SONA 2024: Akufo-Addo’s full speech

President Akufo-Addo delivered his last but one State of the Nation Address to Parliament on February 27, 2024.

Please read full speech below:

It is always exhilarating to be back in Parliament, and to discharge the
duty, in fulfillment of Article 67 of the Constitution, of delivering to the
House a Message on the State of the Nation on this occasion for the
penultimate time.

In accordance with protocol and convention, it is good to see that First
Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Second
Lady Samira Bawumia, Spouse of Mr. Speaker, Alice Adjua Yornas, Chief
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, and Justices of the Supreme Court,
Chairperson Nana Otuo Siriboe II, and Members of the Council of State,
the new Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, and
Service Chiefs, are all present, as are the Dean and Members of the
Diplomatic Corps.

Mr. Speaker, the House is duly honoured by the welcome attendance of
the former President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani
Mahama, and former First Lady, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang
Rawlings.

Mr Speaker, I am glad to be able to report that the entire territory that
makes up our nation is safe, secure and under the control of the
government and people of Ghana.

This might sound like a pedestrian statement with which to start a
Message on the State of the Nation. Unfortunately, far from it being an
everyday truism, this is no longer a statement or claim that can be easily
made in these times in the neighbourhood in which we are. West Africa
is under threat of terrorism and violent extremism, rapidly spreading
southwards from the Sahel to coastal West Africa.

We can no longer take the territorial integrity of our countries for granted.
Indeed, many of our neighbours have already fallen victim, and lost large
portions of their territories to extremist groups, and Ghana, by the grace
of the Almighty, is the only coastal state along the Gulf of Guinea that has
so far not recorded a terrorist attack.

Mr Speaker, the peace and security we have in our country has not
happened by chance. It has taken deliberate policy and planning on the
part of Government, and a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of
our security services to keep our country safe and secure.

I might add that it has also meant we have had to spend a lot of money
that would otherwise have been available to spend on many of our
development needs. But I believe we are all agreed that the primary
responsibility of the state towards its citizens is to provide and guarantee
peace and security, and we are doing just that.

Since we came into office, we have ensured a significant expansion of the
Armed Forces and all the other security agencies. We are paying diligent
attention to their welfare as well. The accommodation and physical
environment generally of the security agencies are being improved.

We have quickened the pace of the retooling and equipping of the security
agencies to ensure readiness towards the emerging security threats.
For the majority of us and our everyday activities, it is the security of our
streets and homes and communities that concern us most. We want our
children and grandchildren to grow up in a safe atmosphere, and the
Ghana Police Service play the lead role in this. Again, Government has
performed most creditably.

They are much better equipped than they have ever been, and their increased visibility on the streets goes a long way to reassure the community. The changing image of the Police is, perhaps, best exemplified by the dramatic facelift they have given to the
frontage of the Police Headquarters on the Ring Road in Accra. It is beautiful, and I recommend it to all institutions and, indeed, households.

Whilst we are spending money, time, energy and lives keeping the country
safe from external dangers, I must add that it is a matter of great concern
that we continue to have so many chieftaincy and land disputes around
the country, which tend to be breeding grounds for internal tensions and
destabilisation.

Mr Speaker, I must make special mention of the troubles in Bawku. The
tragedy is not only that a thriving and dynamic town is being reduced to
a wasteland of destruction and distrust, we are spending money and
energy that would have been better spent on development needs of
Bawku, providing security to keep brothers and sisters from killing each
other.

Mr Speaker, what should concern all of us and not just the people of
Bawku is that, in its current state, Bawku is an alluring magnet to mischief
makers and extremists operating a few kilometres across from the border.
In the bid to find a lasting solution to the conflict, Government has, in the
past year, undertaken a number of measures, including the establishment
of a special Bawku Taskforce, and the intensification of engagements with
the factions for the resolution of the chieftaincy dispute.

On the recommendation of the Upper East Regional and National Security
Councils, four (4) radio stations, that have been broadcasting incendiary
language and propagating hate speech, have been shut down by the
National Communications Authority. The Chief Justice has also recently
established specialised Courts in Accra and in Kumasi to deal expeditiously
with criminal matters emanating from the Bawku conflict.

Government is determined to do all it can to ensure there is security in
every inch of the territory of our country, but it also is very much up to
the citizens to help create the needed atmosphere, and I am, thus,
appealing to all citizens to take the See Something, Say Something
campaign of the Ministry of National Security very seriously.

There is, indeed, Mr Speaker, a state of palpable anxiety and tension in
every corner of West Africa, raising the spectre of regional instability,
which we thought had been banished. Unconstitutional changes in
Government in parts of Africa, especially in West Africa, through a series
of coup d’états and military interventions in governance, testify to an
unfortunate democratic regression in the Region.

It is in the interest of democratic growth that this development is reversed as soon as possible, and we, in Ghana, continue to give maximum support to ECOWAS, the
regional body of West Africa, and the African Union, Africa’s continental
organisation, in their efforts to restore democratic institutions in the
affected nations.

We must help stem the tide of this unwelcome evolution,
and help entrench democracy in West Africa. We believe also that a
reform of the global governance architecture, such as the Security Council
of the United Nations, to make it more representative and accountable,
will help strengthen global peace and stability, and, thereby, help
consolidate democratic rule in the world.

Mr Speaker, we in Ghana have had our fair share of political instability
and experimentation about how we should govern ourselves. There might
be new names being ascribed to some of the supposed new ideas being
canvassed by some today, but I daresay, on close examination, we would
discover they are not new, we have tried them here, and they have failed.
We know about all-powerful, cannot-be-questioned Messiahs, we know
about liberators, and we know about redeemers and deities in military
uniform.

It might sound new to some, but those of us who have been around for
a while have heard the argument made passionately that democracy was
not a suitable form of Government if we wanted rapid development. It is
a tired argument that was regularly used by coup d’etat apologists.
It is also not new to have political parties and politics, in general, being
denigrated, indeed, there used to be national campaigns of fear waged
against politics and political parties.

It took time and it took long battles, but, in the end, a consensus did
emerge, and we opted for a multi-party democratic form of Government
under the Constitution, which ushered in the Fourth Republic.

Mr Speaker, it is not a perfect document, Constitutions do not ever
pretend to be; but it has served us well these past thirty-two (32) years,
considering where we have come from. It is a sacred document that
should not be tampered with lightly, but, I hasten to add, our Constitution
did not descend from heaven, we, Ghanaians, drew it up to serve our
needs, and we can amend it to suit our changing needs and
circumstances.

We should work towards finding a consensus on the
changes that the majority of Ghanaians want made to the Constitution.
Mr Speaker, democracies are founded on elections, and the holding of
free and credible elections ensure that people have confidence in the
government that emerges at the end of the process.

The Honourable Members of this House, who are at the centre of it all,
know more than the rest of us that this is an election year. The increased
decibel level in all communications would ensure that even the most
politically uninterested person among us would know that, on December
7, we shall be going to the polls to elect a new President and Members of
Parliament.

A lot of the responsibility lies on the Electoral Commission to put the
organisation in place that would ensure that we have credible elections.
Government is doing its part to make the work of the Electoral
Commission go smoothly.

A lot of responsibility lies on the political parties as well, and I hope that
the parties recognise that their credibility is also on the line, with some
people wanting to undermine the multi-party democratic system of
government.

It is up to the parties to demonstrate that competitive
elections are an honourable, character enhancing experience, and, at the
end of the process, the loser will congratulate the winner, and the world
does not come to an end because an election has been lost.

There is nothing inherently dirty or corrupt about politics, and nothing
about elections that should generate violence. We, who are in politics and
we who are members of political parties, owe it to ourselves, the
institutions we claim to belong to, and, above all, we owe it to Ghana and
the people of Ghana to make politics and elections the serious and joyful
phenomenon they should be.

In discharging their responsibility, I urge the Electoral Commission to work
with the political parties to iron out whatever problems there might be,
and I am happy that the Electoral Commission, after engaging the parties,
has shelved plans to change the 7th December date.

Politics, after all, has been described as the art of the possible, and, if that is what we are engaged in, it should not be beyond us to resolve the problems that come
up, and concentrate on working to build the happy and prosperous
country we want.

Government, on its part, will do what is expected of it to make sure that
the reputation of Ghana is not damaged, and the free will of the people
is manifested at the end of the electoral process; and I want to reassure
the people of Ghana that I will do everything in my power to help ensure
the conduct of transparent, free and fair elections on 7th December.

I have confidence in the security services to ensure that those who might
want to cause havoc or any kind of mischief to disrupt the electoral
process will have no room to operate.

Mr Speaker, there are those amongst us who, for ideological or other
unstated reasons, have never accepted multi-party democracy, and,
therefore, take every opportunity to portray the governance efforts in the
most disparaging manner.

There are also those amongst us who consider the rough and tumble of
politics to be beneath them, and would not want their sainted images to
be soiled by what they term the dirt of politics.

Mr Speaker, we can and we should continuously improve upon the performance of the institutions that hold the state together, but nobody should undermine the integrity
of the arms of government for parochial reasons. There is definitely much
room for improvement in the workings of the Executive arm of
Government, the Judiciary and our Parliament.

Even those who have had Parliaments as part of their governance systems
for hundreds of years still make mistakes, and, sometimes, get things
alarmingly wrong. It would be surprising if our thirty-one (31) year old
Parliament did not get things wrong sometimes.

This august House, which holds so many fond memories for me of my
personal political journey, does not always measure up to the expectations
of the people or, even sometimes, of its own members.

There is a lot of anxiety currently about how our MPs get elected, there
is anxiety about the rapid turnover of Members in the House, and the loss
of institutional memory. There is a lot of anxiety about some of the
procedures in the House. We would not all agree with everything that
Parliament does and, I daresay, Mr Speaker, that I do not agree with
everything that goes on in here, but that is the beauty of what we, as a
people, are trying to do in our governance structure.

Mr Speaker, the president and his appointees are not universally loved,
and it will be strange and unproductive if they were. It is probably
worthwhile making what I consider to be important observations at this
stage on some of the issues in our public discourse, in the lead up to the
elections for a new President.

Under the Constitution, the executive power of the state is vested in the
President of the Republic. He or she is the Executive. There is no ambiguity about where the buck stops, when it comes to responsibility for what happens in the government. It stops with the President, he or she has ultimate responsibility. It would be an unwise President that would pretend to have all the answers, and refuse the
advice of his officials, but the fact remains that the President holds the
executive power.

The Cabinet, the Ministers of State all act in an advisory manner. Of
course, a member of the government might take an idea, be it generated
by the President or the official or a committee, and turn it into a huge
success, and the honours would be claimed or shared where public
perception falls. But, ultimately, the President is responsible, and,
therefore, takes the credit or the blame for whatever happens in his or
her government.

Let me make a second point. The programmes that come from the
Executive benefit from the rigorous public examination and debates to
which they are subjected. We all now take for granted and, sometimes, even bemoan the vigorous media and civil society organisation scrutiny that characterise public
discourse.

It gives me quiet satisfaction and great pride to hear young Ghanaians,
today, who believe that criticising the President of the Republic and
challenging government proposals are normal, regular activities. Some of
the young people listen with incredulity when they hear about a Ghana
that was once without private radio stations, and people had to tune in to
foreign stations to hear critical and opposition voices. Today, there are
some five hundred and fifty (550) radio stations in operation in the
country.

In spite of all its shortcomings and difficulties, the people of Ghana have
shown admirable commitment to multi-party democracy, and have not
fallen for the instigations to resort to the violent overthrow of an elected
government.

The past thirty-two (32) years of the Fourth Republic have witnessed the
most sustained period of stability and economic growth in our country,
and we should be proud of what we have achieved, and seek to protect
and build on it, and that is why the theme for the sixty-seventh (67th)
independence anniversary celebration, on 6th March, is “Our
Democracy, Our Pride”.

Mr Speaker, I am pleased to report on the progress we are making in the
administration of justice. This past year, a total of seventy-six (76) Judges
and Magistrates were appointed. They comprised a new Chief Justice, two
(2) new Justices of the Supreme Court, twenty-three (23) new High Court
Judges, twenty-nine (29) new Circuit Court Judges, and twenty-one (21)
new Magistrates.

Two hundred and sixty-two (262) staff were recruited to address some of the human resource gaps created because of the newly established courts throughout the country. In January 2024, three (3) additional Justices have been appointed to the Supreme Court to replace three (3) Justices who have retired from the Court.

We have made unprecedented progress in the provision of court buildings
and residences for judges around the country. In 2020, Government set
out to construct one hundred (100) courthouses with residential facilities
nationwide. As at 31st January 2024, sixty-seven (67) courthouses had
been successfully inaugurated, and are in use at various sites around the
country. Twelve (12) completed projects have been slated for
inauguration by the end of this month of February 2024.

The remaining twenty-one (21) projects are at various stages of completion, and are
expected to be completed and inaugurated before May 2024. In addition, one hundred and twenty-one (121) residential units have been constructed for judges throughout the country. Further, twenty (20) fully furnished 4-bedroom units, together with social amenities, have been constructed for Justices of the Court of Appeal in Kumasi.

The project is not complete yet, but we have done enough to be able to say that we have resolved the problem of the disgraceful state of court buildings. The attention now is to the digitalisation process of the courts to modernise the entire system.
The Judicial Service has undertaken a digitalisation initiative to modernise
legal operations, and foster greater access to justice.

A virtual court system was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the
continuity of business. The virtual court system was rolled out to seventeen (17) courts, and then, subsequently, to nineteen (19) High Courts for the smooth hearing of court cases.

By the end of December 2023, one hundred and sixty (160) courts had been equipped with devices for the real-time transcription of cases, in addition to fifty-one (51) courts piloting the paperless court system in Accra. The integration of real-time transcription devices in one hundred and sixty (160) courts has revolutionised the way in which court proceedings are recorded and documented. The service is rolling out a comprehensive digitalisation of the court system.

The Attorney-General has continued, in a very effective manner, the
tradition under this administration of contesting every civil litigation
against the state, and has avoided the numerous judgement debts that
used to be given against the state. The Office, as a result, has saved the
country over ten trillion Ghana cedis (GH¢10 trillion).

I shall be performing a pleasant duty, in a few weeks’ time, when I
commission the Law House, the twelve (12)-storey office building, which
will house the offices of the Attorney-General and his Ministry, and, finally,
bring an end to the age-old office accommodation problem. I must declare
a personal interest in it, as the building was started when I was AttorneyGeneral in the Government of President John Agyekum Kufuor, back in 2001.

Mr Speaker, I acknowledge and share the frustration and deep disappointment we all have that a convergence of events and fate have conspired to place impediments on the path of the rapid development trajectory we were on. I am proud that, in spite of the dramatic financial crisis that we encountered in 2021, whose worst effects became manifest in 2022, the transformative measures we introduced in the first four years of office make it possible to showcase an impressive array of developmental
projects across the length and breadth of the country.

I do not intend to go through the long, even if interesting process of enumerating the
projects the Akufo-Addo Government has undertaken since coming into
office, their location and what stage of completion they are in. Mr Speaker, with the best will in the world, there simply will not be the time to do that, even if we spent all day here.

It will be recalled that last year, during the Message on the State of the
Nation, faced with a similar problem about road projects, I came to the
House, armed with a fat book that had the details of the road projects
around the country, and all Honourable Members were given copies to go
through at their own leisure.

This year, we are taking things to a higher level. This Government, after
all, is the Digitalisation Government, and the man who has led the entire
digitalisation process these past seven (7) years, my indefatigable Vice
President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Digitalisation, the NPP’s excellent
presidential candidate for the 2024 election, is coming up with what will
allow everyone and anyone to check on every project being undertaken
by the government without having to listen to the President’s Message on
the State of the Nation.

We are calling it the Performance Tracker. You can check and satisfy yourself about the status of the projects and their location, and you could stop by and make a physical inspection if you were so minded.

Mr Speaker, if you want to check on roads, classroom blocks or CHIP
compounds or Agenda 111 hospitals, or bridges, or science laboratories,
or water projects, or sanitation projects, or landing sites and harbours,
and other infrastructural projects, or whatever this Government used your
tax money to execute, the key to your query is right there on your phone.

Mr Speaker, the Performance Tracker will be formally launched in March,
and I am offering it as the device which would help bring accountability
into your hands. With the Performance Tracker, we can be sure that never
again will pictures of an artist’s impression be offered as projects that
have been executed.

I am able to recommend the Performance Tracker in the sure knowledge
that the Akufo-Addo Government has done more in education in terms of
student enrolment, teacher training and employment, provision of
infrastructure, than any government; we have similarly done more in
health, agriculture, security, roads, railways, tourism, digitalisation than
any other Government.

Thanks to the Performance Tracker, the President no longer has to go through lists, and I have the confidence to say that every performance indicator used shows we have done more in these seven (7) years than in any of the eight (8) years under the NDC.
Indeed, Mr Speaker, on coming into office seven years ago, my government took the decision, as we promised, to modernize and formalise the economy through digitalisation.

In this regard, we have embarked on one of the most far-reaching digitalisation exercises in Africa. Up from the figure of nine hundred thousand (900,000), which we inherited when we came into office in 2017, we have, thus far, enrolled 17.6 million on the Ghanacard, and, therefore, provided unique biometric identity to the majority of Ghanaians. We have also implemented a digital property address system with unique addresses for all properties in Ghana.

Furthermore, through the implementation of mobile money interoperability, we have also provided access to financial services for adult Ghanaians through mobile money accounts that are interoperable with bank accounts. Ghana is now ranked number one in Africa in terms of access to financial inclusion. We have digitalised the provision of public services at the ports, DVLA, NHIS, GRA, Births and Deaths, Registrar of
Companies, ECG, Ghana Water, amongst others. Ghana is ranked number
one in West Africa and number seven in Africa in e-Governance.

We have also implemented the use of drones in the delivery of medicines, blood
and vaccines, and Ghana currently runs the world’s largest medical drone
delivery service. We have also networked all teaching, regional and district hospitals and patient records can easily be accessed in these hospitals without the need
for a folder. Ghana is making giant strides in the area of digitalisation,
thereby improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in the public
sector, and accelerating the growth of our economy.

We are definitely going to be part of the digital revolution that is sweeping the world.
Mr Speaker, last year when I came to the House to deliver the annual
Message on the State of the Nation, we were in the midst of negotiations
with the International Monetary Fund.

We were faced with a very difficult situation, and had to take a lot of
unpleasant, but unavoidable measures, to bring stability and confidence
back to the economy. These included tax measures that we did not like,
but we knew we had to take in the knowledge that the medicine would
be bitter, but temporary.

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, I also stated the decision to undertake a
comprehensive debt restructuring of our domestic and external debt to
ensure we remain resolute in our objective to restore macroeconomic
stability and sustainable growth. The decision was not an easy one, considering the complex and diverse domestic debt landscape. We had to consider safeguarding the financial sector, preserving social and economic conditions, and protecting our
domestic debt market.

A year on, I am happy to inform you, Mr. Speaker, that we have made
significant progress. We requested an unprecedented number of bondholders to participate in a voluntary exchange, and we were able to exchange successfully some
two hundred and three billion cedis (GH¢203 billion) worth of bonds.

Not only was the exchange successful, but it helped us to secure, within five
(5) months, the shortest possible time in recent debt restructuring history,
a Staff Level Agreement to an Executive Board Agreement with the IMF.
My gratitude goes to all financial sector players, organised labour, firms,
regulatory institutions, and all individuals who made this painful exercise
successful.

Mr. Speaker, as you may recall, Government successfully paid the first
coupon of two-point-three billion cedis (GH¢2,369.67 million) on the new
bonds on 22nd August 2023. At the time, that was the single biggest
payout of domestic payments in a single day for Ghana. We, then paid
two billion and sixty million cedis (GH¢2,060.72 million) for the last leg of
the domestic debt exchange on 5th September 2023.

A week ago, last Tuesday, on 20th February 2024, the second coupon of five-point-eight billion cedis (GH¢5,847.72 million) was paid to domestic bondholders. This
is the largest coupon paid in a day in Ghana’s history.

On the external debt side, we achieved a significant milestone by reaching
an agreement with our public creditors, and I will use this occasion to
express our appreciation to the Republic of France and the People’s
Republic of China, co-Chairs of the Official Creditors Committee, for their
positive roles in this achievement. We have also intensified our
engagement with our external bondholders on the principles of
transparency, fair treatment, consistency with the IMF debt sustainability
analysis, and good faith. We are focused and committed to accelerating
the process.

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to concluding the external debt restructuring process as soon as possible, so we move past the crisis. This will enable us to complete substantially projects that have been constrained due to financial challenges. In the meantime, some of the priority projects have been transferred onto the GOG budget within the same fiscal space to ensure their completion.

This will enable the Kumasi International Airport, which is some ninetyeight (98%) complete, to be completed by May. Other projects like the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Maternity Block in Kumasi, the Takoradi Interchange, the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange in Accra, the University of Environment and Sustainable Development Project at Bunso in the Eastern Region, phase two of the construction of roads in Tamale, and the construction of the eighty-four-kilometre (84km) railway line
between Tema and Akosombo, would also be completed.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to announce that an alternative source of funding has also been secured for the reconstruction and completion of La Hospital Project, as a fully functional modern hospital, with the necessary equipment for diagnosis and treatment. The contractor has been paid an advance mobilisation of fifteen percent (15%), representing some seven-point-five million dollars (US$7.5 million), and work is has
begun. The project commenced, effectively, in January this year, and will
be completed in twenty-eight (28) months.

Mr Speaker, it is important to underline that the recent change in the leadership of the Finance Ministry will not affect Government’s commitment to implementing the terms agreed with the IMF to ensure that we restore the economy to healthy growth as soon as possible.

Indeed, the macroeconomy was much stronger at the end of 2023 than in 2022. Inflation, which peaked at 54.1% in December 2022 has reduced to 23.5% in January 2024. Real GDP Growth for the first three quarters of 2023 averaged 2.8 percent, higher than the targeted growth rate of 1.5% for 2023. The cedi has been largely stable since February 2023, with a cumulative depreciation of nine percent (9%) between February and December 2023. Gross International Reserves reflected a significant buildup of at five-point-nine billion dollars (US$5.9 billion), enough to cover
2.7 months of imports of goods and services.

The current account turned positive at 1.4% of GDP at the end of September 2023, from negative-two-point-one percent (-2.1%) at the end of December 2022. Generally,
the macroeconomic indicators are, once again, pointing in the right direction. I should point out that, in all our discussions with the Fund, a paramount consideration has been to ensure that the poor and vulnerable do not bear the brunt of the sacrifices that have to be made. Programmes like LEAP, School Feeding and Capitation Grant have been protected, and, indeed, enhanced.

Mr Speaker, right from the start of this Government coming into office,
we have sought to place the maximum effort on the education and
training of the youth as the base for building the prosperous nation we
seek. A foreign statesman once posed the question: “Why am I the first
member of my family in a thousand generations to have gone to the
university?”

In the past seven years, I have met many people, young and old, across
this country, who have told me about the first person in their families and
in their communities to have gone to Senior High School. They might well
ask the question, why are they the first boy or girl in their family to have
gone to Senior High school.

The answer is not far-fetched. Not being able to go to secondary school for lack of money was so widespread and an accepted phenomenon that it led to some people thinking Senior High School was not meant for them or their children or for people from their village, and, therefore, a child in the family finishing Junior High School
and moving on to Senior High School was simply not factored in their
expectations.

Mr Speaker, Free SHS might be labelled by its detractors as a mere
political slogan that must be demonised, but it is, in fact, a transformative
programme that has broken myths and liberated minds. It is humbling on
the one hand and frightening on the other, to think of the sheer number
of talents that Free SHS has unearthed that would otherwise have ended
their formal education at BECE.

I know we will get more engineers, doctors, architects, scientists, writers and poets out of the increased numbers of those attending Senior High School, who will go on to further education. Even if they stop at Senior High School, imagine what a million more Secondary School educated young people will do to our self-confidence and the value of our workforce. That, alone, makes Free SHS worthwhile. I am proud that the NPP government, under my leadership, has been able to bring this transformative policy into our education system.

Mr Speaker, I believe the success of the Free SHS has answered its critics, and the arguments about it should cease, and we should simply concentrate on finding ways to improve it. I am particularly glad that the fears about lowering of standards have been allayed. Refreshingly, we witnessed, through the 2023 batch of Free SHS students, the best WASSCE results in a decade.

Mr Speaker, there is more to education than Free SHS, and Government
has been paying equal attention to all the other sectors. Kindergarten,
Primary School and Junior High School must work together to give a solid
foundation, and strengthen the Free SHS policy.

The implementation of various programmes such as Capitation Grant,
Feeding Grants to Special Schools, BECE registration for pupils in public
Junior High Schools, amongst others, have significantly increased access
to education at the basic level.

The focus of the comprehensive reforms within the sector has been to
improve learning outcomes and ensure every child that goes through our
education system is equipped with literacy and numeracy skills by the time
they exit primary six (6). A National Standardized Test for numeracy and
reading skills is now being conducted at primary four (4).

Unfortunately, quite a number of children still manage to slip out of the net, and miss going to school altogether or drop out at primary school. The Ministry of Education partnered with key development allies to launch an innovative financing programme called the Ghana Educational Outcome Project (GEOP). The goal of GEOP is to provide educational support to seventy-two thousand (72,000) out-of-school children, helping
them access complementary education and transition into formal schools.

I am happy to report that seventeen thousand, three hundred and forty (17,340) out-of-school children have been taken through the programme and mainstreamed into formal schools in 2023. This programme has worked so well it won the GOVTECH PRIZE award in February 2024, at the World Government Summit held in Dubai.

Government has remained committed to improving the teaching and learning of STEM education at the pre-tertiary level. Key interventions have included increasing our ability to produce STEM professionals, and also meeting 21st century skills. Accordingly, the curriculum has been overhauled to include STEM Career Pathways such as Aviation and Aerospace Science, Biomedical Science, Engineering, Computer Science, Manufacturing, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Government has also increased its investment in infrastructure for
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education at
the pre-tertiary level. The construction of ten (10) STEM Schools and ten
(10) STEM Centres has commenced across the country, with seven (7)
STEM Model Schools having been operationalised.

These schools have been equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and
classrooms, dormitories, assembly halls, dining halls and conducive
environments to foster teaching and learning. The operationalized schools
have a total enrolment of two thousand, four hundred (2,400) students
reading General Science and STEM.

Mr. Speaker, in recognizing the critical role of Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) in the country’s industrialization agenda,
the government continued implementing key reforms in the TVET space,
including the expansion of the Free Senior High School programme to
include students in public TVET institutes.

Mr Speaker, a lot of resources has gone into the provision of infrastructure
at all levels of the education system. But a lot remains to be done. Many
basic schools require more adequate classrooms and furniture, and the
environment in some of these schools can be made more suitable for
learning and teaching.

Some of the Senior High Schools, especially the community schools recently absorbed into the formal GES structure, lack the facilities that the established schools take for granted. We must all express our gratitude to the teachers in such schools who manage, in spite of the difficulties, to bring out the best in their students and
sometimes succeed in achieving great results.

They exemplify the best in the Ghanaian, and give us hope for the future. Indeed, the one-tabletper-student policy at the Senior High School level is being rolled out, and
will formally be launched by me next month. It is a great tool to help
bridge the gap between disadvantaged and privileged students.

Mr Speaker, Free SHS and our “No Guarantor” policy, under the Student Loan Trust Fund, are breaking down financial barriers for students seeking higher education. By eliminating the requirement for a guarantor, we have empowered students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue their educational aspirations without undue financial burden. This has meant a substantial increase in the numbers of students seeking tertiary education, and it is in response to this increase that Government has decided to establish four (4) new universities in Mampong in Ashanti
Region, Akrodie in Bono Region, Bunso in Eastern Region and Kintampo
in Bono East Region, and expand the facilities in existing ones.

We are pursuing interventions towards achieving, by 2030, the forty percent
(40%) Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio, up from the current level of
18.84%, as well as the sixty-forty (60:40) science to humanities ratio,
from the current one of forty to sixty (40:60), as captured in the Education
Strategic Plan of 2018 to 2030.

Mr Speaker, between 2012 and early 2017, there was nothing more
demoralising than the phenomenon we called DUMSOR. It was
symptomatic of a dysfunctional system, and it caused widespread
depression amongst businesses and households.

After that experience, my government was determined that DUMSOR
would not be inflicted upon Ghana and Ghanaians under an NPP
government, and I am glad to be able to say, SO FAR, SO GOOD, we have
managed to keep the lights on these last seven (7) years, even in the
midst of a financial crisis.

We have managed the energy sector with discipline and expertise, to
avoid a repetition of the hardships inflicted on Ghanaians some years ago.
Furthermore, through determined, skilful negotiation, we have been able
to reduce considerably the energy sector debt that we inherited. Indeed,
the Government Negotiating Team carried out a successful reconciliation
exercise with the IPPs and ECG, which established that the IPP arrears
position was not the one-point-six billion dollars (US$1.6 billion) that had
been previously reported in the media, but was actually one-point-two
billion dollars (US$1.2 billion), that is savings of some four hundred million
dollars (US$400 million).

Additionally, the Government Negotiating Team has reached commercial agreements on headline terms for the restructuring of power purchase agreements and arrears with AKSA, Amandi, Cenpower, CENIT and Early Power, and is finalising remaining
definitive documentation of such terms, which will result in total expected
savings in excess of nine-point-one-billion dollars (US$9.1 billion) over the
lifespan of the IPP projects.

In the meantime, ECG has been able to secure a fixed monthly energy purchase price with all the IPPs. This has led to a monthly payment of forty-three million dollars (US$43 million), instead of seventy-seven million dollars (US$77 million), that is monthly savings of thirty-four million dollars (US$34 million) or a forty-four percent (44%) reduction in monthly payments, a far better outcome than the “Take-OrPay” system we inherited.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that we are making admirable progress
in the provision of electricity to all parts of the country. Last year, two
hundred and seven (207) communities were connected to the grid, taking
the current national electricity access rate to eighty-eight-point-eight-five
percent (88.85%). We are aiming to achieve universal access this year,
by connecting an additional four hundred (400) communities to the
national grid under the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP)
and other Turnkey Projects.

As part of efforts to improve power system reliability in the middle and
northern parts of Ghana, Government took a decision to relocate the two
hundred and fifty megawatt (250MW) Ameri Plant from Aboadze to
Anwomaso in Kumasi.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has successfully
relocated six (6) Units of the Ameri Plant, with capacity of one hundred
and fifty megawatts (150MW), which are currently being tested and
commissioned in Kumasi. The Authority is taking steps to relocate the
remaining four (4) units before the end of the year.

Mr Speaker, we are also making steady progress in our commitment to
increase the component of renewable energy to our energy generation
mix. A four-megawatt floating solar PV on the Bui Reservoir, as well as
the fifteen megawatt (15MW) solar PV at Kaleo, have been completed and
are both operational. They have contributed to increasing our share of
solar energy to the generation mix to three-point-two percent (3.2%). A
one hundred megawatt (100MW) solar PV under is under construction at
Bui, as is the Mini-grid Electrification Programme ongoing in the Ada East
District, all of which will help us attain our target of ten percent (10%)
renewable energy in our generation mix by 2030.

Mr Speaker, furthermore, we have committed ourselves to the
development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. As I indicated at
the US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit and the International Framework
for Nuclear Energy Co-operation (IFNEC) Ministerial Conference, held in
Accra in November last year, the first of its kind in Africa, our energy
transition plan envisages thirty percent (30%) of our electricity production
to be from nuclear energy by 2070, which is the core mandate of the
Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO), an entity under
the Office of the President.

This strong commitment and position are geared towards the provision of clean and affordable electricity to drive our industralisation agenda. It is also meant to position Ghana as a net power exporter in the ECOWAS region through the West African Power
Pool.

Mr Speaker, we have also succeeded in having the Secretariat of the
Climate Vulnerable Forum, an inter-governmental forum of fifty-eight (58)
of the most climate vulnerable countries, representing some 1.4 billion
people, located in Accra.

Mr Speaker, we have all heard about the Gold for Oil Programme. It has
been explained, debated and talked about. At this moment, all I want to
say about it is that the Gold for Oil Programme has worked well, and
reduced significantly forex pressures on bulk energy storage,
transportation and bulk imports, distribution and export companies, and
enabled them to negotiate more competitive premiums with suppliers.
Premiums dropped from one hundred and eighty to two hundred dollars
per metric tonnes ($180-200/MT) to seventy dollars per metric tonnes
($70/MT) or less.

This also resulted in reduced and stabilized prices at the
pumps of between twelve to thirteen cedis (GH¢12-13) per litre for the
whole of 2023. We are taking steps to rectify some of the handicaps that have limited the full participation of Ghanaians in the oil and gas industry. For years, the
well-paid jobs in the industry were taken exclusively by foreign nationals,
because we did not have people qualified in those fields.

Last year, one hundred and fifty (150) young Ghanaians were trained and
certified as mechanical maintenance technicians, electrical technicians,
instrumentation technicians and production process technicians up to the
industry standards. Additionally, five young Ghanaians underwent a tenmonth welding inspector training programme at the North Alberta
Institute of Technology, Canada.

They have since been placed in various technical institutions in Ghana as instructors. Ghanaians will soon fill the well-paid positions on our oil fields, because we have the trained and qualified personnel. Things are looking up. Mr Speaker, it is quite likely that the most talked about subject in our country is roads and highways. When I appeared in the House last year, as I said earlier, I took the extraordinary step of coming with a fat book that detailed all the works that the Government had done, and was doing
on roads since coming into office in 2017. I believe it was generally agreed
that it was impressive, but it was not enough to satisfy everyone.

Well, the work continues, even though some of the major road works
have been temporarily interrupted as a result of the debt negotiations. As
I have said earlier, all the details will be available on the Performance
Tracker. Other modes of movement around the country are being built
and upgraded to open up the country, and make travel easier.

Mr Speaker, the new standard gauge railway line from the Port of Tema
to Mpakadan in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region, covering
a distance of some one hundred kilometres (100kms), is at the final stage
of completion. By the middle of the year, the line will be commissioned
for operations to commence with brand new standard gauge diesel
multiple unit trains, the first of their kind to be used in our country.

It is worth mentioning a rail bridge has been built across the Volta, as part
of this railway line. I have no doubt it will attract a lot of interest. I am a
great believer in the importance of aesthetics, as much as the practical,
and that is why I encouraged the contractors to construct the rail bridge,
which was not part of the original contract, across the Volta to make the
journey more scenic.

The development is on course of a new standard gauge Western Railway
Line to serve passengers, the mining sector, as well as support
industrialisation to boost the development and growth of this nation. The
plans for the extension of the railway line to Paga might not materialise
during my administration, but I am sure they will not be abandoned.
Mr Speaker, there is no argument that food self-sufficiency is the basic
requirement for national security and the foundation for building a
prosperous nation. Last year, Government reviewed the Planting for Food
and Jobs (PFJ) Programme, which had been implemented since 2017.
Based on lessons learnt, Government developed and launched, under the
dynamic leadership of the new Minister for Food and Agriculture, the
second phase of the PFJ.

The second phase of the PFJ sets out a 5-year agenda to ensure food selfsufficiency and resilience. Strategic targets have been set for eleven (11) priority products in the immediate term (September to December 2023), short term (year 2024), medium term (2025 -2026), and the long term (2027-2028). The selected products are maize, rice, soybean, sorghum, tomato, pepper, onion, cassava, yam, plantain and poultry.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that production estimates for these
priority products revealed that the planned targets for the year have been
exceeded for all the products, except poultry.

Poultry, obviously, requires extra attention, and that is exactly what we are doing. We have every intention of meeting the domestic production targets for poultry this year,
2024, and moving onto production levels that will lead to reduction in poultry imports. We envisage a vigorous co-operation between government and the private sector to achieve the set target.

Mr Speaker, the surest way of making agriculture attractive to young
people is to take the drudgery out of farming, and Government is
continuing to make agricultural machinery and equipment easily available.
Under the third and final tranche of the Brazilian More Food Programme,
tractors with accompanying implements, power tillers with accessories,
maize shellers, units of combine harvesters, and rice millers have been
distributed to farmers, processors and mechanisation service providers on
hire purchase arrangement. This year, under the Indian Exim Facility,
tractors with matching implements, planters, boom sprayers, combine
harvesters and corn pickers will also be made available.

Mr Speaker, having determined that large scale commercial farming is the
easiest way to achieve our set goal of food self-sufficiency, Government,
under the second phase of the PFJ, will establish Agricultural Zones as a
complementary initiative to address the issue of access to large tracts of
agriculture land, to drive sustainable and commercially oriented
agriculture.

This will significantly expand Ghana’s productive capacity in
products such as rice, soybean, maize and tomato. Indeed, between 2021
and 2023, rice imports fell by some forty-five percent (45%). In 2021, rice
imports amounted to eight hundred and five thousand metric tonnes
(805,000MT); in 2022, six hundred and fifty thousand metric tonnes
(650,000MT); and, in 2023, four hundred and forty thousand metric
tonnes (440,000MT). This healthy trajectory will continue until we achieve
full self-sufficiency in rice production.

For each Agricultural Zone, Government will partner with the private
sector to provide the necessary irrigation infrastructure, develop access

roads, extend power (solar/hydro) and provide mechanization services.
Various locations across the country with potential to be food baskets
have been identified for the establishment of the Agricultural Zones. They
include Afram Plains, Tsopoli, Kumawu, Krachi and Nkoranza, amongst
others.

Mr Speaker, we all witnessed the spectacular increment of the cocoa price
from eight hundred cedis per bag (GH¢800) to one thousand, three
hundred cedis (GH¢1,300) per bag in the current cocoa season, the
highest increase in fifty (50) years. With the current trend of the world
cocoa price, cocoa farmers can be sure that I will do right by them in the
next cocoa season.

Mr Speaker, Government has begun the development of seven thousand,
one hundred hectares (7,100Ha) irrigation infrastructure in five (5)
identified economic enclaves within the Afram Plains Agricultural Zone.
Work is also continuing towards the completion of the Tamne Phase III
Extension and Vea Irrigation Schemes. This will make additional one
thousand, two hundred and fifty hectares (1,250Ha) of irrigable land
available for cultivation of rice and vegetables.

The Ghana Irrigation Development Authority will continue with the
development of small earth dams in the Northern, Upper East, Upper
West, North East and Savannah Regions to support the “One- Village OneDam” (1V1D) Initiative.

Whilst at it, Mr Speaker, we have not forgotten about the welfare and
wellbeing of our fisherfolk. My government has completed the construction of twelve (12) coastal fish landing sites at Axim and Dixcove in the Western Region, Moree, Mumford, Winneba, Senya Beraku, Gomoa Feteh, Otuam and Mfantseman in the Central Region, Teshie and Osu in the Greater Accra Region, and Keta in the Volta Region.

Additionally, I had the pleasure, in May last year, of commissioning the newly
constructed Elmina Fishing Harbour in the Central Region, much against
the hopes of the naysayers, and, God willing, soon this year, I will also
commission the Jamestown Fishing Harbour, which currently stands at
eighty-eight percent (88%) complete, and is expected to be ready by
August 2024.

Mr Speaker, to help address the incidence of premix fuel diversion and
hoarding, Government, last year, completed the installation of fifty (50)

out of the three hundred (300) premix fuel automated dispensers. My
expectation is that the remaining automated dispensers will be installed
by September this year, to help optimise the distribution of premix fuel.
Government will continue to take decisive actions, such as the close
season, to help safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate and to
continue to deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social value
for our development.

Mr. Speaker, last year, Ghana regained her position as the leading
producer of gold in Africa, having overtaken South Africa. Our gold
production reached an unprecedented four million ounces (4 million oz),
according to preliminary reports. This is as a result of the progressive
policies we have been implementing, which have led to the revival of
dormant mines like the Obuasi and Bibiani Mines, and the expansion of
existing ones. The reduction in withholding tax on unprocessed gold by
small scale miners, from three percent (3%) to one and a half percent
(1.5%), has resulted in some nine hundred percent (900%) increment in
gold export from the small-scale sector, over the last two (2) years.
Leveraging on these resources, we introduced the innovative Gold for Oil
Policy, which accounts for some thirty percent (30%) of our total crude
oil consumption.

Currently, three (3) large scale mines are under construction in Ahafo,
Upper East and Upper West Regions, with Cardinal Namdini set to pour
its first gold in the Upper East Region in the last quarter of this year. With
these new mines, our gold production is expected to increase to some
four point five million ounces (4.5 million oz) annually.

Mr. Speaker, to add value to these volumes of production, we have
constructed, through a public private partnership, a four hundred
kilogramme (400kg) capacity gold refinery, and we are in the final stages
of negotiations for a London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Certificate.
For our green minerals, including lithium, we have put in place a policy
for their exploitation and management, to ensure beneficiation across the
value chain of these critical minerals.

Mr. Speaker, as it has been widely reported, Newmont Corporation, the
world’s largest gold producing company, which operates two huge mines
in our country, and is constructing a third, has announced its intention to
sell its Akyem Mine in the Eastern Region, the third largest mine in the
country, which produced some four hundred and twenty thousand
(420,000) ounces of gold in 2022. As part of Government’s policy to
indigenize the mining sector, we will engage with Newmont to give priority
to Ghanaian investors who will want to acquire this mine, to ensure that
our mineral resources better benefit the Ghanaian people.

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work to ensure the protection of our forest
and wildlife resources, while reclaiming degraded forests. Some forty-two
million (42 million) trees have been planted over the last three years,
under the Green Ghana Project, and some six hundred and ninety
thousand hectares (690,000 ha) of degraded forest have been cultivated
between 2017 and 2022, under the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy.

Mr. Speaker, the main cornerstone of our move towards the industrial
transformation of Ghana is the “One-District-One Factory” policy, this
Government’s iconic flagship initiative. It demonstrates how government
can stimulate and incentivize the private sector to expand and diversify
manufacturing across the country by harnessing locally available raw
materials. It is significant to note that, within the relatively short span of
six (6) years, Government has directly intervened to stimulate interest in,
and support many private sector business promoters to make significant
investments in manufacturing under the One-District-One-Factory
Programme.

Mr. Speaker, this has led to the development of three hundred and
twenty-one (321) 1D1F projects, consisting of two hundred and eleven
(211) new, medium to large scale factories, and the conscious enabling
of one hundred and ten (110) existing companies, to inject significant
capital investments into the expansion of production facilities, and
diversification of products.

These business promoters have so far invested in one hundred and forty-two (142) districts across the country, across all sixteen (16) regions, and achieving fifty-four percent (54%) district coverage. The aspiration is to bring a 1D1F project to every district. Mr. Speaker, within this period, some one hundred and seventy thousand
(170,000) jobs have been created under the novel 1D1F Programme by
companies in operation.

Mr. Speaker, Government approved a number of incentives, including duty
exemptions to support the implementation of the 1D1F Programme. In
2019 and 2020, thirty-seven (37) 1D1F companies were granted
exemptions approval by this august house. However, from 2021 to date,
no exemptions have been granted.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to consider and approve all the outstanding
exemption applications as a matter of urgency, to send positive signals to
the business community. The exemptions law that you have passed
provides for such exemptions under existing laws.

Mr. Speaker, the other initiative aimed at stimulating industrial growth
that we have been actively promoting is automotive assembly and
component manufacturing. It is universally recognized as a key strategic
sector for stimulating industrial transformation.

The comprehensive Automotive Development Policy, launched by Government in August, 2019, has undoubtedly been the catalyst that has attracted a record
number of twelve (12) Original Equipment Manufacturers, including
Volkswagen, Toyota, Suzuki, Nissan, Peugeot, KIA, Hyundai, Honda to set
up assembly plants, and produce a range of models here in Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, it is noteworthy that these investments have been
accompanied with complimentary initiatives to build the necessary
engineering and technical skills in Ghana.

Toyota Ghana has partnered the School of Engineering Sciences of the University of Ghana to establish and operate a modern Auto Engineering Training Centre for engineering students and the industry to acquire applied auto engineering training.
Similarly, KIA Motor Company of Korea has upgraded the Rana Motors
West African Vehicle Academy (WAVA), with state-of-the-art equipment
for training of auto repair and maintenance technicians, including repair
and maintenance of Electric Vehicles.

Mr. Speaker, to spur our industrialisation, we are implementing the Four
Project Agenda of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development
Corporation (GIADEC), with Projects 1 and 2 having, already, taken off,
and last month, we signed an agreement for the implementation of Project
3. Mr. Speaker, we will lay before this august House, at this First Meeting
of this Session of Parliament, a Legislative Instrument to prohibit the
export of bauxite in its raw state. We are, also, in the concluding phase
of discussions for the establishment of a four hundred and fifty million US
dollar (US$450 million) refinery to refine the manganese we produce.
Mr. Speaker, we have all long acknowledged that trade between African
countries must increase if we are to make any headway with our dreams
of prosperity on the continent.

I am happy to report that the setting up of the AfCFTA, with headquarters here in Accra, is beginning to show positive results. Ghana is one of the seven (7) countries selected to participate in the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the AfCFTA Secretariat,
and this has enabled us to make significant inroads into East Africa, notably Kenya and Tanzania. Over seven hundred (700) AfCFTA certified products from Ghana, like cosmetics, processed foods, beverages, coconut oil, shea butter and garments have been targeted at the AfCFTA market under the Guided Trade Initiative.

I would like to make special mention of Kasapreko Company Limited, one of our iconic local beverage manufacturers, which has commenced exports to the Kenyan market.
It is a fact worth celebrating that many other Ghanaian companies now
have set their horizons way beyond the shores of our country, and see
the entire African continent as the market to aim at.

Mr Speaker, in speaking about the work space and jobs, our thoughts
invariably turn to young people and for some people, to the formal sector
and formal sector jobs. We often forget that formal sector employees form
only a small part of the working population. This small percentage of the
working population tends to be the ones that are covered by pension
schemes and, unfortunately, the majority of workers in the country do not
have any pensions.

To that extent, in May last year, SSNIT launched the Self-Employed
Enrolment Drive (SEED), an initiative which seeks to improve coverage
and increase the contributor base of the SSNIT Scheme. Since the launch
of the SEED initiative, some six hundred thousand (600,000) selfemployed persons have been enrolled onto the programme, and now have
some form of social security cover.

Effective 1st January 2024, all pensioners on the SSNIT Pension Payroll as
of 31st December 2023, have had their monthly pensions increased by
fifteen percent (15%). This translates to ten-point-zero-five percent
(10.05%) effective increase for the highest-earning pensioners, and
thirty-six-point-three-seven percent (36.37%) effective increase for the
lowest-earning pensioners. The fifteen percent (15%) indexation rate will
result in an additional expenditure of six hundred and ninety-seven million
cedis (GH¢697.64 million). The total benefit expenditure for Government,
under the SSNIT Scheme alone, is projected to increase from five-point-
four billion cedis (GH¢5.446 billion) in 2023 to seven billion cedis
(GH¢7.034 billion) in 2024.

Mr Speaker, I believe we can say with certainty that, in the tourism sector,
Ghana is finally realising her long-promised potential. Starting from the
events and excitement of the Year of Return in 2019, Ghana has truly
become an attractive tourist destination, with visitor numbers increasing
every year. “December in GH” is now an established and increasingly
attractive phenomenon, which brings visitors to our country in the month
of December, and has changed the events calendar around the Christmas
holiday season in Accra and many other towns.

Mr Speaker, for the first time since the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
was constructed in 1992, Government has undertaken a full
modernisation rehabilitation of the facility. Since the commissioning of the
modernised park in July 2023, the number of domestic and international
visitors has risen dramatically.

A national newspaper, reporting on activities at the revamped Park, had
a screaming headline which said AKUFO-ADDO RESURRECTS
NKRUMAH. That gave me pause for a moment, but, on reflection, I
decided I would accept it, be it a compliment, or criticism or an addition
to the collection of sayings by our elders.

Whichever it is, since the commissioning, there have been two hundred and eight thousand, five hundred and fifty-seven (208,557) domestic and international visitors to
the Park between 14th July and 31st December 2023. Mr Speaker, compare
that, if you may, with the best performance until then, which was in the Year of Return in 2019, when there were one hundred and twenty-six thousand, one hundred and ninety (126,190) visitors in the year. Other facilities are being upgraded, and it is good to note that the private sector is showing interest, and getting into the development of tourist attraction sites.

Mr Speaker, the National Museum Gallery, which had been closed down
since 2015, has also been fully refurbished. It attracted over thirty-five
thousand (35,000) visitors in 2023, and I am particularly pleased that
school children form a good part of the visitors to these sites.
The first-ever Kente Museum, aimed at preserving the cultural heritage in
Ghana, has been built at Bonwire in the Ashanti Region, and was recently
commissioned by the Second Lady. Preparatory works and designs for the

construction of the Heroes Park, a museum to commemorate the founding
fathers of Ghana, the Big Six, JB Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey,
Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako Adjei, William Ofori-Atta, Kwame
Nkrumah, were completed in December 2023, and construction will
commence very soon.

Mr Speaker, Government, through the National Film Authority, is
committed to supporting the production of world class content and films,
as well as increasing the cinema infrastructure in Ghana and, by
extension, on the continent. To this end, a favourable fiscal (tax) regime
for cinema projects, including income tax and VAT incentives, import duty
exemptions on film production equipment, twenty percent (20%) tax
rebate for strategic film productions and film financing reliefs, is being
elaborated by Cabinet, which should be out-doored very soon, and should
provide another tangible reason for the choice of Ghana as a film
production country.

Mr. Speaker, in line with government’s commitment to ensure gender
equality, the revised National Gender Policy and the Affirmative Action Bill
were approved by Cabinet in October 2023. The Affirmative Action Bill is
currently before Parliament for consideration and approval. We count on
the support of Parliament for speedy passage of the Bill.

The Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) is implementing an only women support
programme, where micro, small and medium enterprises, owned by
women, with the potential for scaling up their operations, increasing sales
and creating sustainable jobs, will receive liquidity support. The GEA is also implementing the YouStart Programme, a youth empowerment programme, which recently disbursed one hundred million cedis (GH¢100 million) to some three thousand youth beneficiaries to upscale their businesses.

Mr. Speaker, we are also implementing some interventions directed at
providing support for persons with disabilities. In June, last year, a
significant boost was given to micro, small and medium enterprises owned
by persons with disabilities, when Government launched the twelve-million-cedi (GH¢12 million) PWD Enterprise Support Programme.

This grant support programme, under the Ghana Transformative Project, is
being funded by the World Bank. Again, the Youth Employment Agency
has initiated a ground breaking employment drive targeting two hundred
and eighty-two (282) persons with disabilities who worked at tollbooths.

Mr. Speaker, let me now turn to football, a sport that is dear to the hearts
of all Ghanaians. I am sure I disclose no state secret if I state that I am
myself, an ardent football enthusiast – and once played in the University
of Ghana team with my friend, the late President John Evans Fiifi AttaMills.

Throughout the years, the national team, the Black Stars, has held a
special place in the affection of Ghanaians. They lifted up our spirits, as
they dominated Africa, and won four (4) continental trophies. They have,
at other times, broken our hearts. But it was not until 2006 that the Black
Stars finally broke through to the world stage, when they qualified for the
World Cup for first time. You would remember that we rose up as one in
our support and they did not disappoint. Then came the spectacular South
Africa 2010 World Cup and its drama, when we almost became the first
African side to reach the semifinals of the World Cup.

It is fair to say that, since the sad events of Brazil 2014, many Ghanaians
have been left disappointed by some of the recent results of the Black
Stars. Various attempts have made to revive the fortunes of the national
team, and rebuild the enthusiasm of the people with varying degrees of
success.

The recent AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire was probably the nadir of the
performance of the Black Stars, and has left the nation saddened.
However, I am quite certain that the young men and the technical
handlers would, themselves, have wanted to make our nation proud, and
I believe that the captain, Andre Dede Ayew, meant every word when he
rendered heartfelt apologies on behalf of his team-mates to all Ghanaians
for the team’s early exit.

Mr Speaker, I believe it is time for us to take a long-term, far-sighted
approach to correct what has gone wrong. It is time to return to scouting,
grooming and developing talent at the district grassroots level under a
Presidential Policy on Football that I intend to unveil. The school sports
department of the Ministry of Education will work hand in hand with the
Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration and synergy with the Ghana
Football Association (GFA), to build district, regional and national juvenile
teams for both boys and girls. The more than one hundred and fifty (150) astro turf pitches constructed throughout the country, under this administration, provide the

foundational facilities to make a start, as we strive to provide more of
them. We should see a steady progression of talent up the ladder from
the junior juvenile teams to the senior sides based on merit, and nothing
else.

A similar approach has been tried before, under the five (5)-year football
development plan, led by the late Ben Koufie, and initiated under the NPP
administration of President JA Kufuor. It was under this plan that talents
such as Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah, Derrick Boateng and
later, Asamoah Gyan and Stephen Appiah, were discovered and nurtured.
The results became evident to us and the world. It takes time, dedication
and patience. We cannot harvest where we have not planted and
irrigated. I have no doubt at all that the Black Stars will rise and make us
proud again.

Mr. Speaker, the senior Women’s team the Black Queens who do not get
half the attention the Black Stars get, have been performing quite
creditably. They had gone for ten (10) matches without any loss until last
December’s when they lost narrowly to Namibia in Windhoek in the final
qualifying round for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Even though
they lost narrowly to Zambia in the first leg of the qualifiers for the 2024
Olympic Games, let us wish them well in the second leg to be played in
Lusaka tomorrow, and hope they give us something to cheer about.

Mr Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to report that all the preparations
are ready for Ghana to welcome sports men and women from around the
continent to participate in the 13th edition of the African Games. It seems
incredible, but this is the first time that Ghana will be hosting these games.
It has taken a lot of courage to have persisted with the decision to host
the games, especially when our financial problems came in the midst of
the preparations. But I am glad we went ahead.

The preparations are all complete, and I was excited and very pleased
with what I saw at Borteyman when I went to commission the Games
village some two (2) weeks ago. We have high class sporting facilities
which should serve us well long after the games are over.
Some of the events will take place at the University of Ghana Sports
Stadium. It is worth noting that this is a facility started under former
President J.A. Kufuor, and was abandoned by successor governments.

I am exceedingly proud that this project has been finished under my
stewardship, not just because of the games, but also because it has taken
seventy-five (75) years of existence for Legon, Ghana’s Premier
University, to have a sports stadium. I urge all Ghanaians to make our
visitors welcome, and to patronise the games and cheer on the
participants.

Mr Speaker, this is the seventh time that I have appeared before this
House, as President, to give an accounting of the state of our nation.
Luckily for me, I know my way around the place, having spent twelve
memorable (12) years here as a Member of Parliament, and, therefore,
even on the few occasions that sections of the House did not want to
make me welcome, I was still able to manage.

I have one more scheduled date with the House, when I would be here
to give an accounting of my time in office. By that time, my successor
would have been elected, and we would be getting ready for the
swearing-in ceremony. The elections will be held peacefully, and the
candidate with credibility to take us on to a higher level will win. Let me
wish all of us well in the elections on 7th December.

Before then, there a number of important tasks lie ahead of us, one of
which will be commissioning the Nana Agyeman Prempeh I International
Airport in Kumasi, and naming the recently commissioned airport in
Tamale the Yakubu Tali International Airport.

Mr. Speaker, we stumbled, but we are rising again. We were bruised, but
we are healing. We have recovered our footing. We have dusted ourselves
off, and now we face tomorrow with confidence.

Every day we pray and hope that adversity may spare our families, our
communities and our dear nation. But should we be confronted by
misfortune; we must face it like people with a proud history who fight and
do not flee. Yenim ko; yen nim adwane. That is the Ghanaian spirit. That
is our armour and our shield. This is our ethos.

Let us believe in Ghana.

I believe in Ghana. I thank you for your attention.

Find the full speech here:

2024theMessage on the State of the Nation