The Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo and the Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, has dismissed suggestions by the Minority in Parliament that the government has engaged in an illegality by allocating about five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

Contributing to the 2017 Budget Statement and Economic Policy last Tuesday, he said the government allocated 5.9 per cent of the GDP to the DACF but not the five per cent suggested by the Minority.

Dr Akoto Osei indicated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government changed the formula for the DACF allocation in 2011 upon discovery of oil and increased the allocation from five per cent to seven per cent.

Counter by Minority

But the MP for Asawase and Minority Chief  Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, insisted that the cut in the allocation to the DACF was an unconstitutionality.

He said the allocation for the DACF for this year was supposed to be GHGH¢1.1 billion but the government allocated only GH¢790 million to the DACF.

Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka said statutory allocations such as the one for the DACF were non-negotiable.

He, therefore, asked the House to unite "to fight the unconstitutionality.”

Komenda Sugar Factory

The MP for Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abrem, Mr Samuel Atta-Mills, asked the government to add the Komenda Sugar Factory in the Central Region to the one district, one factory policy to support its operations.

Former President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated the $35.5 million company in May, 2016.

It was supposed to provide about 7,000 jobs but it had to be closed down shortly after the inauguration for maintenance.

Parliament last year approved a $24,540,000 credit facility for sugarcane and irrigation development at Komenda for the Komenda Sugar Factory.

Ban imported chemicals

Mr Atta-Mills called for the ban on the importation of chemicals used in illegal mining.

He said such chemicals ended up in water bodies which affected the health of people who consumed the water.

Source: graphic.com