ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
It is a debilitating and confidence-sapping problem that affects every home.
We can argue on what the official rate of unemployment is, but we can all see the desperation of our young people.
They want to work, but there are no jobs and some of them are being driven to unacceptable behaviour.
We have a veritable time bomb on our hands.
To address this challenge, the government is embarking on one of the most comprehensive programmes for industrial transformation ever to be introduced in our country.
The key elements of this programme are: restoration and maintenance of a stable macro-economy monetary and fiscal measures which will lead to a reduction in interest rates and a reduction in the tax burden on enterprises provision of reliable, affordable power to enterprises and homes setting up of a stimulus package to support existing Ghanaian industries and improve their competitiveness implementation of the initiative, through public-private partnerships, to establish at least one industrial enterprise in each of the 216 Districts in the “One District, One Factory” policy development of strategic anchor initiatives as new pillars of growth for the Ghanaian economy, including the establishment of petrochemical industries; an iron and steel industry; an integrated aluminum industry; the expansion of the domestic production of pharmaceuticals; the establishment of a vehicle assembly and automotive industry; the production of industrial salt; the establishment of garment and textiles enterprises; and the manufacture of machinery, equipment and component parts establishment of a multi-purpose industrial park in each of the ten regions implementation of a comprehensive programme for SME development establishment of an industrial sub-contracting exchange to link large scale companies with SMEs implementation of an aggressive programme for export development, targeting, primarily, regional and continental markets enhancement of domestic retail market infrastructure and the active promotion of the marketing and distribution of domestically produced goods improvement of the business environment through regulatory and other reforms, and establishment of a permanent consultative forum for public-private sector dialogue.
We are confident that, through these interventions, significant job opportunities will be opened to Ghanaians across the country.
Speaker, the Takoradi to Paga railway, connecting the Eastern and Western corridors, will be initiated this year to open up our country and provide access to our landlocked neighbours.
It will also provide a lot of jobs.
Mr Speaker, probably the most difficult problem, that has dogged this nation in the past five years, has been in the energy sector.
This has caused havoc in small, medium and large enterprises.
It has disrupted families and businesses and brought many organizations to their knees.
The most obvious manifestation of the energy problem has earned us notoriety in the world, with the entry into Wikipedia and other dictionaries of the word DUMSOR.
It is a phenomenon that has blighted our lives, destroyed appliances and collapsed many companies.
The attempts by the previous government to resolve the crisis have led to a gargantuan debt overhang in the sector.
We have inherited a heavily indebted energy sector, with the net debt reaching 2.4 billion US dollars as at December 2016.
I have to point out the alarming fact that 800 million US dollars of this debt is owed to local banks, which threatens their stability and that of the whole financial sector.
Indeed, the huge indebtedness of the energy sector constitutes the single major hurdle to Ghanaians enjoying reliable and affordable electricity supply.
Mr Speaker, there has been some improvement in the power supply since November last year, but the challenges facing Ghana’s power sector are far from over.
The key problem is cost.
We produce power from Akosombo at three US cents per kilowatt hour.
The marginal price charged for businesses is an effective 42 cents, more than ten times the average tariff in West Africa.
This makes it very difficult to start or run a business here and be competitive.
The cost of energy destroys businesses large and small.
It is the bane of the vulcanizer, the tailor, the dressmaker and the hairdresser, the carpenter and the wayside fitting mechanic.
It destroys jobs.
It compounds poverty.
The current state of the energy situation in our country is unsatisfactory.
The problems are enormous, but we must, and we will, confront them.
I am proposing a number of policy interventions.
We will improve on transparency in tariff setting, and introduce a new tariff policy that will reclassify consumer categories in order to protect lifeline and strategic industrial consumers.
We will also reduce significantly some of the levies and taxes on the tariffs.
As at the end of 2016, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had signed 43 Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), whilst a further 23 were under discussion.
Government is conducting a review of all the Power Agreements entered into by the previous government in order to prioritise, renegotiate, defer or cancel outright, if necessary, in the national interest.
Overall, we have begun to develop a national electricity masterplan, which will also explore the benefits of listing VRA and GRIDCO on the Stock Exchange.
Speaker, my government will enforce the procurement law.
We will insist on open and competitive bidding for power capacity procurement.
This will not only reduce the cost of power projects and ensure value for money, but will also address the problem of unplanned procurement.
Government will encourage increased private sector investment in utility scale solar and wind energy projects, as well as accelerate the development of mini-grid solutions in off-grid and island communities for lighting, irrigation and other economic activities.
We will, consequently, review the Renewable Energy Act to provide further incentives to attract the private sector to invest.
Mr Speaker, the Ghana Compact II programme has officially come into force.
Both parties to the Compact, the Governments of Ghana and United States of America, are committed to complying with their obligations.
However, the implementation of Ghana’s commitments has faced some challenges due to disagreements between stakeholders, particularly between labour, ECG and the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA).
We need further dialogue on the key issues that have generated these disagreements.
We are aware that these discussions should be concluded urgently in order to arrive at the decisions that will allow for its implementation.
We expect that all stakeholders will discuss these issues dispassionately and transparently, to ensure that all concerns are adequately addressed.
Speaker, the success of all our plans and all our aspirations depends on our ability to educate our young people, and provide the opportunity for lifelong education to the adult population.
Speaker, it is not an original statement, but it is a true statement: education is the key; education holds the key to the rapid development of our country; it holds the key to a better understanding and accommodation with our environment; it equips us with the skills required to deal with the world; education holds the key to the prosperous and happy Ghana we all want and deserve.
Luckily, there is consensus amongst us on the need to provide quality education to all of Ghana’s children.
If I am in a hurry, I am in a hurry to ensure that every child born in this country attends school from Kindergarten to Senior High School; in other words, that is the basic education that each child is required to receive.
We intend to reform the basic school curricula with emphasis on literacy, numeracy and creative skills.
And just in case there is anyone left in this country who has not heard yet, Free SHS starts with the 2017/2018 entrants into the public SHS.
We shall embark upon a vigorous expansion and re-equipping of Technical, Vocational and Agricultural schools and align all TVAET under the Ministry of Education to ensure standardization.
The teaching of mathematics and science will take pride of place in all schools, as we aim to make understanding of the scientific basis of life a central plank in our schools.
We will, thus, make the use of ICT a central feature of our national life.
My government shall place teachers at the centre of quality education, and encourage professionalism among them.
There will have to be some legislative reforms to ease some of the bottlenecks at the district level of supervision.
By the way, teacher trainee allowances will be restored when the Minister of Finance comes to read the budget.
We keep our promises, just as we shall ensure that our sports development is hinged on the revival of school sports.
Speaker, there has been far too much tension in the education sector.
It is in everyone’s interest that the school experience is a happy one for children, teachers and parents alike.
The happy and skilled population that will drive the path to development starts at school.
We aim to provide the key to prosperity in our schools.
Speaker, we have to be healthy if we are to make a success of the plans and aspirations we have.
The National Health Insurance Scheme remains the best option we have devised to ensure that as many people as possible have access to health care in our clinics and hospitals.
The scheme is not in a good state, and there are too many providers that are owed money.
They are threatening to opt out and stop offering their services to the most vulnerable in our society.
We shall restore the National Health Insurance Scheme to good health.
And yes, the Minister for Finance will restore the allowances to trainee nurses in the budget.
Speaker, government will work with Parliament to pass the Affirmative Action Bill to increase women’s involvement in decision making at all levels, and enable us achieve our current objective of 30 per cent participation of women in public appointments.
Speaker, the time has come to enforce the Disability Act and ensure its compliance, which will begin with access to public buildings for the physically challenged.
The Minister for Local Government will also see to the implementation of the District Integrated Social Services programme for children, families and vulnerable adults.
Speaker, our people can only prosper and flourish in an atmosphere of peace and security.
Safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation is critical for our progress.
We will improve the state of combat readiness of our armed forces by improving the logistical infrastructure, and improve the welfare of service men and women and also of veterans.
Our armed forces remain one of the best-organized and most professional in Africa.
Speaker, I bring you greetings from The Gambia, where I was a guest last weekend at the inauguration ceremony of President Adama Barrow.
Ghana should always take its membership of ECOWAS seriously, as its viability advances our national interest.
One of the first issues that came to my attention, as soon as I assumed office, was the request from ECOWAS to send a military contingent from Ghana, as part of the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) to resolve the post-electoral impasse in that country.
Senegal was to provide 3,150; Nigeria 509; and Ghana 210 troops.
I assented to the request as it involved large issues of regional stability, and the preservation of democracy and rule of law in a member state.
Ghana sent 208 troops.
The Mission succeeded in creating the necessary environment for the rule of law to be maintained, and for the rightful transfer of authority to the newly elected President.
I saw with my own eyes how popular that event has been in the Gambia; and how popular is the ECOWAS mission.
Consequently, ECOWAS has now put forward a new mandate which involves reducing the force to one of 500 soldiers, intended to be a stabilisation force.
As from yesterday, February 20, Senegal will provide 250, Nigeria 200 and Ghana 50 troops in the force.
Presently about 3,000 Ghanaian soldiers are involved in peace keeping operations around the globe.
We need to do more to keep their morale high and empower them.
We have decided that they should be paid their allowances at post, and not on their return.
I am glad to say that this new regime of payment has been applied to the case of The Gambian deployment.
Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to be able to inform the House that the outstanding arrears of 13 million US dollars for all peacekeeping personnel have been cleared by my government, and the contingents in the Gambia have been paid all their allowances in full.
I have asked the Minister for Defence to come shortly before Parliament and make a statement on the Gambian deployment.
There are serious difficulties facing our armed forces that are not unlike those facing other parts of our public sector.
Overcrowded and inappropriate accommodation for personnel, inability to pay food and utility bills, and threats from providers to cut supplies; these are the everyday stories in all departments and our armed forces face the same problems.
It is a regrettable state of affairs that will not continue under my administration.
Speaker, the police are the first line of security and protection for citizens.
We must have an efficient police service that has the confidence and support of the people.
I am determined to give whatever support is required from government to ensure that we have the service that the people of Ghana deserve.
We must get a more professional police service, where recruitment and training practices are of acceptable international standards.
We shall continue recruitment into the police service, with the aim of meeting the U.N ratio of 1 police officer to 500 civilians, and also ensuring gender equity.
All of us are agreed on the Ghana we want; a prosperous, united and peaceful country.
Some countries have made progress in the economic field and achieved some of the results we desire.
I have listened with incredulity, as some amongst us have advocated the harsh methods that appear to have helped some countries achieve rapid progress.
Some, amongst us, seem to be flirting with the concept of authoritarianism and romanticising it, as an acceptable price to pay to achieve rapid development.
Speaker, I have an unshakable and undying belief in freedom and the democratic process, and in their capacity to inspire rapid development.
Development in freedom should remain our moral anchor.
That is the Ghanaian way and that is the Akufo-Addo way.
The rule of law should remain our guiding and unbending principle.
Those of us in public service should acknowledge that corruption is one of the biggest concerns to the people of Ghana.
It is the one subject on which a surprising number of people are willing to tolerate a waiver of due process.
This is because, unfortunately, public officials are in danger of losing the confidence of the people in the fight against corruption.
There is a perception that all public officials are part of a great scam to defraud the public and that they protect each other.
It is in everybody’s interest that the fight against corruption is transparent and has the support of the public.
Mr Speaker, the office of the Special Prosecutor has been shown to work in other places, and I shall be bringing legislation before the House for its rapid establishment.
I am satisfied that the Office will be established in a manner consistent with the Constitution.
In like manner, I shall propose for legislation amendments to the current asset declaration regime to make it more effective.
Mr Speaker, the people of Ghana have voted for change.
All the various arms of government should recognize this strong desire on the part of the people for change.
We continue along the path of business as usual at our own risk.
Mr Speaker, my personal belief in and adherence to the concept of the separation of powers is well-known, and I do not intend to interfere in any way in the affairs of Parliament or the Judiciary.
But I would be failing in my duty if I failed to say what needs to be said.
Mr Speaker, all three arms of government, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature need to take cognisance of the clear desire of the people of Ghana for change.
All three branches must change the way we do things.
I ask this Honourable House to take a candid look at itself and consider changing the way it conducts its business, if needs be.
Mr Speaker, there are some areas of our lives in which we can all demonstrate the change for which the people of Ghana have voted: punctuality, sanitation and the care of the environment.
Over the years, it has become acceptable practice that official functions invariably start and close late.
We invite people to functions for 9am and start at 10am.
I have heard some offer the preposterous excuse that there is something cultural about not paying attention to time.
Mr Speaker, let us show that we acknowledge that change has, indeed, come by being punctual to functions.
I intend to set a personal example.
The other area of our lives in which we can and should start making a change is the care of the environment.. We are in danger of destroying our blessed country.
Ours is a beautiful country.
If we claim to love our country, we must take care of the lands, the trees, the water bodies and the animals.
They are part of what makes Ghana.
The change we have voted for demands that we adopt better and sustainable sanitation habits, and learn to protect and preserve our environment.
Speaker, there is one subject on my mind that I wish to put before the House for consideration.
I believe, in this 60 th year of our nation, that the time is ripe for us to establish consensus on some national issues.
It is important for us to have a conversation on how we name things that are of national importance to us all.
I speak of the seat of the Presidency and Founder’s’ Day.
In my view, it is not right that, 60 years after independence, these matters are still at large.
It does not inure to the dignity of the Ghanaian Republic that such matters have become subject to political football.
I believe we have to settle these matters once and for all, and in due course, I propose we have a national conversation and dialogue to this effect which, hopefully, will end in legislation that will reflect the national consensus.
Speaker, in a few days’ time, we shall mark the 60 th anniversary of the independence of our country.
Ebenezer, thus far has the Lord brought us.
Speaker, we all know where we want Ghana to be, and we are aware we are not where we want to be or ought to be.
We also know of the big dreams of our forefathers to build a self-reliant and self-sustaining nation that would take pride of place amongst the comity of nations.
This anniversary provides us with the opportunity to reflect on our past and plan for the future.
This is the Ghana we see – a new Ghana.
We will put in place policies that will deliver sustainable growth and cut out corruption.
We will set upon the path to build a Ghana that is not dependent on charity; a Ghana that is able to look after its people through intelligent management of the resources with which it has been endowed.
This is our path, and this path offers a new Ghana.
This Ghana will be defined by integrity, sovereignty, a common ethos, discipline, and shared values.
It is a Ghana beyond aid.
Speaker, thank you, and may God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.
Mr Speaker, I am glad to be here with you again in this august House, the Parliament of our Republic, to perform, for the third time, the pleasant duty of fulfilling my constitutional obligation, by giving Honourable Members and the Ghanaian people a message on the state of the nation.
Alberta Ocquaye, Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, and Justices of the Supreme Court, Chairperson Nana Otuo Siriboe II, and Members of the Council of State, Chief of Defence Staff Lt.
Gen O.B.
Akwa, Inspector General of Police David Asante Apeatu, and Service Chiefs, are all present.
Speaker, the House is duly honoured by the welcome attendance of the former Presidents of the Republic, their Excellencies Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama, former First Lady, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, and the Dean and Members of the Diplomatic Corps.
The House should also take note of the passing last year of some distinguished citizens of our country – Vice President, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur; UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan; Senior Minister, J.H Mensah; Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice V.C.R.A.C Crabbe; PNDC Secretary, K.B Asante, and the Poet Laureate, Prof.
Atukwei Okai.
May their souls rest and abide in the bosom of the Almighty until the last day of the Resurrection when we shall all meet again.
Speaker, I hope the House will bear with me, as I have a lot to say, and I may take quite some time.
A month ago, almost to the day, I was in Yendi, fittingly attired as a self-proclaimed Prince of Dagbon, Prince Abudani, the first of that lineage, to witness the installation of Yaa-Na Mahama Abukari II as the overlord of Dagbon.
Thousands of our compatriots were there to share in the joy of the occasion.
It was a ceremony that many had despaired we would ever see, but a new Yaa-Na, accepted by the two gates of Abudu and Andani, was installed on that day.
It brought to an end decades of feuding that laid low the proud and ancient kingdom of Dagbon.
It was a happy day, and it marked the climax of a long, tortuous journey, and a hard grind on the part of many people through the years.
Two years ago, when I had the honour to become President of our country, I decided to summon all the resources of the state and my own energies, and make a concerted effort through the dedicated, patriotic Committee of Eminent Chiefs that had been working on the problem for the past 17 years, to find an acceptable solution.
With the blessings of the Almighty, we have had a breakthrough, and this led to the month-long series of events that climaxed in the installation on 25 th January, 2019.
Mr Speaker, I was not looking to be accorded any special title or accolade, and I was certainly not looking for praise.
I did want to do whatever I could to make sure that this long running sore, that was such a blight on Dagbon and Ghana, and which dragged down the development process in our country, could be resolved, and we could move on.
We had spent enough emotional stress, enough time, enough energy and enough money on the Dagbon dispute; I wanted that amount of emotion, that time, that energy and that money to be spent on making Dagbon and Ghana prosperous.
I am grateful for the hard work and wisdom of the eminent chiefs, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, the Nayiri, Naa Bohugu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, Overlord of Mamprugu, and the Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Boresa Sulemana Jakpa, Overlord of the Gonja State, all of whom I salute, and for the support of many people in this House on both sides, and I pray that we all continue to build on this achievement and midwife the process until peace becomes part of the fabric of Dagbon.
The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs intends to use the momentum of the Dagbon settlement to tackle the other protracted chieftaincy disputes in the country, hopefully, for resolution.
Speaker, in order to reinforce and support the process of reconciliation and the restoration of peace in Dagbon, I have decided that, this year, the official 62 nd Independence Day celebration will be held in Tamale, on 6 th March.
This will be the first time in our nation’s history that the celebration is being held outside of our national capital of Accra.
I am, very much, looking forward to it.
Mr Speaker, this past week, the grounds of Jubilee House, the seat of our nation’s presidency, have resounded to a lot of celebrations, as we marked the handing over ceremonies of the constitutional instruments to the six new regions in our country.
It has taken 18 months of very hard work and some complicated manoeuvring to get to where we are today.
Again, the requests and agitations for creation of new regions have been long-standing, and we have somehow never got around to dealing with them.