The Bole-Bamboi MP argued that the move was necessary to ensure due process and accountability.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, Mr. Sulemana stated that the revocation was in the best interest of the affected workers, as it would have been unfair for them to work without pay.

“When you do something wrong, someone will have to do something to correct it. I cannot imagine a situation where you will go ahead and employ people when you don’t have a budget for them.

“How then are they going to be paid? I think it is even in the interest of those who are asked to go to start looking for other jobs rather than allowing them to work and, at the end of the day, there will be no money for them to be paid,” he explained.

The nominee also proposed a national dialogue to prevent outgoing governments from making last-minute appointments to benefit party loyalists.

“Instances where you sit in the comfort of your office and select people and recruit them, and we ask them to go home for the proper thing to be done, I think it is the way to go,” he stated.

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On October 18, 2024, the Supreme Court temporarily reversed the Speaker’s previous decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant, permitting the affected MPs to retain their seats for now.

Following this ruling, Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin adjourned the House indefinitely, citing an insufficient number of members in the Chamber to conduct official business.

This adjournment has fueled further debate around the tensions within Parliament and the potential impact on pending legislative matters.

The session, originally scheduled to address the revocation of L.I. 2462, saw both New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) members ready to resume their roles.

However, the NPP caucus staged a walk-out amid disputes over which party should occupy the majority side, given the NDC’s apparent numerical advantage following the Speaker’s declaration of vacant seats.

In an interview on Citi News, Mr. Sulemana voiced criticism of the Supreme Court’s ruling, stating that it infringes upon Parliament’s autonomy.

He expressed concern that such judicial intervention sets a troubling precedent, potentially paving the way for future external challenges to Parliament’s decisions based on political convenience.

“This act infringes on our rights as parliament…the Supreme Court must be careful in making such decisions because for me, judiciary independence is very important and where we are getting to, we would need to be very cautious”, he stated.

He also argued that the attitude of the NPP displayed a sense of entitlement and a reluctance to acknowledge their changing role in Parliament.

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The NPP had alleged that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is plotting to disrupt government business in Parliament as part of a broader plan to secure victory in the 2024 elections.

They pointed to a document titled “Winning the 2024 Elections and Beyond: A Comprehensive NDC Strategy,” which supposedly outlines a scheme by the opposition, in coordination with Speaker Alban Bagbin, to use its near-majority to frustrate government operations.

In an interview with Citi News, Mr Sulemana refuted these claims, stating that the NDC has no need for such tactics and dismissing the accusations as unfounded.

He also highlighted that individuals declaring their intentions to run as independent candidates were doing so of their own volition, undermining the NPP’s allegations.

“I listened to Richard Ahiagbah [NPP’s Director of Communication], and I couldn’t help but laugh. They’ve fabricated this document—I don’t know where they got it from—and are now using it as a distraction. It’s clear to anyone paying attention that they’re frustrated and looking for an excuse. Did they force MPs to run as independent candidates? They need to be honest,” he remarked.

The accusations come amid a standoff in Ghana’s Parliament, following Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare four seats vacant after a motion from former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.

Despite a Supreme Court order to stay the decision, the Minority insists it is the Majority, leading to Speaker Bagbin suspending Parliamentary sittings indefinitely due to a lack of quorum.

Source: Adomonline

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The documentary brings to light the high occurrence of bribery involving customs officials and traders to enable the latter to evade taxes.

Commenting on the soon-to-be-aired documentary, Mr Sulemana stated that the sole reason these officials are able to accept bribes from these tax evaders is that the leadership of the country has not shown commitment in the fight against corruption.

He described the country as sick and therefore demanded an urgent need for a national dialogue on the best approach to resolve the canker.

“That you have custom officials who will go that low to take GH₵200, GH₵400 in order to aid traders to evade tax. It tells you that our country is sick, it tells you that there is a need for a national conversation with respect to how we are going to fight corruption,” he said on JoyFM’s Midday News.

The MP said traders import rice from neighbouring countries instead of the main rice production hubs because the taxes at the ports are too high, stressing that these among other factors must be evaluated in order to resolve the situation.

‘Porous Borders’ airs on the JOYNEWS channel at 8:30p.m. Monday night, July 29.

In a statement released on Monday, June 24, the Commission described these accusations as unfounded and without merit, stressing that such claims should not come from a legislator.

The Commission highlighted that, under the Mining Act of 2006 (Act 703) and the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations of 2012 (L.I. 2176), no mineral rights can be granted without thorough consultation with the relevant parties and institutions affected by mining operations.

It clarified that when an application for a mineral right is received, a notice is published in the Gazette, and copies are sent to the relevant landowner, local chief, and the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDA), along with other stakeholders, to allow them to express any concerns.

The Commission urged the public to disregard the misinformation being spread by the MP.

Mr Sulemana had earlier accused the Lands Minister  and the Minerals Commission of circumventing proper consultation processes, leading to increased tensions in the Bole-Bamboi constituency.

He claimed that the allocation of lands to over seven large-scale miners since February, without adequate stakeholder consultations, had resulted in clashes and the assault of some New Patriotic Party (NPP) executives by soldiers guarding the mining sites.

However, the Minerals Commission reiterated in its statement its adherence to legal and regulatory procedures in granting mineral rights, ensuring that all relevant parties are consulted and given the opportunity to raise any concerns.

“The attention of the Minerals Commission (“the Commission”) has been drawn to publications in a section of the media, attributed to the Member of Parliament for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency, Yusif Sulemana, accusing the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission of granting mining concessions to foreigners without proper consultations. The said accusations, claims and/or allegations are false, baseless and unfounded.”

“The Commission wishes to state, categorically, that in accordance with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176), no mineral right is granted without consultation with the relevant persons and institutions to be affected by the mineral operation.”

“Upon receipt of an application for a mineral right, notice of the application is published in the Gazette, and copies served on the relevant landowner, Chief, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA), as well as other interested groups and stakeholders, to enable them to raise any concerns they may have,” an excerpt of the statement said.

Read the full statement below:

According to him, the lack of consultation led to heightened tensions in the Constituency.

He stated that some NPP executives were reportedly assaulted by soldiers guarding these mining sites.

“It is an issue that we are all worried about.  It’s on record that from the beginning of our constituency, that is Bamboi, and to the end of it, has plenty mineral companies on both the right and left sides of the road and so of course, we have some galamsey activities going on there.”

According to the MP, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources issued licenses to only four small-scale mining companies since February, while granting land to over seven large-scale miners without engagement with stakeholders.

“Unfortunately, from February to date, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has allocated the lands to over 7 large scale miners and the problem was that there was no proper stakeholder consultations. And so the youth are there and they will see heavy equipment coming to take over what they are doing and that is where the clash is coming from.”

According to Mr Sulemana, it is only the NPP executives who are given the “juicy” places to do their galamsey work.

He added that the vice chairman of the NPP and the secretary have been hospitalised as they were brutalised by the military.

“They were brutalized because some ministers have asked the military to go and protect the Chinese who are they doing whatever they call it. They say it’s prospecting but I am telling you that they are mining.”

“The bottom line is that the minister responsible for lands and natural resources must tell us why he is portioning the land to large-scale miners without stakeholder arrangement. Nobody is saying he doesn’t have the right.”

“Per the constitutional arrangement, whatever is in the soil is being kept on behalf of the people by the president.  So the president can allocate land for such mineral activities. But in doing so, we have laws that have also asked that, you do that in consultation with the stakeholders.”

Yusif Sulemana warned there will be further disturbances if the process of handing out these mining concessions is not streamlined.

“My appeal to the minister is that he should tread cautiously in terms of the way he allocates the land to large-scale miners. He can do that by ensuring the youth are also given small-scale mining processes so that it balances out.”

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Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews on Monday, he explained that levies are factors contributing to the pricing of cement, delays in clearing goods, and other areas government can intervene.

“The government has imposed what they call a fumigation levy for clinker (the backbone of cement production). But, when the clinker arrives there is no fumigation, but the manufacturers pay the levy, and ultimately it will be built into the pricing of cement,” he said.

“Why are you charging somebody for a service you are not rendering? Is it not possible for the government to remove this? I have also heard of issues with levies and taxes everywhere, which is a fact.

“We are taxing them so much they have to factor that into the cost of production and ultimately that would affect the prices of cement. That is why I am saying some of the factors can be handled by the government,” Mr Sulemana noted.

Furthermore, he noted that cement manufacturers are restricted to using only terminal three at the harbour for offloading clinker, and this he said causes traffic at the ports.

As a result, manufacturers pay demurrage (a charge payable to the owner of a chartered ship on failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed) on their goods with each delay, adding to the overall cost, he said.

Mr Sulemana noted that “last time I checked the manufacturers pay between $35 and $45 per day as demurrage and this again will be factored into the pricing. So if you do this, why will you tend to say that they should reduce the prices of cement when in fact, you could have given them enough space to clear their goods?”

“The reason given was that they are trying to prevent pollution but there should be a way out. The minister and government should be willing to sit with manufacturers of cement to negotiate and ensure that some of the factors are resolved,” he added.

The Ranking Member on Trade and Industry Committee’s comment comes following the recent increases in cement prices across the country.

A few weeks ago, Trade Minister K. T. Hammond, took decisive action to address the recent surge in cement prices by directing the Cement Manufacturing Development Committee (CMDC) to intervene immediately.

Mr Hammond called for a halt to the price increases and emphasised the need for cement manufacturers in Ghana to reverse the recent price hikes promptly.

Additionally, he urged the CMDC to ensure transparency by mandating the publication of retail prices by all cement companies.

According to the Minister, the measure aims to curb arbitrary increases in cement prices burdening consumers.

Furthermore, the Minister reiterated his call for the adoption of a unified cement pricing mechanism across the nation.

He proposed a model akin to the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF), which regulates fuel retail prices in Ghana. Such a system would promote price consistency and fairness in the cement market.

However, Mr. Sulemana believes that the order by the Trade Minister was illegal, especially since the government had not done much to help manufacturers offset the cost of production.

He admitted that although other internal factors affect pricing, the government addressing some of the earlier highlighted issues can go a long way to reducing cement prices.

“if you ask me the Minister should be willing to sit with them and negotiate with them what government can do to reduce the cost. For instance, there is no need to charge them for a service when you are not rendering that service to them, you can take it off.”

“When you do, you can now tell them that they should also reduce the price of their cement. If you give them space to clear their goods very quickly and will not pay demurrage they won’t add to the cost of production and so you can tell them, reduce prices.”

“In any case, if the minister wants to do that he has to come to parliament with a legislative instrument, let’s look at it well and when there is a need for us to bring about the restriction of the prices of cement or give them a range, then we begin to do that. But it is unlawful for him to sit in his office and just issue a fiat and think that the next day the manufacturers should agree.”

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The legislator, speaking in Parliament, urged the government to amend portions of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) law which spells out requirements for foreigners in retail trade in the country. 

“It is not enough for the president to call for calm and urge GUTA members to reopen shops of their Nigerian counterparts, he must come clear on what he intends to do with the GIPC Act 2013, (Act 865). Either to initiate amendments or repeal amended portions of the law,” he said.

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His comment follows a recent clash between Ghanaian and Nigerian traders at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

The GIPC Act, 2013 (Act 856) exclusively reserves the retail trade area for Ghanaians and even prescribes punishment for foreigners engaged in retail business, but lack of enforcement of the law has been the bane.

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Mr Sulemana, further said foreigners were not being stopped from engaging in business in the country; rather they simply have to satisfy the conditions of the law to do so.

“No one is saying don’t do business as a foreigner in Ghana, but to do business as a foreigner you must obey the conditions of the law, and if you don’t do that, that is where GUTA will say you have not met the requirements so don’t do business in Ghana,” he said.

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