GRi in Parliament 03 - 07 - 2002
Let's pave the way for women to enter
politics - MPs
Parliament adopts report on petroleum exploration
Compaore calls for a just and secured world
Ghanaians to remain steadfast to democratic ideals - Ala Adjetey
Let's pave the way for women to enter politics
- MPs
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002- Mr John Mahama, NDC-Bole, on Friday led a pro-feminist group in Parliament to call for favourable laws and environment for women to be attracted into politics.
"We need to promote the welfare of the disadvantaged and their participation in both local and national politics. Women are disadvantaged in our society. They are under-represented in almost every sphere of our life."
Mr Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, had read a statement in Parliament on the state of the nation's readiness for the District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections. Mr Mahama said women groups had the right to promote the candidature of females because of the their peculiar nature.
Mr Yaw Osafo- Maafo, Minister of Finance, said the present 18 female members of Parliament was regrettable adding, "we need more women in politics. "We are denying ourselves the very important ingredient of life. We need to target them and support them."
He said although non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were doing a good job, they needed the guidance of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE). Mrs Edith Hazel, NDC-Evalue-Gwira, said rural women had an additional problem of poverty apart from the cultural barriers that scared them away from politics.
Mr Malik Alhassan Yakubu, NDC-Yendi, called for a conscious effort at changing the psychological inclinations of most women. "Most women are shy, even some of the most educated would want a quiet life."
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Parliament adopts report on petroleum
exploration
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002- Parliament by 112 votes and none against and no abstention, adopted the report on an agreement for petroleum exploration and production in the Off-shore Saltpond-Central Basin.
The agreement, which ties the Government of Ghana, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Alderney Resources (Ghana) Limited would provide for an exploration period of seven years. A total area of exploration would cover about 6,200 square kilometres.
Presenting the report of the Committee on Mines and Energy, the chairman, Mr A. B. Boadi-Mensah said government would encourage exploration in the deep waters to improve the chances of discovery. "The Committee is of the view that the agreement would stimulate interest in Ghana's hydrocarbon potentials and improve the chances of significant discovery in the country's sedimentary basin."
Mr Boadi-Mensah said during the exploration period, Alderney Resources Limited would undertake seismic acquisition, processing, re-processing and interpretation activities as well as integrate previously acquired data with the new data to generate drillable prospects. He said the data to be acquired and developed would benefit GNPC in the event of the company packing off. He said in the event of a commercial discovery, the government would have a 10 per cent royalty for oil and 5 per cent royalty for gas.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002- Visiting Burkina Be President Blaise Compaore on Tuesday said only a just and secured world would guarantee true freedom and prosperity for human kind. "We need to fight for that just and secure world where there would be no exclusion and other negative practice that faced many deprived nations at the moment."
President Compaore was addressing Ghana's Parliament as part of his visit to the country. He called for solidarity among nations" since only solidarity could guide us to achieve the collective well-being of the World's peoples."
He affirmed his country's support for peace and security in African and in other trouble spots around the world. "Burkina Faso has worked to avert major crises on the continent through consultation within the Inter-African Dialogue Framework." He said: "However, these joint efforts have not achieved desired results." President Compaore cited the current crises in the Mano River area in and said ECOWAS and the UN were working seriously towards a permanent solution.
He said the Great Lakes Region posed a great threat to peace and security on the continent. "The Great Lakes Regions remain an area of concern," adding that before peace could return there the territorial integrity of the Republic of Congo must be respected and there should be greater security along borders with Rwanda.
On the Middle East crisis, he called for a Palestinian State co-existing with the State of Israel. He said any policy or plan that excluded the right of the Palestinian people to create a state would only be a delayed tragedy that would weigh heavily on the conscience of the world.
President Compaore said his country was always prepared to sacrifice part or the whole of its sovereignty for the good of a united West Africa or the whole continent. He said since 1968, all constitutions of that country had had clauses to that effect adding that the present Constitution was very explicit on the matter.
President Campaore described Ghana as "a democratic model that could be used to unify the West Africa Sub-Region and Africa." He said Ghana represented an important gateway for land locked countries for both economic and social advancements saying, "this should be accompanied by a true real story of West African integration."
"This challenge should be at the heart of local community politics. We have good ideas and dreams. We only have to rediscover peace to rebuild the future." He urged African Parliaments to network to help to stimulate growth and progress o the continent. "Parliaments should engage themselves in social mobilisation and nurture issues and use their political strength to reduce tensions on the continent.
He expressed gratitude to Ghanaians for being good neighbours and even hosting many Burkinabes in the country. “In this era of extreme nationalism and xenophobia, our people have enjoyed their stay in your country."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002- Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker, on Tuesday said Ghanaians would remain steadfast to the rules and ideals of democracy because they had found a place in their national goals and aspirations.
The Speaker was hosting the visiting Burkina Be President Blaise Compaore in the Parliamentary Chamber. He pledged support for the ideals and institutions of ECOWAS, especially, the Sub-Regional Parliament. The Speaker described the visit as the manifestation of the good neighbourliness between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
He said: "The Colonial powers created artificial boundaries between us but failed to separate our people socially and culturally." Mr Ala Adjetey called for increased trade between the two countries saying "we are concerned about our bilateral trade which is so far insignificant."
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