President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s assurance to the international community that Ghana will not turn her back on her enviable, longstanding record on human rights observance and attachment to the rule of law is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured the international community that Ghana will not turn her back on her enviable, longstanding record on human rights observance and attachment to the rule of law.
“I want to assure you that no such backsliding will be contemplated or occasioned.
I think it will serve little purpose to go, at this stage, into the details of the origin of this proposed law, which is yet to reach my desk,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo said this in reaction to last week’s bi-partisan passage of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill by Parliament on a Private Member’s motion.
He gave an assurance that “the operation of the institutions of the Ghanaian state would determine the future trajectory of the rule of law and human rights compliance in our country”.
He was speaking at this year’s New Year Greetings Diplomatic Reception at the Peduase Presidential Retreat in the Eastern Region.
In attendance were high commissioners, ambassadors and heads of other international organisations such as the World Bank and the UN.
President Akufo-Addo said he was aware the Bill had “raised considerable anxieties in certain quarters of the diplomatic community and among some friends of Ghana that she might be turning her back on her hitherto enviable, longstanding record on human rights observance and attachment to the rule of law”.
The President said he had learnt that a challenge had been mounted at the Supreme Court by a concerned citizen to the constitutionality of the proposed legislation.
“In the circumstances, it would be, as well, for all of us to hold our hands, and await the decision of the court before any action is taken,” he added.
The newspaper says that the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says Parliament has not yet completed the process of “tidying up” the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021 before sending it to the Presidency for assent.
He said the bill went through several amendments and it had to be tidied up before being transmitted to the President.
Soon after being tidied up, he said, the Clerk-to-Parliament would have to authenticate it for the Speaker to certify it.
“Currently, the Speaker of Parliament and the Clerk-to-Parliament are yet to receive the authenticated bill for the process to be completed and the bill transmitted to the President,” he said.
Speaking to the press in Parliament today, Mr Afenyo-Markin said: “It is when all these are done that the bill is forwarded to the President for his assent.
“As the Leader of the House, I can say on authority that we have not completed the process and the public needs to know this so that a certain impression is not created that Parliament has transmitted the bill to the Presidency,” he said.
Article 106 is very clear that when a bill is passed by Parliament, the President must within seven days signify his assent of the bill.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has launched an ac¬tion plan to tackle inefficiencies in the import-export processes at Ghana’s ports and land borders.
Among other things, the action plan include the introduction of an integrated performance man¬agement system and digital tools for customs processes, reduction of human interventions, building capacity of officers, increasing the numerical strength of verification officers and enhancing collabora¬tion with all stakeholders.
The action plan, based on the recommendations in Ghana’s first ever, Time Release Study (TRS) conducted with support from USAID FeedtheFuture Ghana Trade and Investment Activity will be implemented by December this year.
The study, which is in line with the World Customs Organisation’s Time-Released Measurement directive, found delays in customs processes, laborious human inter¬ventions and some logistic issues as the cause for the long clearance of goods at the four main entry and exit points namely, Tema Port, the Kotoka International Airport, the Afloa and Paga border.
Launching the action plan in Ac¬cra on Friday, Rev. Dr Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah, in a speech read on his behalf reiterated the impor¬tance of seamless global trade in fostering economic growth.
The action plan, he stated, would lead to a reduction in transaction costs, foster both domestic and international investment and boost the country’s international compet¬itiveness.
He said the study was to identify bottlenecks, support import-export promotion and measure the actual time for clearance of goods at the port and Ghana’s borders.
The newspaper says that the government has budgeted an amount of GH¢4.1 billion to pay the locked up funds of customers of Gold Coast Fund Management Company Limited, the Minister of State designate at the Ministry of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, has disclosed.
The amount is the remainder of the GH¢8.9 billion locked up funds of Asset Management Companies (AMCs) in the banking sector clean-up exercise.
“(Government) has allocated about GH¢4 billion and that is in respect of the Asset Management Companies and other financial matters,” she told the Committee investigating government’s failure to pay customers of locked up funds yesterday in Accra.
The release and payment of that amount, she said, was contingent on the availability of funds to the government.
“These numbers are estimates. (The ability of government to pay as contained in the budget) de¬pends on revenues that will come in,” she clarified.
For example, she said in 2020, government earmarked GH¢3.1 billion and actually paid GH¢3.4 billion, and in 2021, budgeted for GH¢5.5 but managed to pay only GH¢1.36 billion; depending on the availability of funds.
The category of persons whose locked up funds are yet to be paid are those whose investments are more than GH¢50,000.
Those whose investments have been redeemed are persons whose investments are below GH¢50,000.
She explained that the delay in redeeming the rest of the amount was as a result of the challenge brought against government for the revocation of licence of the AMCs in the banking sector clean-up.
“Another cause of delay is the litigation. It has started and was at its peak and we had to stop the payment,” the Atiwa East MP said, adding that it was the reason why there were no allocations in 2022 and 2023 fiscal years.
GIK/APA