Parliamentary Induction Workshops.
During the 2004 general elections, almost one third of sitting Members of Parliament (MP) voluntarily opted out of Parliament. Similarly, quite a number of MPs either lost during the primaries or lost the Parliamentary elections all together. Additionally, thirty new constituencies were created by the Electoral Commission (EC). Thus, about half of the MPs were new in this function, when the 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic was officially inaugurated on January 7th 2005.
This required that an orientation workshop be held for all MPs to take them through parliamentary practices and procedures. On the 3rd , 5th and 6th of Feburary 2005 therefore, FES collaborated with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana and Parliament to organise an Induction Workshop for all 230 members.
This was followed with more specialized induction workshops for the Select Committees on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Tourism and on Local Government and Rural Development as well as for Parliament's Women Caucus.
Parliamentary Outreach Programme.
In 1999, the then Speaker of Parliament introduced a Parliamentary Outreach Programme where a Parliamentary delegation was sent to each regional capital to interact directly with the populace under the auspice of a Parliamentary Forum. The last parliament (2001-2005) however did not continue the exercise.
In 2005, the newly elected Speaker of Parliament revived the outreach programme. From October 4th - 7th 2005, the first three Parliamentary Forums were held in Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa. The Speaker of Parliament added a new impetus by participating personally in all activities. This has correspondingly aroused public interest in the outreach programmes.
Women's Caucus.
The Women's Caucus in Parliament is an association of female members of Parliament. It is recognized by Parliament and given all the assistance including a Clerk to the Caucus. The Caucus was established in 1993 at the inception of Parliament. In the 3th Parliament of the 4th Republic 2001 - 2005, the Women's Caucus could not be established as a result of a lack of consensus among the female MPs. This was largely due to there being an equal number of them on both sides of the House, thus hampering procedures and ultimately creating a deadlock. However, in 2005, female MPs buried their differences and with the support of FES were able to re-establish the Women's Caucus. The Caucus had wished for an induction workshop on 10th - 12th of June 2005, given that 13 out of the total of 25 female MPs are new entrants into Parliament.
The Foreign Affairs Committee.
FES has collaborated with the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament since 1993. This collaboration is arguably the most enduring and rewarding of all. However, in 2005 all but three members of this Committee were new MPs. This development clearly suggested that the Committee needed an orientation workshop to bring the new members abreast with previous and current issues. Thus an orientation workshop was held at Ho. The issues discussed at the workshop revolved around ECOWAS, West African Monetary Institute, Peace Initiatives in Africa, NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism. It was followed up by "The Political Situation in Togo" and "Ghana's quest for regional integration and security" from November 4th - 6th . Parallel activities were also conducted to address issues concerning multilateral trade that were jointly organized with the Committee on Tourism and Trade and Industry.
The Committee on Tourism and Trade and Industry.
This Committee is one of the three Select Committees of Parliament that receives support from FES. The 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic welcomed several new members of Parliament including the Chairman and Ranking Members of the Committee. This development necessitated an induction workshop for new and existing members of the Committee. It also served as a sensitization workshop for the new comers.
It was followed by a number of briefing sessions of Committee Members with relevant stakeholders on issues such as Challenges to Ghana's Poultry Industry , Experiences with Ghana Free Zones Board and Export Development and Investment Fund .
As joint activities of this Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the development of the multilateral trade agenda was discussed during a study tour for the leadership of both Committees to Berlin and the 10 th Annual Symposium of the WTO in Geneva, as well as in workshops on "Ghana in the global trade regime".
A highlight of these joint efforts was the Sub-regional Workshop for Leaderships of Parliamentary Committees of ECOWAS countries on Multi-Lateral Trade Agreements, held in Accra from November 25th - 27th and in preparation for the WTO ministerial meeting that just took place in December 2005 in Hong Kong.
The Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
This Committee is charged to oversee Ghana's decentralization process. After the elections, the new Leadership requested FES assistance in organizing a stakeholder meeting. This workshop brought together all the key players of local government including the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator, and the National Organization of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG).
The Workshop on "Complementarities between Members of Parliament and Volta Regional Coordinating Council in the development of the Volta Region":
21 out of 22 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Volta region belong to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). On the other spectrum, the Regional Minister, his deputy and all the Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCE) who are in executive positions in the region were appointed by the President based on their affiliations to the ruling New Patriotic Party. This has very grave implications for the smooth administration of the Region as there has been political and economic struggle and lack of cooperation. The utilization of the MPs share of the district assemblies Common Fund has created controversies, conflict and confusion between MPs and MDCE. The above mentioned workshop was therefore seen as necessary to find ways and a dialogue towards reducing unforeseen obstacles.
A Guide to the Parliament of Ghana.
With the support of the Foundation, Parliament published its first guide book to the Parliament of Ghana. It is intended to serve as a guide for various legislative matters. It is also intended to be of particular assistance to new members of Parliament, Staff of Parliament and the general public. The procedures and mechanisms through which Parliament is able to achieve the legislative aspirations of the people are also clearly enunciated in the publication ( Guide to the Parliament of Ghana) which in the meantime has been met with an even unexpected high demand.
Elections 2004.
The collaboration between the Electoral Commission and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation has produced a fourth in the series of the publications on elections conducted by the Commission and in fact on the electoral process in Ghana. These publications provide detailed information and serve as source and reference books for political analysis and research. "Elections 2004 " takes the same form. It provides all the data on both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections conducted in December 2004.
The Survival and Growth of Political Parties in Africa.
Little research has been done on political parties and party systems in Africa, their distinct characteristics and determinants as well as effects in terms of democracy and governance. Similarly, very little or practically no attention is paid to party financing in Africa. These and other issues have become major concern to researchers, politicians and civil society groups both within and outside the African continent. To address some of these major concerns, the Institute for African Affairs of Hamburg, Germany and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung jointly organized a workshop in Accra from February 27th to March 1st , 2005. It attracted participants from 12 Sub-Sahara African countries and Germany, including Speakers of Parliament, General Secretaries of Political Parties both in government and in opposition, Ministers of State and Academics. It was opened by H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.
More direct support to Ghana's Political Parties is being provided through two distinct six-month long modular training courses for Women Wings and Youth Wings of Political Parties respectively. In addition, approximately half of the participants of the 12-month long FES Youth Leadership Training Courses are nominees from within the various Political Party Structures. |
