LOCAL NEWS
Minority raises alarm over GH¢300 million allocation for solar torchlight purchase
In a recent session on November 17, Eric Opoku, the Ranking Member for the Food and Agriculture Committee, voiced reservations regarding the government’s decision to allocate a substantial sum of over three hundred million Ghana cedis for the acquisition of solar torchlights. This concern surfaced just before the approval of an $800 million loan agreement between the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and a consortium of banks and financial institutions. The primary purpose of this loan is to fund the procurement of cocoa beans for the impending 2023/2024 Crop Season.
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During the deliberations, Opoku questioned the government’s priorities, explicitly stating, “Mr. Speaker, government has provided in the 2024 budget that they are going to use over GH¢300 million Ghana cedis to purchase torchlights. Is that a priority at this time? At the time Government cannot even pay contractors.” This scrutiny highlights Opoku’s skepticism about allocating significant financial resources to solar torchlights amid other pressing fiscal obligations, such as meeting contractual commitments.
Opoku didn’t stop there; he went on to express his apprehensions about the alleged mismanagement of COCOBOD, characterizing the current state as “gasping for breath.” This characterization implies a critical situation within the cocoa sector that demands immediate attention and remedial action. Notably, Opoku emphasized that the minority’s approval of the loan agreement was contingent on the plight of cocoa farmers, suggesting that concerns about their well-being played a pivotal role in the decision-making process.
Despite these voiced concerns, Parliament granted approval for the $800 million loan agreement. The funds from this agreement are earmarked to facilitate the acquisition of approximately 47 percent of the anticipated 850,000 tonnes of cocoa beans from farmers through Licensed Buying Companies for the 2023/2024 cocoa season. This indicates a parliamentary endorsement of the financial measures in place to support cocoa farmers, albeit in the face of reservations expressed by Opoku.
This development raises broader questions about the government’s financial allocations and its perceived priorities, especially when juxtaposed against existing challenges, such as delayed contractor payments and concerns about the management of vital agricultural entities like COCOBOD. Opoku’s critique serves as a reminder of the need for careful consideration of budgetary decisions to ensure that limited resources are directed towards areas of utmost importance and urgency.
In conclusion, the parliamentary approval of the substantial loan agreement for cocoa bean procurement reflects a commitment to supporting the agricultural sector. However, the reservations articulated by Eric Opoku underscore the importance of ongoing scrutiny and accountability in the allocation of public funds, particularly in contexts where competing priorities and financial challenges are evident.
Source: ghanaweb.com
The National Peace Council (NPC) has called on Ghanaians to live harmoniously with each other to safeguard the country’s peace.
It has urged Ghanaians to protect “the peace and security of the country by creating and using avenues of tolerance, cooperation, and coexistence to sustain the country’s identity as an oasis of peace in Africa.”
This follows the unfortunate violent clashes in some parts of the country which have resulted in the deaths of some citizens.
Reports from Kintampo in the Bono East Region, Nkwanta in the Oti Region, and Wenchiki in the Northeast Region indicate that violence has led to the destruction of lives and property in these affected communities.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the NPC reminded Ghanaians “of paragraphs (c), (d) and (i) of
article 41 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana which states thus: The exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of every citizen.”
“To foster national unity and live in harmony with others; to respect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of others, and generally to refrain from doing acts detrimental to the welfare of other persons. To co-operate with lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.”
Read the full statement from the NPC here
citinewsroom.com
LOCAL NEWS
Defence and National Security Ministers to appear before parliament today over Kintampo clash
The Ministers of Defence and National Security are expected to appear before the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament on Thursday, November 23, to provide a briefing on actions being taken by the government to forestall a clash between the Mo and Wangara tribes in the Kintampo North municipality.
This comes on the back of a summons by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
According to the Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Kwame Kumah, tensions were high when the Mo tribe requested to perform rituals within the months of November and December, coinciding with the annual Klubi festival of the Wangara community.
In response to calls for a ceasefire by the MP, the Speaker directed that the government must take immediate steps to ensure peaceful coexistence.
“As the first authorities to come to this house to brief the committee on Defense and Interior, this is an urgent matter that should be handled with dispatch. I think Thursday should be okay for the two ministers and their commanders to appear before the committee early tomorrow morning by 9 am to brief the committee. It is an urgent matter.”
“The National Security Council through their regional office should immediately intervene because the chieftaincy institution is one of the cornerstones of the peace and security of our country, and we hold that institution dearly. We will do everything to prevent that institution from falling into disarray,” he stated.
citinewsroom.com
Some staff of a popular loan company, Quick Credit Ghana, stormed a local restaurant to recover a loan sum.
Videos available to GhanaWeb and shared on social media showed over half a dozen male workers in violent exchanges with the staff at the restaurant said to be located at Laterbiokoshie, a suburb of Accra.
According to a person videoing the encounter, the staff had forced their way into the facility, packed up the furniture and succeeded in locking up the place before leaving.
The video, shot in the evening, however, did not show any affected customers nor did it show any casualties.
The company has yet to issue an official statement on the development. GhanaWeb is also trying to reach out to the affected businesses.
Watch the video below:
ghanaweb.com
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