Debates of 8 Jun 2023

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Hon Members, I hope
you have copies of the Order Paper and
the Order Paper Addendum. I have no
Message from His Excellency the
President and I do not have a Formal
Communication for you today, so we
would go to the item numbered 4 — Correction of Votes and Proceedings and
the Official Report.
We would start with the Votes and
Proceedings of Wednesday, 7th June,
2023.
Page 1…9 —
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 11:43 a.m.
Mr
Speaker, I rise to seek your guidance. At
page 9, your opening remarks have been
adequately captured and corrected,
which states:
The Rt Hon Speaker recognised that
the Order of the Supreme Court was
novel and not adequately provided
for in the Standing Orders. He
therefore called on the House to
determine a suitable approach with
regard to expunging a Member's
name from the records of the House.
Mr Speaker, that has been correctly
captured. However, when we go through
the records, particularly the previous
page (page 8), the name has already been
expunged. So, we need your direction. If
the name has already been expunged —
I do not see the name of Mr James
Gyakye Quayson in the Votes and
Proceedings. So, why are we saying that
we should determine a way to go about it
in the future? Is it not mute? Have we not
already carried out the order of
expunging the name?
Mr Speaker, it would appear that we
are contradicting ourselves and we are
not clear on exactly what we want to do.
This is because if you say that we should
find a way to determine how we
implement the order of the Supreme
Court because we are on unchartered
waters and our Standing Orders do not
provide how we should go about it, yet it
has already been expunged, then there is
really no point in waiting for an agreed
procedure as to how we would go about
implementing the order of the Supreme
Court if we have already expunged the
name. So, that is why I seek your
directive on the matter.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker,
the Hon Ranking Member for the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:43 a.m.
Mr Mahama Ayariga 11:53 a.m.
Thank you
very much, Mr Speaker. I do not know if
I did not read the directive of the
Supreme Court properly. The Supreme
Court is asking for the name of a
particular person to be expunged from
the records as a Member of Parliament.
It is not my understanding that
everything else that he participated in in
this House should be null and void or that
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Member, please
go on.
Mr Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the
opportunity. If my understanding is
right, I would side with the Hon Member
for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, by
saying that if we should expunge from
the records of Parliament his name and
anything associated with him, it
presupposes that Parliament should
consider him not having been here at all.
I say this with reference to article 2(3) of
the 1992 Constitution that says that the
orders of the Supreme Court pursuant to
such an application ought to be followed
rigidly.
Indeed, it goes on in article 2(4) to
prescribe punishment for refusal to obey
the orders of the Court and it starts from
the President and Vice President. The
punishment prescribed under the
constitutional articles 2(4) and even 2(5)
for ordinary citizens of the country is
very grievous. So, we have to treat it as
ordered to avoid any indictment on any
person pursuant to the order.
Mr Speaker, I think that we should be
guided by article 2(3) (4), (5) and even
(6). So, let us go back and just expunge
from the records anything associated
with him. That does not really nullify the
consequence of the action, but his
presence is what the Supreme Court has
ordered that we should remove. Thank
you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member for
Bawku West, Mr Cletus Apul Avoka?
Mr Cletus Apul Avoka 11:53 a.m.
Thank you,
Mr Speaker. It would be very absurd, and
I think it is a very narrow interpretation
of the Constitution to suggest what my
very good friend from the other Side is
saying, that we should expunge
everything in its entirety from 7th
January, 2021, when our Hon Colleague
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Well. Yes, Hon
Member for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama
Ayariga?
Mr Ayariga 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, this is
what the Supreme Court said:
  • [Hon Member reads from a mobile phone]
    • Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority
    Leader?
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, at the heart of the ruling from
    the Supreme Court is article 97(1)(c)
    which provides that a member of
    Parliament shall vacate his seat in
    Parliament if any circumstance arise
    such that if one is not a member of
    Parliament which causes him to be
    disqualified or ineligible for election
    under article 94 of this Constitution.
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:53 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority
    Leader?
    Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah 12:03 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    I think the right decision was what
    you made on the first day. Clearly, the
    word, ‘expunge', in my mind, is really very confusing, whether or not this
    decision should be made from the very
    first day he came and all the other
    decisions that has been made since he
    have been participating in the activities
    of Parliament. This is why in my view,
    as you have suggested, there is the need
    to seek clarification from the Supreme
    Court, and I believe that we should wait
    for that clarification to be very clear on
    exactly what that ruling and the word,
    ‘expunge', meant. So, we need to have that clarification from the Supreme
    Court.
    Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
    Well, I still stand by
    my ruling and what has just happened is
    strong evidence that there is the need for
    clarification. Do not forget that the order
    is predicated on a number of declaratory
    rulings by the Court. It was not just given
    in isolation. There were four earlier
    declaratory judgements before the order
    came as the fifth, if you read the
    judgement. Those earlier declaratory
    judgements stated that the election of the
    Hon Member was unconstitutional. The
    reasons for that were stated and as a
    result of that it was null and void, and of
    no effect.
    Before the order came that we should
    expunge, in fact, it did not say the
    Speaker, an Hon Member of Parliament,
    or the Clerk to Parliament should
    expunge, it says the institution called
    ‘Parliament'. This is straight from the Supreme Court. So that institution must
    carry out the order. The only way the
    institution can carry out the order is for
    the institution to reason together and that
    is only done in a Sitting where the
    opportunity is given to Hon Members to
    think through it.
    So, Hon Members would now have to
    come out with how this is to be carried
    out. Is it by the Table Office, which they
    just did and it has led to this objection, or
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:03 p.m.
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:13 p.m.
  • [No correction was made to the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 7th June, 2023.]
    • Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Hon Members, I have
    two Official Reports. The first is dated
    Monday, 12th December, 2022 and the
    second, Friday, 10th March, 2023. I hope
    Hon Members have these copies.
    Hon Members, we will start with the
    Official Report of Monday, 12th
    December, 2022. Any corrections?
    Mr Ablakwa — rose —
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for
    North Tongu?
    Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 12:13 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I am grateful.
    VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Yes, the Hon Member
    is correct; “132MW” should suffice. Table Office, kindly take note.
    Any further corrections?
    Hon Members, in the absence of any
    further corrections, the Official Report of Monday, 12th December, 2022 is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
    We would now look at the records of
    Friday, 10th March, 2023. Any corrections?
    Mr Ablakwa — rose —
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am
    grateful.
    Mr Speaker, please, the last
    paragraph of column 79, from that paragraph, anywhere “NCA” appears, it should be “National Communications Authority”; so “Communications” and not “Communication”. It is the same for the second paragraph of column 80: “… Dr Edward Omane Boamah as Minister for Communications”. It should be plural “Communications” for all the subsequent paragraphs.
    Mr Speaker 12:23 p.m.
    Yes, Table Office,
    kindly take note. The Ministry is “Communications” and not “Communication”.
    Any further corrections?

    Hon Members, in the absence of any

    further corrections, the Official Report of

    Friday, 10th March, 2023, is hereby

    adopted as the true record of

    proceedings.

    We will now move to the item

    numbered 5 — Statements. I am informed we have three Statements; I would

    handle two, and the Hon First Deputy

    Speaker would handle the third one.

    Hon Members, we would start with

    the Statement by the Hon Minister for

    Lands and Natural Resources.

    Please, Hon Minister, you may do so

    now.
    STATEMENTS 12:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    I would listen to very
    short remarks on this because it is an
    annual event, so two from each Side of
    the House, starting from my left, Mr
    Suhuyini Alhassan.
    Mr Sayibu Suhuyini Alhassan
    (NDC — Tamale North): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the
    opportunity to contribute to the
    Statement ably delivered by the Hon
    Minister for Lands and Natural
    Resources on this year's Green Ghana Day.
    Mr Speaker, Green Ghana Day was
    launched somewhere in 2021, and I
    recall that we were all very hopeful that
    it would deliver to its expectations
    because climate change has become a
    worry, and the devastation at which our
    forests, especially in Ghana, are faced
    with is not something anybody should be

    Statements

    proud of. However, it is important, and

    even as we are hopeful, we express these

    reservations that we ensure that

    initiatives such as this — good as they are intended, do not fall victim of

    corruption or become an establishment

    that is used to syphon money from the

    taxpayer.

    Mr Speaker, this is important because

    climate finance has to be optimised for

    impact and effectiveness, and the way to

    do that is to ensure that strategies are put

    in place to change finance and ensure

    that finance that is meant for climate

    change and its mitigation and adaptation

    is not misapplied, and also give us less

    optimal value.

    Mr Speaker, this is why, in the

    beginning, even as we supported this, we

    called that we put in place anti-

    corruption measures that would ensure

    that more investments were attracted

    from the private sector, and it is not a just

    a problem that Ghana has to deal with. If

    one looks at the records, in 2018, for

    example, global climate finance totalled

    about US$546 billion. Out of this, about

    59 per cent came from the private sector

    and 41 from the public sector, 92 per cent

    of it went into mitigation, 6 per cent went

    into adaption and 2 per cent went into

    dual benefits.

    Mr Speaker, for example, we have

    come across a report that talks about

    REDD+ in Indonesia, and Ghana is part

    of 65 partners that are part of REDD+. In

    that report, it says that projects that were

    supposed to ensure that they protected

    their forests were abused, and it was

    initially supposed to conserve forests,

    but it suffered abuse, leading to illegal

    logging, artisanal mining and palm oil

    plantation. Reading this report, one

    would think that it was talking about

    Ghana. The report actually sounds like

    Ghana. For example, it said that villagers

    reported that private companies paid

    bribes to local government authorities

    and police in return for the police looking

    away, so that they could engage in these

    activities.

    Mr Speaker, this issue of anti-

    corruption measures put in place when

    we launch initiatives such as this, is

    especially brought to the fore when one

    looks at the President's Message on the State of Nation in 2022. The President, in

    his Message on the State of the Nation,

    revealed to this House that they had

    successfully planted seven million trees,

    two million more than was initially

    planned to be planted.

    However, weeks earlier, in an

    Answer to a Question in this same

    House, the Hon Minister reported that

    only about 4.9 million trees were

    planted.

    Mr Speaker, therefore, the question

    is, how many trees indeed were planted?

    How much did we throw at the planting

    of these trees? That is why it is important

    that this very well-intended initiative is

    not allowed to suffer the fate of many

    interventions in the past corruption and

    siphoning of moneys.

    Mr Speaker, for accountability

    clearly, we want to see the measures that

    Statements

    are put in place, to ensure that when we

    are told that five million trees are

    planted, indeed, we can see the five

    million trees. When we are told that it

    was about 80 per cent successful but

    there is nothing to verify on the ground

    — I would just like to urge the Ministry to work together with Parliament and

    other stakeholders to ensure that we do

    not allow this scheme, well-intended as

    it is, to become an avenue for corruption.

    As things stand now, instead of greening

    Ghana, it looks like a green corruption to

    me.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you.

    Dr Bright Bakye Yelviel Baligi

    (NPP — Lambussie): Mr Speaker, I

    thank you for the opportunity to make

    brief comments on this Statement ably

    presented by the Hon Minister for Lands

    and Natural Resources.

    Mr Speaker, the Green Ghana

    initiative was launched under the theme,

    “Our forest, our health”, and that tells us how important trees are when it comes to

    the survival of humanity. I am so grateful

    to have heard from the Hon Minister that

    the success rate in 2021 was 80 per cent

    and beyond; it is not a bad figure at all.

    In fact, all along, my worry was whether

    we have these follow ups done day in,

    day out to assess the survival rate of the

    plants that we put in the ground.

    Mr Speaker, five million plus in

    2021, and 24 million and above in 2022,

    if these figures are anything to go by,

    then it means that we are making headway

    towards regenerating our forest reserves.

    Mr Speaker, it was launched with the

    aim of speedily retrieving and revamping

    our degraded lands and restoring our

    green canopy cover. This is such an

    important initiative that we have as a

    country and we, in this Chamber as

    Members of Parliament, need to work

    closely with our constituents and the

    forestry departments in the various

    constituencies to make sure that the

    seedlings are planted, and whatever

    support we need to give in our individual

    capacities, we make sure the project

    succeeds. It was also aimed at creating

    job opportunities for young Ghanaians,

    especially in the green businesses in the

    Ashanti and Western Regions.

    Mr Speaker, if young Ghanaians

    would take advantage of this, raising of

    seedlings alone stands to create job

    opportunities for them. I do not know

    how the seedlings are raised, but I think

    the Hon Minister with the Ministry

    would have galvanised the youth around

    this country to make sure that the

    seedlings are raised within the

    constituencies so that transportation does

    not become a problem. Some benefits we

    derive from such initiatives include,

    especially, the protection and

    rehabilitation of watersheds; also, the

    increase in carbon storage —

    Mr Speaker, there is so much cry

    around the world about climate change

    and if we have the way of rejuvenating

    our forest covers and making sure that

    the carbon being discharged through our

    industrial intervention in one way or the

    other is reduced, I think it keeps us in a

    better position as a country and as a race,

    to have long and successful lives.

    Statements

    Mr Speaker, I am a little worried

    about the Hon Member who spoke

    before me. I do not think it is important

    as a country, and as political parties to

    seem to be attacking every good

    initiative. The Hon Member himself

    admitted that it is a well-intentioned

    initiative. However, where he is

    impugning corruption, I do not think it is

    the case.

    I would like to thank the Hon

    Minister and the Ministry for the

    initiative. Unlike other administrations

    that brought in seedlings in March and

    April, this is the appropriate time for

    anybody who intends to plant a tree to

    bring in seedlings. Given the timing of

    the initiative, it tells one that this is not

    like we have had, and we would not have

    Mr Samuel Abdulai Jinapor leading such

    — and let me, excuse my language, describe it as pseudo — [Laughter] — I think that this is something we all need

    to support as Members of Parliament,

    and to contribute our quota in getting our

    forest rejuvenated.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the

    opportunity and I would like to thank the

    Ministry and Hon Minister, in particular.

    I believe and know that with such

    initiatives, and with Mr S. A. Jinapor in

    the lead, Ghana would be green.

    Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo

    (NDC — Wa Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you. I would like to thank the Hon

    Minister for Lands and Natural

    Resources for this Statement, and to say

    that it is very important for us to be

    serious with issues that are brought here,

    which are policy guided, and that have a

    consequence on building the future of

    this country. Green Ghana is one of

    them, and we have often given our

    absolute support to the Hon Minister and

    the Government in championing the

    cause of Green Ghana.

    Mr Speaker, this is important because

    the total effect of what we are doing to

    our lands, forests and rivers is telling on

    us immediately and in the consequence

    into the future. The challenge we have as

    a Minority is that while we take steps to

    repair our lands through planting of trees

    where we have a lot of investment — so much money is pumped into it — on the other hand, so much destruction is taking

    place.

    Mr Speaker, one would understand

    why Prof Frimpong Boateng was

    arrested. The reason being some truths he

    has brought onto the table on the

    destruction of our lands and the

    involvement of key individuals who are

    supposed to be championing the affairs

    of Government. We are worried because

    so much is being destroyed, and yet, so

    much is being pumped into repairing

    what is destroyed. Therefore, the irony

    and absurdity is very difficult to

    reconcile, and we would like to call on

    the Hon Minister that it is not about

    Green Ghana only, it is also about

    protecting what we have today. What we

    saw on Joy TV last week was very much

    disheartening: So much of our lands are

    being destroyed.

    Mr Speaker, the President, in April,

    declared some red zone areas, including

    rivers and forest reserves. Since that

    time, six or seven licences have been

    Statements

    issued into those same areas. The rivers

    are still under attack and yet every year,

    we say we are planting trees in the aim of

    repairing what is destroyed. Where are

    we going? What is the cause of it? Are

    we serious with what we are doing? Is

    the Government really committed in

    fighting the illegal mining and

    destruction of our lands and rivers? If

    they are not serious, they should stop this

    issue about Green Ghana and pulling all

    of us into the fray. We want to support

    the real and genuine fight to restore our

    lands; we want to fight to make sure that

    we have a Ghana that we can preserve

    and then hand over to future generations,

    not one where we would hand over and

    be ashamed with the brazen effect of

    what we are doing and our inability to

    stand up and say we would fight and stop

    it. How is the investigation on what

    Government promised going? Is it just

    for the arrest of one former Minister?

    Mr Speaker, I want to urge the Hon

    Minister and the Government to go

    beyond what we do every day. We want

    to support the Hon Minister, but we want

    a true reflection of the exact things that

    we can do to convince Ghanaians that we

    are not purposely and deliberately

    destroying the environment.

    Mr Speaker, we want to support, but

    we want real action to take place.

    I thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    You have one person
    to make remarks. Majority Side, decide.
    Does the Hon Majority Leader want to
    do it?
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-
    Mensah-Bonsu): Thank you very much,
    Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to lend
    my voice to this appeal that has been
    made by the Hon Minister responsible
    for Lands and Natural Resources.
    Mr Speaker, the issue that he raises is
    very germane, and it is the reason he is
    talking about the sustainability of our
    forests. Mr Speaker, the very preamble
    of our Constitution indicates that we
    should engage in the sustainable
    development of our nation, so the
    benefits of development should not inure
    to the benefit of today's generation only but to posterity as well.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister gives
    us some figures that really should agitate
    our conscience. He says that 80 per cent
    of our forest cover is gone. I would even
    suggest to the Hon Minister that the
    forest cover that we have lost is more
    than that. He is the Minister; he has
    Commissions under his Ministry which
    report to him but we all do know that
    when we pass by places that are
    designated as forest reserves, we would
    see that the forest reserves exist only in
    the margins of the declared areas. We
    enter same and a lot of depletion might
    have taken place.
    Mr Speaker, the situation is very
    grave. The Hon Minister has been very
    much concerned about the activities of
    galamseyers. They are further degrading

    Statements

    the forest — the vegetative cover — destroying the land, threatening food

    security and so on.

    Mr Speaker, up north, the few trees

    that are left are still being harvested for

    purposes of charcoal, and I keep saying

    that whereas we do so in the northern

    part of Ghana, the southern portions of

    Burkina Faso which are dryer than the

    northern portions of Ghana are greener,

    rather paradoxically, than the northern

    section of Ghana, which means that we

    should re-double our efforts.

    Mr Speaker, the effort of the Hon

    Minister is very commendable, but as I

    said last year, we have lost so much and

    the timber species that we have lost in

    this country is over 800 million. If we are

    going by what is being done now — about 5 or 10 million — how long would it to take us to replenish the stock?

    Assuming we are not even cutting any

    trees, if we are doing 10 million, with

    800 million lost, how long would it take

    us to replenish the stock?

    This is why the other day, I said that

    whereas I commend him extremely for

    what effort he has initiated, perhaps, this

    would have to be bi-yearly rather than

    annually, so that we could increase the

    number of seedlings that would be

    planted. I hear the Hon Deputy Minister

    say to me “there is no money”. He should go and look for money.

    Mr Speaker, it is something that

    should concern all of us, and while the

    Hon Minister is at this, he knows that

    people are coming to the Ministry with

    requests to salvage felled trees, and yet,

    he knows that when he grants them the

    request, they enter and cause further

    felling of the trees that were standing. I

    should think that he would stop issuing

    licences to people who pretend to go and

    salvage trees that are felled but know that

    no such trees exist. They enter to fell

    additional trees.

    So, Mr Speaker, we should be careful

    with ourselves. Having said so, the Hon

    Minister knows — and in fact, all of us know that some trees are nearing

    extinction in this country: asanfena,

    kokrodua, odum, red wood, et cetera.

    Some of these trees, when we plant them,

    take about 200 years to mature. I am

    being reminded by the Hon Deputy

    Minister that the Despatch Box we have

    here is made from asanfena. Now, we

    cannot even have it. The few that exist

    now are in the forest close to La Côte

    d'Ivoire. We cannot get them. In the

    Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, they

    are gone.

    So, Mr Speaker, we should re-double

    our efforts because the One Village One

    Dam project was supposed to

    complement the efforts of the Ministry.

    Where are we with that? We are

    supposed to provide some water to

    irrigate these lands and what we plant.

    Where are we? We should go back to it

    and reinvigorate that scheme to supplement

    the efforts of the Hon Minister.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister has a

    herculean task. Indeed, we should all

    recognise that Ghana is at a crossroads.

    Today — and I was referring to this — the waters in the Pra River, which we

    were drawing to irrigate the sugarcane

    Statements

    lands at Komenda cannot be relied on

    anymore. It is gone. All the fish in the Pra

    are gone. Where are we?

    So, Mr Speaker, it should not be left

    on the shoulders of the Hon Minister. All

    of us should contribute our quota in

    assisting the Ministry of Lands and

    Natural Resource to reposition this

    country. All the timber firms are gone. In

    Kumasi, just about five per cent of all the

    sawmills are operating, and those

    operating are doing so at less than 30 to

    40 per cent capacity. Today, we cannot

    have all these —

    When we see timber carted from the

    forest, chances are that it is ceiba or

    Onyina for the manufacture of plywood.

    We cannot get the traditional trees any

    longer. Some of the sawmills are

    importing timber from Cameroon. How

    long can we tolerate this situation?

    Today, we want timber members for

    roofing buildings but we cannot have

    them. We have to go for metal trusses.

    That is the extent that we are heading to.

    So, Mr Speaker, we should encourage

    the Hon Minister and offer him the

    assistance he needs to go on with this

    effort. As for people saying that the

    system is riddled with corruption, I will

    leave it to the Hon Minister to provide an

    adequate response but that should not

    derail the efforts of the Ministry in

    promoting this very noble scheme.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minister?
    Mr S. A. Jinapor 12:53 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    would want to, first of all, thank Hon
    Members for their useful contribution. I
    have taken note of each of the
    contributions made, and we would seek
    to perfect this initiative in the years to
    come. I thank them profusely.
    Mr Speaker, given that this is a
    House of records, there are one or two
    issues that I believe I should set the
    records straight on.

    When we plant these trees, the

    Forestry Commission takes a period of

    time to come to a conclusion as to how

    many trees have been planted. For

    example, tomorrow, the Forestry

    Commission will give out seedlings. It

    will take them about a week or two

    before they ascertain the number of trees

    that were planted. Some churches, Non-

    Governmental Organisations, et cetera

    plant some of the seedlings. The Forestry

    Commission has a strong room where

    they collate all the reports across the

    country. So, it takes a bit of time before

    they are able to say, with certainty, the

    number of trees planted.

    Mr Speaker, when the event takes

    place on Monday, on Tuesday, I will be

    in this House to thank the House and to

    give a preliminary report. If the President

    comes subsequently and gives a

    conclusive figure — the certified figure of trees that were planted — my Friend, the Hon Member for Tamale North, Mr

    Sayibu Suhuyini Alhassan, should rest

    assured that there is no contradiction.

    Mr Speaker, on the issue of survival

    rate, if anybody wants evidence of the

    survival rate of these trees, they can look

    around Parliament. All the trees that

    Statements

    were planted in Parliament are doing

    very well. My Colleague Members of

    Parliament who led their constituents to

    plant trees, I would want to believe that

    the trees are doing well there.

    Mr Speaker, on a more substantive

    point, the Forestry Commission has a

    very robust mechanism for determining

    the survival rate of these trees. The

    Commission has forest districts across

    the country. Those of us familiar with the

    forestry sector will attest to the fact that

    the Forestry Commission has institutions

    scattered across the country. That is how

    they are able to come up with the

    survival rates they provide. If anybody

    has contrary statistics, I am very happy

    to learn from them.

    Mr Speaker, finally, on the issue of

    corruption, I would like to assure this

    House that the Green Ghana Committee

    is chaired by a five-term experienced

    Member of Parliament and a six-year

    Hon Deputy Minister, Mr Benito

    Owusu-Bio. I have absolute confidence

    in him and his team. I would like to

    assure this House that the accounts of the

    Green Ghana Committee get audited

    each year. In 2021 and 2022, the

    accounts were audited. Indeed, following

    the contributions that have been made in

    this House, I intend to publish the

    accounts of the Green Ghana Committee

    for 2023 and perhaps for 2021 and 2022.

    Mr Speaker, let me submit and do so

    forcefully, particularly to my Friend, the

    Hon Member for Tamale North, that

    those of us who are in charge of the

    Ministry of Lands and Natural

    Resources, in all modesty, are men and

    women of integrity. We will not proceed

    under the guise of planting trees to

    engage in corruption. It will never

    happen and none of that is happening. I

    have to say so and say so forcefully.

    Mr Speaker, finally, as this House is

    aware, we have issued a ban on the

    harvesting, trading and export of

    rosewood. I appreciate the point the Hon

    Majority Leader made because it is a

    very important matter we would have to

    tackle. In the entire Savannah ecological

    zone, the harvesting of rosewood is a big

    issue. That is why we banned the harvest,

    export and trade of rosewood. That ban

    is still in place and we are enforcing it.

    Mr Speaker, I thank this House and I

    thank you personally for your support.
    Mr S. S. Alhassan (NDC — Tamale North) 12:53 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr
    Speaker, for the rare opportunity. The
    Hon Minister, in his submission, made
    reference to the fact that if we want
    evidence of how well the trees are doing,
    we should look around Parliament. With
    your permission, I just want to appeal to
    the Hon Minister not to use Parliament as
    a standard measure of how well these
    trees are doing. This is because
    Parliament has gardeners who are paid to
    keep the environment here green. So, it
    is different from the numerous trees we
    are told are planted outside of
    Parliament. It is unacceptable to use
    Parliament as a standard to say that
    because trees in Parliament are doing
    well, then trees all over are doing well.
    Mr Speaker, I would just want to
    conclude by reiterating the point —

    Statements
    Mr Speaker 12:53 p.m.
    Hon Member for
    Tamale North, I gave you the
    opportunity under Order 86(4) and (5) of
    the Standing Orders, thinking that you
    wanted to clarify an issue that you raised
    earlier which might have been
    misunderstood or something to deal with
    your character or conduct. But now, you
    are introducing new matters. It is not
    covered by the rules. That, definitely, is
    out of order. So, I will not permit you to
    continue to do what you are doing.
    Hon Members, this is a Statement; it
    is not a debate. I will be leading
    Parliament to plant the trees here.
    Actually, I am not too sure whether we
    can continue to use the term “planting trees”. If it is “growing trees”, I can accept it. What we plant are not trees.
    They are seedlings. There is tree
    planting, and we see it in the Middle
    East, Dubai and the rest, where they
    really bring a tree and plant. When you
    wake up the next day, you see that a
    desert has been turned into a forest. That
    is tree planting. What we do here is
    seedling planting. We should talk about
    growing trees. That is why after planting,
    people just move away, and the survival
    rate is what we are talking about, which
    we have to work on. I believe it is better
    to do this than to say because there is
    galamsey, we will not plant trees. We
    will worsen the situation. So please, I
    would want to encourage Hon Members
    to continue to let us grow the trees
    together.
    Hon Members, I will direct that
    tomorrow, you should, as usual, proceed
    to lead your constituents in the exercise.
    So, there would be no Sitting tomorrow,
    Friday, 8th June, 2023. We will do our bid
    to support you to take care of your cost
    of travelling. That, we will do. Once
    again, you are to lead in your
    constituencies. Tomorrow, I will lead the
    institution of Parliament to do so, and we
    will do so in your absence with the
    members of staff of the House.
    This ends the Statement that has been
    made by the Hon Minister for Lands and
    Natural Resources. We move on to the
    next Statement which stands in the name
    of the Hon Minister for Communications
    and Digitalisation —
    Hon Members, you were not
    listening to the Speaker. I stated how you
    will go.
    Deputy Minority Leader (Mr
    Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah): Mr
    Speaker, I wanted to be clear about the
    statement. Did you say that we are all
    going to participate in our constituencies
    and that we are not Sitting tomorrow?
    Mr Speaker 12:53 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority
    Leader, I was very clear that there would
    be no Sitting tomorrow. Hon Members
    are to go and lead their constituents to
    grow trees in the constituencies. I will do
    so in Parliament and I will be supported
    by the members of staff of the
    Parliamentary Service.
    Deputy Majority Leader (Mr
    Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin):
    Mr Speaker, if you may be pleased, I
    would want to seek your guidance on
    Order 86(5).

    Statements
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader, did you say Order 85?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    Order 86(5), with respect.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Order 86(5)?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    yes.
    Mr Speaker, a while ago, you granted
    leave for Mr Suhuyini Alhassan to come
    back under Order 86(5), and the subject
    matter for consideration was Statements.
    So, I just would want your guidance on
    —
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader, the subject matter for?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the subject matter for consideration was
    Statements. The Hon Minister for Lands
    and Natural Resources was before us on
    a Statement you had granted.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Yes —
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    so, I would want your guidance just for
    general application purposes —
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader, I was very clear that I was
    adopting Order 86(4) and (5), thinking
    that he was coming to clarify an earlier
    statement that he might have made in his
    contribution or remarks, but that was not
    what he was doing, so I ruled him out of
    order.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    yes, I agree with you on that. But even
    so, the premise of your order was to the
    effect that he needed to clarify, but I was
    looking at the question.
    Mr Speaker, if you may —
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader, I said I was adopting —
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    all right —
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader, I said I was adopting; I did not
    say I was applying.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    very well. In other words, mutatis
    mutandis, that is — [Interruption] — Mr Speaker, I want them to know — [Interruption] — No, this is not a challenge. I want them to know what Mr
    Speaker was doing. Mr Speaker, you
    have done something which they did not
    follow, and all I am trying to do is to help
    them to follow you.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. So, you are
    applying the rule mutatis mutandis. I
    agree.
    Mr Buah 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon
    Deputy Majority Leader was simply
    announcing his presence. You know he
    has not been here since — He was just standing up for you to know that he is —
    Mr Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority
    Leader, it is part of the game. He is
    entitled to do so.

    Statements

    Yes, Hon Minister for Com-

    munications and Digitalisation?

    Update on SIM Registration

    Minister for Communications and

    Digitalisation (Mrs Ursula G. Owusu-

    Ekuful) (MP):

    1. Introduction and Rationale for the

    SIM Registration

    Mr Speaker, I thank the House for

    granting me this opportunity to present

    an update on the National SIM

    Registration Exercise we began some 20

    months ago on 1st October, 2021, which

    has finally come to an end with

    resounding success.

    As you may recall, previous SIM

    registration exercises which had

    purportedly been undertaken were

    plagued with multiple challenges, which

    defeated the purpose of the exercise.

    These included:

     The use of multiple IDs, including Driving Licenses, Voter's ID cards,

    National Health Insurance cards and

    Passports, with no means of

    verifying their authenticity. Indeed,

    an attempt made by the National

    Communications Authority (NCA)

    to verify passports by a manual,

    laborious and unsustainable process

    was eventually abandoned as

    impractical. This lack of

    verification allowed the agents of

    Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)

    to use fake IDs and valid IDs of

    unsuspecting individuals to pre-

    register SIMs for sale.

     The databases created were unreliable, leading to the inability of

    security and law enforcement

    agencies to trace the IDs of

    individuals involved in SIM-related

    breaches of the law.

     There was no limit on the number of SIM cards registered by an

    individual, resulting in fraudsters

    registering multiple SIMs to

    perpetrate scams and defraud

    innocent citizens. SIM box fraud

    was also rampant, depriving both

    the MNOs and the Government of

    much-needed revenue.

     The lack of a Central SIM Registration Database disabled the

    regulator, the NCA, from

    independently and adequately

    monitoring registrations that had

    been completed, as well as the

    activities of the MNOs regarding

    SIM registration. Indeed, we only

    had the word of the MNOs

    regarding the number of SIMs in

    use in Ghana and lacked

    independent empirical data to

    enable us to take key decisions

    related to the development of the

    communications industry.

     There was no way of ensuring compliance with the National

    Identity Register Regulations, 2012,

    L.I. 2111, which mandated all SIMs

    to be registered with the Ghana

    Card.

    These were the reasons it was important to undertake a clean SIM registration exercise which would

    Statements

    address these challenges and be in conformity with existing laws and regulations.

    Ghana is rapidly developing a digital economy, and we must take steps to ensure that we build resilient systems that inspire trust in the use of digital platforms, applications and services. The digital ecosystem must be secured enough to protect citizens, users of communications services and Government investments, as well as private investments in the sector. A porous SIM acquisition and utilisation system as we had, prone to fraud and abuse, only served to diminish public confidence in the digital ecosystem with each successful undetected and unpunished SIM-based fraudulent or criminal activity.

    2. Stakeholder Engagement

    To ensure the successful implementation of the SIM Registration Exercise, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation convened several meetings with all stakeholders and mandated the NCA to collaborate with all MNOs as they play a key role in the provision of telecommunication services and have direct interaction with subscribers and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) providers, to ensure that the registration exercise covered the entire range of SIM card-issuing providers of telecommunication services, including broadband internet service providers.

    Several key Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies were also involved to provide support and contribute their expertise to the registration process. These included:

     Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration (MoFARI).

     Ministry of Information (MoI).

     National Information Technology Agency (NITA).

     The Registrar of Companies, formerly the Registrar General's

    Department (RGD).

     Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

     Data Protection Commission (DPC).

     National Identification Authority

    (NIA).

    3. Legal Framework

    The team considered and applied the

    following pieces of legislation in this

    exercise:

    Electronic Communications Act,

    2008 (Act 775); Subscriber Identity

    Module Registration Regulations, 2011

    (L. I. 2006); Data Protection Act, 2012

    (Act 843); National Identity Register

    Regulations, 2012, L.I. 2111; and

    Executive Instrument 63, 2020,

    4. Modalities of the Registration

    The registration of SIM cards was

    conducted using the Ghana Card as the

    sole identity document in line with the

    provisions of the National Identity

    Register Regulations, 2012, L.I. 2111,

    and the Subscriber Identity Module

    Registration Regulations, 2011, L. I.

    2006. This ensures that subscribers'

    Statements

    identification is linked to their national

    identification card.

    As a first step, all subscribers were

    required to link their SIMs to their Ghana

    Card to verify their details with the

    National Identification Authority (NIA)

    database.

    Once this process is completed, the

    biometric data of the subscriber is

    collected. This includes fingerprint and

    facial data, obtained through a positive

    likeness and liveliness check. This was

    to provide a kind of double-factor

    authentication and ensure that the Ghana

    Card of one person could not be used by

    another person to register their card.

    Biometric data enhanced the accuracy

    and security of SIM registration.

    The exercise imposed limits on the

    number of SIM cards an individual could

    possess. Each citizen and resident

    foreigner with a Ghana Card is allowed a

    maximum of 10 SIMs while foreign

    visitors are limited to three SIMs across

    all networks.

    A Central SIM Register has been

    established to serve as a central

    repository of SIM card information and

    enhance regulatory oversight and security.

    To facilitate the process and provide

    guidance, two committees, namely the

    Technical and Communications

    Committees, were established and an

    Operational Support Centre (OSC) was

    also set up at the NCA to assist

    consumers and the general public with

    any issues related to the registration

    process.

    5. Extensions of the Exercise

    Within the 20-month period of the

    SIM Registration Exercise, we have

    extended deadlines seven times in a bid

    to encourage people to register their SIM

    cards. The notable dates of the SIM

    Registration Exercise are as follows:

    Statements

    Table 1: SIM Registration Deadlines

    Deadline Date Action Taken

    Start Date 1st October, 2021

    SIM Registration Exercise

    commenced

    Deadline 1

    No action taken

    Deadline 2

    No action taken

    Deadline 3

    Blocking of SIM cards that

    had not completed

    registration was announced

    Punitive measures started

    for one week

    Services were restored to

    encourage people to

    complete the process

    Deadline 4

    No action was taken

    Deadline 5

    20th November, 2022 Data services barred for

    SIMS that completed Stage

    1 but not stage 2

    Deadline 6 30th November, 2022

    SIMS were blocked/

    deactivated from networks

    over a three-day period

    Deadline 7

    No action taken but the

    final deadline was

    announced

    Final Deadline

    All active unregistered SIM

    cards blocked (No

    telecommunication

    services, including Voice,

    Text, Data, and Mobile

    Money)

    Statements

    Clearly, this has not been an easy

    journey.

    8. Protecting the Integrity of the SIM

    Register

    To safeguard the integrity of the SIM

    Register, the NCA issued specific

    directives to MNOs, including:

     Completion of classification or

    categorisation of all SIM ownership

    into individual or business SIM

    cards.

     Deactivation of all SIM cards that

    are partially registered (stage 1).

     Strict application of the limit of 10

    SIM cards for individual

    subscribers.

     Development of a solution to enable

    subscribers to check the number of

    SIM cards registered with their

    Ghana Cards using a short code -

    402.

     Implementation of a process for

    consumers to delink SIM cards from

    their Ghana Cards through customer

    care centres, ensuring proper Know

    Your Customer (KYC) verification.

     Development of enterprise and

    web-based systems for businesses

    to check and delink unused or

    unwanted SIM cards.

    9. Subscribers Exempted from the

    SIM Registration Exercise

    In addition to the established

    guidelines and deadlines for the SIM

    Registration Exercise, certain categories

    of subscribers have been exempted from

    punitive measures for non-registration.

    These include exemptions for

    individuals without Ghana Cards who

    notify the NCA with proof of application

    for the Ghana Card, subscribers outside

    the country, and subscribers facing

    genuine challenges during the

    registration process.

    Table 2 provides the list of categories

    and the number of exemptions given per

    category.

    Table 2: List of Exemptions

    No. Exemption

    Category

    Number of

    Exemptions

    1 Members of the

    Diplomatic Corps

    3,179

    2 Staff of Ghana

    Missions and

    Ghana Armed

    Forces

    102

    3 Refugees 6,411

    4 SIM cards

    exempted due to

    Ghana Card Issues

    sent by the NCA

    Complaints Team

    387

    5 Number of SIM

    cards abroad

    (excluding staff

    of Ghana Missions

    and Ghana

    Armed Forces

    abroad)

    322,524

    Statements

    6 Mobile Money

    Agents, Merchants

    and EVDs (have

    been given one

    month to regularise

    their registrations

    or be blocked

    permanently and

    blacklisted)

    666,816

    Total Number of

    Exemptions

    999,419

    In recognition of the fact that not

    everyone has a Ghana Card, individuals

    who have not registered have been asked

    to submit evidence of having applied for

    their Ghana Card to the NCA.

    Subscribers who are currently

    outside the country have also been

    exempted from the registration process.

    Once they activate roaming on their

    phones, the MNOs can identify that they

    are outside the country and they are

    expected to register their SIM cards

    using their passports.

    The NCA has directed that SIM cards

    detected to be outside the country for a

    period of six months should be

    temporarily exempted until the

    subscribers can complete their

    registration. Some subscribers may also

    encounter genuine difficulties in

    completing their registration, and the

    NCA has directed them to contact the

    NCA for assistance via email or the SIM

    Operational Support Centre (Toll-Free

    0800-110-622). The complaint will be

    investigated and they may temporarily

    exclude the affected SIM cards from

    punitive measures until their concerns

    are resolved. This will, however, be done

    on a case-by-case basis, recognising that

    not all people may want to register their

    SIM cards as is their right.

    10. Challenges/Issues Arising from the

    Current SIM Registration Exercise

    One issue that emerged was the

    registration of more than 10 SIM cards

    per individual subscribers. Only

    corporate entities are allowed to register

    more than 10 SIM cards. However, some

    subscribers registered more than the

    permitted number across the various

    network operators due to the incomplete

    classification field for SIM registrations

    shared with the Central SIM Register.

    MNOs then requested time to

    reconfigure their databases to properly

    classify SIM registrations, leading to this

    loophole. This has, since, been resolved,

    with subscribers able to check how many

    SIM cards are linked to their Ghana

    Cards through a dedicated USSD code

    (402). The Central Database has also

    been updated accordingly.

    Mr Speaker, during the initial stage

    of the SIM Registration Exercise, some

    MNOs continued to use their old legacy

    platforms for registration. This led to

    abuse by certain agents in the registration

    process during stage 1, and the NCA

    directed the MNOs to discontinue using

    the legacy platform and complete the full

    SIM registration process, including

    biometric capture as directed. The NCA

    also out-doored the short code *402# to

    let people check and rectify any

    discrepancies. It is important to note that

    the legacy platform only allowed

    Statements

    completion of stage 1, which does not

    require biometric data and, therefore,

    could not complete the process.

    Mr Speaker, there were claims of

    database breaches during the exercise.

    Upon investigations, no unauthorised

    access or breach of the SIM Registration

    Database was discovered. The identified

    abuses during stage 1 were resolved and

    did not involve unauthorised access to

    the SIM Registration Database. No one's identity or personal information has been

    stolen or compromised in this process.

    Mr Speaker, from 1st June, 2023, to

    date, the NCA has been monitoring the

    situation, and it is interesting to note that

    at the MNOs' Customer Care Centres, there are people who had Ghana Cards

    who had simply not registered their SIM

    cards. This demonstrates that even if

    there had been another extension of the

    deadline, we would still have had people

    who would simply not have registered

    their SIM cards. They probably assumed

    that as is characteristic of Ghanaians, a

    little public outcry would have led to a

    knee-jerk reaction of truncating this

    exercise, but with the enforcement of the

    deadline, these people have now lined up

    to register their SIM cards, knowing that

    we are serious about this exercise.

    Mr Speaker, some people who also

    used the lack of a Ghana Card as an

    excuse not to register are now finding

    means of acquiring the Ghana Card or

    have reached out to the NCA as they had

    earlier been directed to do to ring fence

    their SIM cards while they await their

    Ghana Cards. We will not encourage any

    anonymity in this exercise and reiterate

    that those who have genuine challenges

    acquiring the Ghana Card to complete

    their SIM registration should contact the

    NCA with evidence of applying for the

    card, and their challenge will be

    addressed after investigating it. We

    continue to encourage the NIA to assist

    people to acquire their Ghana Cards.

    Mr Speaker, we have also been made

    aware of the difficulty facing subscribers

    in accessing their funds on mobile

    money wallets. These subscribers will

    not be able to transact any mobile

    money-related activity. However, MNOs

    are working with the Bank of Ghana to

    ensure that these subscribers can retrieve

    their funds on the presentation of a valid

    ID and completion of the relevant KYC

    (Know Your Customer) process. To

    transact mobile money-related activity,

    the subscriber will have to complete the

    registration for the MNO to reactivate

    the SIM card on the network.

    Mr Speaker, this is an area where

    multiple regulatory mandates converge,

    and it is absolutely critical for the

    regulator of financial services in Ghana,

    the Bank of Ghana, to collaborate closely

    with the regulator of the technological

    and telecommunications platforms that

    deliver those digital financial services,

    the NCA. I said so during the passage of

    the Payment Systems and Services Act,

    2009 (Act 987) in this very House and in

    other fora and was ignored. I hope we

    have now learnt our lessons and will

    desist from unnecessary turf wars —
    Mr Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon Minister, your
    Statement has gone beyond the limits of
    a Statement allowed in the House. This

    Statements

    you should have done in another forum.

    If you go through Standing Order 70(2),

    you should have limited yourself to facts

    which are deemed necessary to be made

    known to the House. This detailed,

    comprehensive rendition that you are

    giving us should have been done outside

    because if we allow such statements, we

    will never conduct any Business in this

    House so, please, you may wind up.

    The Hon First Deputy Speaker is to

    take the Chair. We have another

    Statement pending, and there is some

    more Business. I wanted to stay till the

    conclusion of your Statement, but

    unfortunately, I have to rush to do some

    other business.

    1.29 p.m. — [MR FIRST DEPUTY
    Mrs Owusu-Ekuful 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as
    I was notified on Tuesday, 6th June,
    2023, that the Business Committee had
    programmed for me to provide an update
    on the SIM Registration Exercise to the
    House, I was of the opinion that it would
    be important to brief the House fully on
    it since it was of such a topical nature and
    had found its way into the Business
    Statement. I did not request to make this
    Statement, but I was directed to make
    this Statement to the House. I would be
    guided by the Chair.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Deputy Majority Leader, are you
    interrupting? Hon Minister, kindly
    proceed and conclude. Or, wait, let me
    listen to the Hon Deputy Majority
    Leader.
    Deputy Majority Leader (Mr
    Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin):
    Mr Speaker, I need your guidance on
    Standing Order 70(2), and with your
    permission, I beg to quote:
    A Minister of State may make an
    announcement or a statement of
    government policy. Any such
    announcement or statement should
    be limited to facts which it is
    deemed necessary to make known
    to the House and should not be
    designed to provoke debate at this
    stage…
    Mr Speaker, going through it, no
    such thing is said about time so, I was
    trying to seek your guidance on what —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, please come and continue.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    wanted to seek your guidance.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Deputy Majority Leader, the invitation is
    declined. Hon Minister, come and
    continue.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 1:23 p.m.
    Very well, if it
    pleases Mr Speaker to do so, I am
    obliged.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, please continue.

    Statements
    Mrs Owusu-Ekuful 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    thank you for your guidance in this
    matter.
    Mr Speaker, another concern received
    is the claim that some agents are
    charging subscribers to register their
    SIM cards. MNOs have been directed to
    inform their agents to desist from this
    practice, failing which any agent caught
    in such an act will be punished. I will
    urge any victim of this illegal act to
    notify the NCA promptly, and action will
    be taken to deter this practice.
    Mr Speaker, I have also heard some
    people complain that though they had
    registered their SIM cards, those SIM
    cards were blocked. My information is
    that several of these complaints are from
    people who did not complete the second
    stage of the process as required. Such
    people should contact their MNOs to
    have the issues resolved, and owners of
    the SIM cards will get their numbers
    back after duly registering. They must,
    however, act timeously as the NCA will
    shortly announce when this moratorium
    will end, after which all unregistered
    SIM cards will be permanently blocked
    from the networks. If your line has been
    blocked and you still need it, please go
    and register.
    Mr Speaker, there may, however, be
    some which SIM cards are blocked
    inadvertently even after full registration.
    Kindly notify the NCA, and a full
    investigation will be conducted to
    determine if this was really the case and
    why it happened. The MNOs are to
    ensure that their systems work, and no
    one who has fully registered their SIM
    cards should have them blocked.

    11. What Have We Achieved So Far

    and the Impacts of the SIM

    Registration

    Mr Speaker, what has been achieved

    so far is that every registered SIM card is

    linked to a Ghana Card that has had the

    ownership of the Ghana Card verified

    from the NIA. Visiting foreigners have

    registered their SIM cards with their

    passports and these are only active for 90

    days. Almost 30 million SIM cards have

    been registered and can be accounted for

    after 20 months of this registration

    exercise, and that is no mean feat.

    Mr Speaker, limits have been set on

    individual SIM card ownership as

    indicated earlier. Ghanaians and resident

    foreigners are limited to 10 SIM cards,

    visiting foreigners have three, while

    corporate entities do not have any limit.

    However, their SIM cards are linked to

    the Ghana Card of a director of the

    corporate entity.

    Mr Speaker, today, Ghana, through

    the Ministry of Communications and

    Digitalisation, can boast of an

    independent National SIM Card Register

    which mirrors the SIM registers of the

    various MNOs. For the very first time in

    our history, we can accurately project the

    impact of decisions and actions taken by

    stakeholders without hazarding guesses.

    This database is also in the process of

    being linked to other institutional

    databases like the Ghana Revenue

    Statements

    Authority (GRA) to create a data lake

    and have a more accurate picture of

    mobile usage and spending patterns.

    Mr Speaker, individual SIM card

    owners can check the number of SIM

    cards linked to their Ghana Cards to

    address the issue of SIM cards

    fraudulently registered with other

    people's IDs. The NCA would be working with MNOs to ensure that a

    similar platform is created for corporate

    entities to be able to do so shortly.

    Through the SIM card re-registration

    process, we have ensured that the

    commercial operations which were

    hitherto being conducted without the

    relevant business documents are

    streamlining the processes with the

    Registrar of Companies. One needs

    proper corporate registration documents

    to register their corporate SIM cards.

    Mr Speaker, while the Ghana Card is

    mandatory for accessing various

    Government services, we can

    confidently state that no single service

    has had the majority of Ghanaian users

    part from commu-nication services.

    Undoubtedly, the SIM Re-registration

    Exercise has galvanised more Ghanaians

    to register for their Ghana Cards than any

    other exercise so far, ensuring that we

    have a more comprehensive National ID

    Database.

    Mr Speaker, through the operations

    of the SIM Registration Forensic Audit

    Team, the MNOs would be compelled to

    keep a sanitised SIM Card Register,

    making it easier for security agencies to

    track suspected criminals or fraudsters

    on the presentation of a court order. As

    the Inspector General of Police (IGP)

    indicated recently, the incidence of SIM-

    based fraud has reduced markedly since

    the re-registration exercise started. Mr

    Speaker, SIM boxing has almost

    completely disappeared. It would decline

    even further with the blocking of

    unregistered SIM cards used to commit

    or facilitate criminal activity.

    Mr Speaker, in terms of national

    security, the SIM registration would

    contribute significantly to enhancing

    national security by reducing the

    anonymity of mobile phone users. The

    availability of accurate subscriber

    information aids law enforcement

    agencies in investigating and preventing

    criminal activities.

    Mr Speaker, the SIM re-registration

    would also facilitate the implementation

    of various Government initiatives such

    as mobile money services, digital

    financial services and other electronic

    transactions. Accurate subscriber

    identification enables the expansion of

    these services and enhances financial

    inclusion. By registering SIM cards,

    citizens are better protected against fraud

    and unsolicited messages and other

    forms of misuse of mobile phone

    services. The ability to identify and track

    individuals engaging in illegal activities

    provides a sense of security for all of us.

    Mr Speaker, so far, 28,948,142 SIM

    cards have been fully registered while

    999,419 have been exempted, and so the

    total active SIM cards are 29,947,561. At

    the start of the re-registration exercise,

    our information was that there were

    42,416,459 SIM cards, out of which

    Statements

    7,995,679 have been unregistered and

    blocked while 4,473,219 have been

    delinked and removed from the SIM

    register.

    Mr Speaker, since the final deadline,

    increased activity indicates that some of

    these blocked SIM cards are being

    reactivated following the completion of

    all necessary processes. However, it is

    important to note that not all the blocked

    SIM cards are expected on the networks

    as some of these SIM cards were pre-

    registered SIM cards which were used

    for fraud. Some were also for subscribers

    who may not want to use them again.

    Mr Speaker, I am also informed that

    almost 280,000 merchant SIM cards

    have not been registered, and a viral

    video doing rounds on social media a few

    weeks ago indicated that some criminal

    networks have actually acquired

    merchant SIM cards to facilitate their

    fraudulent activities. Mr Speaker, I

    would like to reiterate, once again, that

    all unregistered merchant SIM cards

    would be blocked permanently at the end

    of June 2023.

    Mr Speaker, the NCA has established

    a SIM Card Registration Forensic Audit Team tasked to validate the integrity of the service providers' data in the central SIM Register Database, identify discrepancies or inconsistencies between the service provider and the central SIM Card Register, evaluate the effectiveness of data synchronisation processes, assess the accuracy and completeness of the central SIM Register Database, review data entry processes and security controls to mitigate the risk of data

    matriculation or corruption and confirm the accuracy of SIM registration data in accordance with the requirement of the SIM regulations and directives of the Authority.

    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, my

    information is that the SIM cards of some Hon Members of Parliament and even the Rt Hon Speaker and Leadership were affected by this exercise. The MNOs have been in Parliament several times to assist Hon Members to complete the process, and would continue to work with the Office of the Clerk to Parliament to facilitate registration for those who would like to complete the exercise.

    Mr Speaker, by implementing a

    comprehensive SIM Registration Exercise, the Government aims to reduce fraud, enhance security and promote responsible use of SIM cards for the benefit of all. I am accounting on the support of my Hon Colleagues to complete this exercise which would inure to the benefit of all the good people of Ghana.

    Mr Speaker, I thank Ghanaians, all

    SIM card users and all the stakeholders involved in this process for their cooperation as we seek to build a digital Ghana based on sound, secure, foundational digital infrastructure, including a robust National SIM Registry. Mr Speaker, it is digi-time in Ghana.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Yes, lay it on the Table.
  • [The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation laid the Statement on the Table]
    • Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:43 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, you have spoken long enough.
    Kindly wind up.
    Mr George 1:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Statement was very long and there are
    many issues that were raised but I would
    wrap up and conclude.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:43 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, you are going around the same
    matters: registration and renewal.
    Mr George 1:53 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we should
    be clear that the NCA, acting on the
    directives of the Hon Minister of
    Communications and Digitalisation and
    working through the MNOs, has created
    what poses the biggest national security
    threat to our country today. With what
    they have done, which for want of a
    better phrase, I would not want to call
    “reckless”, but rather, an indiscriminate blocking of SIM cards of Ghanaians who
    ought to have access to their SIM cards
    for the conduct of business and
    sustenance of livelihood, I call upon this
    House to impress upon the Hon Minister
    for Communications and Digitilisation to
    go back to the drawing board and engage
    the NIA, and do a proper process.
    Mr Speaker, this country can only
    seek solace in the fact that the next NDC
    administration in 2025 would do a proper
    SIM registration that would verify the
    identities of people. This is because
    today, if the system of Hon Minister
    were up to date and really robust as she
    would like us to believe, nobody would
    have been able to use the biometric data
    of someone else to register SIM cards
    without the knowledge of the person.
    Mr Speaker, so, people are at risk
    today for them to be picked up by the
    Police for fraud committed by SIM cards
    that they did not register but because the
    system that the Hon Minister put in place
    was not robust enough to stop those
    processes.

    Statements

    Mr Speaker, we need to protect the

    people who voted us into this Chamber,

    and in doing that, we would like to ask

    the Hon Minister to go back to the

    drawing board, engage her technical

    people at the NCA, and engage and work

    with the NIA for us to have a truly clean

    SIM register.

    Mr Azumah Abed-nego Bandim

    (NDC — Bunkpurugu): I thank you,

    Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to

    contribute to the Statement by the Hon

    Minister. I would like to pick it from the

    Statement the Hon Minister made. She

    made an indication that individuals who

    have not yet registered their SIM cards

    but have started the process from the

    NIA to get their cards, would be given

    the opportunity to extend their

    registration exercise.

    Mr Speaker, I would like to indicate

    that as my Hon Colleague said, Ghana is

    not only in Accra, Kumasi and Cape

    Coast; Ghana extends beyond these

    cities.

    We have individuals from my

    constituency in Bunkpurugu who largely

    have not registered their SIM cards

    because NIA is not able to produce their

    Ghana Cards for them. They are not

    educated to access any portal or apply

    through any means by the NCA to get

    their SIM cards extended for them. How

    are these people going to apply to get

    extension for their SIM cards to be

    registered on a later date?

    Mr Speaker, as we speak, the agency

    responsible for the national database of

    SIM cards are charging people GH₵5.00 to register. The question I want to ask the

    Hon Minister is; how did they arrive by

    this GH₵5.00 for individuals to pay and register their SIM cards? We on the

    Committee on Communications have

    had the opportunity to interact with other

    stakeholders and we can report to the

    House that the Hon Minister has not in

    any way consulted with all the

    stakeholders, including the Committee

    on Communications. The Hon Minister

    is working alone. The Ghana Card

    producers are not in any way involved in

    this whole exercise.

    When they appeared before the

    Committee, we asked them whether this

    agency holding our national data are

    properly certificated by the Data

    Protection Commission. The Data

    Protection Commission indicated to us

    that they had not in any way certified this

    agency to manage our national data. It is

    legally-mandated on agencies that

    manage national data to be properly

    certificated by Data Protection

    Commission. We can talk about the

    Social Security and National Insurance

    Trust (SSNIT), the Controller and

    Accountant General, and the Drivers and

    Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA),

    and the Electoral Commission.

    Mr Speaker, these agencies are

    properly certificated by the Data

    Protection Commission, but this particular

    agency that is managing our SIM card

    database is not. We asked the Hon

    Minister, but she was not forthcoming

    with answers and up to date, she has not

    Statements

    furnished the Committee as to whether

    these people are properly constituted to

    manage our national data.

    There are reports of agents who are

    using other people's identity (ID) cards to register other consumers. As my Hon

    Colleague indicated, we are sitting on a

    time bomb; people would be arrested for

    crimes that they have not committed

    because they have had their SIM cards

    registered by people without their

    knowledge. The Hon Minister has painted

    a picture as if all is well; it is not well.

    Mr Speaker, I walked to the MTN

    Head Office to register my two SIM

    cards, but on the night of 1st June, I had

    those SIM cards blocked. How did that

    happen? Please, we want to make an

    appeal that the Hon Minister goes back

    to the drawing board, ask all stakeholders

    to sit around the table and iron out the

    outstanding issues that the Committee

    has pointed out to her, so that we can

    have a successful SIM card registration.

    Otherwise, we would be compelled to do

    another registration exercise in a future

    government.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:03 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Member for Sagnarigu?
    Alhaji Bashir A. Fuseini Alhassan
    (NDC — Sagnarigu): Thank you very
    much, Mr Speaker. Let me, without any
    doubt, indicate that while the Statement
    of the Hon Minister deserves some
    amount of commendation, it nevertheless,
    comes with very serious problems.
    Mr Speaker, if you are suffering in
    health, blame death. I remember that
    before the commencement of this
    exercise, we, on this Side of the House,
    had the opportunity to interact with the
    Hon Minister at the NCA Head Office,
    and in the discussions that ensued, we
    made a conscious effort to point out to
    the Hon Minister that, first and foremost,
    anchoring this exercise on the Ghana
    Card being the sole identity document
    was going to be replete with so many
    problems.
    Indeed, we described it as a recipe for
    disaster because we are fundamentally
    seeking to anchor our work on a
    documentation that we do not control
    and over which we have no opportunity
    to regulate because whereas the Ghana
    Card is being issued by the NIA, the
    exercise will be carried out by the NCA
    and the Ministry of Communications and
    Digitalisation does not regulate the work
    of the NIA. So, if there are problems with
    the issuance of the card, how is the
    Ministry — If that active collaboration is not there — I am sure that in this very House, when we invited the NIA, they
    made it abundantly clear here that they
    are not working under the supervision of
    the Ministry of Communications and
    Digitisation or any other body except the
    Ministry of the Interior that exercises
    oversight over it.
    So, ab initio, that was problematic
    and we did not need to get there in the
    first place because L.I. 2111 on which
    they anchored the action, nowhere in it
    does it say that the Ghana Card should be
    the sole identity document. It only
    discusses it as the main document;

    Statements

    “main” is not coterminous with “sole”. So, in trying to point out this thing, we

    said that other forms of identification

    could be used. The fact that the Ministry

    had to extend more deadlines indicated

    to them that clearly, many more

    Ghanaians have been left out through no

    fault of theirs.

    Mr Speaker, as we speak today,

    going by the Hon Minister's own statistics, we have about 43 million SIM

    cards, but we have done only 29 million.

    We have an excess close to about 13

    million SIM cards that stand the risk of

    being deactivated. These are Ghanaians

    for whom we have a bounding duty in

    this House to speak for. A lot of them are

    unable to do this exercise because they

    cannot have access to the Ghana Card

    through no fault of theirs.

    In my own constituency, there are

    places where one would go; towns and

    villages with populations of about 800,

    one would ask how many of them have

    Ghana Cards and sometimes one cannot

    even find 10 people; just 10. So, there are

    many people who, through no fault of

    theirs, cannot access the Ghana Card and

    today we are even told that some degree

    of corruption is taking place where

    people have to pay moneys, sometimes

    to even jump queues or get priority to get

    the Ghana Card.

    Mr Speaker, we did not need to do

    this; we just needed to open up and form

    other forms of identification. I am not

    impressed with that argument that there

    are flaws with some of our identity

    systems; either the passports or birth

    certificates or the drivers' licence and

    that is why we have to jettison those

    other forms of identification and accept

    the Ghana Card as the sole identification

    document for the authentication of our

    SIM cards.

    Mr Speaker, if one trips and falls,

    they look at where they tripped, they do

    not look at where they fell.

    I think that we should come back

    again and see what we can do with these

    more than 13 million SIM cards that

    stand the risk of being deactivated.

    We can still go back to the drawing

    board as my Hon Colleagues suggested

    and look at the matter again and ensure

    that, at least, we give them the fair

    opportunity as it would be to access the

    Ghana Card to do the needful.

    Mr Speaker, as legitimate

    representatives of the people in this

    House, we have a duty to speak for our

    people; we are the voice of the people

    and I would like to urge that in making

    the Statement, the Hon Minister would

    have been cognisant of the fact that she

    wants to get more lessons from here.

    This is for people to point out certain

    shortcomings for her to take on board

    and ensure that she could go back to the

    drawing board with the NCA under her

    watch to do a very decent job.

    I would like to thank you, Mr

    Speaker, for this opportunity and to say

    that it is important that in carrying out

    national exercises of this character, we

    seek advice before we commence to

    Statements

    listen, and take certain concerns on

    board. I am sure that when the

    implementation of that exercise starts,

    we would have imbibed some very

    useful advice that would contribute to the

    success. I have no doubt in my mind that

    this is a very important exercise and it

    must be very clear that this is a SIM re-

    registration. It is important to clarify that.

    It is not a registration. It signifies that

    people have already registered and have

    bona fide rights to own SIM cards, so it

    is not just easy to do away with those

    cards. In fact, it has legal implications

    and those who would like to even contest

    it could do so. This is because in the first

    registration they did, they were probed

    with certain legal rights to the use of

    those SIM cards. So, if we are doing a re-

    registration, which objectives I do not

    doubt are noble, we should ensure that

    people's legitimate rights and freedoms are embodied in those SIM cards and we

    should not just take them away like that.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:03 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Member for Tamale South, Mr
    Haruna Iddrisu?
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu (NDC — Tamale South) 2:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me
    thank you very much for the opportunity
    to contribute to the very comprehensive
    and thorough Statement made by the
    Hon Minister for Communications and
    Digitalisation on the state of registration
    and re-registration of SIMs.
    Mr Speaker, the word ‘SIM' itself, S- I-M means “Subscriber Identity Module”. Therefore, it is an imperative
    for us to support the Hon Minister and
    Government to succeed in getting
    Ghanaian SIM holders properly
    registered for the purposes of fighting
    crime, particularly unanimous crime, and
    for purposes for which mobile telephony
    has come to be accepted as a very
    important tool.
    However, Mr Speaker, we should be
    cautious in wanting to accept the Hon
    Minister's declaration of a huge success of the exercise. So, we would caution the
    Hon Minister that when she becomes a
    judge in her own court, she could make a
    declaration of how profound the success
    of a SIM registration is. Listening to the
    Hon Ranking Member and other members
    of the Committee on Communications, I
    intend to highlight three important issues
    for the Hon Minister's attention.
    Firstly, is stakeholder engagement.
    How thorough and comprehensive was
    the engagement and consultation with
    stakeholders including the regulator, the
    National Communications Authority?
    What is the level of consultation with the
    telecom chamber and mobile network
    operators in our country that is leading to
    the conclusion that she has come to?
    Mr Speaker, everywhere in the
    world, SIMs are registered. Ghana has a
    mobile permutation of 140 per cent
    which reflects 44.9 million persons with
    multiplicity of SIMs, so when she comes
    and says that they have registered a half
    of them and call it a huge success, that
    leaves much for us to look at.
    However, Mr Speaker, the Hon
    Member for Sagnarigu, Alhaji A.B.A.

    Statements

    Fuseini, has spoken and I do not know

    whether I have his authority to use this

    proverb: “A woman does not jump a man's thigh to make love to the man or to mate with the man”. I intend not to pay royalties to him. If he does —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:03 p.m.
    Sorry,
    can you repeat that?
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 2:03 p.m.
    Are you
    interested in that proverb, Mr Speaker?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:03 p.m.
    I am
    interested in that.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 2:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    the Dagombas say and the Hon Member
    for Sagnarigu, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini,
    would polish it for me but today I have
    no royalties to pay for him. The proverb
    says that: “A woman does not jump over a man's thigh and at the same time still anticipates having a good companion
    with the man”. You see when one jumps off it, one has jumped out of it.
    [Laughter].
    Mr Speaker, definitely, the Hon
    Minister for Communications and
    Digitalisation may not be at the core of
    our problem. The inaccessibility and
    non-availability of the Ghana Card to
    deserving Ghanaians is the core of this
    problem and we must deal with it as
    such, which may be thwarting the Hon
    Minister's worthy effort to get Ghanaians register onto the SIM.
    Mr Speaker, as observed rightly by the Hon Member for Bunkurugu, when we go to the hinterlands, their access to the Ghana Card is not as easy as what is
    happening in urban Accra, and the Hon Minister is the last person we should be discussing the viability and social significance of mobile telephony with. Those whose SIMs have been blocked, some have suffered relationships problems. Some probably have lost their girlfriends, contact with their significant others, and it is even very possible that some have been threatened with divorce because they have not reached out to him or her since their SIM has been blocked. That excuse may be creating problems for many marriages with this SIM block as a social problem.
    Mr Speaker, on a more serious note,
    you know mobile telephony and its significance. So, Hon Minister, we are saying that do not just block SIMs when the fault or problem is not from the person who is holding the SIM.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:03 p.m.
    Former Minority Leader, please, give me a minute.
    Hon Members, having regards to the
    state of the Business of the House, I direct that the House Sits outside the regular Sitting hours.
    Hon Member, you may continue.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 2:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let us just take birthdays, those who forget people's birthdays, whether for purpose of entertainment, personal emergencies, mobile phone is important, as it has alarms and reminders and now even people study on it. So, with the principle of SIM registration, she should be assured that she has the whole hearted support of this House that Ghana needs a dedicated SIM regime.

    Statements

    Beyond the inaccessibility and

    unavailability of the Ghana Card, the

    second problem we try to deal with is

    that there are too many silos of data in

    Ghana. This is my view. Why are we

    taking biometric of a person for a SIM

    card, a National ID card, Health

    Insurance card, and for a SSNIT card;

    too many silos of data. What this country

    and the Electoral Commission of Ghana

    need is the synchronisation and

    harmonisation of data.

    As I listened to the Hon Member for

    Ningo-Prampram, Mr Samuel Nartey

    George, the problem is that the Ministry

    of Communications and Digitalisation

    does not even have a data sharing

    infrastructure nor a data sharing

    platform. So, when one registers his or

    her SIM, how do they get it verified on a

    National Identification Authority

    Platform when the Ministry does not

    have an infrastructure for data sharing?

    We need that and the Hon Minister could

    provide the leadership in that respect.

    This country needs a data

    infrastructure sharing platform, maybe,

    coordinated by policy through her but we

    do not have one. It is the same problem

    with the Electoral Commission. They

    want to use the National ID card; they

    can use it but how do they relate their

    own identity numbers with that of the

    National Identification Authority. The

    Hon Member for Ningo-Prampram, Mr

    Samuel Nartey George, provides the

    succinct details of the relationship of the

    Ministry of Communications and

    Digitalisation with the National

    Identification Authority. This is public

    knowledge. We all heard Prof Kenneth

    Attafua, where NIA stands and the

    relationship with the exercise the

    Ministry is undertaking.

    For us, as a control, the turf war must

    cease. As to who is in charge or who is

    in the country, SIM is the turf of the

    Ministry of Communications and

    Digitalisation but identification is the

    turf of the NIA. How do we reconcile it

    for the benefit of the Ghanaian? The Hon

    Minister must be seen working with the

    NIA. Therefore, this institutional

    hostility must cease.

    Mr Speaker, given the statistics, this

    House must advise the Hon Minister to

    walk gingerly and cautiously because

    denying people access to their mobile

    telephones could be fatal to social

    harmony, stability of homes, institution

    of businesses, academic and research

    work, and other things and therefore, we

    have not said that they should not do the

    exercise. This House must make sure that

    the NIA is able to complete the exercise

    and complete it well, and stop this

    discrimination of “pay and get it” and if one cannot pay, they cannot get it.

    I will use my constituency, Tamale

    South, as an example. Out of the over

    100,000 voters, I have less than 60,000

    voters who have the Ghana card. The last

    search was around 58,000, so there is a

    problem. It is not the Hon Minister's

    problem, but it is the Ministry of Finance

    who has not given the NIA enough

    money. They have not honoured even

    what they promised here, so let us deal

    Statements

    with it; however, let us assure the Hon

    Minister of that in principle.

    Mr Speaker, finally, this is unrelated.

    I sympathise with the Hon Minister with

    regard to mobile network operators,

    because Ghana's telecom landscape is getting to the worse business opportunity.

    Even how much tax Government makes

    from mobile network operators has

    dwindled over time. It may be in terms of

    numbers, but what we used to get, I have

    heard and I do not want to believe it, that

    even Ghana Telecom; which is now

    Vodafone, which was worth a billion

    dollars in the year 2008, has been offered

    for sale at not more than US$100 million.

    How did that happen? Someday, the Hon

    Minster will have to brief this House on

    the state of Vodafone, because what I

    have heard is that it has been sold out. To

    who? How did they secure the consent of

    the minority shareholder which is the

    Government of Ghana? So, an asset

    which was worth US$1 billion in the year

    2008 is not more than US$100 million

    today. This is something that, in the

    foreseeable future, we will ask the Hon

    Minister to respond to.

    Mr Speaker, largely, we support the

    principle — [Interruption] — Vodafone; Ghana Telecom. What is your [Hon

    Majority Leader] problem, coach? Mr

    Speaker, we support the SIM

    registration, but the Hon Minister should

    do it rightly. The consultation they have

    asked for is important. Do not block

    people's SIMs because the mobile telephone is a good source of social

    harmony and peace in our homes, for

    sustenance of businesses, and for proper

    academic work, so she should not just

    block it because somebody has no SIM

    through no fault of theirs. If NIA fails to

    get a Ghana Card for me, and they insist

    on it as the sole source, this is what they

    will get.

    I thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:13 p.m.
    Does the
    Leadership wish to contribute? Very
    well. Hon Minister for Communications
    and Digitalisation, would you want to
    respond?
    Mrs Owusu-Ekuful 2:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    statements made by the Hon Member for
    Ningo-Prampram, Mr Samuel Nartey
    George, exhibits a misunderstanding or
    lack of appreciation of the process that
    has been put in place for the SIM card
    registration exercise. No entity is
    collecting and storing biometric data for
    this exercise. That is not what is being
    done, and no entity is using any device or
    portable reader for that purpose which
    requires the prior approval of the NIA. It
    is palpably false to say that there is no
    verification with the NIA because the
    initial stage of the process involves
    linking ones SIM card with their Ghana
    card. Now, it goes directly and queries
    the database of the NIA, and that system
    was set up in close collaboration between
    the MNOs, the MCEs, and the NIA, and
    that is how one starts the SIM
    registration exercise ab initio. So, before
    one even goes on to collecting their
    biometric database, their SIM card is
    already linked with their Ghana Card,
    and when — if the Hon Member for Ningo-Prampram has done that, but he
    has not done so, so he can shake his head.
    But for everyone who has done that when

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    they link their Ghana Card with their

    SIM card, it sends them a unique code

    which will enable them to proceed to the

    second stage to even do the biometric

    capture.

    Now, why did we institute the

    biometric capture phase? To weed out

    the possibility of the same Ghana Card

    being used for multiple people or SIMs.

    So, just as if we were having a manual

    form filling exercise, affixing their

    photographs with it, and having them go

    through the subjective exercise of having

    an individual determine that the person

    sitting before me is the person whose

    photograph is affixed to this card, we

    decided to use digital technology and

    artificial intelligence (AI) to perform a

    likeness and liveliness check as I

    indicated in my Statement. Instead of an

    individual deciding that this is Kwaku

    Mensah sitting before me and his picture

    is on this Ghana Card, the Ghana Card is

    scanned, his picture is taken and the

    system compares the photograph of the

    individual applying for registration with

    the Ghana Card. One does not need the

    NIA for this process because they are not

    collecting and storing biometric data,

    and that is why he exhibited a distinct

    lack of appreciation of the technical

    process that was put in place to conduct

    this exercise.

    I indicated that it is a double-factor

    authentication process that has been put

    in place, so instead of me deciding that

    this, indeed, is the Hon Member for

    Ningo-Prampram who is presenting his

    Ghana Card, technology does it and that

    is all it does. That biometric data or

    fingerprints are not stored in any

    database. They are part of the process of

    deciding or determining that the

    individual sitting in front of me is

    actually the person whose image is on the

    Ghana Card and that is what he does not

    appreciate. I will not belabour that point,

    because — today, I will also try to quote a proverb, “you can never wake up a person who is pretending to sleep”. — [Laughter] — How can you wake him up if he is pretending to sleep? You cannot

    wake him up.

    Mr Speaker, I appreciate the concerns

    Hon Members expressed about the

    Ghana Card and the lack of it, which has

    contributed to some people being unable

    to register their SIM cards, and that is

    what has led to the multiple extensions,

    but as I indicated, some people genuinely

    have the Ghana cards and have refused to

    register, like the Hon Member for Ningo-

    Prampram, Mr Samuel Nartey George,

    and what can we do about that person?

    We cannot do anything about that

    person.

    Mr George — rose —
    Mrs Owusu-Ekuful 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    NCA has offices in all regions of this
    country. What Hon Members of
    Parliament can do to help our
    constituents is to assist them to apply for
    the Ghana Card. All the NCA requires at
    this stage is evidence of having made an
    effort to apply for the Ghana Card and
    not having received it. That is all the
    NCA requires at this stage. We cannot
    have a blanket exemption, because we all
    know that some fraudsters are hiding
    behind the anonymity of this process to
    defraud others. So if we give a blanket

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    exemption, we are just allowing them to

    continue perpetuating their fraudulent

    activities on all individuals. What the

    NCA requires at this stage is for

    individuals to apply for the Card. You

    may not have received it, but apply for it.

    Send them evidence of your application

    for it and your Card will be exempted

    from the exercise.

    Mr Speaker, there is absolutely no

    institutional hostility or turf war between

    the NIA and the NCA. They have

    worked very closely together so far.

    They constantly interact in this exercise,

    and they would continue to do so. In the

    initial stage of the exercise, there was

    some misunderstanding on the part of

    these institutions when they assumed

    that we would use a particular mode to

    register. I did not understand the

    architecture that was put in place for this

    exercise.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member of

    Parliament for Bunkpurugu can assist his

    constituents to notify the NCA of any

    challenges that they may have in this

    exercise. It is also not true that the Data

    Protection Commission is not involved

    in this exercise. The Commission is one

    of the stakeholders that have been part of

    this exercise from inception to date; I am

    not aware of any time that the Hon

    Member confronted me at a Committee

    meeting about this, and I was unable to

    give him a satisfactory answer, so his

    statement is factually incorrect, and I

    have to make that as forcefully as I can.

    As I indicated in my presentation, the

    Data Protection Commission is one of

    the institutions that were consulted as a

    key stakeholder in this exercise, so I am

    not sure any official of the Data

    Protection Commission would tell the

    Hon Member that they have not been

    involved in this exercise. It is also not

    correct that any entity involved in this

    exercise is not registered with the Data

    Protection Commission — that is

    factually incorrect. Every single entity,

    public and private, involved in this SIM

    card registration exercise has been fully

    trained and is registered with the Data

    Protection Commission as a data

    controller, so the Hon Member should

    kindly check his facts well.

    Mr Speaker, my information is that

    there are 7.9 million SIM cards that have

    been blocked; even as we speak, several

    of those are being unblocked because

    they have not been permanently blocked.

    They have been deactivated from

    receiving services, but as and when they

    regularise their status, they are quickly

    brought up on air, and I gave the statistics

    of those that have been re-activated. I

    could go through it again: MTN has re-

    activated 117,399 SIM cards from 1st to

    6th June; Vodafone, 77,410 SIM cards;

    and AirtelTigo, 30,335 SIM cards, just

    within that 5-day period, and I have not

    received the statistics since then, but

    each day, these cards are being re-

    activated.

    Mr Speaker, extensive stakeholder

    consultation was held throughout this

    process, and as I indicated, a standing

    technical committee, which meets

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    weekly or bi-weekly, comprising

    representatives of all MNOs, the

    technical service provider, and the NCA,

    to review the process of this SIM card

    registration exercise. We also have the

    communications committee comprising

    representatives of all stakeholders,

    which meets regularly, so I can confirm

    that extensive stakeholder consultation

    was held, is being held and would

    continue to be held to facilitate the

    conclusion of this process. I agree with

    the Hon Member about silo databases,

    and we would have an announcement to

    make on that very soon.

    Mr Speaker, the former Hon

    Minority Leader said I should not

    congratulate myself, but to quote Chinua

    Achebe, “The lizard that jumped from a

    high iroko tree to the ground said he

    would praise himself if no-one else did.”
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:33 p.m.
    Mr
    Samuel Nartey George says that he does
    not have the Ghana Card. He wants that
    to be on record. Hon Member, I have said
    that for you; otherwise, this is not
    supposed to generate a debate, so the
    record — No, we have closed.
    Hon Members, I have two other
    Statements, one by Mr Bedzrah. Mr
    Bedzrah would make a Statement in
    honour of the appointment of the Rt Hon
    Speaker Bagbin as President of
    Conference of Speakers and Heads of
    African Parliaments (CoSAP).
    Hon Member, please, proceed.
    Statement in Honour of the
    Appointment of Rt Hon A. S. K.
    Bagbin as President of CoSAP
    Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
    (NDC — Ho West): Thank you, Mr
    Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I wish to extend
    gratitude to you for the opportunity to
    join the numerous well-wishers both in
    Ghana and the continent at large in
    expressing my heartfelt congratulations
    to the Rt Hon Speaker on his well-
    deserved appointment as President of the
    Conference of Speakers and Heads of
    African Parliaments (CoSAP). His
    appointment and inauguration into office
    which took place in Abuja, Nigeria, on
    27th May, 2023, brings an indescribable
    sense of honour and excitement to our
    nation. The establishment of the CoSAP
    is a landmark initiative that reflects our
    shared commitment to increased
    collaboration, cooperation, and the
    pursuit of joint solutions to address the
    common challenges faced by our
    beloved continent.
    Mr Speaker, the Rt Hon Speaker's appointment serves as a testament to his exceptional leadership qualities and unwavering dedication to the advancement of Africas democratic principles and development. As we celebrate this remarkable achievement, the words of Nelson Mandela reverberate within us, “It is in your hands to make a better world for all who live in it. His visionary leadership and profound understanding of the significance of collaborative action are evident in his commitment to strengthen the future and longevity of

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    Africas democratic dispensation. We wholeheartedly support his efforts to forge partnerships with neighbouring Parliaments, fostering a culture of collaborative representation at every level of governance. May he succeed as he leads this noble institution to advocate for Debt Cancellation Campaign Initiative (DCCI).

    Mr Speaker, the Rt Hon Speaker's

    call to safeguard and strengthen the role and powers of legislatures across the continent is of paramount importance. Kwame Nkrumah once said, “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” It is imperative that we prioritise inclusive budgeting and policy planning to ensure that the needs of our women, youth, and people living with disabilities are addressed, and that they are provided with equal opportunities to thrive and contribute to the national development of our great continent.

    Mr Speaker, the urgency with which

    the Rt Hon Speaker emphasised the creation and sustainability of an enabling legislative environment for public-private partnerships, as well as the enhancement of the capacity and effectiveness of African Inter-parliamentary institutions is truly commendable. His vision aligns perfectly with the ideals of great leaders such as Julius Nyerere, who believed that unity is not an abstract concept but a practical necessity for the survival of our people. Through his leadership, we are confident that Africa will witness tangible progress in public financial and economic management collaborative strategies and the resolution of critical issues that affect us all.

    Mr Speaker, the Rt Hon Speaker's rich political and leadership background

    make him eminently capable of

    delivering on this mandate.

    The Rt Hon Speaker's mentorship and guidance have positively impacted

    numerous Members of Parliament,

    including myself, providing us with

    invaluable opportunities and exposure to

    serve on several sub-regional, continental,

    and global inter-parliamentary associations.

    His dedication to the Commonwealth

    Parliamentary Association, the Pan

    African Parliament, and various other

    parliamentary associations has

    strengthened our ability to contribute

    meaningfully to the global discourse and

    advocate for the interests of our nation.

    The news of his appointment has

    filled the hearts of the Ghanaian people

    with immense pride and joy. We

    recognise the significance of this

    moment, as it reinforces our belief in the

    power of African unity and leadership.

    As members of Parliament, we stand

    firmly united in our unwavering support

    for the Rt Hon Speaker as he undertakes

    this noble endeavour. We have complete

    confidence in his ability to lead with

    integrity, wisdom, and a relentless

    commitment to the advancement of

    Africas parliamentary institutions and

    the betterment of our beloved continent.

    Mr Speaker, once again, the Rt Hon

    Speaker should accept my warmest

    congratulations on his appointment as

    the President of the CoSAP. May his

    tenure be filled with resounding success,

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    and may his leadership pave the way for

    a united, prosperous, and harmonious

    Africa.

    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:33 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, I do not intend that we prolong
    this one. So, I would allow one
    contribution each from either Sides in
    addition to the Leaders if any, but I do
    not see anybody from the Majority Side.
    Mr Buah 2:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you can give
    all to us. We are proud of the Rt Hon
    Speaker and we would speak.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:33 p.m.
    Very
    well. I would give two from the Minority
    Side. I recognise the Hon Member for
    Builsa South — Well, I do not see you on your feet. If you rise, I would
    recognise you —
    Mr Samuel Atta Akyea — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:33 p.m.
    Very
    well. I will start with the Hon Member
    for Abuakwa South.
    Mr Samuel Atta Akyea (NPP — Abuakwa South) 2:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank
    you for the opportunity to say a few
    words in relation to the promotion and
    elevation of our Rt Hon Speaker in that
    august place. I am not surprised at all.
    The pedigree of our Rt Hon Speaker
    is very clear for everybody to see, and I
    am of the view that it is all meritocracy.
    A lot of people believe that good things
    can just happen. Good things would not
    just happen. It takes efforts, integrity and
    longevity for good things to happen.
    Mr Speaker, I have also heard that in
    this great place of decision-making in the
    making of law, the attrition rate is very
    high and we would not give space to a
    one-time Hon Member of Parliament to
    even learn the rules and graduate into
    prominence because of some illusion
    outside that Parliament is the “Bank of Ghana”, so when people enter here, all their poverty would be solved. On the
    contrary, I can see this place as a place of
    public service. I have never seen a place
    where the individual who is serving a
    constituency is stretched and challenged,
    and has to meet every conceivable
    imagination than this place.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, for us to come
    to the point where we would have
    international recognition, that a
    Ghanaian of consequence has risen, then
    let us look at our politics critically so that
    people would be groomed and given the
    space to become strong, and then when
    they are measured internationally, it is
    not like they are being done a favour.
    Ghana has produced a man of stature and
    he is recognised internationally. I am
    afraid that if we do not permit this
    arrangement to go on, a time would come
    that internationally, we would be
    dwarfed by some parliaments that have
    really permitted space and individuals
    have become so important.
    Mr Speaker, I thank the Almighty
    God that Ghana is in the eyes of the
    world in terms of refined democracy. We
    have passed the vote of confidence in
    Ghana, that one of our kind should aspire

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    so high. It adds to our democratic

    credentials. I believe that many more

    from this Chamber would ascend this

    high office one day and Ghana would be

    proud for it.

    Mr Speaker, I do not want to say

    more than this, but to congratulate the Rt

    Hon Speaker on this huge international

    status that has been bestowed upon him.

    Ghana is better off for it.

    Mr Speaker, I am grateful to you.
    Dr Clement Abas Apaak (NDC — Builsa South) 2:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am most
    grateful. I would like to contribute to the
    very worthy Statement made to eulogise
    our Rt Hon Speaker. Indeed, if we were
    to delve into the Rt Hon Speaker's history and the contributions that he has
    made to Ghana's parliamentary democracy, I believe 24 hours would not
    be enough.
    Suffice it to say that being selected as
    the convener of Speakers of African
    Parliaments is no mean achievement. We
    all know the pedigree of our Rt Hon
    Speaker as has been indicated by earlier
    speakers. We know the role that Ghana
    has played and continues to play as far as
    the progress of the African continent is
    concerned. I must say that this sounds to
    me as though it is by dint of destiny that
    our Rt Hon Speaker has been given this
    unique and singular privilege to lead as
    the Speaker of all African Speakers. It
    should be a time of pride for us as a
    nation and as a people, and we must
    endeavour to ensure that we continue to
    fly the flag of Ghana high by upholding
    very high standards and conducting
    ourselves above reproach so that we
    would continue to be seen as worthy of
    these types of continental recognitions.
    Mr Speaker, while I would like to
    keep this short, I must express my
    disappointment — I express my disappointment because I have not
    noticed or seen the Ghanaian media
    giving this unique opportunity the
    leverage and attention that it deserves
    and I think that is unfortunate. However,
    it is not too late that we recognise this
    honour done us through our Rt Hon
    Speaker. We wish our Rt Hon Speaker
    well; we wish him God's guidance to continue to steer our Parliament ahead
    and to do his best for all African
    Parliaments.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I
    am grateful.

    Deputy Minority Leader (Mr

    Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah): Mr

    Speaker, I would like to thank the maker

    of the Statement, and — [Interruption] — say that we are very proud of the Rt Hon Speaker's achievement.

    Mr Speaker, it does not come as a surprise for us in Ghana because we have followed the career of the Rt Hon Speaker. We know that he served his community as an Hon Member of Parliament (MP) with excellence. He is the longest-serving MP in the history of our Parliament, and we store the record here. He was the Hon Minority Leader, the Hon Majority Leader, at some point an Hon Minister of State, the Hon Second Deputy Speaker, and he is now

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    the Rt Hon Speaker of Ghana. These achievements did not come by chance. He achieved them because of dedication and hard work. And so, for him to have been recognised by his peers on the continental level is something that we, as a country, must be very proud of.

    Mr Speaker, we wish him well, and on behalf of the Hon Members of Parliament, we believe — [Interruption] — of course.

    Mr Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Rt Hon Speaker for being recognised by his peers on the continental level, and for making Ghana very proud.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:43 p.m.
    Hon Members, on behalf of the House, I congratulate the Rt Hon Speaker, Mr A. S. K. Bagbin, on his appointment as the president — The Hon Majority Leader? He is not on his feet. He is looking at me but I have not seen him on his feet.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 2:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to appreciate the Statement made by my Hon Colleague, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, in respect of the Rt Hon Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, the circumstances of his nomination to the position are well- known, but when on such an occasion, the Hon Deputy Minority Leader assumes the position of Leader of the House and claims to speak for all of us, I would say that I have nothing useful to add.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:43 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, there are a few more
    Statements. This particular one, which I
    consider to be very important is on the
    outbreak of anthrax. It is a very short
    Statement on the outbreak of anthrax,
    which I think we should permit the Hon
    Member to make. The Hon Member for
    Nabdam will read the Statement.
    Outbreak of Anthrax in the
    Upper East Region
    Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane (NDC — Nabdam) 2:43 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr
    Speaker, for permitting me to make this
    important Statement on the outbreak of
    Anthrax infection in the Upper East
    Region.
    Mr Speaker, Anthrax is caused by a
    bacterium — Bacillus Anthracis. Spores of the bacilli are highly resistance to
    extreme temperatures and humidity.
    These spores can be passed on from an
    animal to another. Human beings are
    infected by coming into contact with
    infected animals or contaminated meat.
    Mr Speaker, the skin can be infected,
    causing maculopapular rashes. The
    spores can be inhaled, causing cough and
    complicating in pleural infusion. The
    spores are therefore used in biological
    warfare which is known as bioterrorism.
    Also, the consumption of poorly
    cooked infected or contaminated meat
    can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
    These include vomiting blood, passing
    bloody stools and experiencing abdominal
    pains. Confirmation of the diagnosis is

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    done by bacterioscopy, bacteriology or

    serology. Management is with antibiotics.

    Mortality remains very high if poorly

    untreated, at about 90 per cent.

    Mr Speaker, the current outbreak was

    first noted in Binduri and has spread to

    the Bawku and Bolgatanga municipalities,

    Bawku West, Pusiga, Talensi, Garu and

    Tempane districts. As at 7th June, 2023,

    three human deaths have been recorded

    and about 13 cases have tested positive

    for the anthrax bacteria. Also, a number

    of cattle, sheep, and goats, exceeding 30,

    have died.

    Mr Speaker, there is a collaborative

    effort among the Ministry of Health, the

    Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and

    other stakeholders to contain the

    situation. There was even an emergency

    meeting of the Regional Public Health

    Emergency Management Committee on

    Tuesday, 6th June, 2023. The following

    measures were recommended:

    1. A ban on the movement of

    ruminants such as goats, sheep,

    pigs, donkeys, cattle, and dogs

    from the eastern corridor of the

    region.

    2. Farmers are advised to bring their animals for free vaccination.

    Other measures being undertaken by

    stakeholders include contact tracing of

    infected persons. There is also prophylaxis

    treatment of exposed persons.

    Mr Speaker, there is the need for

    cultural reforms and behavioural changes

    among some tribes in northern Ghana in

    the face of the impending epidemic. As

    part of the funeral preparation and burial

    of loved ones, depending upon the

    personality involved, cattle, sheep, goats,

    and fowls are slaughtered under

    unhygienic conditions to be shared in

    their raw state to some families. These

    slaughtered animals are made to lie down

    for many hours before they are shared.

    Some individuals, after slaughtering the

    animals, eat the raw meat, while others

    consume the carcasses of dead animals.

    At the wrong side of the veterinary

    officers, sick animals are sold to

    butchers. There is the need, therefore, to

    educate our butchers to comply with

    veterinary inspection of their products.

    In conclusion, I therefore call for

    support and cooperation from all

    stakeholders before the outbreak becomes

    a regional or a national catastrophe.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:53 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, I will allow one contribution.
    Yes, Hon Member for Bawku
    Central?
    Mr Mahama Ayariga (NDC — Bawku Central) 2:53 p.m.
    Thank you very much,
    Mr Speaker. Let me commend my Hon
    Colleague, Hon Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane,
    for bringing this to the attention of the
    House. As he indicated, the reported
    cases of anthrax started in Binduri, which

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    is just the constituency that adjourns my

    constituency, Bawku Central. From his

    Statement, he has also indicated that

    some cases have now been reported in

    the neighbouring constituencies, including

    Bawku Central.

    Indeed, anthrax, by its nature, is a

    very deadly bacterium both in terms of

    its fatality when it infects animals and

    when it infects humans. Therefore, we

    must take the issue seriously. We must

    also consider that given the frequency of

    movement of animals from our part of

    the country to the rest of the country, the

    possibility of the infection spreading to

    other parts of the country is also very

    high. Therefore, we must treat it as a

    national issue and not just an issue that is

    confined to the Bawku, Binduri and the

    Upper East areas alone. This is because

    those parts of the country have been the

    source of the supply of animal products

    to the southern part of the country. This

    is a very important matter that we must

    all be alive to and get the various

    agencies of State acting to prevent its

    spread.

    Mr Speaker, one of the

    recommendations that has been made is

    for the farmers to bring their animals for

    free vaccination. If one wants to stop the

    movement of animals for fear that they

    will infect others, yet it is said that the

    farmers should bring the animals for free

    vaccination, how are they going to get

    the animals to them for free vaccination?

    They would have to move them from

    their current locations to the location

    where the vaccination would be carried

    out. So, as a measure, the Extension

    Officers should rather be resourced to go

    out there in the communities and

    vaccinate the animals at their various

    locations, instead of a proposal that

    involves moving the animals, sometimes

    over long distances, and in the process,

    risking the exposure of other animals to

    the animals that are moving to the

    location where they are going to be

    vaccinated.

    Mr Speaker, I also think that we

    should, as much as possible, consider it a

    national emergency, and resources

    should be moved to those areas to make

    it possible for the health system to be

    able to immediately support the

    treatment of cases that might occur; that

    is the incidents of infections among

    humans. Therefore, antibiotics and other

    medicines that would help to deal with

    the infections should also be mobilised

    and deployed to the hospitals in the

    districts where we have reported cases of

    anthrax so that where we discover human

    infections, we can have the capacity to

    treat and prevent further spread of the

    infections.

    Mr Speaker, this should be

    considered a national issue -- that all the emergency systems that we activated

    during COVID-19 — we have, at least, demonstrated a capacity as a country.

    Therefore, within the locations that we

    have the infections, those emergency

    systems should be activated so that if we

    have infections, we can effectively deal

    with them.

    On that note, I would like to

    commend my Hon Colleague for

    bringing this up here for us to discuss and

    to say that in the not too far distant

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    future, we may be summoning the Hon

    Ministers for Food and Agriculture, and

    Health to appear before this House and

    give us some updates on what the

    situation really is, what steps they have

    taken, and the effectiveness of the

    measures that they are putting in place or

    have undertaken.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:53 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, that brings us to the end of
    Statements time for today.
    Hon Members, at the Commencement
    of Public Business — Presentation of Papers. We shall take item 6(a)(i) by the
    Majority Leader.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:53 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, given where we are, if you
    would permit me, we would just present
    all of the items under 6(a) just by one act
    of presentation and it would cover all the
    others.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:53 p.m.
    Very
    well. I will call all of them 6(a) (i - v) and then you will present them together.
    PAPERS 2:53 p.m.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:53 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, these are internal Reports so
    they would go to the various committees.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 2:53 p.m.
    Very
    well, let me take them one by one then:
    (a) (i) would go to the Finance Committee;
    (ii) would go to the Committee
    on Education; and
    (iii) would go to the Special
    Budget Committee.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, it should go to the Committee
    on Special Budget.

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    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Hon Members, the item numbered
    6(a)(iii) is referred to the Committee on
    Special Budget. The item numbered
    6(a)(iv) is referred to the Committee on
    Employment, Social Welfare and State
    Enterprises, and the item numbered
    6(a)(v) is referred to the Committee on
    Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary
    Affairs — Legal Aid.
    Now, the item numbered 6(b) is to be
    laid by the Hon Minister for Trades and
    Industry. Would the Hon Majority
    Leader lay it on his behalf? — Item numbered 6(b).
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to seek your
    indulgence to present this Paper on
    behalf of the Hon Minister for Trades
    and Industry.
    By the Minister for Parliamentary
    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu)
    on behalf of the Minister for Trades and
    Industry —
    (i) Budget Performance Report in Respect of Ministry of Trade and
    Industry for the Period January to
    December, 2022.
    Referred to the Committee on Trade,
    Industry and Tourism.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    We
    would move on to the item numbered 6
    (c), to be laid by the Hon Minister for
    Local Government, Decentralisation and
    Rural Development.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to seek your
    indulgence to present these Papers on
    behalf of the Hon Minister for Local
    Government, Decentralisation and Rural
    Development. If you would further
    indulge me, I would request that we put
    all of them in one basket and present
    them to the House.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Very
    well. So, let me go through them.
    By the Minister for Parliamentary
    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu)
    on behalf of the Minister for Local
    Government, Decentralisation and Rural
    Development —
    i. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Sekyere Afram
    Plains District Assembly for the
    Year 2020.
    ii. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Akrofuom
    District Assembly for the Year
    2020.
    iii. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Kpando
    Municipal Assembly for the Year
    2020.
    iv. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Komenda-
    Edina-Eguafo-Abirem Municipal
    Assembly for the Year 2020.
    v. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Ga West

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    Municipal Assembly for the Year

    2020.

    vi. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Bosome Freho

    District Assembly for the Year

    2020.

    vii. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Sekyere

    Central District Assembly for the

    Year 2020.

    viii. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Ketu South

    Municipal Assembly for the Year

    2020.

    ix. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Nabdam

    District Assembly for the Year

    2020.

    x. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the South Dayi

    District Assembly for the Year

    2022.

    xi. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the Bono Regional

    Coordinating Council for the

    Year 2021.

    Referred to the Committee on Local

    Government and Rural Development.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, we would move on to the item
    numbered 6(d), to be presented by the
    Hon Minister for Education.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I believe you would not grow
    tired of me. I seek your indulgences once
    again, to present these Papers on behalf
    of the Hon Minister for Education, and,
    again, to cluster them and do the
    presentation just once.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Majority Leader?
    By the Minister for Parliamentary
    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu)
    on behalf of the Minister for Education
    —
    i. Annual Statement by the Audit
    Committee of the C. K. Tedam
    University of Technology and
    Applied Sciences (C.K.T-UTAS,
    Navrongo) for the Year 2021.
    ii. Annual Statement by the Audit
    Committee of the St. Vincent
    College of Education, Yendi for
    the Year 2021.
    iii. Annual Statement by the Audit
    Committee of the Kumasi
    Technical University for the Year
    2020.
    iv. Annual Statement by the Audit
    Committee of the University of
    Mines and Technology (UMaT),
    Tarkwa for the Year 2020.
    v. Annual Statement by the Audit
    Committee of the Accra

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    Technical University for the Year

    2020.

    vi. Annual Statement by the Audit

    Committee of the Students Loan

    Trust Fund for the Year

    2020.

    vii. Annual Statement by the Audit

    Committee of the Council for

    Technical and Vocational

    Education and Training

    (COTVET) for the Year 2020.

    viii. Annual Statement by the Audit

    Committee of the Mount Mary

    College of Education, Somanya

    for the Year 2021.

    Referred to the Committee on

    Education.

    Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

    — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, do you want to make a
    comment on it? Yes, please.
    Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 3:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful.
    Mr Speaker, it is in respect of the
    item numbered 6(d)(vii). I noticed that
    she read it correctly, but that is not how
    it has been captured. The Council for
    Technical and Vocational Education —
    So, if we would correct it.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    We would move on to the item numbered 6(e), to be laid by the Hon Minister for Transport.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to thank our modern-day Mr Kwakye Addo for the correction that he has effected. Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa is the modern-day Kwakye Addo of Parliament.
    Mr Buah — rose —
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I would like to invite Hon Members to indulge me, once again, to do the presentation on behalf of the Hon Minister for Transport.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Deputy Minority Leader?
    Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah 3:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was just following how many Ministries Reports we have laid and I have counted five Ministries, and not one Hon Minister is here to present their own Report.
    Mr Speaker, while we are going to
    allow the Leader of the House to do this, it has to be on record that the Hon Ministers must take their responsibilities seriously. They should be here to lay their own Reports.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader, you may
    lay it.

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    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, well noted, but I would like to
    remind the Hon Deputy Minority Leader
    that I am not doing this in my capacity as
    Majority Leader. I am doing this in my
    capacity as the Hon Minister for
    Parliamentary Affairs on behalf of my
    colleague Ministers. The distinction
    should be understood by my Hon

    By the Minister for Parliamentary

    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu)

    on behalf of the Minister for Transport

    —

    i. Budget Performance Report in

    Respect of the Ministry of

    Transport for the Period January

    to December, 2022.

    ii. Annual Statement by the Audit Committee of the National Road

    Safety Authority for the Year

    2020.

    Referred to the Committee on Roads

    and Transport.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    We
    would move on to the item numbered
    6(g), to be presented by the Hon Minister
    for Energy.
    By the Minister for Parliamentary
    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu)
    on behalf of the Minister for Energy —
    Work Programme of the Ghana
    National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
    for the Year 2023.
    Referred to the Committee on Mines
    and Energy.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, which item have you referred?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Ghana
    National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
    I, in error, jumped the item numbered 6(f),
    so I am going to the item on Ministry of
    Railways Development.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, what I just did is item number
    6(f), so it is —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    I am going
    back to the item numbered 6(f). I went to
    the item numbered 6(g) without
    considering 6(f).
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:03 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, yes. So, what I did was for 6(f).
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Leader, what I called was the item
    numbered 6(g), so I am now going to call
    the item numbered 6(f). So, the item
    numbered 6(g) is referred to the Committee
    on Mines and Energy for consideration and
    report. Now, I am coming back to the item
    numbered 6(f).
    By the Minister for Parliamentary
    Affairs (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) on
    behalf of the Minister for Railways
    Development —
    Budget Performance Report in
    Respect of the Ministry of Railways
    Development for the Period January
    to December, 2022.

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    Referred to the Committee on Roads

    and Transport.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:03 p.m.
    We would
    move on to the item numbered 6(h), to be
    done by the Chairman of the Committee.
    Mr Nelson Kyeremeh 3:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    with your leave, I will stand in the stead
    of my Hon Chairman, who has an
    emergency, to lay the Report on his
    behalf.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    By the Vice Chairman of the
    Committee (Mr Nelson Kyeremeh) on
    behalf of the Chairman —
    i. Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and
    Parliamentary Affairs on the
    Contract (Amendment) Bill,
    2023.
    ii. Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and
    Parliamentary Affairs on the
    Whistleblower (Amendment)
    Bill, 2023.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    We have
    not yet done the work on the Ghana
    Education Trust Fund (GETFund). Are
    we ready to do the Motions? There are
    actually other Papers to be presented in
    the Order Paper Addendum.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:13 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, we are not taking the item
    numbered (6)(i) because the Committee
    of the Whole has not met on this. We
    have indications that few things are
    being sorted out, and most probably, the
    House will deal with it next Wednesday,
    14th June, 2023. That is in respect of item
    number (6)(i). We can go to the item
    numbered 6(j) now.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    The item
    numbered 6(i) is the one in relation to the
    GETFund, so I will go to the item
    numbered 6(j).
    By the Chairman of the Committee —
    Report of the Finance Committee on
    the Modification to the use of
    Proceeds for 2 Selected Road
    Projects under the Loan Facility
    Agreement between the Government
    of the Republic of Ghana
    (represented by the Ministry of
    Finance) and African Export-Import
    Bank (Afreximbank) for an amount
    of up to seven hundred and fifty
    million United States dollars (US
    $750,000,000.00) to finance Capital
    and Growth-related Expenditures in
    the 2022 Budget, i.e. (a) US
    $75,000,000.00 allocated for the
    construction of the Ejisu - Konongo road project to be reallocated for the
    construction of the Suame Interchange
    and (b) US $98,000,000.00 for the
    construction of the Enkyikrom - Adawso road project to be
    reallocated for the construction of
    the by-passes on the Accra - Kumasi Road (N6).

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    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Item
    number 1(a) on the Order Paper
    Addendum.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:13 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, that is in respect of the
    Chairman of the Public Accounts
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Item
    number 1(a) is by the Committee on
    Trade, Industry and Tourism or is that an
    Addendum?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah- Bonsu 3:13 p.m.
    That is
    the first Addendum.
    Mr Speaker, the Chairman of the
    Committee has stepped out to engage in
    some other equally important business.
    Mr Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, who is a
    member of the Committee, is here, so he
    will do the presentation.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Buah 3:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Rt Hon
    Speaker referred this to the Committee to
    determine the urgency of it. When we
    met, it was very clear. I had two former
    Hon Deputy Ministers who had talked
    about that Accreditation Bill. It has been
    in the system for a long time, and the
    reason it has delayed was because of
    funding. We were told that the World
    Bank has allocated US$5.1 million on
    condition that we are able to get this Bill
    passed by the end of the month, and that
    was the urgency of it, and we have
    determined that, indeed, it should be
    taken.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Very
    well. So, kindly read it out, please.
    By Mr Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi on
    behalf of the Chairman of the Committee
    —
    Report of the Committee on Trade,
    Industry and Tourism on the
    Determination of the Urgency of the
    Ghana Accreditation Service Bill,
    2023.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Item
    number 1(b) is to be presented by the
    Chairman of the Public Accounts
    Committee.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:13 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, the Bill was referred to the
    Committee to determine its urgency.
    Now that they have so determined and
    brought the Report to the House, the
    sequel to that is for them to then go and
    consider the main Bill and report to us,
    and because of the urgency of it, we may
    have to work expeditiously.
    Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami
    Dafeamekpor — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Yes, Hon Member for South Dayi?
    Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami
    Dafeamekpor: Mr Speaker, if I may
    seek clarification, I know that normally
    when that Report comes, it is taken

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    before the Committee proceeds to

    consider the Bill.
    Mr Buah 3:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, what
    we were asked to do was to decide the
    urgency of it, and we have determined
    that that Bill is urgent, so as you have
    directed, we will work assiduously on
    the Bill.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    For now,
    it is a Report. It has gone to Members,
    but the Report has to be taken.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:13 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, respectfully, what we have done
    now sits with article 106(13) of the
    Constitution. The determination is made
    by the Committee, and the Report comes
    to us by way of information. Plenary
    cannot say that even though the
    Committee has brought the Report
    indicating to us that it is an urgent matter,
    we decline. Plenary has no business in
    that. The determination is made by the
    Committee, and they come by way of
    information to inform this House.
    Plenary cannot rule against it.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:13 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Leader, nobody is declining.
    All we are saying is that, so far, we are at
    the presentation of Papers. It has been
    presented. If somebody will speak to the
    Report, this may be the time to speak to
    it and inform us; otherwise, it has only
    been presented. With a Report,
    somebody has to present it to the House.
    The information must be given to the
    House; otherwise, it is only a
    presentation of Papers.
    Mr Buah 3:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you are right.
    Very clearly, the Chairman himself is not
    here. There should have been a brief
    Report, but to say that we met on the
    referral yesterday, and after the detailed
    engagement, we concluded that, indeed,
    that Bill must be taken on a certificate of
    urgency. That is the information I can
    provide as the Hon Ranking Member of
    that Committee.
    Mr Dafeamekpor 3:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I
    agree that we are in a hurry to do that,
    but, procedurally, that brief Report on
    what you did yesterday determining that,
    indeed, it must be taken under a
    certificate of urgency must be taken by
    the House. By practice, that is what we
    do — [Interruption]. No, Hon Majority Leader, at least, I have been here for
    some years. That is what we do. In fact,
    that is why the Rt Hon Speaker's referral says you should do within two days. So,
    that determination is not by word of
    mouth. A Report must be presented — [Interruption] — Yes, but where is the Report? A Report must be taken.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:23 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, the Report has been presented
    symbolically by the Hon Ranking
    Member rising and bowing. Of course,
    we do know that he can only do so if
    sufficient copies have been made
    available at the Table Office. So, it is in
    recognition of it that he has done what he
    has done.
    Mr Speaker, hitherto, what we have
    been doing is that when the referral is
    made and the Committee is coming with
    their Report, then they will box it in that
    we determined that it was urgent.

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    But that was wrong because we must

    make the determination. When the

    determination is made, the Hon Minister

    then, on account of it, goes to gazette it.

    That is the import of it. We cannot wait

    until, maybe — Because of the volume of the Bill, we have to wait for, maybe,

    one week, and after the one week, the

    gazetting is done. That is not how it

    should be done, which is why the Rt Hon

    Speaker, appreciating the point that we

    made, then said that from now onwards,

    if any Bill comes and is of an urgent

    nature as requested by the Hon Minister,

    it will be referred to the Committee to

    make the determination in sync with the

    provision as contained in article 106(13).

    So, that determination is made by the

    Committee, which has been done. Now,

    the House is seized with the fact that it is

    of an urgent nature. I believe that —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Leader, how was the House
    seized with that? He only bowed.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:23 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, yes. This is because he bows
    because he acknowledges that sufficient
    copies of that Report have been made
    and deposited at the office of the Clerks-
    at-the-Table.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Leader, that is all right. I agree
    with that, but unless we read, we do not
    know what they have said in the Report.
    That is the point I am making about
    presenting the Report for the House to
    adopt. Now, he has only laid it, but he
    may have to speak to the Report for the
    House to adopt it.
    Very well, is the Chairman of the
    Public Accounts Committee here? Is
    anybody here to present the Report? Is

    Hon Members, we will take the item

    numbered (j). [Pause] I will defer that.

    There is another Order Paper Addendum,

    and that is Addendum 2. We will take the

    item numbered 2 — Presentation of Papers by the Chairman of the

    Committee.

    Is that the Public Accounts

    Committee? He is not here.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:23 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I know the Hon Chairman of
    the Public Accounts Committee to be a
    very diligent Member of this House. He
    is very meticulous in what he does. I
    thought that if the Reports were not
    ready, he would not cause them to be
    advertised, especially when he is not here
    and he has caused an Addendum to be
    effected on the Order Paper. So, I would
    want to believe that the Reports are
    ready, but if they are not ready, then
    maybe, you can stand them down.
    However, I would want to believe that
    Mr James Avedzi, the Hon Chairman of
    the Committee, is a very diligent man.
    He would not cause them to do that if — of course, the Clerks-at-the-Table would
    also have to bear witness. If they have
    sufficient copies of them, then we can lay
    them. Any Member could lay them on
    behalf of the Committee.

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    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Very
    well. In that case, shall I defer the
    presentation of the Papers on Addendum
    2?
    Mr Dafeamekpor — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, will you present them on behalf
    of the Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    Mr Dafeamekpor 3:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, with
    the leave of the House, I am willing to do
    that because I know that the Reports are
    ready. I am a Member of the Public
    Accounts Committee.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Very
    well. We will take the items numbered
    (i), (ii) and (iii). Kindly present them
    together.
    By Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami
    Dafeamekpor on behalf of the Chairman
    —
    i. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the
    Auditor-General on the
    Consolidated Statements of the
    Foreign Exchange Receipts and
    Payments of the Bank of Ghana
    (BoG) for the Year Ended 31st
    December 2020.
    ii. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the
    Auditor-General on the Public
    Accounts of Ghana (Ministries,
    Departments and Other
    Agencies) for the Year Ended 31st
    December 2020.
    iii. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the
    Auditor-General on the Public
    Accounts of Ghana (Public
    Boards, Corporations and Other
    Statutory Institutions) for the
    Period Ended 31st December,
    2020.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Leader, are you ready to take this
    Report on the —
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:23 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, the Report in dispute is what
    has been circulated, and I am just saying
    that that Report is for the information of
    the House. We do not take any decision
    on it.
    Mr Speaker, having said so, because
    we are not required to Sit tomorrow, I am
    required to present the Business
    Statement for next week today. So, if I
    could have some —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Majority Leader, let me look at this
    Report and read out the conclusion and
    give the directive:
    The Committee, having considered the timelines of the funding from the World Bank and the policy rationale, is of the view that the Bill is important and accordingly recommends to the House to consider the Ghana

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    Accreditation Service Bill, 2023 under Certificate of Urgency, pursuant to Article 106(13) of the 1992 Constitution and order 119 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. I subsequently direct that the Committee is informed by the rules regarding — [Pause] —

    The Committee has informed the

    House. So, I am now directing them to go back and consider the Bill in accordance with the particular constitutional order. Thank you.
    Mr Dafeamekpor 3:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, a
    very small correction in line three of the paragraph that you read: “…the Bill is important”, not “importance”.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, I noticed that. That is why I did not read the wrong version.
    Very well. I am advised that the Rt
    Hon Speaker wanted the leadership of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to join the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism to consider this particular Bill. I so direct.
    Hon Majority Leader, now, you may
    present the Business Statement for next week.
    Mr Ablakwa — rose —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, as for that Report, there are errors in it. I read some of them. I overlooked the errors, so please, we are done. We have gone past that. Let us move on.
    Mr Ablakwa 3:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we do not
    have a Minister in Ghana known as the
    Minister responsible for Trade, Industry
    and Tourism, but it says “…by the Hon
    Minister responsible for Trade, Industry
    and Tourism…” in the Introduction, item
    1.1.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, I noticed all that, but I did not
    read that so the record would not capture
    that.
    Mr Ablakwa 3:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank
    you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:23 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Majority Leader?
    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 3:23 p.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:33 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Members?
    Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 3:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful to you. I would
    be brief. I note that the Hon Minister for
    Finance has been programmed to answer
    Questions in the ensuing week,
    specifically on Wednesday. On Tuesday,
    I made an application with the Hon
    Majority Leader and he said it would be
    considered, which is a briefing on the
    IMF Programme. I would have thought
    that since the Hon Minister for Finance
    is available next week and is going to
    come to the House to answer Questions,
    is it not possible to take full advantage of
    his presence and have him brief the
    House on the IMF Programme? I would
    just like to find out if the Hon Minister
    for Parliamentary Affairs and Majority
    Leader has considered or would consider
    that so that as they say in Ghana, “kill
    two birds with one stone”, and take full
    advantage of the Hon Minister's
    presence.
    Mr Speaker, finally, I note that there
    are a good number of the Papers that we
    have taken today which still appear in the
    Business Statement so we may have to
    do some cleaning up. For example, on
    page 2, the Budget Performance for the
    Ministry of Railway Development and
    the GNPC Work Programme; we have
    done all of that. On page 3 as well, the
    Papers listed for Wednesday: Legal Aid
    Commission, the South Dayi District
    Assembly and the Ga West Reports and
    quite a number of them have been taken.
    So, I am sure that later on, it could be
    amended so that if more papers are
    outstanding, we could replace them with
    those Papers. I thank you for the
    opportunity.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:33 p.m.
    Yes,
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:33 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, the Hon Member for North
    Tongu, Mr Ablakwa, is assuming the
    role of Mr Kwakye Addo as I said and
    Mr Norbert Awulley; the two rolled into
    one. I thank him for bringing our
    attention back to the basics. I guess the
    Table Office would have to look at it.
    Mr Speaker, on the issue of the Hon
    Member's requests that the Hon Finance Minister may be brought to the House to
    brief us about where we are with the
    IMF, it is a legitimate concern. I would
    do my best, but I would like to remind
    him that I could only act if Mr Speaker
    so directs. The Speaker did not direct,
    and so that request is in limbo. However,
    I certainly have some engagements with
    the Hon Minister for Finance this
    evening, and if it works, and if he is able

    to do it, it would be helpful to us. So, I

    would touch base with him and ferry the

    concerns of the House to him. If it is

    possible, then Wednesday would be a

    good day because next week Thursday is

    Cabinet day. I thank you for the

    opportunity.

    Mr Dafeamekpor — rose —

    Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami

    Dafeamekpor: Mr Speaker, this is to

    draw the attention of the House to the

    fact that the item numbered 1(b) on

    today's Order Paper Addendum is ready, so I would like to pray the House so we

    could take that as well so that we would

    not have to come back to that later.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:33 p.m.
    Mr
    Speaker, I guess that when we got there,
    the resistance movement was from that
    Side, that the Hon Chairman of the
    Committee was not here, but now that
    the House has agreed, I guess we could
    do the presentation on behalf of the Hon
    Chairman of the Committee.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:33 p.m.
    Very
    well.
    Hon Member of the Committee, you
    may lay it on behalf of the Hon Chairman
    of the Committee.
    PAPERS 3:33 p.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:33 p.m.
    Hon
    Members, before I bring proceedings to
    a close, I am advised to remind the House
    that Hon Members would take part in the
    National Tree Planting Exercise, and
    they are to collect their T-shirts from the
    offices of their respective Hon Chief
    Whips and there would be no Plenary
    Sitting tomorrow. I thank you very
    much.
    Hon Members, on that note, the
    House is adjourned till Tuesday, 13th
    June, 2023, at 10.00 a.m.
    ADJOURNMENT 3:33 p.m.