The Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu, John Jinapor, has said it is not true that MPs unanimously approved a loan agreement between the government and the World Bank for an amount of $200 million to finance the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project.
The former Deputy Power Minister indicated that the Minority caucus vehemently opposed the loan agreement, but the numbers did not favour them hence the approval.
Jinapor, the ranking member on Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, in a interview with Citi FM explained that the loans were approved solely by the Majority.
“It’s not true that the House unanimously approved those loans. If you look at the committee’s report it will tell you that it was by Majority decision. The committee’s report will attest to the fact that the Minority side objected. So the Majority carried the day by one single vote”.
“Today, the voice vote clearly indicated that we, the Minority side gave an emphatic no. The Speaker gave it to the Majority side because they have the numbers. If anybody wants to blame the Minority for the insensitivity and incompetence of this government, I think that it will be very unfortunate and unfair,” he explained.
The Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. John Kumah noted that the loans are not new agreements but loans already contracted.
“These are not new loans, they are loans we have already taken on in our books. We want to put it on record that these are loans we have already contracted on our books and require Parliamentary approval. Parliament just approved the agreement between government and Development Bank Ghana. These are not new loans, they are loans we have already taken on in our books. We want to put it on record that these are loans we have already contracted on our books and require Parliamentary approval,” Mr. Kumah said.
But Jinapor believes the loans will further worsen Ghana’s economic crisis.
Source: Myxyzonline.com