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The Minority in Parliament has served notice that it will not approve any loan or financial agreement if the document in which the transaction is contained is not made available to the House for scrutiny.

The Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Papa Owusu Ankomah,  said to be sure of the details of the agreements and to ensure that the government did the right thing or engaged in transactions that were of benefit to the people, the Minority would, from now onwards, demand transaction documents.

He said the Minority was "not sleeping" and was "very alert" and ready to ensure that the government met that particular demand.
Papa Ankomah stated this during the debate to approve two loan agreements last Tuesday.

The first was an agreement between the government and Raifessen Bank International AG of Austria for 23 million euros for the construction of 10 polyclinics in the Central Region.

The second is an agreement between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority ( GPHA ) on one hand and KBC Bank NV, Belfius Bank SA / NV, Deutsche Bank AG ( London Branch ) and BNP Paribas Fortis NV / SA on the other for 160 million euros to finance the additional civil and dredging works at the Takoradi Port.

Another member of the Minority,  Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh,  who made similar comments, recalled how the Minority and  Parliament as a whole, were taken to the cleaners by the public when it emerged that the Ridge Hospital expansion project, which was approved by Parliament, could have cost the country less than half of the amount to be expended.

The Ridge Hospital project

The government signed an agreement with Bouygues Bartiment International for an amount of $306 million to expand the hospital which was approved by Parliament.

It emerged later that Ghana would not get value for money if the project was carried out at that cost and that the expansion project could be carried out at half the stated cost.

The Minority, in reply to accusations from members of the public for not living up their responsibility with regard to the deal, said the agreement was approved on their blind side.

That statement rather incensed the public.

Other Minority members

The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu,  and his Deputy,  Mr Dominic Nitiwul, sought to insist that the transaction agreement with regard to the GPHA and the polyclinics loans be brought to the House otherwise the Minority would not approve them.

But the Speaker's intervention calmed them down and eventually the two agreements were approved.

Majority Leader agrees

The Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, said he understood the concerns raised by the Minority and that it was in the right direction.