ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Government is mobilising some two billion dollars (US$2 billion) towards the development of railway infrastructure and services.
To this end, Government has rehabilitated a section of the narrow-gauge Western line from Kojokrom to Tarkwa through Nsuta to facilitate the haulage of manganese from Nsuta to the Takoradi Port, and also to provide a passenger rail service along the corridor.
Construction of a new standard gauge line from Kojokrom through Eshiem to Manso is ongoing.
A five hundred-million-euro (€500 million) contract has been signed for the construction of a standard gauge railway line from Manso to Huni Valley, a contract which includes the conversion of the narrow-gauge tracks between Takoradi and Sekondi to standard gauge, and the development of standard gauge tracks from the Takoradi station to the Takoradi Port for efficient and effective access for cargo handling.
The development of the project will result in the construction of one hundred and two (102km) kilometres of rail tracks between the Port of Takoradi and Huni Valley.
Contracts for standard gauge railway lines from Kumasi to Kaase, Kaase to Eduadin, Eduadin to Obuasi, Eduadin to Ejisu with a linkage to the Boankra Inland Port, Manso to Dunkwa, have all been signed.
The Tema to Mpakadan rail project is currently about eighty percent (80%) complete, with the rehabilitation of the Railway Training School and two (2) location workshops being completed.
The Ghana School of Railways and Infrastructure Development, a school under the George Grant University of Mines and Technology, has matriculated its first batch of students, and will begin awarding certificates and diplomas in engineering and other related courses.
Speaker, in my inaugural address, I declared 2021 as the “Second Year of Roads”.
This declaration is intended to continue to prioritise road construction so that road projects that started under the Sinohydro facility will be completed, as will interchanges that are at various stages of completion.
Specific details of the road projects are going to be outlined in the budget that will be read on Friday.
Speaker, Cabinet has granted policy approval for the establishment of a National Flag Carrier (Home Based Airline) with strategic partner participation.
The House will be duly informed on developments in this area.
Construction of the second and third phases of the Kumasi Airport, second phase of Tamale Airport, and rehabilitation of the Sunyani airport, are all proceeding satisfactorily.
A decision on the siting of the proposed airport in the Central and Western Regions is imminent.
Speaker, in order to revive the fortunes of the metro mass public transport system, Government has provided a total of one hundred (100) new intercity buses for Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL), and an additional one hundred (100) buses for the Intercity STC Coaches Limited.
The construction of a new dedicated container terminal at the Tema Port is ongoing, and three (3) out of the four (4) berths have been completed to facilitate maritime and inland waterways transportation.
The development of a multipurpose container terminal at the Takoradi Port is progressing.
Removal of tree stumps along the navigable pathway at the Dambai to Dambai-Overbank, Yeji-Makango, and Yeji-Aworjekope has been completed to improve the safety of navigation, and reduce accidents on the Volta Lake.
The construction of ferry landing sites along the Volta Lake at Dambai and Dambai Overbank is sixty-eight (68%) complete, whilst that of Yeji, Makango and Agodeke is forty-six percent (46%) complete.
In total, seven (7) rescue and high-speed patrol boats have been procured by the Ghana Maritime Authority and deployed into service to improve safety and security of our maritime domain and inland waterways.
Mr Speaker, our security services have been retooled and re-equipped substantially under this administration.
Indeed, the first four (4) units of four (4) storey blocks of sixteen (16) flats under the Barracks Regeneration Project have been commissioned, and the remaining part of a forty (40) 2-bedroom self-contained accommodation units for the Six-Battalion of Infantry and AirBorne Force, in Tamale, have also been completed.
Pick-ups, SUVs, trucks, high occupancy buses, ambulances and Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) have been added to the inventory of the Armed Forces over the period, as well as the imminent completion of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Ezinlibo in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.
And, in response to the creation of additional ranks within the Military, Government reviewed salaries and allowances for Ghana Armed Forces and Civilian Employees upwards effective 1 st January, 2020.
The capacity of the Ghana National Fire Service has been raised with the procurement of five (5) sets of extrication equipment, and two (2) hydraulic platforms procured.
Indeed, when I took office in January 2017, the Police Service had a total of four hundred and ninety-two (492) serviceable cars.
Government has, since then, procured for the Police some seven hundred and thirty-five (735) additional vehicles, including fifteen (15) operational buses, a feat unprecedented in the history of the Service.
Three hundred and twenty (320) housing units are being constructed at National Police Training School to reduce the accommodation deficits of the Service.
Modern communication equipment, and fragmentation jackets have been procured and delivered to the Service to protect officers, and ensure effective policing.
The Construction of Hangers at the Police Depot, Accra, for four (4) helicopters already procured for the Ghana Police Service, is ninety-nine percent (99%) complete.
An air-wing unit has been established by the Ghana Police Service, and six (6) pilots have been trained and passed out to man the wing.
A new K-9 Unit has been established with thirty (30) dogs and thirty (30) police officers.
The Criminal Investigations Department has been equipped with a digital forensics laboratory, and, for the first time in the history of the Department, crime officers are given a monthly allowance to support their investigations.
We are retooling the CID Forensic Science lab; the CID building has also now become disability friendly; and there is continuous training of CID officers.
Eighty-four (84) apartment units being constructed at Odorkor, in Accra, for the Immigration Service, are ninety-eight percent (98%) complete, and their completion will help reduce the accommodation challenges faced by officers and men of the Immigration Service.
Government is also constructing an eight hundred (800) inmate capacity remand prison at Nsawam, which is sixty percent (60%) complete.
Its purpose is to reduce further overcrowding in prisons, as remand prisoners will now be kept separately from the convict population.
Speaker, these large investments in equipping our security services is inspired by the recognition that the peace and stability of our nation are critical for our development, especially as we live in a difficult and, sometimes, dangerous world.
Speaker, amongst the milestones of our international relations, I have been re-appointed Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS for a second term.
Under my leadership, and in collaboration with colleagues in the region, we have restored peace and political stability to Mali through a landmark transitional arrangement, which brought under control a period of bloodshed and uncertainty, and which has committed itself to a roadmap for a peaceful, democratic outcome from the transition.
In addition to strengthening co-operation and deepening bilateral and multilateral trade and economic ties with host countries, it is exciting to note that presidential visits overseas have yielded significant dividends.
The re-establishment of the Economic, Trade and Investment Bureau of the Ministry has enabled the positioning of the Ministry as a strategic partner to help facilitate domestic and foreign investments in the country.
Indeed, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre has reported, today, a surge in foreign direct investment into our country of US$2.1 billion in 2020, compared to $1.1 billion the previous year, representing a more than ninety percent (90%) increase.
Speaker, the sum total of all of this is that, in spite of the ravages of the pandemic, our nation is still very much in rude health, and remains very attractive to investors.
Yes, we are reeling from the effects of COVID-19, but I am confident that, with the progress of the vaccination programme, we will recover quickly, and work towards putting our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity.
We are building a more inclusive society, and, soon, things will work for all in Ghana, and then we will fulfill our true potential as the Black Star of Africa.
Crucial to achieving this vision is my uncompromising commitment to strengthening the institutions of our democracy, and managing public resources with integrity, fairness, openness and accountability.
Ours is not a government that shies away from public scrutiny.
That is not the NPP way.
That is why, in 2001, under the outstanding leadership of the 2 nd President of the 4 th Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, and with me as his Attorney General, the Criminal Libel Law was repealed to protect and expand media freedoms in the country, and, in 2003, the Public Procurement Act was introduced to protect the public purse.
That is why it was my government that took the bold steps in 2018 to bring about the establishment of an independent prosecutor, with the setting up of the Office of Special Prosecutor.
That is why it was my government that, in 2019, enacted the Right to Information Act, which had been shirked by previous administrations, despite decades of agitation by journalists and civil society groups.
That is why, within two years of being in office, we more than doubled funding for accountability institutions of state, like CHRAJ, EOCO, the Judiciary and the Auditor General.
Government and the people expect those in charge of our governance institutions to do their work with professionalism and good faith.
Indeed, the institutions of our nation, whether the Executive, Legislature or Judiciary, are working.
The Supreme Court, for example, last week determined the challenge to the validity of the 2020 presidential election, and affirmed its validity in a unanimous decision.
The Court has spoken.
It is time for all of us to move on, and, in a united manner, confront the problems of post-COVID Ghana.
Let me, in conclusion, Mr Speaker, recall the following statement I made in my very first Message on the State of the Nation on the Ghana I hoped to help construct, a statement which is at the heart of everything Government has sought to do since I took office in 2017.
“This Ghana will be defined by integrity, sovereignty, a common ethos, discipline, and shared values.
It is one where we aim to be masters of our own destiny, where we mobilise our own resources for the future, breaking the shackles of the “Guggisberg” colonial economy and a mind-set of dependency, bailouts and extraction.
It is an economy where we look past commodities to position ourselves in a global marketplace.
It is a country where we focus on trade, not aid, a hand-up, not a hand-out.
It is a country with a strong private sector.
It is a country that recognises the connectedness of its people and economy to those of its neighbours.
This requires a forward-looking vision for our country, enabling us to confront our challenges and embrace our opportunities, not one fastened in the rear-view mirror.
It is a Ghana beyond aid.”
Speaker, I remain wholly committed to fulfillment of this vision.
Let me thank you, yet again, for welcoming me into your homes – this being the 20 th time since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country, and the first since the election of December 7, where Ghanaians, once again, reposed their confidence in me for another four years.
19 on November 18, I indicated that the nation, in the course of that week, was recording, on the average, 130 new cases of infections per day, and, thus, urged all Ghanaians not to let their guard down.
It has been some six weeks since that appeal, and, within that period, we have had a vigorous political campaign season, and elected a President and 275 Members of Parliament by over 13 million Ghanaians, across some 38,000 polling stations, in accordance with the effective safety protocols put in place by the Electoral Commission.
Despite the genuine fears of many that we would see a surge in cases, we have, on the contrary, witnessed a stable daily rate of infection of between 130 and 100 cases.
Indeed, the total number of active cases has reduced marginally from 1,139, as at Friday, November 6, 2020, to 946 as at Friday, December 18.
Our hospitalisation rates continue to be very low, and our treatment centres are virtually empty.
As per data from Ghana Health Service, some regions, at the moment, have no recorded active cases, and long may this continue.
So, on behalf of Government, I want to thank our fellow Ghanaians who continue to adhere to the social distancing, hand washing, hand hygiene, and mask-wearing protocols which serve us well.
Our heroic health workers have seen to 52,675 recoveries, for which the country is extremely grateful.
Unfortunately, 13 more deaths from COVID-19 and its complications have been recorded, bringing the total number of fatalities to 333 out of the 53,954 confirmed cases.
The data tell us that we are experiencing, in Ghana, clusters of cases linked, largely, to confined indoor spaces with poor ventilation, workplaces, offices, factories, schools, parties, and arriving passengers at our airport.
Fellow Ghanaians, the recent news of emergency approvals of Covid-19 vaccines, by the Food and Drugs Administration of the United States of America, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, provide considerable optimism and hope for the world in our battle to defeat the pandemic.
Ghana, I assure you, is not going to be left behind in having access to the vaccines.
I am aware of the anxieties relating to the safety and efficacy of newly-developed vaccines.
Government will ensure that the Covid-19 vaccines to be deployed in the country are effective and are safe.
To this end, I have put together a team of experts, from the relevant institutions and agencies, who are working assiduously towards the procurement and deployment of the vaccines in Ghana.
The briefings held by the Ministry of Information will keep the nation updated on this matter.
Until then, and with barely a week to the Christmas festivities, which bring in its wake family reunions, parties and many social and religious gatherings, I urge all of us to err on the side of caution and observe the Covid-19 safety protocols no matter where we find ourselves.
The dynamics of the virus has taught us that, if you must host or attend such events, they are best held safely outdoors or in very well-ventilated halls, rather than in closed, air-conditioned spaces.
Even when organised outdoors, there must be adequate spacing for the maintenance of social distancing.
Organisers of such events, public or private, should ensure the presence of ‘Veronica’ buckets, soap and sanitisers, and must insist that patrons use them as frequently as possible.
I entreat all persons with underlying ailments, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and asthma to pay particular attention to their health during the festive season.
It is important to stress that our borders, by land and sea, will remain closed to human traffic until further notice.
So, my fellow Ghanaians, I make this plea to all of you to ensure compliance with the enhanced hygiene and mask wearing protocols that have become part of our daily routines.
This will help us in the fight against the virus.
For the Battle is still the Lord’s!!!
I wish all of you a happy and prosperous New Year.
We have to be thankful to Almighty God for seeing us through 2020, undoubtedly one of the most eventful years in the history of mankind.
I am sure that many, at the stroke of midnight on 31 st December, were happy to see the back of 2020, the global pandemic of Covid-19 being the main reason.
Unfortunately, COVID-19is still with us, and that is why I have come into your homes for the twenty-first (21 st ) time to provide you with further updates on the decisions taken by Government to try and bring our lives safely back to normal, and achieve our ultimate goal of zero active cases.
Since the announcement, on Wednesday, 11 th March 2020, of the first set of restrictions to help win the fight against the virus, several others have been imposed by Government to this end.
Measures including the temporary partial lockdown of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Tema, Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, the closure of our schools, the adherence to enhanced hygiene, social distancing and mask-wearing protocols, the ban on public gatherings, and the closure of our schools and our borders, imposed considerable difficulties on all of us.
A number of these restrictions have, since, been eased, and others are still in force.
As at 1 st January, the number of active cases in Ghanastands at eight hundred and seventy-nine (879) cases,with fifty-three thousand, and five (54,005) recoveries, eighteen (18) severely ill but no critical cases.
We have conducted six hundred and seventy-four thousand, eight hundred and twelve (674,812) tests, with fifty-five thousand, two hundred and twenty (55,220) positive cases detected.
There have, sadly, been three hundred and thirty-six (336) deaths.
This isa relatively welcome picture, when regard is paid to the data from other countries, especially also at a time when many parts of the world are having to grapple with a second wave of infections and a new variant of the virus, which is said to be more transmissible than the original version.
Thus far, we, in Ghana, have not detected any case of this new variant.
Our scientists tell us that the genetic make-up of the virus in the country has still not changed.
The Ghana Health Service, with the support of relevant institutions, continues to monitor eventsclosely, and will advise Government on the way forward.Accordingly, the adherence to the enhanced hygiene, social distancing and mask wearing protocols continue to be the tools of our warfare, even when the vaccines arrive in Ghana.
By observing these protocols strictly, we are also making sure that the imposition of crippling restrictions and lockdowns do not become options for Government.
Until then, Government, in consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, will continue to pursue a strategic, controlled, progressive, safe easing of restrictions, this time in all public and private basic schools, junior high, senior high, and tertiary institutions across the country, beginning this month of January.
The lessons drawn from the reopening of some sections of our educational institutions, in the course of last year, have put us in a much better position to oversee successfully the full reopening of our schools.
Our children must go to school, albeit safely, and we are satisfied that, in the current circumstances, the re-opening of our schools is safe.
So, from 15 th January, our children in kindergarten, primary and Junior High, in both private and public schools, will be back in school.
All SHS 1 students will start classes from 10 th March, with all students embarking on a single-track academic calendar.
Their seniors in SHS 2 and SHS 3 will, however, return to school from 18 th January.
I must stress that SHS 3 students in all schools, like SHS 1 students, will no longer run the double track system.
The expansion of infrastructure at the various senior high schools, over the last three (3) years, has brought us to this favourable situation.
However, the double track system will still be applicable to SHS 2 students in schools that are employing it.
Students in universities and other tertiary institutions are to be in school from Saturday, 9 th January.
Prior to their return to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, will ensure that all institutions, public and private, arefumigated and disinfected.
Schools and institutions, with their own hospitals and clinics, will be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases.
All other schools and institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, have been mapped to health facilities.
There will be, for now, no mass gatherings and no sporting activities.
However, religious activities for students at school, under the new protocols, will be permitted.
Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm in our schools.
The requisite provisions have been made to ensure that students at all levels of the education ladder receive the minimum number of contact hours upon their return to school.
To facilitate the safety of students, Government, through the Ministry of Education, will provide face masks, ‘Veronica’ buckets, hand sanitisers, liquid soap,rolls of tissue paper, and thermometer guns for the safe re-opening of the schools.
The Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Health Service, and the Ghana Education Service will from Monday, 4 th January, commence a series of sensitisation campaigns to help prepare, inform and educate guardians, students, and the public on further modalities associated with the re-openings.
I want to use this address to assure all parents and guardians that Government is determined to protect the lives of all students, teachers and non-teaching staff, who will be returning to school.
It bears repeating that everyone of them must adhere strictly to the protocols to protect themselves and others.
Fellow Ghanaians, it has been well-established that the very first cases of COVID-19 in Ghana were imported into our shores.
Limiting importation of cases has, thus, been one of our main objectives since the outbreak of the disease in the country.
We, in Ghana, have always been concerned about variant strains of the virus cominginto the country.
That is why when we opened our international airport on 1 st September, we introduced one of the strictest testing regimes in the world – a two tier testing system – which indicated that all passengers arriving at Kotoka must be in possession of a negative PCR test result upon their arrival in Ghana, a test which should have been conducted not more than seventy-two (72) hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin.
In addition to this, all passengers were to be subjected to a mandatory COVID test on arrival.
As of 1 st January 2021, a total of seven hundred and twelve (712)positive cases, out of one hundred and eighteen thousand, two hundred and seventy-eight (118,278)tests conducted, have been recorded among international arrivals at the Kotoka International Airport.
Indeed, the month of December alone recorded three hundred and eighty-seven (387) cases.
The positivity rate among international arrivals rose from 0.26% in September to 0.93% in December.
These developments call for strengthening of the existing protocols to prevent the spread of the disease in Ghana, in light of the new variant of the virus.
Therefore, the following measures will be implemented, in addition to existing guidelines on International Travel for COVID-19, in Ghana: all arriving passengers who test positive for COVID-19, asymptomatic or not, will undergo mandatory isolation and treatment at a designated health facility or isolation centre.
The isolation will be for a period of seven (7) days at the cost of Government.
However, the final discharge of cases will be based on existing case management guidelines and protocols; all passengers who are in isolation will undergo a repeat COVID-19 test within twenty-four (24) hours of arrival, with the cost also borne by Government.