special Guest of

Honour

5.1 The Special Guest of Honour was

the President of the Republic of

South Africa. He was, however,

represented by for the Minister

Justice and Constitutional

Development of the Republic of

South Africa, Hon. Ronald

Lamola. He conveyed the apology

of H.E. Cyril Romapohosa for his

inability to attend the Session as he

was engaged in an equally

important official duty. Hon

Lamola thanked the Bureau for the

invitation and congratulated them

on their election. He also

congratulated the House for the

review of the Rules and thereby

resolving the issue of rotation in

the election of Members of the

Bureau.

5.2 He noted that global challenges

and climate change continue to

pose problems on food security in

Africa. He expressed his belief that

the model law on food security that

was programmed for discussion

during the Session would provide

some guidance for handling food

security matters in Africa.

5.3 He observed that the Africa

Continental Free Trade Area

(AfCFTA) was an instrument that

would contribute to African's integration, but there was still the

need for the elimination of cross

border challenges that were affecting

the implementation of AfCFTA.

He called on PAP to develop a

platform for citizen engagement

within the mandate of PAP in

strengthening the culture of

democracy in the Continent. He

expressed optimism that the high-

level dialogue on democracy and

good governance and the Africa

Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)

which were to be discussed as part

of the programme for the Session

would contribute towards that goal.

5.4. He appealed to Members to

continue with the advocacy for the ratification of the Malabo Protocol on the review of the PAP which would give legislative power to the Parliament. He expressed the commitment of South Africa to support PAP in relation to the Host Country Agreement. He informed the House that he had taken note of the concerns raised by the President of the PAP on the challenges with the Host Country

Agreement and the budgetary challenges of PAP and would convey same to H. E. the President of South Africa and the Minister of International Cooperation for their necessary attention.

5.5 He wished the House well in its

deliberations.

6.0 Address by his Excellency Olusegun

Obasanjo (Former President of

Nigeria)

6.1 The AU appointed Champion of Peace for Eastern African Region, particularly the horn of Africa. H.E Olusegun Obasanjo addressed the House in the course of the Session. He thanked the PAP President for giving him the opportunity to address the House. He recalled the journey leading to the establish- ment of PAP from the Abuja Treaty of 1991 in which PAP was listed among the organs of the Union as the Organ responsible for ensuring that the People of Africa were fully involved in the socio- economic development of the Continent. He stressed that the reason leading to the formation of the PAP from the beginning were still relevant at present.

6.2 H.E. Obasanjo listed the objectives

of the PAP and observed that the

functions of PAP were actually

more relevant now than they were

at the time they were conceived.

He, however, noted that PAP had

not performed, as it should have.

He emphasised that PAP had the

powers necessary to achieve its

objective and it was PAP's responsibility to ensure that the

power was not curtailed. He

therefore, called on PAP to make

itself relevant in the scheme of

affairs of the AU.

6.3 Turning to the peace negotiations

in Ethiopia, H.E. Obasanjo

informed the House that, after his

appointment as the Champion of

Peace in the Region, his first step

was to go to Ethiopia because of

Ethiopia's strategic position in the Region. Beyond meeting the

parties to the conflict in Ethiopia,

he visited neighbouring countries

to Ethiopia and other countries

outside Africa. He then discovered

that some countries such as United

States, United Arab Emirates and

Qatar had deep interests in the

conflict for different reasons. He

stated that during his visits to those

interested countries, he made it

clear that he welcomed their

support as long as he would be

respected as the chief negotiator

and the lead person in the peace

process.

6.4 He told the House that after analysis of the situation, it became clear that the best way forward was for the parties to meet, hence the decision to hold the peace talks in South Africa. H.E Obasanjo reported that, initially, there was mistrust among the groups but later the delegates on both sides made wonderful efforts towards the Agreement. He mentioned that the Agreement was detailed on the

principles but left some flexibility in the implementation process.

6.5 The former President informed the

House that he had been able to successfully negotiate a Peace Agreement between the warring parties in Ethiopia and expressed optimism that the Agreement would be respected as negotiations continue. He called on PAP to strive to make the Continent peaceful. He thanked Members for their cooperation and wished them success in their deliberations.

7.0 Activity Report of the Pan-

African Parliament

7.1 The Report was presented by the

President of the PAP, Hon Chief Charumbila. The Report covered the activities undertaken by the PAP from June to October 2022.

7.2 The President informed Members

that PAP had been able to entrench the principle of rotation in the election of the Members of Bureau and Bureaux. This occasioned the even distribution of Committee leadership positions among Regions. The entrenchment of the principle of rotation was in fulfilment of the objective of strengthening the Parliamentary functions of the PAP.

7.3 The President reported that, PAP

participated in the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 4th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union and Regional Communities. In addition, PAP

participated in the meeting with the AU Commission on Political Affairs. The meeting, he said, focused on revisiting the modalities for PAP Members, participation in Election Observer Missions.

7.4 PAP also held a meeting with the

African Union Institutional

Reform Team. The objective was

to discuss the areas for which

reforms are needed to make PAP

function effectively. The President

mentioned that, in all the

interactions with the AU Organs,

the issues of the effective

functioning of the PAP and the

availability of required facilities to

Members were stressed.

7.5 The PAP during the period hosted

the Conference of Speakers and

Clerks of Parliaments in Africa.

The Conference was aimed at

soliciting from participants ideas

that would facilitate the smooth

operation of PAP in fulfilment of

the achievement of its objectives.

7.6 In terms of challenges, the Report

mentioned insufficient budget

allocation to PAP, poor attendance

of Members at statutory and non-

statutory meetings and the

negative perception about PAP.

8.0 High Level Dialogue on

Unconstitutional Changes of

Government

8.1 As part of activities during the

Session, a high level dialogue was

held on unconstitutional changes

of government. The programme

was attended by Members of PAP

and other invited guests and was

facilitated by the Chairperson of

the Committee on Cooperation,

International Relations and

Conflict Resolution.

8.2 In his opening address, the

President of PAP informed

Members that the dialogue was

intended for PAP to debate and

make a difference with regard to

unconstitutional changes of

government. He mentioned that

the rising phenomenon of

unconstitutional changes attracted

the attention of the AU during its

Extraordinary Session on terrorism

and unconstitutional changes of

government. The President observed

that when coups occur, in some

cases, the citizens celebrate,

meaning that the coup was good.

This signifies that the political

leaders are not operating in line

with people's aspirations. He, therefore, called on African

Leaders to observe the rule of law

and all tenets of democratic

governance.

8.3 The first presentation was made by

Mr Lebogang Mabotho, Deputy

Presiding Officer for Economic,

Social and Cultural Council

(ECOSOCC). He introduced

ECOSOCC and its mandate within

the structures of the AU. He shared

in the concerns by PAP on

unconstitutional changes of

government. He observed that the

resurgence of the unconstitutional

changes of government was a

regression in democratic

consolidation, which affect the

strides made in the promotion of

peace in the Continent. He

mentioned that ECOSOCC was

established to provide a platform

for civil society to advocate for the

observance of good governance

and the rule of law in line with the

vision of the AU. The Organisation

provides an alternative way for the

citizens to voice out their

frustrations as opposed to resorting

to protests and unconstitutional

changes of governments.

8.4 Hon Mrs Soraya Rodriguez,

Chairperson of the European

Union Delegation for Relations

with PAP on her part, noted that

the use of force was often

considered as the only means to

solve conflicts in African. This

manifested in the continued coups

and violent extremism. Mrs

Rodriguez mentioned that Africa

was experiencing regression in

democratic consolidation according

to a report by the Mo Ibrahim

Foundation. She noted that the AU

had made efforts to confront the

unconstitutional changes of

government, citing the Lomé

Declaration against unconstitutional

changes of government. She

informed Members that, the EU

was making efforts in assisting

with the consolidation of democracy

on the Continent and charged

Members to ensure sustained

observance of the rule of law.

8.5 Prof Andre Mbata Mangu,

Professor of Law at the University

of South Africa, made a

presentation on the challenges in

the implementation of AU Legal

and Policy Norms, the African

Charter on Democracy, Elections

and Governance (ACDEG) and the

Lomé Declarations. He noted that

in the last two years, several

unconstitutional changes had taken

place, which points to the

ineffectiveness of the AU

Instruments in preventing the

unconstitutional changes of

government. The challenges in the

implementation of the frameworks

included internal and external

factors.

8.6. The Professor argued that in some

cases, the global community did

not respond forcefully against

coup leaders. He encouraged

African leaders to follow up their

political commitments with action

in the promotion of good

governance and rule of law.

8.7 Prof Adebayo Olukshi, a

Researcher at the Council for the

Development of Social Science

Research in Africa (CODESRIA)

in his presentation, argued that

even in countries that the military

had not intervened, there were

cases where people were calling on

the military to intervene in

removing constitutionally elected

governments. He noted that the use

of sanctions by the AU, although

inconsistent, shows the

commitment of African leaders to

address the issue. He stated that the

frameworks on the promotion of

democracy and good governance

were adopted on the assumption

that democracy was not only good

for Africa but had come to stay.

However, while democratic check-

lists were being respected, most

governments had not delivered the

benefits of electoral outcomes.

8.8 Professor Olukushi observed that

in most countries, the political

system has no mechanisms for

self-correction, where citizens

could voice out their concerns and

demand reforms. As a result, the

people do not feel that democracy

would work for them.

Consequently, protests and coups

remain the only option for

changing governments. He argued

that prevention of coups required

thinking beyond sanctions to

consider a total reorganisation and

strengthening of the African State

and a new leadership consensus.

8.9 The AU Commissioner for

Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye in his presentation stated that democracy has come to stay in Africa. He, however, recognised that there are still challenges facing Africa in terms of proper operations of democracy. The Malabo Declaration on terrorism and unconstitutional changes of governments was an example of some of the measures adopted by the African Union to deal with

democratic infractions. Africa, he said, has made significant strides in the consolidation of democracy but the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of governments, in Africa calls for a rethinking of the approach in dealing with threats to democracy. He noted that democracy would not solve all problems but it is a pathway towards that goal. He tasked PAP, as a key institution of the AU, to ensure that democracy thrives on the Continent.

8.10. The Commissioner informed

Members of some of the efforts made by the AU to address the problem. These included revamping both the election observer missions and the Peace and Security Council to be more active in their respective roles. The efforts also included strengthening governance mechanisms and increasing coordination and coherence with all stakeholders, including multi- lateral organisations. In that regard, the AU has intensified efforts for technical assistance to election management institutions to manage free and fair elections and embark on follow-ups on the evaluation of the recommend- dations from the election observer missions. He urged Member States to abide by all Instruments on good governance and rule of law adopted by the AU.

8.11. Mr Bright Sefa, an official from

ECOSOCC, in his intervention, reflected on the activities of ECOSOCC towards addressing the

triggers for unconstitutional changes of government, which largely related to the mandate of ECOSOCC as a platform for integrating civil society organi- sations in the policies and programmes of the AU.

8.12. Mr Sefa noted that although the

triggers for unconstitutional

changes of government varied

from country to country, they were

connected to the dissatisfaction

with the political systems and the

failure by governments to provide

public goods, services, and

security to their citizens as well as

the inability by regimes to respond

to the need for reforms. His

suggestion was for the AU to

strengthen its peace infrastructure,

especially the early warning and

preventative machinery. He noted

that the AU ought to do more

beyond alerting countries on the

possibility of popular resentment

that could lead to coups or protests.

8.13. Prof Charles Fombad, Professor of

Law at the University of Pretoria,

in his presentation, discussed the

global forces behind and the global

threats to the entrenchment of

constitutionalism. He stated that

the forces that were behind the

movement towards democracy and

constitutionalism in Africa were

largely from outside Africa.

However, those forces were no

longer behind the movement and at

times those forces are threats to

democracy. He observed that the

continuing hangover of colonialism,

particularly the intervention of

former colonial powers in protecting

undemocratic leaders, was a threat

to democracy. In order to deal with

the challenges, Prof Fombad

suggested the naming and shaming

of leaders perpetrating undemocratic

tendencies, application of serious

and targeted sanctions on

perpetrators of unconstitutional

changes of government and bad

governance while financially

supporting efforts towards

consolidation of democracy. He

recognized that the challenge was

to deal with leaders that had

accepted democracy but refused to

dispense personal liberties, human

rights and the rule of law.

8.14. Dr Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu-

Kweyemamu from the Women,

Gender and Youth Directorate of

the AU, focused her presentation

on the nexus between the citizens

and unconstitutional changes of

government, particularly, on the

role of women and the youth. She

noted that women and the youth

comprise 75 per cent of African

population and, therefore, the

mainstreaming of women and

youth agenda should be the

backbone of strong frameworks for

peace and sustainable society. In

that regard, the African Union

Commission (AUC) had launched

a network of women in mediation,

peace and security and was

developing frameworks, targeting

women in peace and security. She

recommended that Member States

should allocate more resources in

order to integrate women and

youth initiatives in national agendas.

8.15. Mr Ethan Mudavanhu, the UN

Internet Governance Forum

Ambassador, discussed the digital

dimension of governance as a tool

for dealing with triggers for

unconstitutional changes of

governments. He stated that data

was at the centre of governance,

primarily because open

conversations are at the core of

democracy. Therefore, in the drive

to legitimising or delegitimising

certain movements, leaders must

be willing to engage the youth over

the digital space. He suggested that

internet shutdowns is not an answer

and called for Member States to

ensure that they strive to achieve a

secured cyber space in Africa.

8.16. Mr Baidessou Souklgue, the

Executive Director for the

Electoral Institute for Democracy

in Africa, on his part pointed out

that the erosion of trust in political

systems has led to the reduction in

electoral participation in preference

for protests and coups. Mr

Baidessou agreed with earlier

presenters on the international and

internal governance challenges

that provide fertile ground for

unconstitutional changes of

Government. He recommended for

the establishment of a robust

mechanism for governance

monitoring and evaluation,

strengthening of election observation

missions and the respect for

judicial decisions both at national

and continental levels, as ways of

addressing unconstitutional changes

of government.

8.17. The last presenter, Professor

Jacques Djoli, stated that the

concept of unconstitutional changes

of government should not be

limited to military coups, inter-

vention of mercenaries, intervention

of rebels and dissident, rejection of

winners of elections and

modification of constitution to

extend power, but should be

extended to any changes to

electoral laws six months before

elections without consensus by

stakeholders. He stated that the

Malabo Protocol elevated

unconstitutional changes of

government to an international

crime and called on PAP, with the

mandate to promote democracy

and good governance, to play its

role in dealing with unconstitutional

changes of Government.

8.18. He, however, noted that PAP

remains handicapped to rise to the

occasion due to budgetary and

institutional challenges. The lack

of legislative power, inadequate

financing and lack of support from

the AU are some of the major

challenges impeding the work of

the PAP.

8.19. During the debate, Members

expressed concern about the

inconsistent handling of the issue

of unconstitutional changes of

government by the AU. Members

wondered whether the AU has an

early monitoring system to detect

and manage the drivers of

unconstitutional changes of

government. Some Members

argued that the western liberal

democracy that African countries

had adopted was not working

because it did not infuse the

African principles, such as

tribalism, sectarian, polarisation as

issues to be considered when

dealing with unconstitutional

changes of government. While

acknowledging the efforts made by

the AU, Members expressed

dissatisfaction with the response

from the AU against

unconstitutional changes of

government. They considered the

AUs response as uncoordinated,

untimely and inconsistent.

9.0. Presentation on the African

Continental Free Trade Area

(AfCFGTA)

9.1. Mr Mohamed Ali, Director of

Trade in Goods and Competition at

the AfCFTA Secretariat updated

the House on the progress made by

AfCFTA. He stated that 54

countries had signed the

Agreement while 44 had ratified

the Agreement. However, the

Secretariat had received more

tariff concession offers than

ratifications, which shows that

countries were willing to take

technical steps required for the

finalization of Protocols and

Annexes related to the Agreement.

9.2 In terms of progress, the Director

reported that since August 2022,

the Secretariat has finalised the

Protocol on Competition,

Investment and International

Property Rights and awaiting

submission at the next AU

Summit. The Secretariat has also

concluded the Instruments, namely:

Adjustment Facility with Afriexim

Bank, Pan African Payment

Systems, Intra Africa Trade Fair,

E-tariff Book, Rules of Origin

Manual and the Outlined Trade

Initiative Driven, needed to

expedite the implementation of

AfCFTA.

9.3. Mr Ali informed the House that

through the Guided Trade

Initiative, it was clear that

businesses were eager to harvest

the benefits of AfCFTA. He called

for the sensitisation of businesses

on the benefits of trading under the

AfCFTA and noted that countries

that have ministerial committees

on AfCFTA have registered more

progress in its implementation than

those without ministerial

committees.

10.0. Presentation on Peace and

Security in Africa

10.1. The Chairperson of the Peace and

Security Council (PSC), H.E.

Ambassador Emilia Ndinelao

Mkusa, presented an overview of

the state of peace and security in

Africa. She acknowledged the

importance of the regular

interaction between the PSC and

the PAP in line with Article 13 of

the Peace and Security Protocol.

The Article requires the two

Organs to maintain close working

relationship in promoting peace,

security, stability and prosperity in

Africa. The Chairperson stated that

the situation on the Continent

continues to be characterised by

unprecedented threats, such as

terrorism, violent extremism and

the growing wave of

unconstitutional changes of

government. She singled out

Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and

Sudan, which were suspended

from the AU at the same time due

to unconstitutional changes of

governments.

10.2. The Chairperson stated that the

Continent was also experiencing

prolonged transitions and

protracted conflicts in countries

such as Libya and the Sahel

Region. She noted that, in some

cases, civilians had celebrated

coups, a sign that Member States

needed to do more to address

concerns of the people. She

informed the House that the

Council was closely monitoring

the political, peace and

humanitarian situation in the other

countries such as the Central

African Republic, Chad,

Democratic Republic of Congo,

Libya, Somalia and South Sudan.

10.3. Besides the countries highlighted,

the Chairperson stated that the

PSC was focusing on a number of

important thematic areas including

the fight against terrorism and

radicalisation, violent extremism,

hate crimes and the ideology of

genocide in Africa. The Council

was also focusing on the plight of

children, women and the youth in

peace and security and the nexus

between climate change and

security.

11.0. Presentation on the African Per

Review Mechanism (APRM)

11.1. Mr Ferdinand Katendeko, Director

of Operations at the APRM

Secretariat made a presentation on

the APRM and its processes. He

informed Members that the

mandate of the APRM was to

monitor and review Member States

on governance. The APRM review

had focused on democratic and

political governance, economic

governance and management,

socio-economic governance, and

corporate governance but lately on

resilience and shocks. He

mentioned that 42 African

countries have acceded to the

APRM.

11.2. He outlined the review processes as

below:

(i) Establishment of structures in the country under review

(ii) Country review mission visiting the country under review;

(iii) Drafting a report for review by a panel of eminent persons;

(iv) Subject report to the country for validation by the reviewed country;

(v) Presentation of the report to the

assembly of Heads of State and

Government;

(vi) Advise the country to implement

the recommendations given; and

(vii) Annual reporting on national

implementation programmers.

11.3. The Director reported that the AU

has given the APRM the mandate

to produce the African Governance

Report in collaboration with the

African Governance Architecture

(AGA) to reflect the

unconstitutional changes of

government. It was expected that

Parliaments would facilitate public

ownership of the APRM process as

well as take appropriate measures

to ensure that countries benefited

from the APRM process.

12.0. Committee Reports Presented

12.1. Report of the Committee on Audit

and Public Account (CAPA) on

Reviewed Reports

12.1.1 The report was presented by the

chairperson of the committee.

The report was on the underlisted

reports that the committee

reviewed:

(i) Financial Statement of the PAP for

the year 2021;

(ii) Management Report on PAP for

2021;

(iii) Report on Budget Performance for the period 1st January to 31st

December 2021;

(iv) Status of implementation of Audit Recommendations; and

(v) Audit Implementation Matrix for the year ended 2021.

12.1.2 The Committee observed that the

failure to renew the Host Country

Agreement between the AU and

the Government of the Republic

of South Africa was having a

negative effect on the operations

of the PAP. It, therefore, called on

the AU to expedite action on the

review of the Agreement.

12.1.3 The Committee also observed the

inability of the Office to claim

Value Added Tax from the Host

Country. The Committee

appealed to the Bureau as a matter

of urgency, to commence action

on the issue to ensure that all

moneys due the PAP were

retrieved.

12.1.4 The Report noted inadequate

staffing at the Secretariat. This was

hampering the smooth operations

of PAP. The Committee could not

understand why the process of

recruitment had delayed that

much. It asked the Bureau to

engage the AU to speed up the

process for the Secretariat to have

its full complement of staff.

12.1.5 On financial matters, the

Committee observed that the

reduction of the PAP Budget and the low absorption rate of budgeted resources were affecting the activities of PAP. It also noted that support from Development Partners were not captured in the Financial Statement. The Committee advised the Bureau to provide in subsequent Reports, details of all the support received from development partners.

12.1.6 Also observed by the Committee was the fraudulent operations in cash transactions carried out without supporting documents. The Committee was unable to confirm balances directly from vendors as documents were not readily available.

12.1.7 Finally, the Committee noted that, the status of implementation of audit recommendations by the Office was very slow. It called on the Bureau to see to it that the Secretariat implemented all recommendations made by CAPA as well as recommenddations made by the AU external Auditors.

12.2.0 Report of the Committee on

Finance and Monetary Affairs

on the 2021 and 2023 Pap

Budgets

12.2.1 The Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Monetary Affairs, Hon Mohammed Mubaraka Muntaka presented the Report. He stated that the 2021 approved budget for PAP amounted to US$11, 887,700 compared to

US$16,408,177 in 2020. The reduction was due to austerity measures and budget ceilings set by the AU for all its Policy Organs. Expenditure for the year 2021 amounted to US$8, 057,279, representing an execution rate of 68 per cent. The low execution rate of the Budget as explained was as a result of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic which made it impossible for PAP to undertake some of the programmes and core activities.

12.2.2 On the 2023 budget, Hon. Muntaka stated that the amount of US$11, 925,224 was provided as against US$11,887,700 for 2022. The breakdown of the budget comprise an amount of US$9, 813,951 for Operations and US$2, 111,273 for Programmes.

12.2.3 The Committee observed that no provision was made for missions, covering missions for Members of the Bureau, Members of Parliament and Staff of the Secretariat. This would be a great challenge to PAP as Members and Staff would not be able to travel out for missions. The Committee also observed that the 2023 budget would not be sufficient to carry out meaningful activities of the PAP.

12.2.4 The Committee, however, appealed

to the Bureau to put in place mechanisms by which all the Committees could equally and independently plan and execute

their activities in spite of the limited resources. It also appealed to the Committees to submit their work programmes to the Finance and Monetary Affairs Committee timely to enable the Committee to incorporate their needs in the 2024 Budget.

12.3.0 Report of the Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture,

Natural Resources and Environ-

ment on the Theme of the

Session

12.3.1 The Chairperson of the Committee presented the Report on the workshop held on the theme of the Session. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and was attended by Members of PAP. The objective of the workshop was to provide Members with a forum to discuss their expected roles to contribute towards popularisation of the theme at national level, share experiences and explore areas of collaboration.

12.3.2 Dr Chimimba David Phiri, FAO Representative to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, made a presentation at the workshop on food and nutrition. He stated in his presentation that the AU theme was aligned to the work of

the FAO on nutrition, especially at a time when Africa was facing challenges with rising levels of hunger and malnutrition. He indicated that no African country was on track to meet the targets on food security. He stated that the main causes of food insecurity as contained in the Report on world hunger were climate change, conflict and economic slowdown which factors are interconnected. He called for multifaceted interventions to build resilience in vulnerable communities.

12.3.3 The workshop considered the situation analysis on food security on the Continent, model law on food security in Africa and global handbook for Parliamentarians on nutrition and food security. The workshop also considered the vision and efforts of relevant partners in the area of food and security and adopted recommend- dations that mainly recognised the role that PAP should play in ensuring food security. It called on national governments to implement initiatives for the achievement of food security in the Continent.

12.4.0 Report of the Committee on

Cooperation, International

Relations and Conflict

Resolution on Proposed Model

Law on Nationality and

Statelessness

12.4.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee presented the Report

on the development of a model

law on nationality and

statelessness. The Report

mentioned that statelessness

which is a challenge on the

Continent is a violation of Article

5 of the African Charter on

Human and Peoples Rights and

that the right to nationality is still

not fully recognised as a

fundamental human right in

Africa.

12.4.2 The Chairperson informed the

House that by international and

regional standards, Member

States are required to provide

safeguards in domestic laws to

ensure that children born in their

territory and who would

otherwise be stateless are granted

nationality. However, majority of

citizenship laws in Africa do not

comply with this standard. There

is, therefore, the need to come up

with proposed model law to help

solve this problem. The model

law, when adopted, would

harmonise approaches on the

right to nationality and ensure

that those approaches are based

on regional and international

laws.

12.5.0 Report of the Committee on

Justice and Human Rights on

Model Law on Policing in

Africa

12.5.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee on Justice and Human

Rights presented the Report on

policing in Africa. He stated that

the model law would complement

the efforts in building peace and

promote the rule of law and

human rights on the Continent.

The Report indicated that the

Model law contains best practices

drawn from several Instruments

of the African Union which

reflected the principles of demo-

cratic control and accountability,

adherence to the rule of law and

promotion of human rights

standards.

12.5.2 The Report mentioned that the

Police is often used as a tool for

abuse of people's rights. A standardised legislation for

policing within the Continent

would, therefore, help to ensure

that the Police in Africa operates

on standard principles as espoused

by the Model Law.

12.6.0 Report of the Committee on

Gender, Family, Youth and

People with Disability on

Proposed Model Law on

Gender Parity

12.6.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee presented the Report

on the formulation of a model law

on gender parity. She noted that

while countries had made

progress in increasing the number

of women in leadership positions,

there were still barriers to women

achieving better representation in

such positions. She informed the

House that the Committee

conducted fact-finding missions

in Tunisia, Rwanda, Senegal,

Guinea, Sierra Leone, South

Africa and Cape Verde, where the

process of women's empower- ment have been accelerated to

make gender equality a reality.

12.6.2 Key amongst the recommend-

dations by the Committee was a

request for the House to authorise

the Committee to initiate and

develop a model law on gender

equality for the Continent.

12.7.0 Report of the Committee on

Finance and Monetary Affairs

on Proposed Model Law on

Factoring

12.7.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee on Finance and

Monetary Affairs, Hon.

Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak,

presented the Report on a

proposed model law on factoring.

Factoring as defined by the

Committee is the selling or

transferring of accounts

receivable to gain funds that were

immediately available. Factoring

according to the Report provides

a solution to the financing

challenges faced by small and

medium enterprises (SMEs) to

support trade development in the

context of AfCFTA. Hence, the

Afriexim Bank has been working

together with the PAP to promote

the use of factoring.

12.7.2 The Committee noted that despite

its benefits, the use of factoring

was low in Africa due to various

challenges, including lack of a

comprehensive facilitative legal

and regulatory framework

governing factoring transactions.

It was against this background

that the Committee was

formulating a draft model law on

factoring to act as a standard

guide to countries that would

want to pass legislation on

factoring. The model law, when

developed, would ensure

consistent approach leading to

financing sources which would

improve intra Africa trade.

12.8.0 Report of the Committee on

Finance and Monetary Affairs

on a Proposed Model Law on

Cooperatives

12.8.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee presented the Report

on the development of a model

law on cooperatives. The

Chairperson stated that the

African Union had adopted model

laws addressing various policy

areas with the aim of providing

guidance to Africa Member

States in adopting and reforming

their laws and policies. However,

there was no model law on

cooperatives to serve as a guide to

countries wanting to take

advantage of the importance of

cooperatives.

12.8.1 The Report noted that various

studies on cooperative laws in

Africa show that there are

variations and similarities in

terms of the extent to which such

laws create a conducive environ-

ment for the establishment and

growth of cooperatives. The

model law would, therefore, open

up the possibility for a new

continental instrument, which

could expressly acknowledge and

promote the relevance of

cooperatives in the socio-

economic development of Africa

and provide for the obligations of

States and other stakeholders in

the development of cooperatives.

12.9.0 Report of the Committee on Rural

Economy, Agriculture, Natural

Resources, and Environment on

Model Law on Food Security

12.9.1 The rapporteur of the Committee

presented the Report on a model

law on food and nutrition security

in Africa, formulated by the

Committee. In addressing the

right to food and nutrition

security, countries had enacted

different pieces of legislations to

provide for the right to food

security and nutrition. To

harmonise all the laws, the House

in 2018 approved for the

Committee to formulate a model

law to guide or serve as a source

of reference for AU Member States.

12.9.2 The Committee, in developing the

Law, conducted a study of

national legislations and inter-

national instruments on food

security. It also consulted bodies

that support food security and

nutrition, including the AU, Civil

Society Organisations, FAO and

Ministers responsible for food

and nutrition security in selected

countries. The model law, when

adopted, would provide a guide to

Member States in drafting laws

on food and nutrition security.

12.10.0 Report of the Committee on Health,

Labour and Social Affairs on the

Eradication of Child Labour,

Forced Labour, Human Trafficking

and Modern Slavery

12.10.1 The Report, which was on the

advocacy for the promotion of the

AU Ten-Year Action Plan to

eradicate child labour, forced

labour, human trafficking and

modern slavery was presented by

the Chairperson of the Committee.

The Report mentioned that child

labour was more prevalent in

countries living below the poverty

line where the informal economy

and subsistence agriculture were

growing. In order to combat the

scourge, the AU in collaboration

with the United Nations Inter-

national Childrens' Emergency

Fund (UNICEF) and the Inter-

national Labour Organisation (ILO)

developed a ten-year plan of action

on the eradication of child labour,

forced labour, human trafficking

and modern slavery in Africa.

12.10.2 The Committee noted that Africa

has not done enough to address

the challenges despite commit-

ments to child rights through the

African Charter on the Rights and

Welfare of Children. It, therefore,

called on PAP to play a lead role

in reducing the menace.

12.11.0 Report of the Committee on

Justice and Human Rights on

the Guidelines on Harmful

Practices in Africa

12.11.1 The Chairperson of the

Committee on Justice and Human

Rights, presented the Report on

guidelines on harmful practices in

Africa. The guidelines reflected

the global consensus on the subject

and would guide Member States to

amend and revise their legislations

to integrate best practices. The

guidelines defined the magnitude

of the problem, identified the

harmful practices in terms of

human rights, and introduced

current standards in terms of

human rights to define and

contextualise witchcraft in Africa

while looking at the root causes of

harmful practices.

13.0 Resolutions Adopted

13.1. The House adopted the following

Resolutions:

(1) Congratulations to the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Tigray

People's Liberation Front on the signing of the Peace Agreement;

(2) Solidarity and support to the

Government and the People of the

Republic of Mozambique in

resolving the conflict;

(3) Support for the East Africa Crude

Oil Pipeline Project;

(4) Lifting of unilateral economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwean

Government by the United States,

United Kingdom and the European

Union;

(5) Immediate end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo

(DCR);

(6) Ratification and implementation of the Additional Protocol to the

African Charter on Human and

People's Rights on the Rights of

Women in Africa (Maputo

Protocol);

(7) Advancement of democratic governance through the

implementation of the African

Charter on Democracy, Elections

and Governance (ACDEG) and

enhanced citizen engagement;

(8) Effective operations of the African Continental Free Trade Area;

(9) Formulation of model law on food and nutrition security in Africa;

(10) Formulation of model law on policing for Africa;

(11) Elimination of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft

and ritual attacks;

(12) Promotion of ratification of the Protocol on Persons with

Disability and the Protocol on

Older Persons;

(13) Formulation of model law on

labour migration in Africa;

(14) Formulation of model law on

gender parity in Africa;

(15) Promotion of African Union Ten-

Year Action Plan to Eradicate

Child Labour, Forced Labour,

Human Trafficking and Modern

Slavery (2020-2030);

(16) Formulation of model law on

statelessness;

(17) Formulation of model law on

cooperatives in Africa; and

(18) Formulation of model law on

factoring in Africa.

14.0. Official Closing of the Session

The First Meeting of the Sixth

Parliament was officially closed on 11th

November, 2022, by the President of the

PAP Hon Chief Fortune Charumbila. In

his closing remarks, he applauded the

unity of purpose that prevailed at the

Session. He called on Members to ensure

that PAP continued to be perceived as a

new Parliament and one desired by the

African people. He thanked Members

for their dedication to their duties

throughout the Session and expressed his

sincere thanks and appreciation to the

Government and people of South Africa

for their hospitality. He wished Members

journey mercies. The House was

adjourned sine die.

15.0. Conclusion

15.1 Ghana's Representation to the PAP would wish to state that the issues of peace and security, integration of the Continent, unconstitutional changes of government and the (AFFTCA) featured prominently on the Agenda for the Session. The House was unanimous that, the growth of the Continent would depend on the level of peace and security and called on the AU to work towards ending the several ongoing conflicts in Africa.

15.2 The House also acknowledged that

Africa could progress only when elements of true democracy are adhered to by the people of Africa. The House, therefore, called on countries that had not ratified the Charter on Democratic Elections and Governance to do so. The ratification of the Charter and adherence to the principles expressed by the Charter would be expected to curtail the unconstitutional changes of governments in Africa.

15.3 The Representatives recommend to

the House to adopt its Report on the First Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the PAP.

Respectfully submitted.