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Ken Ofori-Atta

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Banking sector clean-up: Ghana has become a major tourist attraction – Minister MAJORITY LEADER OSEI KYEI MENSAH-BONSU
Business

Banking sector clean-up: Ghana has become a major tourist attraction – Minister

Caretaker Minister for Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has averred that the Ghanaian economy has become more attractive to foreign investors after the financial sector cleanup. He furthered that many jobs have been created as businesses are flourishing. “The banking sector clean-up has been completed, businesses were doing well and creating jobs…and suddenly Ghana has become a major tourist attraction.” He however noted that the economy suffered a setback after the coronavirus pandemic. “We were indeed on a part of fiscal consolidation by 2019 and poised for economic transformation then out of nowhere, the COVID-19 pandemic hit us. Mr Speaker, the history of Ghanaians is a story of resilience, faith in God and ingenuity when faced with adversities and uncertainties.” He said this during the 2021 budget presentation in parliament Friday, March 12, 2021. As part of its efforts to restore confidence in the banking and specialized deposit-taking sectors, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) embarked on a clean-up exercise in August 2017 to resolve insolvent financial institutions whose continued existence posed risks to the interest of depositors. The clean-up saw the revocation of licenses of 9 universal banks, 347 microfinance companies, 39 microcredit companies or money lenders, 15 savings and loans companies, 8 finance house companies, and two non-bank financial institutions. The move by the central bank was a comprehensive assessment of the savings and loans and finance house sub-sectors carried out by the BoG in the last few years after it identified serious breaches. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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Gov’t introduces 10p ‘borla’ tax to keep Ghana more clean
Opinion

Gov’t introduces 10p ‘borla’ tax to keep Ghana more clean

The government of Ghana has instituted a sanitation and pollution levy (SPL) to accrue revenue to keep the environment clean. Caretaker Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made the announcement on Friday, 12 March 2021 when he delivered the 2021 budget. He said “notwithstanding the progress that we have made in the areas of sanitation and pollution, there is still a lot more to be done”. The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs listed them as follows: i. Improve urban air quality and combat air pollution; ii. Support the re-engineering of landfill sites at Kpone and Oti; iii. Support fumigation of public spaces, schools, health centres and markets; iv. Revamp/reconstruct poorly managed landfill facilities; v. Construct more sustainable state-of-the-art waste treatment plants both solid and liquid in selected locations across the country; vi. Construct waste recycling and compost plants across the country; vii. Construct more sanitation facilities to accelerate the elimination of open defaecation. viii. Construct final treatment and disposal sites for solid and liquid waste; ix. Provide dedicated support for the annual maintenance and management of major landfill sites and other waste treatment plants and facilities across the country; and x. Construct medical waste treatment facilities to prevent generation of infectious diseases especially under the Coronavirus Treatment Programme. He said: “Mr Speaker, these are all very critical investments that have to be made for the benefit and dignity of all Ghanaians. These will ensure sustainable sanitation management, improve the quality of life and reduce the number of deaths and diseases from poor sanitation”. “To provide the requisite resources to address these challenges and fund these activities, the government is proposing a Sanitation and Pollution Levy (SPL) of 10 pesewas on the price per litre of petrol/diesel under the Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA)”. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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Ghana recorded positive growth rate of 0.9% in 2020 – Kyei Mensah Bonsu
Business

Ghana recorded positive growth rate of 0.9% in 2020 – Kyei Mensah Bonsu

Majority Leader and the caretaker Minister for Finance Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has disclosed that the country recorded a positive growth rate of 0.9% in 2020. According to him, this is contrary to negative projections made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other bodies. Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made this known when he appeared before Parliament to present the government’s budget statement for 2021. According to him, this was achieved through the prudent management of the economy by the Akufo-Addo administration. “I stand here on behalf of the President to present to the House, the state of the economy and how we have managed to mitigate and survive the pandemic with a projected positive growth rate of 0.9% in 2020, contrary to fears of a negative growth rate as experienced in many countries,” he said. Why did Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu read the budget? Ken Ofori-Atta, who served as Finance Minister in Akufo-Addo’s first term from 2017 to 2021, was nominated by President Akufo-Addo in January 2021 to serve in the same portfolio in his second term, but he is yet to be vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee due to health reasons. Ahead of his scheduled date for vetting, the Finance Ministry announced in a statement on February 14, 2021, that Ken Ofori-Atta was being flown to the UK to receive medical attention after suffering complications from COVID-19. According to the ministry, he recovered from the disease but suffered some complications later. His constitutional duty of delivering the 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament has already been tasked to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu. Economy to rebound strongly as GDP growth nears 5% President Nana Akufo-Addo during the state of the nation address said Ghana is expected to have a GDP growth rate of about 5 percent following a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, this is in line with the 4.9 percent growth projection made by the Finance Ministry in 2020. “We expect GDP growth to rebound strongly this year to nearly 5 percent; above the IMF’s 2021 January projection of 3.2 percent for sub-Saharan Africa for 2021,” the President said. The global economy is projected to grow by 5.5 percent in 2021 and 4.2 percent in 2022. citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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Sinohydro roads agreement to be completed in 2021 – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Opinion

Sinohydro roads agreement to be completed in 2021 – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and caretaker Minister for Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has assured Ghanaians that the roads under the government’s Sinohydro agreement will be completed in 2021. According to him, most of the roads under phase one are at various stages of completion. Presenting the 2021 budget statement and economic policy on the floor of Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021, he said President Akufo-Addo is determined to fixing the nation’s bad roads. “Mr. Speaker, His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the presentation of the State of the Nation’s address declared 2021 as the second year of roads.” “Mr. Speaker, with this declaration we will continue the prioritization of road construction. The government will continue to pursue the following ongoing projects that are at various stages of completion under the Sinohydro master facility.” He thus assured the nation of a good road network in the year. President Akufo-Addo had already declared 2021 the second year of roads. About the Sinohydro agreement President Nana Akufo-Addo inaugurated a US$1.5 billion road infrastructure project under the Sinohydro Master Project Agreement by cutting sod for the construction of the Tamale Interchange project in April 2019. The Master Project Support was agreed between Ghana and the Sinohydro Corporation Limited in 2018 to address major infrastructure challenges in the country and fund other infrastructure like roads, bridges, interchanges, hospitals, housing, railway development as well as rural electrification. Months after the launch, much is yet to be seen under the overall US$2 billion deal. Per the agreement, the Sinohydro Corporation of China will provide the infrastructure of the government’s choice in exchange for Ghana’s refined bauxite. Though critics called for the agreement to be reviewed warning it would add to Ghana’s debt stock, the government insisted it is a barter arrangement that will not shackle the country to more debt. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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Budget: Akufo-Addo appoints Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu caretaker Finance Minister Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (L) recently accepting the instrument of his appointment as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs from President Nana Akufo-Addo
Politics

Budget: Akufo-Addo appoints Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu caretaker Finance Minister

President Nana Akufo-Addo has appointed Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu  as caretaker Finance Minister ahead of the lawmaker’s presentation of the 2021 budget and economic statement on Friday, 12 March 2021 in the stead of Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori-Atta, who is on a medical trip in the United States of America. “I write respectfully to inform you that pursuant to Order 140 Rules 2 and 3 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, I have assigned temporarily responsibility for the Ministry of Finance to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Member of Parliament for Suame,” a letter from the President addressed to Speaker Alban Bagbin said. Earlier, the Minority had threatened that if the President failed to officially notify Parliament that he has given the mandate of the Finance Minister to the Suame MP to deliver the budget on his behalf, then there was no guaranteeing that the lawmaker would be accommodated by a sane Parliament if he attempted to present the budget. The threat was made by Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim. “It’s not as if we have issues with Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, we know he is more than qualified to present the budget on behalf of His Excellency the President but we are creature of law as a house of Parliament. We are being governed by rules and regulations and our rules of procedures have clearly stated that the person to present the budget should be the Minister of Finance on behalf of the President”, Mr Ibrahim told Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on Class91.3FM’s mid-day news programme 12 Live on Thursday, 11 March 2021. “So”, he explained, “the Minister responsible for finance is the one who is mandated by our standing orders, to present the budget on behalf of the President”. “All we are saying is that, if there is not minister responsible for finance or the one responsible for finance is not a minister, the President must give that mandate to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to do the work with the responsibility as the minister responsible for finance to present the budget on behalf of the President”, he emphasised. According to Mr Ibrahim, the Majority Leader has not been given the power to act as the minister responsible for finance but is “just carrying the budget to come and present it and go and sit down”. “But the budget presentation is a process. It follows government policy and economic policy and tax laws and all those things. All those laws and all those motions must be moved by a minister and that minister is the Minister of Finance. “So, if Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is coming to present the budget, in what capacity is he presenting it under our standing orders and in what capacity is he going to move the motion for the tax laws and policies? So, the president must give him that mandate”, he argued. He explained that it is just a letter and a statement that the President will issue to say that the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs is now the Acting Minister responsible for Finance and he should present the budget on his behalf until the substantive minister comes. Period”. “What is the President afraid of, to give that power of attorney to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu? If you know he’s qualified, give him the mandate?” he wondered. He warned: “If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think there will be sanity in Parliament to present it tomorrow”, stressing: “Parliament is not a lawless institution. We operate with laws and, therefore, the Speaker must be given that respect”. “The President must be specific to let Parliament know who is responsible for finance at this material time. Parliament must be notified and that person is the one who must present the budget”. ClassFM Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is shamelessly dishonest –Clement Apak CLEMENT APAK
Politics

Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is shamelessly dishonest –Clement Apak

Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency Dr. Clement Apak said the Majority Leader Mr, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has proven to be shamelessly dishonest for his pronouncement on the event that took place in the Parliament during the election of Speaker of Parliament. Meanwhile outlining the details on the night of the dissolution of the 7th Parliament in an exclusive interview with the media, the MP for Suame indicated that during the voting exercise to determine who was to be the leader of the House of Legislature, contrary to the reports, both candidates garnered 136 votes. He further explained that two of the votes were unaccounted for, while one got rejected because both candidates had been tainted. However, he said, that the former MP for Nadowli Kaleo, Alban Bagbin did not win the speakership race but upon dialogue both leadership of the house, concluded to give it the Mr. Alban Bagbin. However, Dr. Apak believes there is some level of dishonesty from the position of the Majority Leader. He further explained that the truth is that after many hours of standoffs because the NPP side he leads had refused as he instructed, to abide by the law dictated and practice driven protocol of secret voting or if you like, secret ballot, he and his team reluctantly agreed to do what is right. “Thereupon, we voted, all 275 of us. The ballot box was opened and the ballots sorted. There was one spoiled ballot after sorting in accordance to the number of Candidates: Prof. Mike Oquaye number 1 and Alban Sumana Bagbin number 2. The votes for Prof. Oquaye counted were 136.” “It was after this that we in the NDC started jubilating because the outcome was obvious, that our Father and nominee, Hon. Bagbin had won. Clearly with only one spoiled ballot, common maths showed that Bagbin obtained 138 votes. For those not good at maths, 275 minus 1+136=137. When 137 is subtracted from 275 the answer is 138.” He explained Here are the details: Folks, Kyei Mensah Bonsu has proven to be shamelessly dishonest. In anycase, not even my three-year-old son who sleeply watched the events of the early hours of January 7th, 2020 in the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana in relation to the election of a Speaker, his two deputies and the swearing in of MPs-elect, will believe this palpable lie Kyei has concocted. Truth is that after many hours of standoffs because the NPP side he leads had refused as he instructed, to abide by the law dictated and practice driven protocol of secret voting or if you like, secret ballot, he and his team reluctantly agreed to do what is right. Thereupon, we voted, all 275 of us. The ballot box was opened and the ballots sorted. There was one spoiled ballot after sorting in accordance to the number of Candidates: Prof. Mike Oquaye number 1 and Alban Sumana Bagbin number 2. The votes for Prof. Oquaye counted were 136. It was after this that we in the NDC started jubilating because the outcome was obvious, that our Father and nominee, Hon. Bagbin had won. Clearly with only one spoiled ballot, common maths showed that Bagbin obtained 138 votes. For those not good at maths, 275 minus 1+136=137. When 137 is subtracted from 275 the answer is 138. The same Kyei Mensah then had a short chat with Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah, and after Kyei Mensah pulled an NPP MP elect at the counting table, Carlos Ahenkorah snatched ballot papers from a Clarke and bolted. Carlos Ahenkorah was apprehended. Leadership then went into conclave and returned to confirm that Bagbin was indeed the Victor. And the process continued with the swearing-in of Speaker Bagbin. When MPS-ELECT got sworn in, the next was the approval of the 1st and 2nd deputy speakers of Parliament. For these positions we did not cast ballots, we agreed. Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the now minority leader, should stop being arrogant. Truly, if he and his team had a choice, will they make the Rt Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin the Speaker of Parliament? Hon. Rt. Hon. Sumana Bagbin was duly elected as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana. This was in spite of all the plots, schemes and shenanigans of Mr. Akufo-Addo as deployed by his henchmen aftert a meeting on the night of January 6th and the early hours of January 7th. Kyei Mensah Bonsu was part of that meeting held at a well-known hotel. In fact a number of Akufo-Addo henchmen were spotted in Parliament, ostensibly to oversee the execution of their plots to ensure that Prof. Mike Oquaye was elected Speaker. The action of Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah was known by Kyei Mensah and was duly sanctioned by the cabal put in charge of ensuring that Prof. Mike Oquaye was elected Speaker. Mind you, as confirmed in the programme of the President Select on January 7th, Prof. Mike Oquaye was named as the Speaker of Parliament. So, the shameless claim that Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin was not elected is a feeble attempt to save face after all the plots and schemes by the cabal failed due to the determined effort of the NDC MPS-ELECT. I remain a citizen! Dr. Clement Apaak M.P for Builsa-South Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.

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