Parliament continues to approve budgetary estimations for ministries, departments and agencies to execute government business for the 2017 fiscal year.

On Thursday, the house approved GHC398, 676,632, GHC349, 152,142 and GHC 60,708,078 respectively for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

Also GHC12,145,580 budget was approved for the Office of Head of Civil Service, and GHC10, 330,099 for the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

Defending what has been allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ranking member of the Parliamentary select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Okudzeto Ablakwa said the committee is impressed with the projection of the Ministry to open new missions.

Ghana currently has 57 missions, he noted and said the ministry has plans to increase the number to 60, which he said is commendable.

Mr. Ablakwa also said the committee was impressed with the intention of the minister to prioritize economic diplomacy to support the president’s agenda to generate a lot of trading arrangements to move the country beyond aids and handouts.

In a related development, the ranking member for Employment and Labour Relations Select Committee, Dr. Kwabena Donkor who is a former Minister for Power, called on the house to ensure that the Ghanaian worker becomes the center of state policy in ensuring productivity, safety and protection of their rights.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment, Science , Technology and Innovation, Prof. Frimpong Boateng revealed on the floor of Parliament, prior to the approval of his ministry’s budget, that over the years, the difference between Ghana and donor countries is that they have technology which Ghana doesn’t have.

He, with the support of the chairman of the Committee as well as the ranking member, observed the need for the country to focus on technology, and demanded that the ministry’s allocation is boosted in the future to ensure effective and efficient delivery of service.