Parliament fails to approve $60m COVID-19 loan

Parliament has failed to approve a US$60.6 million loan as a third additional financing for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project.

The facility is a financing agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group.

At the end of its Third Session on March 31, the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Kwaku  Kwarteng, moved the motion for the House to adopt the report of the committee.

However, when Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin put the question to a voice vote on two occasions, those against the approval of the loan agreement had it.

This forced the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, to call for a division.

His request led to a heated argument between Members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus.

Minority

The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the agreement reached during the leadership meeting with their colleagues on the other side of the

House was for the House to take the revenue bills and then consider the  whole report during Friday's all-night marathon session of the House.

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"Mr Speaker, we've just done that, I am surprised we are going to take loans at this time," he said.

He said there was no consensus on the matter in question and that it was already past midnight, adding that they were yet to conclude the sitting of the House with their closing remarks.

"Mr Speaker, we can't continue this way, members are struggling to survive.

Already some of our members are in the hospital, I am told. So, Mr Speaker, we can't continue this way.

So, let's end the day".

Majority

The NPP Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that the loan agreement report under consideration before the House was part of the Order Paper of the House for the day; stating that the Minority had positioned themselves to resist the budget bills.

"So, Mr Speaker, in this House, whenever we have not exhausted the Business of the House, and we have critical businesses we continue".

He said the financial bills were supposed to have been considered by the House during their previous meeting, but it was rescheduled to the first meeting of the Third Session.

He further appealed to the House to approve the loan agreement before they adjourned sine die.

However, the Minority Caucus stood on the grounds that the House should adjourn without approving the loan.

Speaker

The Speaker proposed to the House that he was ready to recall them April 14 and 15 for them to consider the approval of the loan facility for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project, the House, however, did not accept his proposal.

Following the call for a division, the Whips of both sides of the House quickly rallied their members into the chamber.

When the Speaker decided to go ahead with the division, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stepped in and asked that the division be called off and that they should go ahead with their closing remarks for the House to adjourn sine die for the Easter break.