The National Democratic Congress Minority Caucus in Parliament has extended a formal invitation to Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia to participate in the upcoming debate on the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government.
Ahmed Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency and Deputy Minority Whip, in a statement, pointed out that the Minority’s invitation to the Vice President is anchored on his pivotal role as the Chairman of the Economic Management Team (EMT).
“The NDC Minority in Parliament is inviting Vice President Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia to participate in the debate of the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government of Ghana. The debate begins on Thursday, 25th July 2024 in the Parliamentary Chamber at 10 O’clock in the forenoon”.
Honorable Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda Constituency and Deputy Minority Whip
The Deputy Minority Whip contended that per the parliamentary rules, a sitting Vice President is permitted to participate in debates on the floor of the House.
According to him, the Vice President’s acceptance of the Minority’s invitation would be the apt platform for him, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to articulate and defend his economic stewardship over the past seven and a half years.
In the invitation letter, the National Democratic Congress Minority Caucus in Parliament highlighted several critical economic issues under the leadership of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s watch as the head of the current government’s Economic Management Team.
Ghana’s Economic Downturn
The Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency, Honorable Ibrahim Banda noted that the World Bank has reported that 33.3% of Ghana’s population is now extremely poor, with about two million Ghanaians facing acute food and nutrition insecurity.
Additionally, Honorable Banda cited that the current youth unemployment rate stands at 35%, the highest in the Fourth Republic.
According to him, the Minority Caucus in Parliament has prepared a formidable team of debaters, each highly knowledgeable and competent in their respective fields, ready to engage Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
The team, he noted includes Hon. George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, Chairman of the Committee on Economy and Development; Hon. Isaac Adongo, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee; Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Member of the Finance Committee; and Hon. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, Chairman of the Budget Committee.
Other members include; Hon. Eric Opoku, Ranking Member of Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, and Member of the Committee on Economy and Development; Hon. Laadi Ayii Ayamba, Member, of Finance Committee and ECOWAS Parliament; and Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Ranking Member of the Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and Pensions.
The Deputy Minority Whip, Honorable Ahmed Ibrahim expressed the Caucus’s readiness to engage in a robust debate, aiming to expose what he described as the government’s “abysmal economic performance.
He stressed the urgency and importance of the debate in light of the severe economic challenges facing the country.
Honorable Ahmed Ibrahim, the National Democratic Congress lawmaker and Deputy Minority Whip, who issued the statement, called on the general public to urge Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to accept the invitation.
He asserted that if the Vice President is confident in his record, he should seize the chance to defend his policies before Parliament and the nation, otherwise, he should “forever keep his silence.”
The Minority’s challenge underscores the intense political scrutiny and debate surrounding Ghana’s economic management and performance as the country navigates significant economic difficulties.
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