C1.3 trillion approved for Water Resources, Works and Housing Ministry

Accra, Dec. 8, GNA - Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Thursday produced a document in Parliament as proof that due process had been followed in re-naming the Works and Housing Ministry as the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing. The Minister produced a copy of an executive instrument, saying it had been gazetted and said due process had been followed in the re-designation of the Ministry.

Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Deputy Minority Leader had questioned why the Ministry's name had been changed without any legal instrument to that effect.

He called for proof saying that he was not going to support a motion on the floor to approve the 2006 budget estimates of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

The matter was however resolved when Mr Owusu-Agyemang quickly produced the proof.

Earlier, the Minister told the house that by the end of 2006, more than half a billion US dollars would have been invested in urban water supply projects to improve the supply of potable water in the country. Members of Parliament in their contributions on the debate to approve the Ministry's budget, called for more financial support for rural water supply.

Mr Doe Adjaho said with the incidence of guinea worm cases, it was important for government to put in more resources to assist in rural water delivery in line with the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy. Mr Samuel Jonfiah, Chairman of the Committee on Works and Housing, who presented the Committee's report, said raising of sufficient counterpart funding to enable the country access over 1.3 trillion donor funds for projects of the Community Water and sanitation Agency was a big challenge.

He touched on the Keta Sea Defence project and said the committee was "pleased to learn of the completion of works on the Keta Sea Defence project, save for the housing component, which was stalled for lack of funds to settle contractor's fees for work done." The House later approved a sum of 1,326,840,000,000 trillion cedis for the Ministry.