Day: June 11, 2024

The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) says a ‘significant’ number of undecided voters are in a ‘difficult situation’ deciding on participating in the upcoming General Election.

The Institute said internal works conducted within the regions indicate that ‘a lot’ of voters ‘are not sure’ whether to participate in the December 7 polls as they had lost trust in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) due to past experiences.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Professor Kwesi Jonah, Senior Research Fellow, IDEG, said the development was dangerous to Ghana’s democracy.

‘Voters say that they have seen the NPP and NDC and they are going through same difficulties all the time. So, the real problem that we face at this moment is that a lot of people who are undecided whether they want to participate in the elections at all.

‘This is a danger to our democracy,’ he said.

Prof. Jonah encouraged politicians to do more to convince voters that they would perform better when
offered the mandate in the upcoming elections.

‘Between now and voting time, this is the time for politicians to convince those people who are sitting on the fence right now that things are going to change, in terms of the ways which politicians have performed in the past.

‘Otherwise, a lot of people have decided that they won’t vote at all,’ he said.

It is barely six months to the 2024 General Election and political parties and aspirants are criss-crossing the country to make a case to various segments of voters, stakeholders, and opinion leaders in a bid to win their support.

The parties appear to have adopted stakeholder engagements and house-to-house campaigns as starting points to the year-long campaign that is expected to intensify in the coming months.

The IDEG observed that the parties had adopted a shift in strategy at the initial stages of the campaign by targeting identifiable groups and people without spending too much financial resources.

Prof. Jonah described the approach adopted by the pa
rties as a ‘very good beginning’ and expressed hope that the parties would adopt measures to reduce the cost of their campaigns.

He said big rallies increased the cost of politics and proposed the allocation of a principal place where politicians could engage with voters directly instead of staging rallies in every district, constituency, and region.

‘If we want to cut down the cost of politics, we should begin a process. Instead of big rallies, having a central place where the leaders can go, talk to people, supporters, we can make more progress in cutting down the cost of politics,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also the flag-bearer of the NPP in the December elections, has called on Muslim Imams to intensify their prayers for him to be elected as the president of Ghana.

He said Ghana needed a president who would continue to implement policies and social interventions that would help promote the dignity and well-being of Ghanaian Muslims and the Zongo communities in the country.

Dr Bawumia made the call when he addressed Muslims Imams from the various districts in the Ashanti region at the Kumasi central Mosque, as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Ashanti region.

He asked the Imams to refer to the NPP government track records in the Zongo communities and preach to their congregations on the need to retain the party to continue with the good works.

‘We as Muslims and other religious denominations are all living in peace and harmony in this country and therefore, there is the need to continue to press on peaceful coexistence,’ he told the Imams.

He also ask
ed them to pray unto Allah to deepen the peace the country was enjoying.

Dr Bawumia said it was Allah who granted dominion, power and authority, and that he believed that Allah had already granted him the dominion.

He called on the people in Zongo communities to continue leave in peace and harmony with all other people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also the flag-bearer of the NPP in the December elections, has called on Muslim Imams to intensify their prayers for him to be elected as the president of Ghana.

He said Ghana needed a president who would continue to implement policies and social interventions that would help promote the dignity and well-being of Ghanaian Muslims and the Zongo communities in the country.

Dr Bawumia made the call when he addressed Muslims Imams from the various districts in the Ashanti region at the Kumasi central Mosque, as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Ashanti region.

He asked the Imams to refer to the NPP government track records in the Zongo communities and preach to their congregations on the need to retain the party to continue with the good works.

‘We as Muslims and other religious denominations are all living in peace and harmony in this country and therefore, there is the need to continue to press on peaceful coexistence,’ he told the Imams.

He also ask
ed them to pray unto Allah to deepen the peace the country was enjoying.

Dr Bawumia said it was Allah who granted dominion, power and authority, and that he believed that Allah had already granted him the dominion.

He called on the people in Zongo communities to continue leave in peace and harmony with all other people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice -President and Flag-bearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2024 elections, says his government will establish research fund to support herbal medicine practice in the country.

He said if elected to office, one of his major priorities would be the establishment of research and modern facilities for hygienic and proper production of herbal medicines, which were known to cure about 60 percent of ailments in the country.

Addressing a cross section of herbal medicine practitioners and farmers from the Ashanti Region in Kumasi, as part of his three-day campaign tour, the NPP Presidential Candidate said the measure was to help reduce the importation of drugs into the country.

Dr. Bawumia pointed out that the role of herbal medicine in the treatment of ailments could not be overemphasised and there was the need to support the conduct of appropriate research to help strengthen efficacy, improve production, documentation and certification of such medicines.

Addi
tionally, he said under his presidency herbal medicine would be captured under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Dr. Bawumia said agriculture and food production would be one of his major priorities if voted to lead the country in 2025.

He said the use of solar energy and mechanization of agricultural production to ensure all-year food production and increased income for farmers, would be the way to go, adding that, increasing farm yields and reducing the work of farmers was a necessity.

He said his government would embark on a project to establish a database for farmers to ensure that every farmer was recognized and provided the necessary assistance and support.

Dr. Bawumia said under his presidency, the Geological Survey Division of the Lands Commission would be empowered to carry out comprehensive survey on land areas which contained minerals across the country.

This would help in the proper demarcation of lands for mining and crop production.

When this was done, mining licenses would be i
ssued under strict regulatory conditions to help prevent the conflict of crop production and mining in the country.

This would also help bring sanity in small scale mining and protect cocoa and other farmlands, which were being destroyed by illegal mining (galamsey) activities.

Dr. Bawumia pledged to work to improve the lives of cocoa farmers and introduce various interventions that would help increase cocoa production in the country.

He said the process to establish a pension scheme for the farmers would continue under his administration.

Some of the cocoa farmers present stressed the need for the government to properly test and access chemicals used for spraying of cocoa farms to ensure that they did not contain toxic substances that could affect cocoa beans.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice -President and Flag-bearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2024 elections, says his government will establish research fund to support herbal medicine practice in the country.

He said if elected to office, one of his major priorities would be the establishment of research and modern facilities for hygienic and proper production of herbal medicines, which were known to cure about 60 percent of ailments in the country.

Addressing a cross section of herbal medicine practitioners and farmers from the Ashanti Region in Kumasi, as part of his three-day campaign tour, the NPP Presidential Candidate said the measure was to help reduce the importation of drugs into the country.

Dr. Bawumia pointed out that the role of herbal medicine in the treatment of ailments could not be overemphasised and there was the need to support the conduct of appropriate research to help strengthen efficacy, improve production, documentation and certification of such medicines.

Addi
tionally, he said under his presidency herbal medicine would be captured under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Dr. Bawumia said agriculture and food production would be one of his major priorities if voted to lead the country in 2025.

He said the use of solar energy and mechanization of agricultural production to ensure all-year food production and increased income for farmers, would be the way to go, adding that, increasing farm yields and reducing the work of farmers was a necessity.

He said his government would embark on a project to establish a database for farmers to ensure that every farmer was recognized and provided the necessary assistance and support.

Dr. Bawumia said under his presidency, the Geological Survey Division of the Lands Commission would be empowered to carry out comprehensive survey on land areas which contained minerals across the country.

This would help in the proper demarcation of lands for mining and crop production.

When this was done, mining licenses would be i
ssued under strict regulatory conditions to help prevent the conflict of crop production and mining in the country.

This would also help bring sanity in small scale mining and protect cocoa and other farmlands, which were being destroyed by illegal mining (galamsey) activities.

Dr. Bawumia pledged to work to improve the lives of cocoa farmers and introduce various interventions that would help increase cocoa production in the country.

He said the process to establish a pension scheme for the farmers would continue under his administration.

Some of the cocoa farmers present stressed the need for the government to properly test and access chemicals used for spraying of cocoa farms to ensure that they did not contain toxic substances that could affect cocoa beans.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education will soon present the Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill to Parliament for consideration and passage by the House.

The Bill, when passed into law would regulate the operations of the Free SHS and make its implementation binding on all successive Governments.

Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, made this known on Tuesday during the ‘Leaders’ Media Briefing’ at Parliament House in Accra.

The Free SHS is a flagship programme of the Government, which was introduced since September 2017, is aimed at making senior secondary education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) fight Ghanaians.

The Majority Leader noted that Chapter Five of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana provides some aspirational indicatives, which were not justiciable but once by policy of Government, an aspiration as envisaged by the Constitution was put into action, then to make it justiciable, hence a law could
be enacted to regulate it.

He noted that in other words there were provisions in the Constitution that one could not enforce; that is ‘you cannot claim the right to those provisions’.

‘The fact that they are there does not mean that you can apply to the court to enforce those rights, because they are aspirational.’

Mr Afenyo-Markin said when it gets to a point that a Government lifts it up to give light to it, there was the need to enact a law to regulate the same; adding that ‘and in doing so, it should have been given light, then the lawyers will say it has become justiciable, in the sense that a court of law can rely on it to make certain orders, enforce certain rights and give rights and take certain actions,’ he said.

‘So, I think that this free SHS Bill if we consider it as a House, what that means is that it becomes mandatory for Government to implement it, unless it is repealed, no Government will have the right to say I am not going to enforce Free SHS because now there is a law; so if you fail (
to implement it), a citizen can apply to the Court as his bonafide and the Court exact justice in that citizen’s favour, so that is the good news about this Bill.’

Mr Afenyo-Markin reiterated that the Free SHS Bill would ensure sustainability of the Free SHS policy.

On other Bills to consider during the Third Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, the Majority Leader cited the Parliament Bill, the Presidential Transition Bill, the Consumer Protection Bill, the Housing Authority Bill, the Architect Registration Bill and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) Amendment Bill.

He said the Environmental Protection Agency Bill was also high on the table, in addition to the Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Bill and the Affirmative Action Bill.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education will soon present the Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill to Parliament for consideration and passage by the House.

The Bill, when passed into law would regulate the operations of the Free SHS and make its implementation binding on all successive Governments.

Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, made this known on Tuesday during the ‘Leaders’ Media Briefing’ at Parliament House in Accra.

The Free SHS is a flagship programme of the Government, which was introduced since September 2017, is aimed at making senior secondary education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) fight Ghanaians.

The Majority Leader noted that Chapter Five of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana provides some aspirational indicatives, which were not justiciable but once by policy of Government, an aspiration as envisaged by the Constitution was put into action, then to make it justiciable, hence a law could
be enacted to regulate it.

He noted that in other words there were provisions in the Constitution that one could not enforce; that is ‘you cannot claim the right to those provisions’.

‘The fact that they are there does not mean that you can apply to the court to enforce those rights, because they are aspirational.’

Mr Afenyo-Markin said when it gets to a point that a Government lifts it up to give light to it, there was the need to enact a law to regulate the same; adding that ‘and in doing so, it should have been given light, then the lawyers will say it has become justiciable, in the sense that a court of law can rely on it to make certain orders, enforce certain rights and give rights and take certain actions,’ he said.

‘So, I think that this free SHS Bill if we consider it as a House, what that means is that it becomes mandatory for Government to implement it, unless it is repealed, no Government will have the right to say I am not going to enforce Free SHS because now there is a law; so if you fail (
to implement it), a citizen can apply to the Court as his bonafide and the Court exact justice in that citizen’s favour, so that is the good news about this Bill.’

Mr Afenyo-Markin reiterated that the Free SHS Bill would ensure sustainability of the Free SHS policy.

On other Bills to consider during the Third Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, the Majority Leader cited the Parliament Bill, the Presidential Transition Bill, the Consumer Protection Bill, the Housing Authority Bill, the Architect Registration Bill and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) Amendment Bill.

He said the Environmental Protection Agency Bill was also high on the table, in addition to the Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Bill and the Affirmative Action Bill.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, has urged his colleague Members of Parliament (MPs) to avail themselves to Business on the Floor of the House.

He also appealed to them to support their respective Committee Leadership and the Leadership of the House to fast-track Government Business to enable the

Government work towards improving the living standards of the good people of Ghana.

‘Mr Speaker, having said so, let me proceed to state that there a number of priority business to be transacted by the House including Bills to be laid, loan

agreements, mining leases and commercial agreements, Instruments, and request for waiver of tax, import duties,’ Mr Afenyo-Markin stated in his welcome remarks upon the resumption of the House from the Easter Break, for the Third Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

The Majority Leader mentioned that Bills to be taken by the House within the period includ
e the Energy Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Community Service Sentencing Bill, 2024; the Ghana National Service Authority Bill, 2024, and the Ghana Book Development Agency Bill, 2024.

Others are the University for Engineering and Applied Sciences (Ankrodie) Bill, 2024; the University for Health, Agriculture and Life Sciences (Kintampo) Bill, the University of Mampong Bill, 2024; the University of Sports and Development Bill, 2024; the Colleges of Applied Arts, Science and Technology Bill, 2024; the Business Regulatory Reform Commission Bill, 2024; and the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, 2024.

The rest are the Economic and Organised Crime Office (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Legal Profession Bill, 2024; the Presidential Transition (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Environmental Protection Agency Bill, 2024; the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2024; the Ghana Housing Authority Bill, 2024;

the Rent Bill, 2023; the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2024;

the Broadcasting Bill, 2024; th
e Internal Audit Agency Bill, 2024; the Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, 2024; and Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Mr Afenyo-Markin noted that there were also a few statutory Reports that ought to be laid and considered by the House.

These include the Annual Report on the Management of the Energy Sector Levies and Accounts for the Year 2023; the Annual Public Debt Management Report for the 2023 Financial Year; the Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund for the Year 2023; Annual Report on Public Private Partnership Projects for the Year 2023; and the Annual Report on the Petroleum Funds for the 2023 Fiscal Year.

Others are the Annual Report on the Management of the Energy Sector Levies and Accounts for the Year 2022; the Annual Public Debt Management Report for the 2022 Financial Year; the Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund for the Year 2022; and Annual Report on Public P
rivate Partnership Projects for the Year 2022.

The rest are the Annual Report on the Petroleum Funds for the 2022 Fiscal Year; and the Annual Report on the Collection and Utilisation of the African Union Import Levy for the 2022 Fiscal Year.

‘Mr Speaker, looking at the above business and others waiting to be programmed, my Honourable Colleagues will agree with me the herculean task ahead of us in this Third Meeting and I humbly encourage our hardworking Committee Chairpersons and their Ranking Members to expedite action on the various items already before them and prepare to receive new referrals as the Speaker may so direct,’ Mr Afenyo-Markin stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency