President Jonh Mahama, delivering State of Nation Address
PRESIDENT JOHN Dramani Mahama has outlined his vision for a better Ghana, with accelerated economic growth and transparent governance, promising to provide laptops for all Members of Parliament.
Delivering a message on the state of the nation yesterday, in accordance with article 67 of the constitution, President Mahama also promised to enforce compulsory basic school attendance and deepen pro-poor interventions like the distribution of free school uniforms, free exercise books and free computers.
President Mahama’s address, which was boycotted by New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in Parliament, lasted one hour, 20 minutes, during which he, among other things, praised the Electoral Commission (EC) for conducting what he termed free, fair and transparent presidential elections in 2012.
Mahama Praises EC
President Mahama indicated that the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections had been adjudged by both domestic and international observers as by far the most credible, transparent, free and fair since 1992.
“This shows that each step of our democratic journey has been marked by improvements. As Ghanaians, we must be proud of this achievement.”
He commended the Electoral Commission for this feat. “Since our return to constitutional rule in 1992, the EC has organized six successful elections. They have conferred victory where victory was due without fear or favour in the critical periods of 2000, 2008 and 2012.
“Our Electoral Commission has earned, in the process, an enviable reputation as arguably one of the best electoral institutions on the African continent,” he said.
Petroleum and Energy
President Mahama spoke about the erratic and frustrating electricity supply in the country, saying he was deeply concerned about the situation, “to which I have devoted considerable energy to solving”.
Equally worrying, he added, was the issue of unreliable water supply to some communities across the country.
President Mahama said the current developments did not reflect the investments and progress governments had been making in the area of electricity generation.
“What should be our successes and rather augment available generation capacity has unfortunately been undermined by a number of unforeseen developments.
“We had made good progress in fixing the damage done to the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) only to experience a drawback, when nearly 600 kilometres of the pipeline was inundated with seawater,” he said.
According to him, the problems about electricity and water supplies were causing him sleepless nights.
“We have had to work round the clock to bring many plants into operation earlier than scheduled, while we await the restoration of the plants affected by the absence of gas from the WAPCO.
“We are expecting the addition of over 500 MW of installed generation capacity this year,” he promised.
President’s Vision
President Mahama said his vision for Ghana was to create a conducive national environment in which all children in the country would grow happily into responsible adults- a country “where workers are proud to work and defend our national values; where improved maternal health reduces the hazards of childbearing; where teachers use their influence to positively mould the next generation; a Ghana in which we all create and share in the benefits”.
According to him, Ghana had witnessed impressive development in the last two decades, with improvements in roads and social infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country.
“Health facilities have been expanded and access improved, and so have educational institutions, with the private sector playing a pivotal role. In many respects, Ghana has witnessed many positive changes for which we must all be proud”.
President Mahama acknowledged that even though much had been done, as a developing middle income country, real challenges still remained, with a lot more to be done to further reduce poverty, expand infrastructure and provide more social services for the people.
His administration, he indicated, would pursue rapid economic development with a sense of urgency in order to create new jobs, particularly for the youth.
“In partnership with the private sector, we will expand our infrastructure in a manner that will accelerate economic growth.
“We will embark on an ambitious but realistic programme of building new roads and bridges; expand electricity generation to energize our economy; increase access to good drinking water and quality healthcare for our growing population; and improve sanitation and human security for all,” President Mahama pledged.
He said a well-designed and efficient public sector working in partnership with the private sector would be instrumental in his objective to deliver a prosperous nation.
“Over the next four years, we will build an economy that rewards hard work and nurtures Ghanaian entrepreneurs and businesses whose prospects will not be tied to political cycles and patronage. As President, I am firmly focused on these goals, because these are the right things to do”.
He indicated he would deliver his promises on what he described as vital pillars underpinning national development programme including putting the people first, a strong and resilient economy, expanding infrastructure and transparent and accountable governance.
Job Creation
President Mahama said Ghanaians needed decent and sustainable jobs to lead meaningful lives.
“Job creation and gainful employment therefore will be at the core of my priorities. I am determined to expand opportunities for all,” he said.
President Mahama announced that a GH¢10 million Youth Jobs and Enterprise Development Fund will be launched to encourage and support young people to become successful entrepreneurs and create sustainable job opportunities.
He indicated that the Job and Enterprise Centres (JEC) will be established in all regions to help unemployed youth and those about to enter or prepare for the world of work.
“Our policies and initiatives will be geared towards facilitating sustainable employment generation, which will then facilitate economic growth and enhanced incomes”.
President Mahama also announced that he had directed the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to work with the Ghana Statistical Service to produce quarterly labour surveys to inform policy and planning.
These surveys, he pointed out, would create an accurate database of the unemployed among all categories of Ghanaian society and track these on a quarterly basis.
“It will also ensure that new jobs are accurately recorded and tracked while making it possible to coordinate the various job-creation and employment initiatives,” he added.
Quality Education
President Mahama said his administration would prioritize and expand access to education at all levels by aggressively addressing quality enhancement and outcome as well as by putting in place measures to monitor quality of educational service delivery, especially teaching and learning at all levels of the educational system.
He also promised to reward outstanding educational service providers to boost morale in the sector; and work to improve gender parity in education, encourage community participation in management of schools and work towards standardization and affordability in fees.
“It is also the objective of this government to eliminate the remaining schools under trees by the end of 2016. We intend to enforce compulsory basic school attendance and deepen pro-poor interventions like the distribution of free school uniforms, free exercise books and free computers,” he stated.
Health for All
President Mahama said his administration would, in the next four years, work towards improving access, service quality, increased personnel, and enhanced working conditions across the various professions in the health sector.
Accordingly, his administration will undertake the construction of an ultra-modern, new teaching hospital for the University of Ghana Medical School.
The processes have begun for the establishment of regional hospitals in the Eastern and Upper East regions while continuing with work on the regional hospital project in Wa in the Upper West Region.
President Mahama added that his administration would upgrade the Central and Volta regional hospitals into teaching hospitals to expand the scope for training medical doctors and other healthcare specialists.
About 12 new district hospitals at Dodowa, Abetifi, Fomena, Garu, Kumawu, Sekondi, Salaga, Tepa, Wenchi, Madina, President Mahama indicated, would also be constructed.
He said his administration would pursue the implementation of the Mental Health Act in order to mainstream psychiatric treatment and care for the population.
Transparent and Accountable Governance
President Mahama said Ghana continued to exhibit strong leadership in democratic governance, making her the envy of many nations.
He said the independence of the judiciary would be upheld, as his administration worked to improve conditions of work in the judiciary.
“We will work with the Judicial Council to continue the process of providing new and more modern court rooms and provide the instruments and equipment to facilitate the work of the judges,” he noted.
Combating Corruption
President Mahama announced that his administration was proposing to revise the Criminal Offences Act to redefine corruption to include the more expansive definition covered in the UN Convention Against Corruption and the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
“We will give impetus to the fight against corruption by strengthening the anti-corruption agencies and sanctioning culpable persons to serve as a deterrent to others.”
According to him, the work of the Sole Commissioner into judgment debts would help government bring to order an unacceptable phenomenon that had become a huge charge on the public debt.
Fighting Narcotics Trafficking and Consumption
As part of measures to fight the drug menace, he said he was firmly committed to ensuring that Ghana was absolutely insulated from the illicit drug trade.
“To this end, we will pursue the programme for the legislative conversion of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) into an autonomous Commission.
“We will also continue to strengthen the inter-agency coordination mechanism involving NACOB, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Police, BNI, the Food and Drugs Board, Aviation Security and the Immigration Service and ensure increased international cooperation, especially for surveillance.
“We shall maintain a zero tolerance for drug trafficking and I request all officials engaged in tackling this menace to maintain a high sense of integrity in order to win this battle”.
Foreign Policy
President Mahama said Ghana’s foreign policy of positive neutrality would continue to be government’s focus with emphasis on economic diplomacy hinged on our national interest.
“Ultimately, our foreign policy will deliver good neighbourliness, peace at home and abroad and economic wellbeing by strategic partnerships.
“As a commitment to peace and stability in the region, I have pledged at the Africa Union and the United Nations, that Ghana will not serve as a haven to destabilize any of our neighbors.
“I wish once again to assure any refugees on our territory that they are welcome guests as long as they do not use Ghana as a base to destabilize the Governments in their home countries.
“Under my Presidency, Ghanaians and the international community can trust that Ghana will uphold all its commitments to the UN, the AU, the Commonwealth, ECOWAS and other international organisations to which we belong,” President Mahama stated.
Posts
