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Parliament has by majority voice votes approved the Additional Financing Agreement between the Government and the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group for an amount of $150 million. This is to finance the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project. The approval came amid strong opposition from the Minority. The facility is for the construction of storm drains within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) as part of efforts by the Government to address the perennial flooding situation in the nation's capital, Accra. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority, which voted against the approval of the facility said they had concerns about the application and utilisation of the mother loan facility of $200 million so far allocated to the same Project. They claimed that out of the $200m approved, only about $65 million had been awarded on contract for works, and only $8 million disbursed in these works out of a draw of $127m. They, therefore, took the position that the solution is not extra resources but the accelerated implementation of works and speeding up of disbursement of the project funds to warrant the approval of additional funds for the project. Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng, Chairman Finance Committee of Parliament and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi West, in his report to the House noted that in the aftermath of the June 3, 2015 floods in Accra, there was renewed commitment by the Government and all key stakeholders to prioritise issues that were crucial for resilient urban development and flood mitigation. He said the commitment to reduce the vulnerability of people, livelihoods, property and the economy at large to flood related risks led to the development of the Greater Accra Spatial Development Framework (2017-2037) and the City Strength Diagnosis (2017). He reiterated that the flooding in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) was usually severe along the Odaw River Basin due to the impact of Clim ate Change, poor solid waste management, informal settlements and low income communities along the banks of the Odaw Raver. He said the flooding situation along the Odaw River Basin was exacerbated by Weak Integrated Planning and Coordination among Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the project area. 'To address these challenges, the Government of Ghana, among other interventions, initiated the GARID Project in 2020 with a financing of $200 million from the Bank,' he explained. 'However, in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, an amount of $65 million was reallocated to finance COVID related expenses. 'Additionally, the original financing does not include compensation for affected persons.' Mr Kwarteng said this additional financing had, therefore, become necessary to reinsure the $65 million and to make funds available for the payment of compensation to the affected persons. The Chairman said by a majority decision, therefore, the Committee, having examined the financing agreemen t for the GARID Project, recommended to the House to adopt its report and approve the Additional Financing Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the IDA of the World Bank Group for an amount of $150 million to finance the GARID Project in accordance with Article 181 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. The Minority also stated that the refund of $65 million re-allocated from the project to support COVID-19, if refunded by the Government, would augment the resources to the project, and should be prioritised. The NDC Minority, however, expressed their concerns about the extent of borrowing by the Government, saying that the Government should rather deepen measures to maximise domestic revenue. They strongly objected the approval of many the tax exemption applications before Parliament, which they cited as as avenues from which domestic revenue could be mobilised. Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, a Member of the Works and Housing Committee of Parliament and NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho West, in his s ubmission said a visit by his side of the Committee to the project areas indicated that one of them was at 25 per cent completion stage, while another was at 20 per cent. The project development was initiated in 2020. He said for two years now the Odaw drain had not been desilted, adding that on their way to the Project site at Nima, they called the contractor on phone, and that the contractor, who had already been paid $2 million for mobilisation, had informed them that he was yet to move to site and that he (the contractor) did not know the Project site. Mr Bedzrah, therefore, urged the House to conduct a forensic audit of the Project to ensure value for money. Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the Minister of Finance, in his remarks, noted that the Government would address the concerns raised by the NDC Minority. He said, he would be providing the House with an update report on the state of the project within two months. Source: Ghana News Agency

Ahead of plans to establish a coconut processing fctory to boost its local economy, the Akrofuom District Assembly has distributed 10,000 coconut seedlings to farmers. The goal is to encourage large-scale plantation of the crop across the district to ensure adequate raw materials for the proposed factory. Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, the District Chief Executive (DCE), at a brief ceremony to present the seedlings, said the ultimate aim was to increase income of farmers while creating jobs through industrialisation. The 10,000 seedlings, according to the DCE, were expected to be planted on 144 acres with each acre accommodating 70 seedlings. He said if farmers successfully planted and nurtured these seedlings to maturity, it would enhance the district's economy and generate more income for communities. He said the expectation was that the initiative would make farming appealing to the youth when they realised the financial benefits of supplying the factory with the needed raw materials. Mr. Alex Blankson, th e Member of Parliament (MP), highlighted the significance of the seedlings, which he said would begin to bear fruit in just three years and fetch them income. He said the proposed factory would stimulate coconut farming by providing ready market for farmers who would no longer struggle to find buyers for their produce. He encouraged the recipients of the seedlings to use them for the intended purpose in order not to lose out on the economic benefits when the factory starts operation. Mr. Amo Koranteng, the District Director of Agriculture, said in addition to the coconut seedlings, the Department of Agriculture was also distributing oil palm seedlings to farmers, and urged them to take advantage to improve their income. Mr. Kojo Asamoah, a farmer and beneficiary of the seedlings, expressed his gratitude to the Member of Parliament, District Chief Executive, Agricultural Directorate, and the Assembly for supporting them with the seedlings free of charge. Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate and stop the sale of Social Security and National Insurance Trust's (SSNIT) six hotels to Rock City Hotel Limited. Mr Ablakwa, who made this known on Friday at a press conference at Parliament House in Accra, indicated that intercepted documents in his possession confirmed that SSNIT was far advanced in selling a controlling 60 per cent stake in six of its hotels to Rock City Hotel Limited owned by Mr Bryan Acheampong, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Abetifi and Minister of Food and Agriculture. He reiterated that Mr Acheampong was a Director and the sole beneficial owner of Rock City Hotel Limited. According to Mr Ablakwa the six SSNIT hotels being sold were Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort and Trust Lodge Hotel. The North Ton gu Lawmaker noted that he was inviting CHRAJ to investigate grave matters bothering on conflict of interest, abuse of power, lack of due process, procurement breaches, cronyism, and graft. He said he had also drawn attention to blatant violations of Article 78(3) and 98(2) of the 1992 Constitution as diligent checks from Parliament's Committee on Office of Profit revealed that Mr Acheampong had not applied and did not have the permission of the Speaker of Parliament to hold an office of profit. He said 16 years ago, he and Dr Omane Boamah dragged the late Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, who was then a Minister of State, to court over attempts to buy his official bungalow; saying 'I have always maintained that it is wrong, unethical and reprehensible for public officials, particularly, Ministers of State to participate in the purchase of state assets. It is a matter of principle.' He mentioned that a number of these SSNIT hotels were very profitable and one wondered the rationale for the sale. Mr Ablakwa cited t he Labadi Beach Hotel was one of the viable state hotels, which had been paying dividends to the Government. He said the Minority in Parliament was going to follow up on the petition to its logical conclusion. He urged CHRAJ to be bold and fearless and carry out their investigations according to their constitutional mandate in a very timely order, adding that because time is of essence because they (SSNIT) had given the minority shareholders at Ridge Royal Hotel 45 days, which had elapsed. He appealed to CHRAJ to save these six state hotels and the Ghanaian workers. Source: Ghana News Agency