ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
For some sections of our population, the unravelling of our national fabric and the collapse of our economy under this government forms sufficient basis to dismiss all public office holders and politicians, both in government and out of government, as the same.
Some have lost all hope in the democratic experiment and believe it is no better than other forms of governance.
These are the predictable effects of the betrayal of the people’s trust by the President, his Vice and crop of officials.
I wish I could say this in a more pleasant way, but you are the better judges.
Our present state and its effects on our people trouble me a lot.
8 This is why, as you have observed, at every significant wrong turn taken by government, I have, with the benefit of experience, provided alternative solutions and even offered the expertise and knowledge of some of my party’s members to help get us out of the challenges.
This is because there is an increasing gap right now between the Ghanaian society and Ghana’s political system.
And it is one of the reasons why a change has become absolutely necessary.
Off course, I know how to deliver that badly needed change because, during the last three to four years, I have studied our problems, I have continued to listen to each and every one of you, and to a variety of scholars and experts – I can say with full confidence that I learned a lot during the period and I am ready to be the President Ghanaians are looking for.
In our present state, it is no longer sufficient to sit on the sidelines and offer suggestions, which are most likely to be ignored.
I am therefore coming before you, in all humility, and in response to calls from my party and the generality of the people of Ghana, to offer myself, to serve this country and its people that I love so dearly, by first putting myself up for election in the NDC Presidential Primaries.
There are many who say that my words, just before leaving office in 2016, that posterity will be my judge, have proven prophetic in the face of the disastrous performance of the NPP government and their harrowing dismantling of our country’s prospects.
I am not the kind of leader who derives pleasure from or who can smile at our failings — even the failings of my political opponents.
9 As noted by Otto Von Bismarck, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
As far as I am concerned, there is no vindication to be derived from the sufferings of the Ghanaian people.
I am offering myself for public office at this time because I appreciate the enormity of the task ahead owing to the level of damage done to our country by this government.
And I also know that such a mountainous task requires a steady, unifying, and experienced hand to build the Ghana we want together.
This is no time for experimentation.
Ghana at this time does not need a “try me too” leader.
Our country urgently needs a leader with an unwavering desire to get things done in a no-frills, no thrills, business-like manner.
Not one enamored with sloganeering, excessive partisanship, personal comfort, and shallow populism.
Ghana’s next leader should exercise sound judgement and be able to make the right calls and at the right time.
A leader who accepts responsibility and works to fix the problem and not shift blame onto others.
The leader should be one whose heart is filled with compassion for the people and who has the humility to connect with and understand the needs of the people he serves.
Our country requires a visionary leader who would build a prosperous and progressive Ghana for all Ghanaians and not a few.
We, in the NDC, will not run a government of slogans; instead, we will run a government of action.
10 A leader should be held accountable for his promises to the people.
Your word should always be your bond.
Such a leader must have the humility and presence of mind to take responsibility for what has gone wrong and be willing to act timeously to get the numerous problems resolved.
He should be a leader whose heart is filled with compassion for the people and who has the humility to connect with and understand the needs of the people he serves.
He should not be a leader who views the public purse as a family heirloom or even the mandate given him to govern as the manifestation of a birthright.
A leader who has his sights on leaving a legacy for posterity.
With all the humility I can muster, I believe I possess these qualities and that I am uniquely placed, having sat back the past few years to take stock of our country’s path.
I am aware of the extent of work that awaits the next government.
There is so much to fix; there is so much to repair; and there is so much to heal.
But I am set and ready!
Very ready, to Build The Ghana We Want Together with you.
Our mission is to get out of the current nightmare.
And to get out of it together, reaching to one another, listening to one another, providing hope for all.
Working with a pool of experienced, talented, and passionate men and women, and with many others from non-political backgrounds including the private sector and civil society who simply want the best for Ghana and who desire to transform our country and its people, it can and will be done.
The first order of business will be to reset our country to its default settings as envisioned by the founders of the 4th Republic.
A nation of peace and prosperity, built on the principle of integrity, justice and equity, respect for human rights and personal freedoms, a leadership of modesty and humility that forges consensus and carries the people along in the implementation of its policies and programmes.
At the top of our priorities as the new government in 2025, God willing (Insha Allah), is to restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy.
This we will do by bringing the various indicators under control to relieve Ghanaians of their suffering.
We will strictly enforce prudence and responsibility in the management of public finances by cutting out waste and ostentation, which have become common place under this administration.
Together, we will build the Ghana we want.
We shall restore faith in our almost collapsed financial system and embark on sweeping reforms at the Bank of Ghana.
We shall actively pursue policies to ensure robust local participation in our banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, agriculture, agribusiness and manufacturing sectors.
12 This will be anchored on our plan to grow the economy and create sustainable employment for our youth.
We will make investments in productive sectors of the economy like agriculture, industry, technology, digitilisation and tourism to spur growth and generate jobs for the teeming youth who continue to lose hope by the day.
With the limited fiscal space, we are likely to inherit because of the mismanagement of the economy under NPP, a new NDC Government will give priority to continuing and completing abandoned and ongoing projects rather than rushing to commence new ones.
I shall assemble and operate the leanest but most efficient government under our fourth republic.
We will reduce, significantly, the size of government.
As I announced in my Ghana We Want address at UPSA late last year, I will form a government of less than sixty (60) ministers and deputy ministers of state.
I will initiate and undertake the most far-reaching constitutional, political and governance reforms under the fourth republic aimed at restoring confidence in our democracy and governance systems while making life easier and better for our people.
In response to the concerns and calls from many of you, I will initiate and undertake the most far-reaching constitutional, political and governance reforms aimed at restoring confidence in our democracy.
We will continue and bring to conclusion the constitution review process began by President Atta Mills including a review of the controversial article 71 to reduce the number of office holders, and remove the disparities in privileges and emoluments vis a vis the public and civil service.
The payment of ex-gratia to members of the executive under Article 71 will be scrapped.
The necessary constitutional steps to abolish that payment will start in earnest in 2025.
I will also begin the process to persuade other arms of government to accept same.
Issues pertaining to the excessive powers of the President, proper separation of powers, strengthening of parliament, restoring true independence to the judiciary, independent and quasi-independent state institutions and depoliticizing them will take centre stage.
With renewed vigor, we will work to restore confidence in all institutions of state, so that our people will see their institutions working for them as they should with utmost professionalism and non-interference from political actors.
We must, for instance, end the chaos that now characterizes the Computerized School Selection and Placement System for BECE graduates.
As a first step, we should allow students to only complete their applications for SHS after they receive their BECE results.
They will be in a better position to know their actual grades and match them with the cut-off grades and raw scores of the senior high schools they wish to be admitted to.
14 This will moderate expectation, ensure effective demand based on real results and address uninformed demand.
It will also root out corruption and blatant discrimination from the process.
Fellow country men and women, the time has come for Ghanaians to receive proper accountability from those they elect to political office.
This accountability can only be achieved by a new party in government.
I promise Ghanaians, that I shall investigate how public funds were expended and this includes the Covid-19 Audit and the findings from the Auditor-General’s reports over years.
We must clean the Augean stables and rid them of the filth and corruption.
The anti-corruption will be given unfettered space to do their work.
The days of the infamous ‘clearing agent’ will be well and truly over.
But to ensure efficiency and professionalism at this endeavor, institutions of state would be empowered to be independent in their work.
State owned enterprises will not be a gravy train for political apparatchiki.
We shall re-introduce the hallmark of my previous administration - tolerance for criticism and the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the media to do its work without the fear of threats, harassment, and possible assassination.
I have heard many of my party supporters say that the next NDC government must also exact its pound of flesh.
My brothers and sisters, I daresay, there is no use fighting for political power, if it is only to come and repeat the same mistakes of the NPP administration that have brought our dear nation to this sorry state.
We must therefore engage our grassroots to work together with us to build the Ghana we want.
To be able to achieve all the above, we must see different personalities and backgrounds.
We must not see NDC and NPP.
We must not see Ga, or Ewe or Akan or Dagomba.
We must not look to religious differences.
We must look to ourselves.
We must look to Ghana.
One united people.
You and I, hand in hand and working together.
In Building The Ghana We Want Together, it will take grit.
It will take determination.
But we have what we did not have before – the benefit of hindsight and reflection from afar, and the benefit of experience – to improve upon our successes and avoid our mistakes.
As I roll out my campaign for the flagbearer slot of the NDC and subsequently during the national elections, I will engage as many of you in the public as possible and interface with various interest groups to tap into your views on how to fashion the Ghana we want.
As observed by Aldous Huxley “experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.”
In the coming days, we will be having conversations about our country.
But more important, we must put into action the plans that we would conceive together.
It will take grit.
It will take tears.
It will take sacrifice.
I promise you I will share that pain and sacrifice with you.
And above all I promise you hard work.
I want to assure you, my fellow Akatamansonians that I have heard your concerns on how to further strengthen our party.
I will certainly make you proud by addressing your needs, as we work to position the party to be more responsive to your needs.
We shall build the most formidable political party that every Ghanaian will be happy and proud to associate with.
Remember it was the NDC that provided the most road and water projects, educational, health and telecommunications infrastructure for you, across the country.
Remember it was the NDC that considered it prudent to build an airport in the Volta Region when the naysayers opposed and ridiculed it.
Too much has happened to us as a people.
But we have a duty to ourselves to learn from history and chart a path accordingly.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things.
He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things” are the wise words of Ronald Reagan that I subscribe to.
The next government would not be about me.
It would not be about forming a cadre of family and friends to enrich themselves at the expense of our people.
It would be about you.
In all humility, with a rekindled spirit, renewed energy, and sharpened vision to help save our dear country, Ghana, I formally announce my candidacy and launch my campaign.
I am proud and honoured that our NDC family, young and old, men and women, from all over the country is supporting me.
I am humbled by your love, and I hope you know I love you all!
I must also thank the diverse group of individuals who continue to voluntarily donate towards my campaign.
Some of you – students, professionals, traders, okada riders among others – voluntarily set up platforms to mobilise funds to support my campaign.
I am John Dramani Mahama, your proven servant leader.
I ask you to bless me massively with your trust, and your votes on May 13 and subsequently on 7th December 2024 and I will return your generosity with hard work.
Ghana needs experience, not experiments!
Ghana used to be the shining light on the continent.
I am of the strongest conviction that we can attain those heights again.
We will lead by example.
As I conclude, I wish to thank my wife, Lordina, who has been my dependable partner on my political journey.
Akpe ka ka ka!!
Let’s win this together!!
Thank you, and good evening, my dear brothers and sisters, Captains of our industries, Chief Executives, Ladies and gentlemen.
I am pleased to have a second opportunity to join you at your annual end-of-year cocktail.
This networking event provides an excellent opportunity to share new ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and experiences.
And I mean experiences from Ghana that defy all the models and theories taught in Business Schools – because if you have survived this economy since 2018, then you are a successful global case study.
Like my first participation, I have enjoyed your warm friendship and insightful conversations and shared great ideas with many of you here tonight.
Of course, my determination to transform Ghana’s economy into a 24-hour working economy featured prominently in the conversations.
But I cannot help but repeat the point made by one of the CEOs, with deep regret written on his face, that “we want to pay every legitimate tax, BUT the needless harassment from GRA must stop.
Back-dated tax audits, re-audits and assessments based on the whims of the taxman are killing businesses”, he lamented.
Ladies and gentlemen, many businesses still bear the brunt of the economic meltdown.
This is because, contrary to the Finance Minister’s assertion, we have not turned any corner, and 2024 will be a very challenging year.
Many have shut down their businesses, and hundreds of thousands of laid-off workers are still at home.
Businesses that moved headquarters from Ghana to our neighbouring countries have yet to return.
The poorly thought-through banking sector clean-up has left thousands of skilled financial sector workers, jobless and impoverished.
As I speak, the second tranche of the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility, due on the first of November, has still not been received because of a delay by our external creditors to sign off on our debt restructuring programme.
Of course, the consequences of our debt default have also started manifesting.
For the first time in thirty years, Ghana struggled to assemble a cocoa-syndicated loan, which had almost become routine on our financial calendar.
Major infrastructure projects have stopped because lenders have cut funding as a direct fallout from our debt default.
Independent Power Producers continue to threaten power cuts due to mounting debts affecting their operations.
A few days ago, one of the producers threatened to take out 560 MW of power before a promise to pay was made.
Ghanaians face grave uncertainty if more of them follow suit.
As a proud Ghanaian and a political leader, it is disheartening that the government has severely damaged our country’s reputation on the global stage.
Recent data from available research shows that the cost of living in Ghana is very high, and people are struggling to make ends meet due to the economic downturn.
This includes pensioners who invested their savings in government bonds, hoping to enjoy a better retirement.
Business confidence remains low, with private sector credit declining in real terms.
As of October 2023, credit to the private sector had decreased significantly by 31.6%.
This is because of the government's excessive borrowing over the last seven years and reliance on the short-term treasury market.
Lending rates increased to over 32% in October 2023 due to the Bank of Ghana's tight monetary policy, high treasury bill rates, and rising non-performing loans.
The immutable reality is that the first three quarters of the year (2023) have also been a tragic period for Ghana's industries, causing a setback for the country's economic transformation.
While the mining and quarry sector is still holding out, most sub-sectors, such as construction, electricity, water supply, sewerage, and waste management, have experienced a decline.
These are clear signs of an ailing economy— an economy whose industrial base is failing and businesses collapsing with growing unemployment and its associated poverty and misery.
Unemployment remains high, with the latest data indicating about 14%.
Meanwhile, the 2024 budget and financial estimates of the government presented to parliament have introduced, yet again, a raft of taxes that will only add to a list of already burdensome taxes.
These taxes, combined with very high-interest rates, will further whittle away the capital of Ghanaian businesses and hinder their competitiveness.
The economic crisis has ravaged all of us, but as business leaders, you have a deeper appreciation of the current situation.
Paraphrasing Bob Marley and the Wailers, “who feels it, knows it.”
Undoubtedly, the economic catastrophe we face is self-inflicted and caused by this government!
However, for the sake of Ghanaians and the future of our dear country, we cannot allow the status quo to continue.
As flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, I have put forth several proposals to ensure that the economy is returned to a stable footing and that economic activity is expanded for job creation and growth.
I have committed the future NDC government to stringent enforcement of prudence and fiscal discipline in public financial management.
Government expenditure will be cut and streamlined by significantly reducing the number of overlapping agencies and amorphous creations of this NPP administration.
As I noted at last year’s event, we cannot fail to learn from the present economic catastrophe.
This crisis shows there is no substitute for prudent financial management.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with a triple helix problem that threatens the stability of our democracy, namely, a financial crisis, severe unemployment, and unprecedented levels of corruption.
Without an economic revamp, we cannot hope to make any mark in our massive unemployment crisis, which is leading many of our young people down the road of despair.
Research shows that unemployment, unavailability of jobs, poverty, high cost and poor living conditions are issues of grave concern to many Ghanaians.
Chief Executives, business owners, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot continue the business-asusual way of doing things.
We must think outside the box.
We must enhance efficiency by optimising available resources, including infrastructure and human resources.
Ghana must work efficiently!
The restless quest for efficiency to solve our financial and unemployment problems is why I have emphasised that more than the traditional and regular methods of economic activity would be needed to revitalise our economy.
My next administration will pursue projects and programmes to transform Ghana into a fullyfledged 24-hour economy by optimising available resources.
I acknowledge the massive support for the idea of a 24-hour economy by the Trades Union Congress, Civil Society Organizations, Journalists, Lecturers, Labour Consultants, CEOs and Captains of industry, personnel from the creative arts industry, drivers, traders, and the teeming unemployed youth of Ghana.
God willing, from January 7, 2025, we shall implement a series of TRANSITION MEASURES to address the economic decline and set Ghana on the path to recovery.
The proposed 24-hour economy forms part of the NDC's vision to build the Ghana We Want.
Let me reiterate that our quest to build the Ghana we want together with you will be premised on: Building an industrialised, inclusive, and resilient economy that creates well-paying jobs, Creating an equitable, healthy, and prosperous nation, Developing well-planned, safe communities while protecting the natural environment, Building effective, efficient, and dynamic institutions for national development; and Strengthening Ghana's role in African and international affairs.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 24-hour economy may have finally resonated with Ghanaians.
It may be classified as an idea whose time has come due to Ghana's self-inflicted economic crisis today because the 24-hour economy initiative was well-thought-through and captured on page 105 of the NDC’s 2020 People’s Manifesto.
Indeed, its roots emanate from the 40-year National Development Plan the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) put together when I was President.
Unfortunately, the present government discarded the 40-year plan and replaced it with a Ghana Beyond Aid plan that has turned Ghana into a beggar nation.
Stripped to the essentials, ladies and gentlemen, the 24-hour policy will be anchored as an economy that runs around the clock with a three-shift work schedule in many sectors.
The intent is to transform Ghana into, first, a self-sufficient and then an export-led economy.
To be clear, we are not creating a command economy with centralised planning.
That would be at variance with the Social Democratic ideology of the NDC.
Specifically: We will combine government support and private sector involvement to realise the 24-hour economy.
We will establish a comprehensive policy framework that supports the growth of a 24-hour economy.
Legislation will be introduced to support businesses operating 24/7, including labour laws, tax incentives, and regulations that ensure workers’ rights and protection.
Favourable tax policies will be adopted so that businesses can reduce their operational cost and stay competitive.
Companies that sign up for the 24-hour economy policy will enjoy smart metering calibrated to charge a lesser tariff (per KW/h) for power consumed during off-peak hours at night based on a Time of Use (ToU) tariff system.
Financing support will be provided for certain strategic agro-processing firms and manufacturing companies to boost production for value addition, self-sufficiency, and increased exports.
Knowing that the government is the biggest spender in the economy, we shall boost demand by ensuring that all government ministries, agencies, assemblies, and stateowned enterprises buy made-in-Ghana goods and procure the services of Ghana-based firms where available.