Parliament wants RTI Bill to cover private firms

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Parliament has initiated moves that seek to widen the scope of access to information to cover private bodies that perform public functions with state funds.

A report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the Right to Information Bill, 2013, a copy of which is in the possession of Kasapafmonline.com, discusses that the bill in its current form is “too restrictive” and therefore, has proposed that coverage be extended to cover private bodies.

“The Committee has observed that the Bill is applicable to only information held by government agencies. The Committee sees it to be too restrictive and therefore the coverage must be widened to cover private bodies that perform public functions with public funds.”

“The Committee is of the view that the public should be able to have right of access to information in the custody of private bodies or agencies, especially, if the disclosure is in the public interest. It is a fact that in modern governance, non-state actors influence the destinies of millions of people and hence, the necessity to extend the coverage to private bodies.”

To ensure fairness, the Committee has proposed that the term “government body” running through the Bill be substituted with the words “public institution” as done in other jurisdictions.

“This is applicable to both South Africa and Liberia. In both jurisdictions, the right of access to information applies to private entities that receive public resources and benefits or engage in public functions or provides public services, particularly, in respect of information relating to the public resources, benefits or services,” Chairman of the Committee, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin argued in his report that was recently submitted to the plenary for consideration and adoption.

Ghana's electricity power problems 'not too bad after all' SethTerkper says

President Mahama with Finance Minister Seth Terkper

The Finance Minister, Seth Terkper has sought to clarify that even though Ghana is going through perhaps its worst power crisis, it is still a shining star in terms of access to electricity on the continent.

“Let us remember that even during the period that we coined ‘dumsor’ and all that, Ghana has a record, the country has 72% access to electricity,” he remarked.

Speaking at the Graphic Business-Fidelity Bank breakfast meeting in Accra on Thursday, the Minister was optimistic that the nation will find permanent solutions to the energy crisis soon.

He mentioned that when it comes to access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is ranked second to South Africa “so we may not be too bad after all.”

For three years, Ghana has been forced to ration power to consumers due to power generation deficit and technical issues.

The situation degenerated and the effects on industry and the economy forced employers to lay off about 13,000 workers in various sectors.

Industry players have warned that if the power crisis is not resolved within the shortest possible time, more people will lose their jobs.

Presently, the government has signed contracts with some energy companies from countries including Turkey, Germany, USA, Russia, among others, to help with energy generation.

He added that when “we resolve our short-term and medium-term challenges, I believe the full benefits will be known.”

According to Mr. Terkper, “there are various power agreements and things that will go into this and the West African Gas Pipeline as well as our own gas processing plant has come on stream.”

In the face of the worsening economic challenges, Seth Terkper admonished Ghanaians not to focus only on the negatives, but also acknowledge the many successes the country has chalked.

“When we look at the economy, we should not look at it only on account of non-performance of Ghanaian managers including politicians,” he suggested.

“We should also look it at in the context of thee major shocks that the economy continues to go through in the last two years that we launched the recovery because often times, the conversation does not take account of these major shocks which in the past would have actually crippled the economy and therefore when we talk about decimal figures, even like a 3.5% growth or 4% growth, let us remember first that the base for the GDP itself has increased so a 3% is not the same as a 105 some years back.”

Mahama tasks Africans to portray their success

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President John Dramani Mahama on Friday called on Africans all over the world to be the front liners in telling their own success stories, since others are interested in the negative aspects.

"Insist on being experts in our experiences and success for others to know the positive side of the African continent," he said.

President Mahama who was delivering a keynote address at the 6th Annual Oxford Africa conference in the United Kingdom said because Africans over the years had reneged on their responsibility to portray their successes, others had waded in with negative aspects.

The President who is currently in the United Kingdom would hold bilateral meetings and address the United Kingdom Business Community as part of his itinerary there.

He said over the years other writers only succeeded in portraying Africa as the continent of war, conflict, hunger, deprivation and corruption.

"We must be our own historians, writers and story tellers of our success”.

President Mahama said Africa had over the years made tremendous strides in the socio-economic development of the continent, but the refusal of its people to prominently showcase the good platforms and prominence had left the erroneous beliefs in the minds of others.

The President said Africans by origin were one people with common socio-cultural uniqueness, but were divided in diversity with political colonialism which had distanced each other from their peers.

Ghana targets 242m barrels of oil in 2018

 

 

Ghana is hoping to produce about 242.3 million barrels of oil in 2018 from 39.1 million barrels this year, Finance Minister Seth Terkper has said.

Speaking at a public forum on Ghana’s debt stock, Terkper said the government is focusing on improving the energy sector in a bid to save the economy.

According to him, Ghana is aiming at producing 37 billion cubic feet of gas this year in a move to turn gas into power domestically.

He was optimistic that the ailing economy will resuscitate in the coming months due to policies and measures adopted by the John Mahama-led administration.
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"It is either we discipline ourselves or dissipate the opportunities that will arise when the economy shows any gain," Terpker said.

Koku Anyidoho hasn’t tarnished NDC’s image – Volta NDC

Volta Regional Youth Wing of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has condemned recent claims by a pressure group Volta Freedom Fighters against the Deputy General Secretary of the party Koku Anyidoho accusing him of defaming the party.

The NDC youth wing in the region is arguing that the claims by the pressure group should be disregarded.

At a press conference held in Ho, the Volta Regional Youth Wing disassociated itself from the allegations adding that the group is not recognized by the leadership of the NDC.

The Volta regional Youth Organizer, Egypt Kobla Kudoto said “the voices of the group do not represent the regional youth wing of the party.”

He added that the party would not accommodate individuals whose utterances make the party unattractive.

The pressure group calling itself Volta Freedom Fighters in the Volta region recently accused Koku Anyidoho of tarnishing the image of the NDC in the region and further called on elders of the party to call him to order.

The group said “the deputy general secretary unnecessarily launches blistering attacks on some government appointees in a quest to satisfy his ego.”

However the youth organizer told Citi News that the claims by the group are “without merit and designed to drag the party in the region into the mud.”

He called on the youth of the Volta region to redirect their energy into improving themselves and not to engage in unproductive ventures.

In a related development two youth groups from the region; Operation 1 Million Votes Movement and Brigade of Young Social Democrats (BOYSD) have also added their voices in condemning the utterances of the youth group describing it as unacceptable.

Mahama has not been smart in ending ‘dumsor’ NPP says

 The New Patriotic Party has hit hard at President Mahama for describing businesses laying off workers as not smart, and having no faith in the ability of government to end the power crisis.

According to a statement released by the NPP, President Mahama, by his comments, has displayed a "deep lack of understanding and appreciation of the terrible difficulties Ghanaian businesses face from the twin evils of dumsor, and rapid cedi depreciation and unstable macro- economy" the businesses have to contend with to keep afloat.

"It is cruel, insensitive treatment of Ghanaian companies for their own President to run them down and deride them by intimating that these companies and businesses are not “smart” and do not believe in the government’s ability to end ‘dumsor," the statement said.

President John Dramani Mahama in his May Day address to workers said the economy was doing well despite the power crisis facing the country; saying, “We are working to strategically and permanently fix the generation shortfalls that we are currently experiencing.”

He further described companies laying off workers as not being smart, since his government was working on solving the ‘temporary’ power supply challenges and will soon bring an end to the energy crisis.

But the opposition says the president did not show empathy with the workers losing their jobs and the companies who are struggling to break even with his comments.

“Under these difficult conditions, it is a near miracle that businesses in Ghana have survived at all. The plight of Ghanaians engaged in small-scale artisanal businesses such as hairdressers, tailors, seamstresses, vulcanizers, auto sprayers, barbers, corn mill operators, cold store operators, is terrible.”

Companies including Coca cola Ltd, Newmont Ltd, Tullow Ltd, Blue Skies ltd, etc, have had to lay off or are planning to lay off thousands of Ghanaian casual and permanent workers, all in an effort to survive in this climate of dumsor.

Below is the full Statement

HAS PRESIDENT MAHAMA BEEN SMART IN ENDING ''DUMSOR''?

President Mahama last Friday, May 1st, 2015, said that “smart” businesses were not laying off workers, but were rather investing to improve production capacity.

He further stated that those companies were investing because they had faith in the ability of the government to end the power crisis and improve the country’s electricity generation capacity. The President was simply saying that, Ghanaian businesses which were downsizing and laying off workers in these trying times of ‘dumsor’ were simply not being smart, and had no faith in the government!

The NPP regrets that these sentiments of the President betray a deep lack of sensitivity and sympathy for Ghanaian businesses and companies in these trying times.

It also betrays a deep misunderstanding and lack of appreciation on the President’s part for the terrible difficulties Ghanaians businesses face from the twin evils of dumsor, and rapid cedi depreciation and unstable macro- economy.

Dumsor has been in effect a full three years (since June 2012) during which period the cedi has seen the worst depreciation (since 2001), becoming by mid-2014, the worst depreciated currency in Africa and the world, according to international commentators.

Under these difficult conditions, it is a near miracle that businesses in Ghana have survived at all. The plight of Ghanaians engaged in small-scale artisanal businesses such as hairdressers, tailors, seamstresses, vulcanizers, auto sprayers, barbers, corn mill operators, cold store operators, is terrible.

Even bigger companies and businesses, many of them multinationals, have come under enormous stress.

These reputable companies and businesses, including Coca cola Ltd, Newmont Ltd, Tullow Ltd, Blue Skies Ltd, etc, have had to lay off or planning to lay off thousands of Ghanaian casual and permanent workers, all in an effort to survive in this climate of dumsor.

The least these companies expect is for the President to live up to his own several assurances on ending dumsor and stabilizing the cedi.

It is cruel , insensitive treatment of Ghanaian companies for their own President to run them down and deride them by intimating that these companies and businesses are not “smart” and do not believe in the government’s ability to end ‘dumsor’.

The President, right from 2012 up to May Day 2015, has described ‘dumsor’ as a “temporary” situation. A “temporary” situation that has persisted continuously for three (3) years.

The NPP urges President Mahama to be alive to his responsibilities and repeated assurances to end dumsor, stabilize the cedi, reduce interest rates and stabilize the macro-economic environment. He should refrain from pointing fingers at hard pressed Ghanaian businesses and companies at this very trying period.

We urge the President to ask himself if he has been smart in resolving ‘dumsor’, resolving the cedi’s rapid depreciation over the last 3years, resolving high-interest rate and resolving the unstable macro-economic environment.

…signed…

Nana Akomea

(Director of Communications)