WEIJA GBAWE NPP CONGRATULATES HON TINA NAA AYELEY MENSAH ON HER NOMINATION AS DEPUTY MINISTER FOR HEALTH

When the news about her nomination as a deputy minister for health  broke ,many of her  constituents from all the different political parties took to the streets to celebrate their member of Parliament, Hon Tina NAA Ayeley Mensah because according to them this was an elevation worth celebrating envisaging the enormous developmental opportunities they were likely to benefit from through her very rich lobbying skills and magnanimity. Traditional rulers,opinion leaders,party faithfuls and non party faithfuls alike trooped to Hon Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah's house to congratulate her on the new appointment and pledged their unflinching support for her when she is finally cleared by parliament to commence her duties in that capacity.On her part the member of parliament thanked his excellency President Akufo Addo for reposing confidence in her and pledged to work assiduously for the benefit of all.She also thanked all present for their support and prayers and promised to work with all for the government to succeed.

 Honourable Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah is a Ga  from British Accra and partly Ewe. 53 years of age ,married to a Fante and blessed with two adorable children. She lives in South-West McCarthy Hills (Tetegu) in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency.

EDUCATION:
• Bsc. Public Administration (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration-GIMPA) 2009-2013.
• Diploma in Secretary Ship (Rapid Results, Accra)   1986.
• GCE O’Level Certificate (Accra Girls Secondary School)       1984
TRAINING PROGRAMMES:
• Negotiation and Leadership Training, Gender and Development – Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Ghana.
• The Law and Rights of Women in Politics in Ghana-The way forward – Friedrich Nuamann Foundation, Ghana.
• Conference on Organization Media and Campaign, JHS Foundation-Mahe Island, Seychelles.
• Communication and Campaign Strategies, JHS, Sweden. Communicating with confidence/Planning Election Campaign (WFD, Conservative Party-United Kingdom).
POLITICAL PROFILE:
• Former Deputy National Women’s Organizer New Patriotic Party. 2012
• Former National Women’s Secretary (Headquaters-NPP) 2003
• Former Greater Accra Regional Coordinator for the Three (3) Ablekuma Constituencies during Election 2000.
• Former South Ablekuma Constituency Assistant Women’s Organizer 1994
• Former Gbebu Cell Leader, South Ablekuma-Shiabu in 1992.

• Contested the 1996 Ablekuma South Parliamentary Primaries but lost to the Late Theresa Ameley Tagoe.
• A member of the Danquah-Busia Memorial Club. 1991
• Immediate past Secretary-God’s Wonderful Church Polling Station, Tetegu Electoral Area.

She is currently the member of parliament for Weija Gbawe Constituency

KUFUOR 'has had enough'; Ex-president riled by Rawlings' outbursts

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has hit back at ex-President Rawlings saying the ex-military leader exhibits sheer hypocrisy and often plays to the gallery pretending to have any good relationship with him in public although that is not the case.

Mr. Kufuor thus asked his counterpart to be advised on the cosmetic cordial regard for him in public functions, which does not really reflect in his actions against him.

This follows comments by Rawlings claiming that he [Kufuor] failed to prosecute a son of former Speaker of Parliament Peter Ala Adjetey while he was in office.

“The 31st December Movement suffered bankruptcy in supporting Atta Mills. How many of us bothered to show up in court to offer her moral support in recognition of the foundation she laid in leading the women from the PNDC to the NDC?

“During that trial, Peter Ala Adjetey, the then Speaker of Parliament, whose son, NDC’s well-fed Larry Adjetey, was charged together with my wife, threatened Kufuor that if he did not drop the ‘false’ charge against his son, he would personally go to court to defend his son. Kufuor dropped his charges.

“How many of these qualities of principled solidarity did we demonstrate towards our own? Instead, people got rewarded with appointments by denigrating and trying to destroy some of us. What money did I not borrow to assist some of our colleagues and comrades who were suffering financially under Kufuor’s regime? Those debts are still on my head today,” Rawlings said in an interview with the state-owned Daily Graphic.

However, Mr Kufuor in a statement has dismissed Rawlings’ assertion, saying “there is no truth whatsoever in this allegation. I wonder what ails Rawlings to make him always try to impugn my integrity in his interviews

“It is not true that I tried to prosecute Larry Adjetey but relented because of his father, Peter, threatened me.”

He added: “The circumstances of his (Rawlings) wife’s (Nana Konadu’s) trial is a matter of public record, available for anybody who cares to verify. Rawlings should stop posturing as the only person of integrity and truth.”

“If he wants to continue to blow trumpets from rooftops about his integrity and incorruptibility, let him do so, but he should leave Kufuor alone,”

A spokesperson for the former President, Frank Agyekum in the latest interview on the issue said Mr. Kufuor is becoming choked with the hypocrisy of Rawlings.

According to him, it served no purpose in pretending the good gestures at public places, yet he [Rawlings] is seeking the opportunity to hound his boss, Mr. Kufuor.

“He’s had enough of it. He[Kufuor] has a lot of respect globally and those false claims can destroy his image. There is no point pretending to laugh with him in public but inwardly you have issues against him.

“Mr Kufuor doesn’t pretend when he greets him in public. And so if he cannot maintain that cordial relationship with him, and is bent on always accusing him falsely, to impugn his integrity then we won’t accept that. If he has charges against him he should come out and make them, but the untruths held against Mr. Kufuor is becoming too many”.

2017 BUDGET TO FOCUS ON STIMULATING GROWTH AND JOB CREATION

Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta is expected to announce the abolition of import levies and taxes among others on some financial services as he prepares to present the 2017 budget in Parliament Thursday.

The Budget presentation, which will be the first of the Akufo-Addo administration would be also expected to spell out sources of funding for a number of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) promised policies including free senior high school (SHS) and reduction in fuel and utility tariffs. 

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said government would fund the cost of public SHS for all those who qualify for entry from the 2017/2018 academic year onwards.

He explained that by free SHS there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees and no utility fees.

Spelling out the details of the policy “so that no one in Ghana is left in any doubts”, President Akufo-Addo added that in addition to tuition which is already free, there will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free.”

There has been a raging controversy after Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo in an interview with Joy News said government might use the Ghana Heritage Fund to finance the policy which is starting in the 2017/2018 academic year.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority in Parliament described government's decision to use the Heritage Fund as "lazy and incompetent."

At a news conference addressed by former Deputy Finance Minister, Casiel Ato Forson, the NDC MPs said any attempt to divert the Fund could destabilise the economy of the country.

However, Obuasi West Member of Parliament (MP), Kwaku Kwarteng, who is on Parliament’s Finance Committee said government has not taken any definite decision to use the Heritage Fund to finance the free senior high school (SHS) policy.

Also, the Budget is expected to focus on stimulating growth and job creation through private sector development aimed at getting Ghana working again, the NPP has said.

The Budget would include measures to restore fiscal disine and good economic governance, transparent and accountable use of public resources in accordance with the new Public Financial management law and to provide a credible basis for economic policy clarity going forward.