Ghana, USA sign pact on Trade and Investment agreement
Obed gets the nod for his Ministry’s budget
Ghana, USA sign pact on Trade and Investment agreement
Accra,
{Greater Accra}30 March 2000.
Parliament
on Wednesday adopted the report on an agreement between Ghana and the United
States of America (USA) for the development of trade and investment relations.
The
agreement was signed in February 1999 in Washington D.C. by the then Minister
of Trade and Industry, Dr John Abu, during the visit of President Rawlings to
USA.
Mr. Kofi
Attoh, Chairman of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the agreement
provides for the diversification and expansion of trade and services between
the two countries.
He said it
provides for the establishment of a joint council on trade and investment that
will hold consultations to enhance trade and investment flows.
The
"agreement provides for the development of further areas for specific
agreements on location, intellectual property, labour, technology transfer,
technical co-operation and investment."
Mr. Attoh
said provision has been made for a mechanism of review as well as the
settlement of disputes through consultation and negotiations.
Mr. Kojo
Armah, CP-Evalue-Gwira, in seconding the motion, called on Ghanaian businessmen
to take advantage of opportunities the agreement may bring.
He asked
them to divert the focus of investors to the rural sector that has much
untapped resources.
Mr. J. K.
Ackah, NDC-Aowin Suaman, lauded the objective behind the agreement and said the
time has come for Ghana to reap from the long-standing relations it has with
the USA
Mr. Evans
Ahorsey, NDC-Ayensuano, opined that the agreement, when rectified, would allay
the fears of rich Ghanaians, who are still suspicious of the level of
co-operation between the two countries.
Dr Kwabena
Adjei, the Majority Leader, said the agreement has come about because of
President Bill Clinton's care for the African.
He said
promoting trade and investment is the right way of enhancing self-determination
and not the provision of aid that breeds dependency.
The leader
opined that America now sees Africa not as the continent of war, disease and
famine but as a partner for trade.
He asked
the security agencies to whet their wits as such heavy flows of investments
would bring with it crimes and challenges especially in the electronic circles.
Nana Akufo
Addo, the Minority Spokesman on Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary
Affairs, advised that the nation's interest should supersede any other interest
when the agreement comes to be implemented.
He said the
transformation of the national economy into a more potent one that does not
relay on primary commodities should be the goal of Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
GRi.../
Obed
gets the nod for his Ministry’s budget
Accra
(Greater Accra) 30 March 2000
A
Parliamentary Select Committee on Wednesday noted with concern that the gradual
reduction in the staff strength of the Ministry of Justice is hampering the
efficient delivery of justice.
The House
Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs said it had been
very difficult for the Ministry to retain qualified personnel due to the low
remuneration paid to them as compared to lawyers of comparable status in other
organisations or in private practice.
The
Committee, therefore, recommended a serious revision of the conditions of
service of lawyers who work in the sector Ministry and the necessary
improvements made to attract the requisite professional manpower.
The
Committee was presenting its report on the 2000 annual estimates of the
Ministry of Justice after Dr. Obed Asamoah, Attorney General and sector
Minister, had moved a motion, asking Parliament for the approval of the
estimates totalling 25.01 billion cedis.
Subsequently,
the House endorsed the request after a debate in which Members expressed the
need for the Ministry to be adequately funded to be able to operate efficiently
and help create a just society.
It
suggested that the Ministry and the National Service Secretariat should work
out an agreement on how best the Secretariat could assist the sector in this
regard.
The
Committee again noted with concern the unattractive allowances paid to lawyers
of the Legal Aid Board and said even though the observation was made last year,
nothing had been done about the issue.
It,
therefore, re-echoed its last year's recommendation for an upward review of the
allowances for the attention of the House and the relevant ministries.
The
Committee was not clear as to the justification for the establishment of legal
departments in some ministries, explaining that it was its view that Article 88
of the Constitution assigns the duties, these departments are performing to the
Ministry of Justice.
It,
therefore, called for a critical look into the issue with a view to complying
with the full import of Article 88.
On the
Registrar-General's Department, the Committee observed that the problem of
funding had made it impossible for the Department to publish trademarks of
companies, which is a requirement of the Companies Code.
The
Department's internally generated revenue is paid directly into the
Consolidated Fund as required by law.
Under its
strategic objectives, the Ministry last year developed a three-year composite
strategic plan for 1999-2001 for the sector, the report said.
Among them
were to formulate policies, monitor and evaluate their impact for the fair and
efficient administration of the law and to evolve, revise and reform laws to
make them consistent with the economic and social development of the country.
Other
objectives were to increase access to legal aid services, improve the speed and
effectiveness of both civil and criminal proceedings and ensure crime
prevention and public accountability in the utilisation and management of
economic resources.
The report
said, in spite of the inability to have all its approved financial estimates
for 1999, the Ministry achieved some measure of success.
For
instance, about 80 per cent of the laws of Ghana were revised by the Statute
Law Revision Commissioner and the operational capacity of legal institutions
strengthened to support private sector activity.
The General
Legal Council was able to train 85 lawyers out of the 300 budgeted to be
trained while the Registrar-General's Department trained about a quarter of the
total number of staff.
Under the
Ministry of Justice are the Attorney-General's Department Registrar-General's
Department, Serious Fraud Office, Law Reform Commission, General Legal Council,
Council for Law Reporting and the Legal Aid Board.
In the
debate, Nana Akufo Addo, Minority Spokesman on Constitutional and Legal
Affairs, noted the inadequate funding of the Ministry and said this undermines
the sector's efficiency.
Nana Akufo
Addo said there is a large number of suspects remanded in the prisons, and
urged the Attorney-General and the Chief Justice to initiate action to ensure
the speedy trials of these remanded prisoners.
He
requested the Attorney General to brief the House on the status of the
de-confiscation process, under which the government is returning some seized
assets of individual Ghanaians.
The Minority
member explained that the request was made last year and the AG assured the
House to accede to it but he has not been able to make good his assurance.
Nana Akufo
Addo was of the view that the deconfisication would promote the government's
national reconciliation efforts and heal wounds of those who were adversely
affected by the confiscation.
Mr. Francis
Agbotse, NDC-Ho West, urged the Ministry of Finance to release funds to the
Registrar-General's Department to undertake its computerisation programme.
Mr. C.O.
Nyanor, NPP-Upper Denkyira, expressed concern about the large number of cases
pending before the courts, and asked the AG's Department to expedite action for
the speedy disposal of such pending cases.
Mr. Kojo
Armah, CP-Evalue-Gwira, said the situation whereby the police and the army are
used in cases that are purely civil, should not be allowed to continue, and
called on the AG's Department to ensure that this was put in check.
Mr. Kwame
Dwamena-Aboagye, NDC-Asuogyaman, suggested that a law be enacted to allow
revenue-generating organisations to retain a certain percentage of such funds
for their operations and thereby help improve the economy.
Mr. Sampson
Kwaku Boafo, Minority Chief Whip, suggested that arrangements be made to enable
private legal practitioners prosecute cases before the courts to help speed up
the administration of justice.
Mr. Yaw
Osafo-Maafo was of the view that due to its strategic importance to business,
the Registrar-General's Department should be given a measure of financial autonomy
to use part of the revenue it generates internally to enhance its operations.
Papa
Owusu-Ankomah, NPP-Sekondi, said one legacy that the Ministry could bequeath to
the country was a programme for the restructuring of the AG's Department to
meet the challenges of the new century.
Mr. Francis
Buor, NPP-Offinso South, said the legal system needed revamping to ensure
speedy and efficient administration of justice.
Winding up,
the Minister noted the concerns expressed by members, which militate against
the efficient administration of justice and gave the assurance that every
effort would be made to ensure a just society in Ghana.
On the
desconfiscation, he said he would brief the House on the state of the programme
before the end of the year.
Parliament
also approved 113.88 billion cedis appropriated for the services of Government
Machinery for the 2000 fiscal year.
GRi…/