ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
For instance, the Bank of Ghana must stop adding proceeds of the Heritage Fund and other encumbered funds like Eurobond proceeds to our Net International Reserves to create a false sense that we have more buffers than we actually do.
National data and economic indices should be a matter of fact and not subjected to needless debate and contest.
We cannot be debating the factual levels of debt, reserves, inflation, kilometres of roads constructed, number of schools and hospitals built, and whether CAPEX investments should include KVIPs, metric tonnages produced of food items.
Ministers must not be contesting reports and data furnished to the public from their own outfits and should not be comparing indices generated from rebased figures to figures prior to the rebasing.
In effect government data must be transparent and give a true picture at all times of our national situation.
In addition, government must clarify reports which are rife in the investment community that it intends to use the Heritage Fund as collateral to raise a $ 2 billion loan from a consortium of banks.
We wish to serve notice that if this turns out to be true, we in then NDC will oppose it vigorously in the same was that we oppose the Agyapa deal.
We cannot support the collateralization of every single source of future revenue just to finance today’s consumption.
This practice will deny future governments and future generations the opportunity to benefit from revenue streams accruing from the funds which were originally intended to finance critical sectors of the economy.
The Heritage Fund was set up purposely for the benefit of future generations who we cannot saddle with debt and no heritage.
To make certain that this practice doesn’t become the order of day, I would propose the enactment of legislation to stop the collateralization of statutory funds because those funds are now being abused and their original purpose are being seriously hindered.
It is obvious that the assumptions underlying the projections in the 2022 budget especially regarding revenue are overambitious and are unlikely to be achieved considering all that has transpired since the presentation of the budget.
Government must revert to more realistic targets and avoid creating further doubts in the minds of investors.
Let me add that it is time to change the structure of our economy by allowing Ghanaians to achieve the popular General Acheampong mantra of "capturing the commanding heights of our economy."
We must increase the GNP of our country as a share of our GDP.
Otherwise impressive GDP numbers are mostly the share of foreign investors and subject to repatriation at will.
We must leverage our comparative advantage in agriculture by investing in agribusiness to complete the agriculture value chain in respect of marketing and processing of our agricultural products.
These are some of the interventions government must adopt in earnest.
This is not the time for political posturing and display of empty pride.
We are staring down the cliff of economic collapse and everyday wasted winds down the clock further.
Action needs to be taken now!
A STRONGER SOCIAL FABRIC FOR SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY My brothers and sisters, aside reversing the economic decay, I wish to emphasize the need to re-weave our social fabric which is bursting at the seams now.
It threatens national cohesion and our democracy as well.
The despair and disenchantment that the economic and social problems have created within our people cannot and should not be underestimated.
There are many in our country today, who question the relevance and usefulness of the democratic path we chartered thirty years ago.
They see too little progress or hope to convince them that democracy of the sort we are practicing is worth the effort.
I am an unrepentant believer in democracy, and I hold that it is the only viable path to nation building.
Disruptions of the constitutional order cannot be an option and would rather worsen a dire situation, but I am also pragmatic enough to realize that mere rhetoric and exhortations about democracy no longer give our people hope, particularly our young people who are desperately searching for jobs or the young families out there whose mortgage plans have been disrupted because the dollar has arrested the cedi.
What threatens them must threaten us and jolt us into solution mode.
Of course, I know they also have a responsibility as citizens towards national development, but I also appreciate from my interactions with them that, they do not expect government to solve all their problems.
They are not unreasonable!
Therefore, we as political leaders must demonstrate through our deeds that the struggle to restore democratic rule those three decades ago and the flame of hope that was lit in our people has not been in vain.
We must restore confidence in the democratic path.
We can, if we carry out extensive reforms in our political and governance system and deliver the goods and services they yearn for.
This is the way to go so that even in times of crisis, they still see a silver lining at the edge of the clouds.
And can wait out the hard times assured that effective and responsive leadership will work in their best interest.
The political elite in Ghana are taking Ghanaians for granted and are governing and using resources in a manner that suggests personal benefit rather overrides national collective benefit.
Under no circumstance must personal benefit override national benefit.
The time has come to adopt bold and radical measures to carry our people along so we can win back their trust and confidence to manage the affairs of the state with dedication and sacrifice.
After thirty years of operation, the young people of Ghana expect us to carry out a comprehensive review of our constitution and governance system.
They expect a strengthened fight against corruption and waste.
They expect modesty and frugality on the part of our leaders.
They expect humility and respect from those who lead us.
In the meantime, this current administration must show commitment to building genuine consensus on the matters that concern Ghanaians the most and rally support around a common national cause.
I am ready to support this national goal with patriotic zeal.
The President must show leadership and take urgent steps at this crossroads to end the dangerous levels of inequality and polarization we see in the country.
To do this, let him respect the rights of all citizens and refrain from the intimidation of the media through hostility and needless arrests of critical voices.
Let him end the politically motivated witch-hunts of leading opposition voices.
For emphasis, President Akufo-Addo and his Vice President must demonstrate a commitment to the fight against corruption by prosecuting his officials many of whom have engaged in corrupt acts and disarm and stand down his militants he has drafted into the security agencies.
On the security front, this government must weed out the rogue elements it has drafted into the security agencies because they constitute a major threat to society – including robbing bullion vans at gunpoint.
Let the Attorney-General prosecute the killers of those eight innocent Ghanaians who were killed during the 2020 elections as well as the perpetrators of the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence.
Let the President be interested in his Attorney General securing justice for Ahmed Suale, the journalist who was killed in cold blood for simply doing his work.
And let justice be done in the case of Major Maxwell Mahama, a fine soldier who was lynched at Denkyira-Obuasi in 2017 whiles on duty tour.
These are the measures that can begin to set the tone for a genuine dialogue on building national cohesion and consensus and bring an end to the dangerous levels of polarization and discontent we see and feel around.
There is not a single example of any country in this world where repression of the opposition and dissenting voices or bad governance kept any party or leader in power forever.
Eventually change will come because there is only so much that an oppressed, and over-burdened people can tolerate.
President Akufo-Addo inherited a buoyant democracy with strong institutions that made it possible for him and his party to win the 2016 elections.
And that happened without a fly being hurt.
Let him take those steps that would ensure that he leaves the country in one piece at the end of his tenure in 2025.
At the moment, this government has lost its way and seems ill-suited to govern.
CONCLUSION Ghana is at a crossroads.
The state of our nation is dire and crisis-ridden but in the last few weeks happenings in the football arena have taught us what can happen if we change course and do the right things.
This lesson came in the shape of our gallant Black Stars who secured qualification to the 2022 World Cup by defeating a much fancied and vaunted rival.
Dismissed, vilified, and disparaged after their poor showing at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, the management of the team effected badly needed changes, which provided a new sense of purpose and direction, the culmination of which is the qualification to the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
Today, that qualification has provided a glimmer of hope on a very gloomy national horizon.
Congratulations once again Gallant Black Stars!
My prayers and support will always be with you.
The Black Stars journey to the Qatar 2022 World Cup Finals provides useful lessons on which we can model responses to the socio-economic disaster of today.
If a team written-off by pundits can reinvent itself, work together under the right leadership, and attain international glory; then the answers to our present woes are not far-fetched, they are within us to achieve.
If we work hard at it together – under exemplary and selfless leadership willing to make the right choices and the right calls – we will emerge out of this current crisis better and more united as a nation.
We have in our hand, an opportunity to act and do so quickly – at this crossroads – to return hope to our motherland.
Before I start, let me use this opportunity to thank you all and Almighty God for enabling me to swear, for the second time, the oath of office as President of the Republic.
The ceremony took place after I last spoke to you.
I promise I will do my very best to live up to your expectations.
I am coming into your homes tonight with some rather unpleasant news.
21, some two weeks ago, I urged all of us to continue adhering to the enhanced hygiene and mask wearing protocols that have served us well, and which led us to the situation where we were witnessing a gradual decline in the number of active cases.
JoyNews/AdomNews · Akufo-Addo’s 22nd address to the nation as Covid-19 cases surge However, since that time, we have seen an upsurge in the number of active cases, from a little over nine hundred (900) to one thousand, nine hundred and twenty-four (1,924).
Our COVID-19 treatment centres have gone from having zero patients to now being full because of the upsurge in infections.
Particularly worrying is the fact that the Ghana Health Service is recording, on the average, two hundred (200) new cases of COVID infections daily.
The number of patients requiring hospitalisation and intensive care is rising.
The number of severe cases, which stood at eighteen (18) a week ago, has increased sharply to one hundred and twenty (120).
Two weeks ago, there was no critical case, we now have thirty-three (33) in our treatment facilities.
Again, according to statistics from the Ghana Health Service, the considerable number of persons who are severely ill are, surprisingly, relatively youthful persons, with no previous underlying health conditions.
The number of confirmed deaths has increased, sadly, from three hundred and thirty-eight (338) persons to three hundred and fifty-two (352) within the period.
Recent genomic sequencing undertaken by our scientists have established that some arriving passengers tested positive for new variants of COVID-19.
These passengers have all been isolated.
Furthermore, work is ongoing to determine the presence and extent of spread of the new variants in the general population.
Detailed investigations of the cases indicate that, apart from arriving passengers at our airport who tested positive, infected persons have recent histories of attending parties, weddings, end of year office programmes, family get-togethers, and funerals.
At these gatherings, most of them abandoned the use of the masks, and were engaged in actions that led to them contracting the virus.
Fellow Ghanaians, at this current rate, whereby thirteen (13) out of the sixteen (16) regions have recorded active cases, our healthcare infrastructure will be overwhelmed.
If this situation continues, it will severely undermine the efforts Government is making to revitalize the economy, and put our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity, following the ravages of the pandemic.
On 7 th January, as I said, I swore to “dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana, and to do right to all manner of persons.”
It is my duty to protect lives and livelihoods.
In furtherance of this, I have instructed the Inspector General of Police to direct officers, men and women of the Police Service to ensure the rigorous enforcement of the law on mask wearing at all public places and in public transport.
They are also to ensure the closure of all night clubs, pubs, cinemas and beaches that may be operating in defiance of the law.
They will be assisted by the other security agencies, if need be.
Persons in market places, work places, and operators of public transport must conduct their activities in accordance with the hygiene and safety protocols.
The wearing of masks in these places is mandatory.
Regulatory agencies will undertake random checks to ensure conformity with COVID-19 rules.
Should any facility or institution fail to comply with these directives, its activities will be immediately prohibited, and appropriate sanctions applied.
It is important that I remind all Ghanaians that severe punishments exist on our statute books for persons breaking the law on the mandatory wearing of masks.
Should anyone be arrested by the security agencies disregarding this directive, that person will be dealt with strictly in accordance with law.
We do not want to go back to the days of partial lockdowns, which had a negative impact on our economy and on our way of life.
But should that become necessary, i.e., should the number of active cases continue to increase at the current rate, I will have no option but to re-impose these restrictions because it is better to be safe than to be sorry.
So, together, let us all ensure that we respect the protocols.
Government is intensifying its strategy of enhanced 3Ts, i.e.
tracing, testing and treating, to allow us identify infected persons, isolate them, and treat them.
A considerable number of contact tracers are being mobilised to follow up on contacts of all who test positive.
All laboratories, public and private, must supply, in real time, data on all persons tested on the common platform established by the Ghana Health Service.
There will be sanctions against laboratories who fail to comply.
We have also provided additional logistics, including vehicles, to the Ghana Health Service for the supervision and monitoring of asymptomatic cases being managed from home.
Additionally, Government is reactivating available treatment and isolation facilities across the country in anticipation of any further increase in infections.
The provision of adequate medicines, equipment, and personal protective equipment to enable health workers attend to homebased patients is being effected.
Fellow Ghanaians, as our children in kindergarten, primary, junior high school, SHS 2 and SHS 3 resume school from tomorrow, I wish to reiterate that Government has taken the required steps to ensure their safety in school.
Heads of institutions, as well as their teachers, have undergone the requisite orientation on “Guidelines for school re-opening during COVID-19”, to enable them assist with compliance of students to the protocols.
I have been encouraged by the preparations being made by many schools, in some cases, with the support of their old student associations and PTAs, in anticipation of the return on Monday.
On our part, Government has also undertaken the fumigation and disinfection of schools, and the provision of sanitisers, masks, liquid soaps, Veronica Buckets, rolls of tissue paper, face shields for learners and staff with hearing impairments, and gloves for care givers and attendants, to schools across the country.
All Senior High Schools have been mapped to medical facilities across the country, so that any outbreak of the disease in any such school can be duly contained.
Suspected cases in primary and junior high schools will be managed by district health teams through the School Health Programme and the COVID-19 Rapid Response Teams.
The world is facing a learning crisis – a crisis that is further worsening inequalities in access to education, with children from poorer homes and communities being worst hit.
This learning crisis has serious implications for the future of our country.
This is especially worrying for me because I have placed education at the centre of the social and economic progress and prosperity of Ghana, and of her political stability.
That is why, in our attempt to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, the CAPBuss initiative, being administered by the National Board for Small Scale Industries, has started disbursements to applicants from private educational institutions, many of whom have been hard-hit by the pandemic.
More disbursements to these institutions are being processed.
I now wish to speak directly to the students and children returning to school, and those of you who have already returned.
I know that, for most of you, 2020 was a very unfamiliar year, and presented a setback for your preparation for the future.
You all saw the struggle your parents, especially working parents, went through with you at home due to school closures.
You also know how you struggled to learn from home, even for those of you lucky enough to continue with some of your classes online.
The frustrations, the idleness, the absence of classroom or study group intimacy – it has all been extremely difficult for you, your parents, teachers and everybody involved.
This is something we should all try to put behind us.
Much of that depends on you.
As we take these big steps to go back to school, your attitude, your behaviour, your self-discipline will decide whether or not our schools will remain open.
I am pleading with you, please observe the COVID-19 protocols at all times.
You must maintain the level of discipline and sense of responsibility to stop the virus from spreading in your schools and, for day students, at home, as well.
Wear your masks at all times.
Wash and sanitize your hands regularly.
Protect yourself.
Protect each other.
Protect your teachers.
Protect your parents.
But, please, do not give me a reason to close down schools again.
I pledge to do my best to keep your education going.
I want you to assure me, your parents, your teachers and society as a whole, through your actions, that you will do your part as well.
Fellow Ghanaians, I urge all of us to continue to live responsibly with the virus, even as we work towards accessing the vaccine.
Details of the access and roll-out plan will be announced very soon.
Let us work constantly at how to do our work, keep our businesses and places of worship open, and send our children to school, all in safety.
Government, for its part, is resolved and determined to help ensure that we are able to return to our normal daily routines, i.e.
going to work, going to school, going to shop, going to the market, going to a funeral, going to the pub, going to the club, going to the cinema, going to the beach, going to the stadium, or going to worship.
We can achieve this result if we co-operate and work together.
It is essential that we protect ourselves, our families and our loved ones from the virus.
It is a collective responsibility.
If we embrace the safety protocols, i.e.
the enhanced hygiene and mask wearing protocols, and we continue to put our faith in Almighty God, we will see light at the end of this tunnel.
Zero active cases – that is the goal.
We can and must reach it.
Fellow Ghanaians, in all sincerity, I repeat that this too shall pass!
Comrade Chair, Secretary General of the TUC (Ghana), Distinguished National Executive Council Members, Executives of our Business Wing, Colleagues from the Media Fraternity, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is an honour and a privilege to address this august gathering again on the occasion of the second-half National Executive Council meeting for the year 2025.
On behalf of the Management Committee of our great Union and on my own behalf, let me take this opportunity to welcome all Council members to the Ghana Shippers Council Auditorium, Accra, for the second-half NEC meeting.
Comrades, as we are all aware, our meeting here in Accra for today and tomorrow is in fulfilment of the Constitution of the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union.
These two days of deliberations would therefore focus on reviewing the activities of the Union for the second half of the year 2025 and also afford us the opportunity to discuss some issues of industry, national and global importance.
My address would therefore touch on a number of these issues and how they impact on our work as a trade union and society in general.
General Industry Update/Outlook Comrade Chair, unlike other sectors which were hit and are still struggling to recover since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global gold industry and by extension the mining industry in general has stood out as the utmost beneficiary of this global health crisis.
Indeed, amidst other geopolitical developments, gold price has trended upwards from a pandemic price of over $1800 year-on-year and reaching an unprecedented high of $4000 in the course of the year.
Indeed, over the period, the economics of most mineral assets have improved, and general mining investment in the sector has surged, resulting in the projected growth in gold production from 4.8 million ounces to 5.1 million, accompanied by the opening of new mining companies such as Cardinal Namdini, Newmont Ahafo North, and Heath Goldfields Bogoso-Prestea Mine.
Comrade Chair, given the unprecedented surge in gold price and the colossal gains most mining companies continue to make, we expect that mining companies would take very good care of workers, our members, even as they invest in modern infrastructure and expand existing ones, increase production, and intensify exploration activities, among others.
This, we believe, is a substantial step towards the creation of decent and sustainable jobs and a strategic approach to sustaining the industry in the long run.
Comrade Chair, at this point, permit me once again to isolate Heath Goldfields Ltd, the current manager and operator of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine, for special mention.
As you may recall, in November 2024, the Government of Ghana issued the Bogoso-Prestea mining leases to Heath Goldfields Ltd amidst several months of agitations/demonstrations by the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union and its members, during which we called for the termination of mining leases due to the inability of the former leaseholder to manage or operate the Bogoso-Prestea mines.
After several weeks of due diligence by the Minerals Commission and recommendation to the Government, the leases were finally terminated and issued to Heath Goldfields Ltd, subject to a number of conditions.
Key to the conditions was the settlement of all outstanding indebtedness owed to our members by the previous leaseholder.
Unfortunately, as you may all be aware, this decision eventually became a subject matter of intense legal tussle, making it difficult for the restart of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine.