This is according to a research conducted by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), and the Center for Democratic Development (CDD).

The report found that multiparty democracy and its highly competitive elections had resulted in the rising cost of political campaigns in the country.

Analyzing the campaign spending of aspiring Members of Parliament between 2012 and 2016, the report indicated that, the cost of running successful campaigns had risen by 59% over the four-year period covering two national elections.

The report warned that, the rising cost may result in just a few wealthy people having the opportunity to hold public office with Members of Parliament becoming incentivized to recoup their campaign spendings rather than genuinely serving their constituencies.

“Ghana has held six elections since returning to multiparty democracy in 1992, with three peaceful power transitions, including, in 2016, the first defeat of a sitting incumbent. However, multiparty competitive elections can be costly affairs for aspiring and incumbent legislators. WFD research found between 2012 and 2016, the cost of running for political office in Ghana increased 59%.”

“On average, candidates needed to raise approximately GHS 390,000 (approx. USD 86,000) to secure the party primary nomination and compete in the parliamentary election in their constituency. If the cost of politics rises to unaffordable levels, the danger is that politics becomes the domain of the elite and wealthy and that the motivation and incentives of MPs move from serving the public to recovering their own investment,” the report said.

The report considered expenditure on campaigns, payment of party workers, media and advertisement and donations.

Spending based on gender

It emerged that on average, male candidates spent more in their campaigns than the female counterparts especially in Municipal areas “where party primaries, particularly those of Ghana’s two main political parties (the NDC and NPP) can be very expensive affairs; and where an ability to spend the most money is, by and large, a critical factor in successfully winning a seat in elected office.”

‘MPs need two years’ salary to campaign’

Given the fact that MPs earn GHS 233,000 each year, it is apparent that they would require two years’ combined salary to enable them effectively campaign ahead of elections.

“In Ghana, a sitting MP earns GHS 233,000 annually (approx. USD 51,000). Therefore a successful election campaign on average costs them the equivalent of the best part of two years’ wages. This illustrates how much of a barrier to entry the cost of politics can have on ordinary Ghanaians who are keen to seek political office, but lack substantial sponsorship.”

“It is important to note that, the figures quoted for the items above also do not account for all the ‘soft’ money raised and spent by the candidates in the parliamentary primaries because according to respondents, tracking how much a candidate spent in any contest is an extremely difficult exercise: ‘it is a fact that there are so many items we spent money on, which cannot be accounted for in our election budgets’, a candidate who wished to remain anonymous said. The actual cost is therefore likely to be higher than the numbers provided.”

‘Implications of rising cost’

The report observed that, a major effect of the rising cost of rising to the position of a Member of Parliament could result in;

• Exclusion: women and youth suffer disproportionately when the cost of politics rises.
• Disillusionment: increasing costs lead to the perception that competence takes a backseat to wealth in gaining seats in parliament.
• Corruption: mounting MP debts make them susceptible to various forms of corruption.

On the way forward in correcting the imbalances, the report said;

Those surveyed expressed strong support for remedies that affected other institutions or groups. For instance, 80% supported laws that requires balanced media coverage during elections. 88% supported civic education programmes that encouraged voters to stop making financial demands on candidates or MPs.

The sample also supported interventions that would likely benefit them personally, whether financially or indirectly. 85% supported a reduction in filing fees imposed on candidates by electoral commissions or political parties. This has been a particularly large growth area for political costs, as parties have come to realize the potential rents to be gained from extracted significant fees from their candidates.

There was far less support, however, for regulations that restricted their own ability to operate within campaigns. Just 50% favoured a cap on spending for electoral campaigns, while only 56% supported a similar cap on how much candidates could spend on media advertising. These kinds of caps have a somewhat chequered history in Sub-Saharan Africa, so the resistance may not be entirely self-serving, but the distinction is intriguing.

The report concluded that over 72% of the respondents expressed support for sanctions against those who engage in political patronage. Given that 83% of these same respondents declared their approval of political patronage in a previous question, this juxtaposition strengthens the hypothesis that most political actors would like to see the system change (and the costs reduce) but few to none feel they can make that change on their own.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Each MP spends GHC390,000 on election campaign – Report appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Center said it is forced to take the step due to the failure of the MPs to respond to several notices and letters to them over their debt.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ipFo8wTIcu8xlBIKGSGIRI7jErZScArT”]MASLOC is primarily to provide micro and small loans for start-ups and small businesses to enable them to grow and expand.

In the past few years, it has been involved in the sale of cars on credit to individuals and groups, however, it is challenged with retrieving the monies owed it.

The new Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC, Stephen Amoah, in a previous interview on the Citi Breakfast Show said the Center was currently on the heels of some Members of Parliament who bought their vehicles on loan, but had defaulted in paying back several years after.

“Some of the MPS came for the cars or whatever loans or assets for their personal use, some of them actually did that for other people as guarantors. If you guarantee for a beneficiary, there is a declaration that anytime that there is default; you would have to perform that obligation…Some of them were leaders of the previous government. So I wrote to each of the MPs and put it into their pigeon holes—I never had any response from any of them. I also wrote to the clerk of Parliament, I did that but there was no response,” he said.

Maame Afia Akoto, the Deputy Chief Executive of MASLOC told Citi News that, “Irrespective of who the person is, we are going to publish their pictures, their guarantors’ pictures and they will be in the dailies and at the end of the day we are going to give it to their districts to have it in their district halls. We gave them a deadline and that ends this October so I believe God-willing first week in November we are going to have their names published,” she said.

“There are stars involved, chiefs, journalists and people that you will expect them to do the honourable thing. We are also going to process these people for court,” she added.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MASLOC to publish names of defaulting MPs, celebrities appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the voters, the education level of their parliamentarians of great priority to them.

The report was based on a survey conducted by the Institute between November and December 2015 across all 10 regions of the country.

83.7 percent of respondents said the education level of their Members of Parliament was most important to them.

The 1992 Constitution is loudly silent on the level of education one must attain before contesting to be a Member of Parliament.

In recent years, many have had cause to worry about the kind of arguments and submissions made by some Members of Parliament on the floor of the House.

It is believed that the lack of confidence to express one’s self on the floor of Parliament and the lack of understanding of issues discussed has caused some MPs to remain silent throughout debates.

Some have said that the lack of tertiary education by some MPs is affecting the work of the House.

Director of Advocacy and Programmes at the IEA, Dr. Frankie Asare Donkor in an interview with Citi News said the majority of Ghanaians are worried their MPs do not speak in Parliament.

He said, “With such background [tertiary education], it prepares one to be able to deal with issues in a better way. You can understand and analyse things better. Those who do not speak in parliament, our observation is that they lack the ability to speak the kind of language expected of parliamentarians and they haven’t on their own been able to think of issues seriously and critically to make contributions in Parliament.”

A recent report by a civil society organization focused on activities of the legislature, Odekro, identified 19 members of Parliament who had not made any comment on the floor of the house throughout the 4-year sitting of the 6th Parliament.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghanaians prefer MPs with tertiary education appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the civil society organization, the allegation dents the legislative body’s integrity.

[contextly_sidebar id=”gUaTauxgKJknFjzGvLIDhEUVh2kRVokB”]The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, in a letter leaked to the media earlier this week, announced that four legislators including a former MP, have been banned for ten years from entering the UK for various illegal immigration practice facilitated by their diplomatic passports.

Their offenses include helping supposed relatives overstay their visas in the UK.

The Executive Director of ACEPA, Dr. Rasheed Dramani, said, “I think it is yet another heavy blow to the integrity of our Parliament and that is how I will describe it. It is quite unfortunate, and what makes it more unfortunate is the timing of it; at a time when we are healing from another scandal.”

On calls for the diplomatic passports of Members of Parliament to be withdrawn following the allegations, Dr. Rasheed Dramani said withdrawing the diplomatic passports will amount to nothing.

“I think it is not a question of diplomatic passports. It is more about anybody who carries the Ghanaian identity to show that they are a worthy ambassador… The issue is more about all Members of Parliament being guided by the fact that they have a heavy responsibility that they carry in the way they do everything and carry themselves at all times.”

All the MPs implicated in the alleged incident have been slapped with a 10-year ban from the UK.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Parliament’s image smeared again by ‘Visa fraud’ allegations – ACEPA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to them, they will critically assess the nominees to confirm their preparedness to serve in their various offices.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jInnYYiSlbsIlKhKI2N1Qc1YqLEN9VIx”]Speaking in an interview with Citi FM’s Richard Sky, Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said they will focus on various metrics including the intellect of the nominees.

“Today[Friday], offers us an irresistible opportunity as the appointments committee to examine and scrutinize the President, Nana Akufo-Addo’s nominees for appointment as ministers of state. We will give true meaning to the constitutional meaning of prior approval of Parliament.”

“We will particularly be interested in examining the intellect and background of nominees, their temperaments and understanding of policy issues and situating those policies within the overall policy objectives that President Akufo-Addo and the NPP has shared with the Ghanaian people, and whether they can walk the talk,” Haruna Iddrisu said.

Parliament has constituted a 26-member Appointments Committee also known as Vetting Committee to vet all the ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo.

The committee, which starts work today [Friday], January 20, 2017, will be chaired by Joseph Osei-Owusu, MP for Bekwai and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader and MP for Tamale South as ranking member.

Senior Minister-nominee, Yaw Osafo Maafo; National Security Minister-nominee, Albert Kan-Dapaah; Finance Minister-nominee, Ken Ofori-Atta and Defence Minister-nominee Dominic Nitiwul will all be vetted today [Friday].

‘List of committee members’

Joseph Osei-Owusu (MP for Bekwai and First Deputy Speaker) – Chairman

Adwoa Safo (MP for Dome Kwabenya and Deputy Majority Leader)

Kwesi Ameyaw Cheremeh (MP for Sunyani East and Majority Chief Whip)

Dominic Nitiwul (MP for Bimbilla)

Samuel Atta Kyea (MP for Abuakwa South)

Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Manhyia South)

Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover (MP for Tema East)

Ursula G. Owusu-Ekuful (MP Ablekuma West)

Joseph Kofi Adda (Navrongo Central)

Joseph Cudjoe (Effia)

Patricia Apeagyei (Asokwa)

O.B. Amoah (Akwapim South)

Kofi Amoako Hene (Atebubu)

Anthony Karbo (Lawra)

Barbara Asher Ayisi (Cape Coast South)

Micheal Yaw Gyato (Krachie)

Minority:

Haruna Iddrisu (Minority Leader and MP for Tamale South) – Ranking Member

Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak (Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase)

Mahama Ayariga (Bawku Central)

Sampson Ahi (Bodi)

Eric Opoku (Asunafo South)

Bernice Adiku Heloo (Hohoe)

Joseph Yieleh Chireh (Wa West)

Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye (Odododiodioo)

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu)

Alhassan Suhuyini (Tamale North)

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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The Committee had five members, and was chaired by Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh.

The Committee presented its report in September 2016. Given that the elections were just around the corner and politicians including the President, were crisscrossing the country canvassing for votes, the report did not receive much attention.

[contextly_sidebar id=”j7OSQi5C4PKeCo6CpupFAOfak5i7eWtd”]As expected, after December 7, the Committee’s report has become one of the most sought after document in the corridors of power. The impression once again created is that, the work of Presidential Emoluments Committee (PEC) is all about awarding fat ex-gratia to politicians, an issue the Committee itself lamented in its report.

Media reports suggest that the committee’s report and the accompanying recommendations have been accepted.

We are also told that as a group, the Article 71 public office holders are to enjoy 10 percent annual increases starting from 2013.

However, what remains unclear are: (i) what exactly the report says or recommends and (ii) what has actually been approved between the Executive and the Legislature.

In this write-up I assess what the specific recommendations of the Committee are and juxtapose them with what has actually been approved between the executive and the legislature.

I will also compare the absolute figures of salaries and their rates of increase with what pertains in the larger public sector where wage brakes has been applied in the last four years by the executive as part of measures to reduce the runaway fiscal deficit.

The intention is to provide accurate information. The figures being thrown around are not correct figures of the actual increases.

The acceptance of the Committee’s report by government came with a revision of the figures. The revised figures have been hidden from the Ghanaian public.

What did the Committee recommend?

The Committee’s report is 81 pages, including annexes. The Committee did a fantastic job.

It recommended many things bordering on how the nation remunerates and resettles its top politicians and officers.

Most of these recommendations have, indeed, been accepted by, government as reported by the media.

Three key recommendations were, however, rejected, or I should say, revised.

The first of these is the recommendation that the salary relativity among the three arms of government as approved by the late President Mills following the report of the Ewurama Addy Committee be restored.

The Ewurama Addy Committee sought to establish a salary structure for the Article 71 public office holders with clear and justifiable relativities.

That Committee adopted a point system in which the President was used as the anchor with 100 points.

In descending order, the Vice-President, Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice became the anchor for the Executive, Parliament and the Judiciary respectively. The Vice-President was awarded 90 points.

This means the Vice-President was expected to receive 90% of whatever the President receives as monthly pay.

A member of parliament was awarded 50 points. This implied that an MP would earn 50% of what the President earns.

At the time, Parliament kicked against this relativity and compelled President Mills to raise them to 60 points.

This meant that the awarded points for those above MP, such as the MPs who doubled as ministers, had to change. (The approved salary structure can be found on page 36 of the Edu-Buandoh Committee report).

But this was only the first stage of the organized and honourable strike against the recommendations of the Ewurama Addy Committee.

The MPs also kicked against the recommended 10% annual increases in their pay from 2009 to 2013.

Instead, they demanded, and President Mills approved for them, 20% annual salary increase for the period.

All the others got 10% annual increase. These awards completely distorted the approved salary structure, leading to the current situation where the Speaker of Parliament is paid higher than the President of the Republic.

The two Deputy Speakers, Majority and Minority leaders as well as MPs with cabinet ministerial positions earn more than the Vice-President.

By the end of 2012, MPs were receiving 78% of the President’s pay instead of the approved 60%.

The present Committee (Edu-Buandoh) recommended that the relativity as demanded by the MPs and approved by President Mills be restored.

For this to be achieved, Parliament and also the Judiciary (which in July 2016 got additional 10% salary raise on top of what they received in 2012) necessarily have to mark time in terms of wage increases.

The Committee therefore recommended a 10% salary increase across board for the 4-year period between January 2013 and January 2017.

This translated into 2.41% annual increase for MPs and Justices of the Superior Court of Judicature.

For all others who did not benefit from the 20% annual increases between 2009 and 2012, the Committee recommended annual increase of 9.41%.

Thus, the media reports about the Edu-Buandoh Committee recommended 10% annual salary increase for all Article 71 Officer Holders is inaccurate.

Our Honourable men and women in Parliament have revolted again. They have rejected the attempt to restore the approved relativity that is based on the Ewurama Addy report, and which the present Committee has strongly recommended.

Instead of MPs receiving 60% of the President’s pay they are demanding 64%. Reliable information indicates that this demand by, the MPs has been approved by both the President and Parliament.

In addition, the MPs have also rejected the differential salary increases meant to restore the relativities approved in 2012.

They are demanding 10% annual increases across the board from January 2013 to January 2017. Once again, the President has approved this demand.

Finally, the Committee’s recommended formula for determining ex-gratia awards for the various categories of public office holders has also been rejected. In its place, all qualified officers are to receive 4 months’ salary for each year of service.

This means an MP who has served 4 years will receive 16 months pay as ex-gratia. The recommended formula by the Committee had sought to link the ex-gratia to the general performance of the economy.

The formula incorporated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and inflation rate.

In terms of figures, the 10% annual salary increase combined with an adjusted relativity of 64 percent of the president’s pay means that an MP, with no Ministerial or Deputy Ministerial portfolio, would receive GHC19,430.75 at the end of every month.

For the President, the 10% annual salary increase will translate into GHC30,359.43 per month while for the Speaker of Parliament, the 10% annual salary increase with approved relativity of 80% to the President’s pay translates into monthly pay of GHC24,287.544. These figures are backdated to 2013 (see table 1 for details).

Table 1: Approved Salary for Selected Article 71 Office Holders (GHC)

This is in sharp contrast to what the Committee recommended, which is actually what is in the public domain. Per the Committee’s recommendations, an MP would have received GHC13,686.00 per month in 2016 based on the recommended annual increase of 2.41% , which translates into 60% of the President’s pay.

The President would have received a monthly salary of GHC22,809. The Speaker would earn GHC17,791.00 monthly (see table 2 for details). These are the figures the media is quoting. But they were rejected. The President approved them earlier but Parliament rejected them. The President yielded to the demands of the leadership of Parliament as enumerated above.

Table 2: Recommended Salary Levels for Selected Article 71 Office Holders (GHC)

In the interest of fairness and equity, let us compare these figures with the figures from the Single Spine Salary Structure of the public service. In 2016 the least paid public sector worker on the Single Spine earned GHC207.90 per month.

This translates into a mere one percent of MPs pay as approved. The least paid public sector worker on the single spine would have to work for more than 7 and half years in order to earn the one month pay of the MP.

The highest paid public sector worker earns a monthly salary GHC4,325.20 in 2016. This translates into 22% of the MP’s monthly pay.

The approved figures mean that between 2013 and 2016, the President’s nominal pay has gone up by about 74%.

Those of the MP and Speaker have gone up by 56% and 50% respectively. For public sector workers on the Single Spine, there has only been 30% nominal wage increase between 2013 and 2016.

For Ex-gratia, the rejection of the Committee’s formula and a continuation of the status quo mean that qualified Article 71 office holders will take home 4-month salary for each of the years that they have been in office. This means an MP will take home about GHC270, 992.

The Speaker of Parliament will take home GHC338, 740 and the President will receive GHC423, 428.

Public sector workers subsisting on the Single Spine are not awarded ex-gratia when they retire.

Public sector workers used to receive End of Service Benefit (ESB) (the equivalent of ex-gratia).  But the Provisional National Defence Committee (PNDC) abolished the ESB in 1991.

–

By: Finder Newspaper

The post Full details of huge pay, ex-gratia for MPs, others appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He will be deputized by the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi.

The new parliament will be constituted on 6^th January, 2017, ahead of the official swearing-in of the country’s new President, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Haruna Iddrisu, 46-year-old lawyer, has been in parliament for over 12 years, and is the outgoing Minister of Employment and Labour relations.

James Avedzi, 52, a chartered accountant by profession, has also served in parliament for 12 years, and has been the Chairman of the Finance committee of Parliament.

Other leaders for the minority side are Mohammed Muntaka, who will maintain his position as the Chief Whip, with the Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, and the Member of Parliament for Ada East, Hon. Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah,  serving as deputy chief whips.

Meanwhile outgoing Majority leader, Alban Bagbin has been tipped to become second deputy Speaker of the House in the Seventh Parliament starting January 7, 2017.

Some caucuses within the soon-to-be-dissolved parliament particularly on the minority side, have began lobbying for their preferred candidates to be elected to serve in various leadership positions in the house.

Earlier last week, the Volta caucus in a statement said, James Klutse Avedzi was the best person to be elected as leader of the minority side of the next parliament.

The spokesperson for the caucus and MP for Keta, Richard Quarshigah in an interview Eyewitness News said, “Avedzi for instance has been the chairman of the Finance Committee for eight years, and he has demonstrated himself in a very excellent and appreciable manner on that committee.

About Haruna Iddrisu

Haruna Iddrisu was born in Tamale on September 8, 1970. He has held a seat in parliament as the Member of Parliament for the Tamale South constituency, since 2004.

He has served on appointments committee, constitutional, legal and parliamentary committee, and the judicial committees of parliament.

Haruna Iddrisu attended Ghana’s premier University, Legon between 1993 and 1997 where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Sociology.

His involvement in student politics saw him becoming the President of the National Union of Ghana Students during his final year in the university.
Haruna has been a member of the Ghana Bar Association since 2002.

He was the National Youth Organizer for the NDC in 2002, and became an MP during the 2008 parliamentary election.

Haruna has held various positions in government, including Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Minister for Communications as well as Minister for Trade between 2013 and 2014.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Haruna Iddrisu named minority leader, Avedzi made deputy appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Two parliamentarians, James Klutse Avedzi and Haruna Idrissu have been touted as possible candidates for the Minority leadership position, and according to Mr. Avoka, one with a legal background will be better placed to serve as a leader for the minority NDC in the 7th parliament.

[contextly_sidebar id=”dB33H1bI7vzZ7ugVjPck2f2bHm9VpjIX”]Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Cletus Avoka said, “I have worked with the two gentlemen and I know their capacities… I think Haruna Iddrisu is very resourceful and if he can combine that with having a listening ear, being tolerant with the bench behind him, he will be a very good leader. Avedzi too has held the position of the chairman of the finance committee and served without blemish. That is his background and I know he is a good material; but as to whether that can transform into an effective leader, is another matter.”

He said the NDC side in parliament requires a very good and effective leader that can help them make positive contributions that will eventually help get the party back to power.

“We need a very strong leader, good leader and a good administrator. Besides leading them in parliament, he’s also their leader outside parliament. If you cannot manage and galvanize them outside parliament, you’ll find it difficult controlling them in the chamber.”

“With modern trends, somebody with a legal background will normally be very useful in parliament particularly in leadership because of his appreciation of interpretation and constitution analysis and standing orders of the house,” he said.

The minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the next parliament, which will be constituted on 6th January, 2017, is yet to select its leaders.

James Klutse Avedzi who is Member of Parliament for the Ketu North constituency and Haruna Iddrisu, Tamale Central Member of Parliament, appear to be the two leading candidates for the position.

‘NDC Volta caucas backs Avedzi for position’

Meanwhile, the Volta caucus of the NDC is pushing for the election of the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament as Minority Leader.

According to the Member of Parliament for the Keta Constituency and Spokesperson for the caucus, Richard Quarshigah, Mr. Avedzi is the most qualified MP to lead the NDC at this stage.

‘Mike Oquaye will be next Speaker’

Mike Oquaye is next Speaker  The NPP on the other side per information available to citifmonline.com, will select Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, a former Member of Parliament for the Dome-Kwabenya constituency as next Speaker of Parliament, whilst Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, will become the Majority Leader.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The female aspirants have filed from eight constituencies; Keta, Ketu North, Ho West, North Dayi, Hohoe, Kpando, Afadjato South and Krachie West, out of the 26.

The figure represents a 7.6 per cent decline in the number of women who filed to contest the 2012 parliamentary elections in the Region.

In that 2015, eleven women out of 125 candidates contested eight seats, with four winning.

Nana Kugbeadzor Bakateyi II, the Chief Executive of Global Action for Women Empowerment who made this known at a public engagement in the region, expressed disappointment in the decline in the number of women contesting seats in the Region despite several consultations by her outfit.

She said a good number of women failed to win their primaries and blamed it on the lack of commitment from political parties to “support and push” women into parliament.

Nana Bakateyi said her NGO was engaging electorates, especially women in the Region to encourage them to vote for the female parliamentary candidates.

“Women don’t vote for women, so we are asking all women to vote for female candidates this year for more balanced parliamentary debates. This is because, we, women understand our issues better,” she stated.

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Source: GNA

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He said under the report, there were 22 points of specific policies to deal with the long term sources of financing from the private sector.

Mr Amissah-Arthur made the revelation when a Swiss Business delegation called on him at the Flagstaff House.

The Swiss Business delegation is in the country to explore business opportunities and to network with their Ghanaian counterparts.

Mr Amissah-Arthur also noted that President John Dramani Mahama has assured to join in the presentation of the full record of the Senchi discussion after which the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) would take it up, as reflecting the agreements that would go into the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA).

He said a couple of years ago Ghana graduated from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a Lower Middle Income Country and as a result does not qualify for the kind of financing it used to get from donor and multilateral agencies.

He said previously when the country was a LDC, they were able to borrow soft loans from the World Bank (WB) and the African Development Bank (ADB).

Mr. Amissah-Arthur further stated that since the country was now dealing with the markets then it has to develop the right kind of discipline that encourages growth rather than rely on donor financing.

He noted that the country has major constraints with energy generation, as a result of irregular gas supply from the West African Gas Pipeline to power its new thermal plants.

He expressed the hope that with the coming of Ghana Gas, it would substitute for the high cost of crude oil that is used to generate energy and therefore bring down the cost of generating electricity.

Leader of the Swiss Business, Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch,delegation stated that Ghana and Switzerland have strong bilateral relations, which goes back many years.

She said Ghana is one of the eight priority countries of Switzerland and that the visit would help improve the economic relations between the two nations.She said the business delegation is in Ghana to discover opportunities and network with Ghanaian businesses.

Source: GNA

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