ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Sometimes when I read about these terrible economic trends coupled with credit rating agencies downgrading Ghana, I ask, what has happened to the unprecedented resources that have accrued to the Akufo-Addo government since 2017?
No government, in our 4th Republic has had the sheer amount of resources that have been available to this one.
Yet, they have been unrelenting in hiding the truth.
The fact however remains that by March 2020 – a pre COVID era in Ghana – the national debt had already increased by GH¢100 billion within three short years.
This shows a steep rise from GH¢120 billion in 2016 to GH¢225 billion in 2019.
Indeed, the budget deficit of 7.5% recorded in 2018 had at the time exceeded the legally acceptable threshold of 5%.
Fixing the Economic Mess for More Jobs Ladies and Gentlemen, the combined effect of the critical economic indices before COVID-19 and after COVID -19 points to one truth.
That immutable truth is that the NPP has blatantly mismanaged the economy and the country.
We cannot allow them to continue holding Ghana’s progress in reverse gear.
Ghana is not for a few people alone.
Ghana is for us all and the unborn generations.
We must rise like the phoenix rising from ashes; renew, reform, and liberate ourselves from their misrule on December 07, 2024.
This is why I am running for president in 2024.
And this is why you voted massively for me on Saturday, May 13, 2023.
I have proposed a raft of measures and referred the government to the NDC 2020 manifesto for policy alternatives.
These measures still apply today because we are neck deep into an economic crisis.
First, government must take responsibility for the messy economy, arising from its reckless borrowing and mismanagement of the country.
This is going to be one of the immediate actions of my government, God willing, when voted into office.
I will lead a process to set a standardized limit for borrowing.
Government has refused to cut expenditure by reducing the size of government, adjusting the compensation and allowances of appointees and profligate expenditure.
The president is rather appointing more people and continuing to recklessly overspend.
A John Mahama and NDC government will respond to the concerns of the Ghanaian people, proactively and drastically cut down on the number of ministers and other government appointees.
There will be no room for wasting the taxpayer’s money on the comforts of government officials.
The NDC will reconsider the tax exemption regime, ensuring that any exemptions are beneficial to the Ghanaian people.
We will further ensure that the extractive sector operates within a mutually beneficial tax environment for the stability of the exchange rate.
We will seek to make Ghana benefit more from its finite natural resources and encourage indigenously owned Ghanaian businesses that have the technology and capacity to operate their own productive mining concessions by themselves or in partnership.
We have done it before, and we will do it again, together with my team, we will enhance investor confidence in our country to attract credible domestic and foreign investors especially in the manufacturing and light industries sector.
This we will do by being transparent and not concealing economic indices such as the budget deficit, public debt, and Net International Reserves.
As we await the board of the International Monetary Fund’s approval for Ghana’s requested bail- out by end May or June this year, we expect that the finance minister will urgently present a mid-year review budget to Parliament, which will include any agreements they might have reached with the Fund and one that critically cuts government expenditure.
The 2023 budget and financial statement presented to Parliament last November is riding on stilts with no stability.
This is why I insist Government must immediately upon approval of Ghana’s programme by the Fund, review the 2023 budget to reflect the realities of the economic situation today.
Ladies and Gentlemen, unemployment is a national security crisis.
What must be done to help in ameliorating the challenge has not been done.
From January 2025, the next NDC administration will transform the economy, diversify our exports, and ensure value addition to create more jobs.
Agriculture and agribusiness shall be one of the key anchors of our economic transformation plan.
We will launch a programme akin to the “Operation Feed Yourself and Industries” of the early 70’s to make Ghana self-sufficient in basic staples and curb unnecessary imports.
We will seek to make indigenous entrepreneurs capture the “commanding heights of the Ghanaian economy.”
In our previous stint in Government, we sought to achieve this by strategically prioritizing the Tamne Irrigation project in the Upper East Region; we supported the Avnash rice processing factory here in the northern region; provided fish storage facilities along the Coast and prepared the Komenda Sugar Factory for take-off in the Central region among others.
In the non-agriculture sector, Wankang ceramics factory, which came alive in the Western region and the Savanna Cement Factory are but a few of the examples.
We also injected GH¢51 million into the pharmaceutical sector for expansion and job creation – our foresight became a windfall when COVID-19 struck our shores.
Let me restate what I said in Ho during the launch of my campaign for Flagbearer— we shall promote robust local participation in our banking, financial, telecommunications, tourism, mining, agriculture, agribusiness, and manufacturing sectors to grow the economy and create sustainable employment for the youth.
We will restore indigenous Ghanaian investment in the finance and banking sector and create a tiered banking system that will serve various segments of the market.
We will give the opportunity for experienced banking hands who were laid off, to secure their careers once more and move from the menial jobs they were forced into.
As far as practicable, banking licenses that were unjustly cancelled by this Government would be restored.
Governance Ladies and Gentlemen, our nation is still at the crossroads with crippling debt, and an inefficient and wasteful government.
We cannot continue this pathway.
It is a betrayal of the people, as a leader, to keep doing things the same way when the results leave them the poorer.
I am committed to operating an effective government with not more than sixty (60) ministers.
These Ministers together with other appointees of the government will not be entitled to ex- gratia payments after their tenure, as they will commit to that undertaking even before the necessary constitutional amendments, including a review of the controversial Article 71.
I share the view that Ghanaians in the diaspora must no longer have to renounce their foreign citizenship before they can stand for elections or hold public offices in Ghana.
I personally believe most of them make up for their absence with their remittances, and, if conditions improve, a lot of them will return to work home, in Ghana.
In fact, some Ghanaians in the diaspora have proven to be extremely beneficial to our country.
Professor Frimpong Boateng of the Cardiothoracic Centre fame returned from Germany to establish the National Cardiothoracic Centre that has saved many Ghanaian lives.
Since the Professor’s return he has contributed his significant bit in medicine and in politics.
Only recently amid an Aljazeera documentary accusing President Akufo-Addo and his government of organized crimes in collusion with a foreigner, it emerged that the heart surgeon had two years ago boldly exposed the duplicity of the NPP government in the fight against Galamsey.
He opened a can of worms, which I know this president, in his usual manner, will sweep under the carpet just as many corruption scandals have been cleared by the Clearing Agent.
We shall investigate further and pursue justice on this matter.
The truth is, this government cannot just wish away the reality that Ghana is not looking good on the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International.
The President no longer makes corruption a pet topic in his speeches because corruption has defeated him hands down.
In the government’s bid to obscure corruption, they have resorted to suppressing press freedom and inordinate clampdown of Civil Society activists including even members of parliament who dare to expose corruption.
Let me assure you, as I stated in Garu in the Upper East during my campaign tours, that I will adopt a robust root and branch approach to fight corruption because corruption is a major source through which state resources are wasted.
It will not matter whether the people involved are our own or from some other party.
We will continue the constitution review process commenced by President John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory and take it to a logical conclusion.
This will plug the loopholes and clarify some clauses in our constitution and make it more responsive to our current reality.
NDC Party Matters Fellow Akatamansonians, Ey3 zu!
Ey3 za!
I began by thanking you, my party delegates, for voting massively for me on Saturday.
I promise that I will fulfil every promise I made to you during my visits to your constituencies, in the sixteen regions of Ghana between March and Friday 12th May 2023.
I will be working with the National Chairman and the leadership of the party to build a formidable National Democratic Congress – one that every Ghanaian will be proud to associate with.
Ghanaians should keep in mind that the NDC has provided the most impactful socio-economic and development projects across the country.
I make a firm promise to ensure that our 2024 campaign is fully decentralized, empowering the branches to lead the voter mobilization and voting day canvassing, supported by the constituency and regional executives and teams.
Empowering the branches, motivating them, and ensuring that we deploy the needed campaign materials and logistics, I remain convinced, will help our campaigning and canvassing in 2024.
We must all embrace and support an equitable distribution of party logistics to the branches.
This will strengthen the branches and encourage competition even as we plan to reward each branch adequately for meeting set targets.
In the next few months, we will begin redeeming our promise to help constituencies acquire their own offices and commence the organization of periodic orientation and training programmes at the Party School, for our executives.
Conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen and the millions following us from Ghana and across the world, before I take my seat, I wish to reiterate some of my commitments to the people of Ghana.
I want you to remember them so you can hold me accountable.
I will keep each of the promises when I assume office on January 07, 2025, God willing.
Restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy and rejuvenate the almost collapsed banking and financial sector.
This will involve sweeping reforms at the Bank of Ghana because the Central Bank itself has been part of the problem.
I will ensure that Ghana never suffers such a deadly debt management programme that threatens to send elderly people holding government bonds to their early graves and wipe out the investments of the Ghanaian middle class.
Prioritize local participation in the banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors to generate more jobs for the youth.
The Ghanaian young women and men we interact with on daily basis and their colleagues in other African countries are simply tired of jobless GDP figures.
Actively attract viable and serious private sector investors to partner government to invest in the productive sectors of the economy for more jobs to be created.
This will involve an emphasis on agriculture and agribusiness and will have a strong focus on making Ghanaians own their own micro enterprises.
Complete abandoned and ongoing projects instead of rushing to start new ones.
We will carry out an inventory of all hospitals, schools, electrification, water, and road projects which have stalled or been abandoned and make annual budgetary allocation for completing them.
Beyond the economic front, we will also be very thick on governance because transparent and accountable governance at all levels remains an assured fuel that fires the socio-economic transformation of successful nations.
We will establish a Governance Advisory Council to help improve political governance, curb corruption, and ensure the respect for human rights is upheld.
The Council will include representatives of civil society organizations, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and ordinary Ghanaians, and among others, they will be empowered to release a State of Governance in Ghana report every year.
I will run the leanest but most efficient government under the fourth republic by appointing not more than 60 ministers and deputy ministers.
I will work to abolish the payment of Ex-gratia and cut out waste and ostentation in Government.
We shall work with Parliament and all stakeholders to complete the constitution review process and strengthen separation of powers.
Government procurement is recognized as a major source of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.
We will among other measures, set up an Independent Value for Money office to scrutinize all government procurements above a $5 million threshold or as shall be recommended by Parliament.
I will give anti-corruption state institutions unfettered space to operate – The days of the Clearing agent must come to an end on January 07, 2025.
I will also set up a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the matter of looted State Lands and make recommendations for resolving the vexed issue of expropriated Ga-Dangbe lands.
And to deepen our democracy, the Fourth Estate of the realm – the media – must also be given the conducive and collaborative atmosphere to operate as the fourth power that they ought to be without threats, harassments, and assassinations.
We are starting off in earnest, and I will be outlining other policies and strategies in the course of the campaign and in our 2024 manifesto conversations.
Let me emphasize that Ghana is in this severe and acute financial distress with suffocating levels of unemployment due to the reckless mismanagement of the economy by this Government.
But there is hope!
That hope can be fast-tracked if we choose vision with experience over experiment — especially at this critical time in our nation’s life.
The NDC delegates have shown the way by electing me with a definite 98.9%, or in mathematical terms, 99% of the valid votes cast — which is indicative of their elevated faith and conviction in my ability to provide honest, visionary, and responsible leadership.
They did so not only based on our solid record of achievements but also the concrete, sincere assurances I have given to transform our cherished country, Ghana, by building the Ghana we want together.
That transformation will demand your cooperation, and that cooperation begins from today.
In building the Ghana we want together, we will need you – every Ghanaian (including disappointed NPP people) who are appalled by the arrogance, untruthfulness, mismanagement, corruption, and nepotism of this government.
Join us in this rebuilding mission.
We will also need you – every Ghanaian who wants to have a project or programme in the agriculture including horticulture and aquaculture, manufacturing, building and construction, services and extractive industry sectors but has been impeded by the illicit demands of officials of this governments.
We will need you – every Ghanaian – who believes merit must be recognized and compensated and not favoritism taking the centre stage.
And we will need you if you genuinely believe we have had enough of the incompetence and mismanagement of this government.
ENOUGH IS INDEED ENOUGH!
Ghanaians have suffered enough hardships and misrule from this bungling and rapacious Akufo- Addo and Bawumia NPP government.
Let us complete the task we have started by campaigning day and night for your humble servant, John Mahama, and our Parliamentary candidates.
My brothers and sisters, I urge you to campaign vigorously in every corner of the country, on radio, television, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram.
We shall protect your votes.
Your votes will be counted.
Your votes will count.
And your votes will propel the NDC into office, with a team led by me, John Dramani Mahama, ready and willing with vision and experience to build the Ghana we want together with you.
Ladies and Gentlemen, victory will be ours in December 2024.
And there shall be work and happiness for all.
God bless us
Good evening my brothers and sisters, Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana gave its ruling in a case brought by the National Democratic Congress against the Electoral Commission over its decision to compile a new voter register.
Despite the well-reasoned reliefs we sought, the apex court of the land gave the leeway for the Electoral Commission to go ahead with the exclusion of the existing voter identification cards from the list of identification requirements.
We are deeply disappointed and strongly disagree with the court over this outcome, which has confounded many legal experts and thrown the country into a state of confusion.
Our legal team is examining this decision even as we await the full judgement.
It is worrying that the Court deferred the reasons for its decisions to the 15th of July, by which time the EC would have been two weeks into the registration exercise.
My brothers and sisters, throughout its history, the NDC has stood strongly for an inclusive democracy.
That is because the party is built on the principle that no one should be left out in the governance process of our beloved country.
This principle may be seen through the various programmes and projects upon which our democracy is built: the composition of the Consultative Assembly, which prepared the 1992 Constitution; the consultations for the review of the Constitution in 2010 (which stands out as the most comprehensive consultative programme in our history and the history of the sub-region); just to mention a few.
The NPP tradition, on the other hand, has since the founding of our nation always stood for an exclusive governance structure.
A structure, which seeks to leave out the ordinary men and women of our country.
A structure, which rather favours only a select few who consider themselves the owners of the nation.
To ensure this, the NPP has since its assumption of power in 2017, consistently put in place measures, which seek to systematically disenfranchise eligible citizens.
Such measures include restricting the identification mechanism for voter registration to documents, which are not accessible to millions of eligible voters.
We have been very clear in our minds that the decision to compile a new voters register was in pursuit of this long-held agenda, hence our efforts to stop the wholesale attempt to exclude vast sections of our population from the process to determine who leads them.
This represents the handiwork of a desperate incumbent that on account of its very poor performance in government sees its political survival only through the prism of manipulation of the electoral process to exclude a section of Ghanaians who they suspect may not renew their mandate at the polls.
A caring, compassionate and responsible government would not push us to this brink at a time of a major pandemic like COVID-19 that is causing so much anguish among the citizenry.
It is deeply regrettable that the Electoral Commission, which should be independent, has made itself a willing tool in the execution of this most diabolic agenda.
The exclusion of the old Voters ID card, which has been used to conduct several elections under the current leadership of the Electoral Commission and from which the current President derives his mandate is aimed at deliberately disenfranchising some Ghanaians who have falsely been branded foreigners without any basis.
The restriction of primary identification to passports, Ghana Cards and the resort to guaranteeing for others is a ruse to create frustration in the hope that it will discourage millions from registering and in the process give advantage ab initio to a bungling incumbent.
The Ghana Card, which has been made one of two identification documents has not been rolled out in full.
As we speak, these cards are still being issued with no mechanism for verification.
The National Identification Authority itself has admitted to duplication of thousands of these cards Therefore, the NDC’s decision to go to the Supreme Court, was informed by the party’s time-honoured belief and commitment to an inclusive democracy as opposed to the NPP’s exclusiveness.
However, it was obvious from the outset of this struggle that inclusive democracy was not going to have a hearing, even against the resounding call by the National House of Chiefs, religious leaders, CSOs and the various trade and professional groups.
My brothers and sisters, the right to vote must however not be curtailed on account of this minor setback for inclusion.
We cannot throw our hands up in despair because the fight to insist on inclusion has been temporarily derailed by this ruling.
We can still make our voices heard even if we must endure some inconvenience and frustration.
To achieve the objective of taking part in the decision over who governs us, we must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices in the present circumstances.
I therefore urge all Ghanaians of voting age to channel the disappointment at the effort to exclude them from the electoral process into an opportunity to have their voices heard and turn up to register in their teeming numbers, when the process begins next week Tuesday.
The NPP and the EC are very much aware that the exclusion of the existing voter ID will significantly slow down the process of registration and create the real risk of people massing up outside the voting centers.
But this is what happens when politics is put before the people.
While at it, let us keep safe by adhering strictly to all COVID-19 preventive protocols, such as social distancing, the wearing of face masks among others, particularly because of the increasing trend in the number of infections and deaths recorded.
I pray that the almighty God shall protect all our citizens who come out to exercise their constitutional right to register from any sickness or infection by any disease.
The process may be made deliberately slow and painful, but I encourage you all to endure it in so far as it would enable you vote out this government that has masterminded that frustration in the first place.
We must always be willing to hold leaders accountable for bad decisions that impose difficulties on citizens and this is one clear opportunity to do so.
Do not let the several hours you may spend at the registration centre get you to surrender your right to vote.
That would only embolden those who seek to disenfranchise you.
To the few who have passports and Ghana cards, make use of them and register.
To those who get the opportunity to register, I implore you to assist your brother, sister and compatriot by guaranteeing for them even if it takes a bit more of your time.
See this as a civic duty and your contribution to the effort to preserve the right to vote.
This way, we will undo the grand conspiracy to deprive us of the inalienable right to vote and we will in the process send a clear signal that it is only we the people who will decide who gets the opportunity to lead this country and not the governments we elect or state agencies who make themselves pliant accomplices in the attempt to disenfranchise us.
This is not just an NDC fight, it is a fight to rescue the very soul of our beloved country from the hands of those who seek to impose their will unjustly on the people.
Our forefathers founded this nation with the motto “Freedom and Justice”.
It is clear today that never in the history of our 4th Republic have these two lofty ideals been in such short supply.