President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Ghanaians to believe in his government in overcoming the current economic challenges facing the country. He said government is doing everything possible to revive the economy to promote growth.
He made this known in his State of the Nation Address delivered yesterday, Wednesday 8 March, 2023.
“Let us believe in ourselves, and in our capacity to overcome the problems that are before us.”
According to him, throughout history, there are many instances of nations going through periods where dark clouds create shadows that momentarily shield the yearned-for vision from sight.
“Such moments should not be ones in which despair takes over,” Akufo-Addo said. “Such moments call for strength of character, sense of purpose and an abiding commitment to the general good.”
He explained that although things are dire now, “we must count our blessings. Our petrol stations have fuel, and we have been spared long, winding queues to fuel our vehicles.”
“Our markets and shops are, by the Grace of God, well-stocked, and we have not been faced with the prospect of the rationing of basic necessities such as fruits and vegetables. Our children’s schooling has not been interrupted. We have continued to provide Free SHS, Free TVET and pay teacher and nursing training allowances.”
“Our electricity supply has been consistent, and we have been spared the hardship of ‘dumsor’ during such a trying time. Our country continues to be stable and at peace.”
I’m Proud of Roads Built by My Gov’t- Akufo-Addo
The President said his administration has built more roads than any other government in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
He indicated that the majority of monies borrowed have gone into the construction of roads.
“Mr Speaker, I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrowed are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads?
“Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this message. I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it’s appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the statement, which will be part of Hansard,” President Akufo-Addo said when delivering the State of the Nation address in Parliament on Wednesday, March 8.
Besides the construction of roads, the President said his administration has implemented successfully a National Identification System with the Ghana card, constructed more railways than any other government in the Fourth Republic and established the Zongo Development Fund to address the needs of Zongo and inner-city communities.
He also stated that his government have constructed more infrastructure in the Zongo Communities than any other government in the Fourth Republic.
Covid funds were not misused
President Akufo Addo further noted that funds for the fight against Covd-19 were appropriately used for the purpose of tackling the pandemic in Ghana.
He, debunked the assertion that the funds were misused. “Covid funds were not mis-used… Nothing dishonourable was done with Covid funds,”
The President’s statement followed a recent audit report on Covid-19 expenditure by the Auditor General. The Auditor-General’s report stated that “During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH¢151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown.”
President Akufo-Addo gave a breakdown of how the funds were utilised.
“We provided GH¢518 million of grants and loans to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) through the NBSSI, now the Ghana Enterprise Agency, in which 302,515 enterprises benefitted, of which 60% were women-owned.
“These were MSMEs that were in distress as a result of the pandemic. For some traders, the receipt of GH¢1,000 made the difference between the ruin of the household and survival.
“In addition, 58,041 health workers were employed to supplement the existing health sector workforce. Subsequently, all of them have been absorbed as permanent workers in the health sector. Frontline health workers were also granted 50% tax relief for the period. Was that something to regret? We should be forever grateful for the work that so many people did to keep all of us safe. All households enjoyed free water supply and huge discounts on electricity bills, because access to water was a necessity to ensure people adhered to hygiene practices, and access to electricity was important as everybody was encouraged to stay at home. It also provided an economic cushion to protect lives and livelihoods at a time of difficulty. Today, the government support for utility bills is being projected by some as a waste or to use that word, so beloved of some commentators, profligate.”
