Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Oti region Honorable Kofi Eddie Adams has made a call to parliament asking that the 2024 post-budget workshop be held in Accra, “Parliament”
“My position is that considering the situation we find ourselves, it is really very possible to have the post-budget workshop held here in parliament instead of stepping out of parliament,” he told the press outside the chamber at a press briefing.
The usual post-budget workshop would be organized to allow experts to elucidate further on the underpinnings of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government to Hon. Members.
The workshop is expected to be held from Friday, 17th to Sunday, 19th November 2023
at the Rock City Hotel, Kwahu Nkwatia in the Eastern Region. Members would be expected to check in at the Hotel on Friday. 17th November 2023, after the presentation of the 2024 budget statement on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
Justifying his call, he emphatically stated that a calculation made by himself shows that parliament will spend not less than 1.4 million should the workshop be held outside.
“I did just a simple calculation and realized that for just accommodation for honorable members of parliament alone if we are using even an average of 1,700 per room, that brings us to amount to 1.4million plus Ghana Cedis just for accommodation before you talk about transport, feeding and the other staffs that will go for this engagement,” he said
The Buem legislator in his view noted that this money could be saved and used for many other important things.
Mr. Adams went on to say that parliament must lead the way while calling for the cut down of the cost of business in governance.
Although majority leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin had told the House that it’s a committee decision, the Buem MP still feels it can be held in Parliament.
“Especially when they have scheduled that we will sit on Friday and then again on Monday, how are we going to travel to any location they will choose whether the eaten or Volta Region? Travel on Friday and return early enough to commence debate on Monday 20th” he lamented
“I will want to use this medium to appeal to leadership and also Mr. Speaker for us to rethink this position of wanting to have the post-budget hearing outside of parliament just for possibly a day and a half, I don’t think it is worth it” he pleaded.
Source: Mary Quartey
