ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
The Assin Praso- Bekwai road is currently in use following its completion last year.
Major road projects such as the Bomfa Junction-Asiwa-Bekwai, Bekwai-Ampaha- Asiwa, Kumawu-Timaate-Drobonso and Agyenkwaso-Anomabu-Gyadem roads are progressing steadily.
The New Edubiase- Anomabo, Amantia- Obuasewa, Obuasi Junction- Dunkwa- Ayamfuri, Ahwiankwanta- Adumasa and Trabuom- Toase Road sections are also being worked on and are on schedule.
BRONG AHAFO Mr.
Speaker, In the Brong Ahafo Region the following roads are under construction: !
Nsawkaw - Namase section of the Wenchi - Sampa road, !
Berekum - Sampa, !
Atebubu - Kwame Danso - Kwadwokrom, !
Gaoso - Kukuom Junction, !
Prang - Kintampo, !
Dormaa Ahenkro - Nkrankwanta, and !
Tuobodom - Offuman - Wenchi.
Work is also ongoing on the: !
Gambia No.
2 - Kyeremasu, !
Tepa Junction - Goaso, !
Kofibadukrom Junction - Kofibadukrom, !
Dormaa Ahenkro - Nkrankwanta, !
Dormaa - Nkrankwanta, !
Atebubu Kwame Danso - Kojokrom, !
Bechem - Techimentia - Akomadan, !
Nkroanza - Jema, !
Yamfo - Asuadei - Ansin, !
Asumura – Tipokrom, and !
Akrodie – Kanchiamoa.
The following are also on course: !
Dadiesoaba - Twabidi, 37 !
Dormaa - Ahenkro - Baabianiha, !
Asuadei Junction - Asuadei, !
Antwirifo - Danyame Feeder Roads, !
Sunyani town roads, !
Techiman town roads, !
Nkoranza Goaso town roads, !
Dorma Ahenkro town roads, and !
Kade town roads.
NORTHERN REGION Mr.
Speaker, In the Northern Region, I inaugurated the 147-kilometre Fufulso-Sawla Road last year following its successful completion.
Significant progress has been made on the Buipe- Tamale road and work has started on the Busunu-Daboya road.
The following roads are at various stages of completion: !
Daboya-Mankarigu - Wiase including the Oti Damanko-Bimbila-Yendi road, !
Yendi - Nakpanduri on the Eastern Corridor, !
Nyankpala - Tolon, !
Tamale – Salaga - Makango (Awarded), !
Chereponi - Yendi, !
Busunu - Daboya, !
Yendi - Tamale, !
Tamale - Kumbungu, and !
Tamale - Karaga - Gushegu (Awarded).
Over the last two years, 30km of roads have been rehabilitated in the Tamale Municipality with work on another 25km underway.
Roads in Yendi, Savelugu, Damongo and Bole have also been worked on.
We are also in negotiation for funding for the construction of a bridge over the White Volta between Daboya and Tolon.
UPPER EAST Mr.
Speaker, In the Upper East Region, the following have either been completed or are on going: !
10 km of roads in the Bolgatanga municipality, !
Navrongo and Bawku town, !
Navrongo - Tumu, !
Bolgatanga - Bongo, !
Wikongo - Tongo, !
Navrongo - Tono, !
Bolgatanga- Bawku, Queiroz Galvao who are working on the Tamale Airport, have substantially finished their work.
We have asked them to demobilize their equipment on to the Bolgatanga- Bawku road.
Misiga - Kulungugu, and 38 !
Sandema - Wiesi.
UPPER WEST REGION Mr.
Speaker, Seven kilometres of town roads have been completed in the Wa Municipality.
The Wa campus of the University for Development Studies has also seen improvements in the road network.
Other road works in the region include: !
Tumu roads, !
Nadowli - Lawra – Hamile, !
Wa - Bulenga, and !
Wa-Dorimon.
Construction of steel bridges on the !
Yala - Sombisi, !
Tantale - Tuvuu, !
Tuvuu - Lzabisi, !
Wa - Walewale, !
Jeffisi - Gwolu, and !
Guono-Kperisi.
Speaker, Many of these roads have been in a bad state for many years.
There are a good number more crying for attention.
It is not practically possible for us to commence work on all roads in Ghana at once.
I urge Ghanaians to exercise patience.
As we finish with these roads, we will commence work on other equally important roads.
As a result of directives to the Roads and Highways Ministry to ensure that projects financed by Government of Ghana budget are awarded to local contractors, I am proud to announce that roughly 95% of contractors working on GOG awarded roads and the Cocoa Roads Improvement Programme are Ghanaians - like Emmanuel Aboagye, who represents a new crop of young and dynamic road contractors.
His firm MMNAB Company Limited employs 73 people and is working on the Bekwai Town Roads under the COCOBOD Roads Programme.
Speaker, He started his construction company in 2009 and he is only 32 years old.
He graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Engineering and another BSc in Petroleum Engineering.
The interesting thing is that he is a youth member of the NPP and was a Polling Station Chairman.
This is a Government that opens up the opportunities of this country to everybody without political prejudice.
I cut the sod for the Ashanti segment of the Cocoa Town Roads in new Edubiase and in Bekwai.
The site where we cut the sod for the cocoa 39 roads project in Ashanti at Bekwai was on the site of Emmanuel Aboagye.
And I must say, as young as he is, he does a very fantastic job.
Speaker, Ghanaian contractors can do as well as foreign contractors and I want to ensure that we raise indigenous Ghanaian construction firms that will not only construct roads in Ghana but, in future, will construct roads in other countries.
Through this massive road construction effort, we are creating thousands of jobs for our youth who have been engaged by the local contractors working on these roads.
It also means the profit earned from these public works is retained and invested in this country.
As of 2012, there were only 6 asphalt plants in Ghana mostly owned by Foreign Construction Companies.
Today, there are 22 of such plants, majority of which are owned by Ghanaians.
In order to address the perennial problem of debts owed to contractors, a portion of the Energy Sector Levy will be used to defray about GH¢323 million owed them by the Road Fund.
This will also enable the Road Fund amortise another GH¢300 million, borrowed from SSNIT in 2008 and 2010, to support its activities.
Additionally, it will enable the Road Fund to scale up road maintenance and repair to ensure longer life spans for our roads.
Speaker, The massive investment we are making in road construction is making life easier for our people.
It is facilitating movement of people as well as goods and services.
It is boosting economic activity and giving motorists greater options while cutting down travel time significantly.
Today, it is not unusual to go to bed having driven on a bad road only to wake up to find that the road has been re-asphalted and covered with beautiful road markings.
Many have also left for work in the morning driving on poor roads only to return in the evening to find their roads re-done.
The savings for motorists in terms of money that would have been used to fix broken-down vehicles due to bad roads cannot be underestimated.
The savings for commercial drivers who can now ply certain roads multiple times because they can move quicker and more easily on the smooth roads can also not be underestimated.
Ask Mohammed Hissan, who has been driving since 2004 and plies the route to Tamale.
Before the completion of the Sawla-Fufulso Road, Mohammed says he and other drivers spent between 8 and 9 hours traveling from Wa to Tamale.
With the road completed now, an excited Mohammed says they now spend a maximum of 4-and-a-half hours doing the same journey and that now, travelling across the two regional capitals is much safer.
Ghana has the most extensive engineered roads in West Africa.
I intend by the time I leave office in 2021 for Ghana to be among countries with the best road network in Africa.
40 Let me appeal to drivers to strictly observe road safety regulations to save lives and halt the carnage on our roads.
It was heart wrenching to see the severe injuries sustained by the survivors of the bus accident, many of them children.
I wish to salute the doctors and staff especially of the Kintampo hospital and the other health facilities who helped to save the lives of the survivors.
Speaker, Pedestrian and passenger-related fatalities account for nearly 63% of all road traffic related deaths.
The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is strengthening the ‘Speak Up’ passenger campaign launched in 2015 and putting in place a new campaign on pedestrian safety.
It is implementing a plan to construct and install 968-lollipop crossing stands at strategic locations to aid the use of the roads by children and vulnerable adults.
We will continue to support the Police MTTD with logistics such as speed radar guns and alcometers.
Speaker, As part of its mandate of promoting good driving standards and the use of roadworthy vehicles on our roads, the Driver Vehicles License Authority (DVLA) automated 15 of its offices to improve the delivery of service to the public.
The Authority is in the process of digitizing vehicle records to pave way for other stakeholders, such as the MTTD and insurance companies, to have real time access to vehicle records.
TRANSPORT Mr.
Speaker, We have chalked major successes in our drive to aggressively modernise and expand our transportation system.
Today Ghanaians and foreigners alike travelling through Kotoka International Airport’s Terminal II transit through a refurbished arrival hall that meets all international standards.
The new arrival hall gives travelers a most favourable impression of our country.
Work is currently ongoing on an ultra-modern International Terminal building to be known as Terminal 3.
It is designed to accommodate 5 million passengers a year and process 1,250 passengers an hour.
It will have six boarding bridges, a large retail area and three main business lounges, among others.
The Turkish construction company has taken possession of the site and has already started working feverishly.
I will have the honour to be joined on the 1st of March 2016 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to break ground for official commencement of work on this monumental project.
This project will surely make Ghana the preferred hub for transit passengers in West Africa.
I am pleased to note that this project is being financed by credit raised by the Ghana Airport Company Limited on its own balance sheet with no sovereign guarantee or charge 41 to the public debt stock.
This is in line with our new public debt management strategy that compels public companies to borrow using their own financial muscle.
To further enhance the operations of the airport and cater for the needs of importers and exporters, construction of a new state-of-the-art Import, Export and Transit Cargo Centre, Office Complex & Aircraft Ramp Handling Operation is almost complete.
The Centre will be equipped with the latest cargo handling equipment, including automated storage and retrieval systems accommodating 2,800 pallet positions, mini- shipment tower, cold stores, bullion stores, x-ray scanners and the highest level of security controls and CCTV monitoring for safety and security of goods and counter-narcotics purposes.
Speaker, Work is progressing steadily on converting the Kumasi and Tamale Airports into international airports.
Last year, work was completed on the first phase of the Kumasi International Airport.
Work on the Tamale International Airport will also be completed soon.
These will inject greater flexibility into air travel and become growth poles around which the economy of the middle and northern parts of our country will revolve.
Work will also be completed on the Aerodrome at Ho to give Ghanaians more air travel options.
The procurement process for the temporary terminal to allow commercial flights to commence operations into Wa is underway.
Speaker, In the Maritime sector, the expansion works on both Tema and Takoradi Harbours are moving steadily.
The Phase I expansion works in Takoradi a
REPUBLIC OF GHANA * SESSIONAL ADDRESS * By * H.E.
FLT.
JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS * (President of the Republic of Ghana) on the occasion of the * STATE OPENING OF THE FOURTH SESSION * of the * SECOND PARLIAMENT OF THE FOURTH REPUBLIC * At the Parliament House in Accra on Thursday, 13^th January 2000 ============================== Section break (next page)=============== * SESSIONAL ADDRESS * =============================page break=========================== * Honourable Vice President, Honourable Mr.
Speaker, His Lordship the Chief Justice, Members of the Council of State, Ministers of State, Honourable Members of Parliament, Service Commanders, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Niimei, Naamei, Nananom, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, * Let me extend to all the Members of this noble House and all gathered here, my warmest greetings as we begin a New Year, a new century and a new millennium.
The year 1999 will go down in history as a most difficult one throughout the world.
It was a year of natural disasters - of floods, earthquakes, typhoons, epidemics etc.
Ghana also had to cope with its share of the natural disasters, the floods in the Northern Region being the most visible.
The extent of these global calamities combined with the fear of the consequences of the Y2K bug to create a mood of uncertainty and anxiety as well as expectation as the new millennium approached.
We thank the Almighty that the millennium rolled over without the catastrophies some had feared would come.
The anxieties, the hopes and the aspirations with which we anticipated the coming of the event should be turned into a positive drive to achieve advancement for our nation and for humanity as a whole.
* Mr.
Speaker, * As we open the Fourth Session of the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic, we should be conscious of the grave responsibility placed on us by the people of Ghana and their hopes and aspirations which we must endeavour to fulfil.
It is also significant that this is the last session of this Parliament.
Later in the year, the democratic process will determine those who will carry on the task of governance from next year.
=============================== Page break ======================== Important though the elections will be, we must not allow them to distract us from the work which lies ahead during the year.
It would be unfair for any of us, and especially the Honourable Members of this House, to neglect the duties which we have been elected to carry out in order to spend all our time campaigning.
Indeed, it is my view that the time has come for us to define in our political calendar, a specific period for electioneering campaign leading to the Presidential and Parliamentary elections as is the case in many democratic countries.
Speaker, * It is especially important that we should get our priorities right when we consider some of the setbacks which we experienced during the past year and the need for hard work and concentration to keep our socio-economic programmes on a stable course in an uncertain world.
I have always believed that this is the right strategy for our long-term development as a nation.
In my Sessional Address at the beginning of 1999, I reported that despite the difficulties of the previous year, which included a serious energy crisis, erratic weather conditions, poor commodity prices and global economic instability fuelled by currency speculation, Ghana had weathered the storm better than had been predicted.
Thanks to the hard work and determination of our people, especially our farmers, and helped by the relatively low world price of petroleum in 1998, we entered 1999 on a hopeful note, poised to make up for any short falls.
Speaker, * We are all aware of what happened during the year.
Fuel prices soared whilst cocoa prices plummeted.
A brief surge in the world price of gold, instead of bringing benefits, threatened the gold mining industry with financial crisis because of forward sales of reserves at lower prices.
Floods in the north destroyed extensive areas of crops, as well as roads, property and precious lives.
Despite these shocks to our economy, we have maintained the producer price of cocoa to our farmers when neighbouring countries have reduced their producer prices and even resorted to burning cocoa.
============================ Page break =========================== We also increased the emoluments of a wide range of public servants by some Twelve Billion cedis during the year in order to remove distortions and inequities from the salary system, and set up a body to resolve any remaining anomalies.
The economic constraints which currently face us are by no means as severe as some which we have overcome before through unity of purpose and determination.
Speaker, * These developments have reminded us once again of how important it is to re-structure our export base and make the country less vulnerable to the fickle movements of the prices of our traditional export commodities.
They also once again make it imperative that we consider adding value to our traditional exports through processing where adding value will not attract punitive tariffs but will reinforce our competitiveness.
There is the need to ensure a conducive environment for attracting foreign direct investment.
This can be achieved through transparent policies, the elimination of bureaucratic impediments to investment and the creation of the necessary legal framework for the protection of property rights and business contracts.
Speaker, * In my address before this House last year, I reiterated the importance Government attached to achieving a balanced budget by the year 2001 as recommended at the National Economic Forum.
By June 30, 1999, progress towards the attainment of the balanced budget target was encouraging.
Most of the macroeconomic indicators, including the decline of inflation to 9 per cent by mid year, pointed to better than anticipated end of year performance.
The outcome of the developments in commodity prices in the second half of 1999 is that the overall budget deficit for 1999 and 2000 will be higher than projected.
This will put at risk the possibility of attaining the balanced budget by the target year of year 2001.
In the present circumstances, it would be appropriate to re-programme the targeted balanced budget to a date beyond the year 2001 to make it more realistic and attainable.
============================== Page break ========================= * Mr.
Speaker, * The current VAT registered trader population of 16,000 is more than double the initial projection.
Trader compliance, measured by monthly returns submission, has grown steadily from 75% at the inception of the tax to 86%.
Revenue yield from VAT as at the end of the third quarter of the tax stood at 14% above expectation.
The gains notwithstanding, there still exist pockets of businesses that should register for VAT by law but have failed to comply.
A good number of businesses in the distribution sector with annual turnover levels far in excess of the ¢200 million threshold remain unregistered a full year after the inception of VAT.
It is also common knowledge that some VAT registered businesses, particularly in the hotel and restaurant industry, are selective in charging the tax, contrary to the VAT Act.
Many more also fail to issue the official VAT invoices.
As VAT enters its second year, the focus of implementation will be to consolidate the gains made, and institute measures that will further improve compliance.
The Bill to amend the VAT Act in order to further increase revenue yield to make up the unanticipated revenue shortfall is already before this House.
Speaker, * Cocoa production for the last season dropped slightly from 400,000 tonnes, as I predicted in my 1999 Sessional Address, to 397, 742 tonnes.
Though a modest increase was expected in cocoa prices, they have rather hit historically low levels, due especially to the decision of chocolate mnufacturers in Europe to increase the quantity of vegetable fat used in the production of chocolate.
As I have already indicated, despite the unfavourable developments on the world market, Government decided to maintain the producer price at ¢2,250,000 per tonne to further reduce poverty in the rural areas where over 800,000 families depend on cocoa for their livelihood; and to fulfil government's pledge to give our cocoa farmers their due share of the value of their produce.
============================= Page break ========================== * Mr.
Speaker, * It is worth noting that the current producer price announced in June 1999 is 74 per cent of the FOB price.
This is higher than our commitment contained in the NDC manifesto of paying farmers at least 60 per cent of the FOB price by the year 2000.
Speaker, * Liberalisation of the external marketing of cocoa programmes will be initiated.
A new cocoa processing factory will be established within the year to raise the total capacity of local processing from the current 84,000 metric tonnes to 100,000 metric tonnes in the short term and 150,000 metric tons in the medium term.
Speaker, * The Ministry of Trade and Industry will intensify efforts to operationalise policies and strategies with the objective of expanding and diversifying exports; emphasizing value addition to export products; enhancing the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing; and achieving international competitiveness of our export products.
Recently, during the Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) In Seattle, the tensions in the world economy, not least the brinksmanship between the world's three largest trading blocs, were made manifest.
This situation gives cause for concern over the future of globalisation, of free trade and the interests of emerging economies such as ours.
Nonetheless, as a country we must make the best out of the situation by taking advantage of whatever opportunities that exist to gain access to markets for our goods.
Speaker, * Even though some concrete measures were implemented to support local industry in 1999, the onslaught of global trade liberalisation continues to undermine the competitiveness of some key local manufacturing industries.
=============================== Page break ======================== In pursuit of our commitment to support local industry, a further tariff review exercise has been initiated in addition to other policy measures to ensure a fair level playing field for local manufacturers.
The key elements of these measures will be outlined in the Government's fiscal policy statement.
Speaker, * The Bill to implement the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) Scheme which was withdrawn from the House last year has now been amended to incorporate proposals of Parliament to provide financial resources for the development and promotion of export trade.
Meanwhile, a total of 45 single factory zones are now operational under the free zones programme, creating 5,000 job opportunities.
Speaker, * Government will continue in the Year 2000 to create the conducive environment to facilitate the efforts of the private sector in agricultural production.
A loan facility of US$202.2 million from the African Development Bank and another US $30 million from the City Bank have been channelled through the Agricultural Development Bank to be lent to private sector participants in agricultural production and marketing on friendlier terms to execute already identified and prepared projects.
These will be in addition to a total amount of ¢260 billion that the Agricultural Development Bank will extend to the agricultural sector in its normal traditional operations in the year 2000.
Speaker, * The Youth in Agriculture Programme, a brain child of our honourable Vice President, received an amount of ¢2.5 billion in 1999 which was distributed to 1,126 farming groups in 109 Districts.
In view of the success of the programme and the generally good harvest in 1999, it is intended in the year 2000 to expand the programme to reach more youth groups.
The Livestock and Fisheries sub-sectors will continue to receive encouragement to increase production.
============================ page break =========================== * Mr.
Speaker, * A design study for small-scale and micro irrigation schemes development project financed by the Government of Ghana and the African Development Bank recommended the development in two five year phases of 37 sites totalling 4,077 hectares.
For the first phase, a loan has been signed by the Government of Ghana with the African Development Bank to cover an irrigation area of 89 hectares at 12 locations.
The project estimated at US$10.3 million is expected to begin in 2000.