Day: March 8, 2023

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, March 8 delivered his annual State of the Nation address to Parliament as mandated by Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution.

The President said that Ghana had made enough progress in the past six years despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia war in Ukraine.

“This progress could be seen across the different sectors of the economy including infrastructure, health, security, agriculture, tourism, mining and the petroleum sector,” he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana is fully committed to liaising with other West African countries to douse the threats posed by terrorism in the sub-Region.

“We are working with our partners to strengthen regional co-operation in the fight against the terrorist menace, hence our commitment to the Accra Initiative,” he affirmed.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, who was delivering the State of the Nation’s Address to Parliament in Accra, added that the country also supported measures taken by the African Union and Economic Community of West African States against the unconstitutional changes in government in the Region.

The growth of terrorism is a major threat to international peace and security, currently felt most keenly in Africa, the United Nations (UN) has warned.

“Terrorists and violent extremists including Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates have exploited instability and conflict to increase their activities and intensify attacks across the continent.

“Their senseless, terror-fuelled violence has killed and wounded thousands and many more continue to suffer from the broader impact of terrorism on their lives and livelihoods,” according to the UN.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, on the international front, indicated that Ghana having gained a seat as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the years 2022 and 2023, was working vigorously to push the Africa agenda.

This includes the fight against terrorism, and the reform of the UN Security Council, he said, and expressed delight that good progress was being made on the reform of the Council.

“A US President, for the first time, in the person of President Joe Biden, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, have both embraced the Reform process.

“It is our hope that this will help bring about this much needed reform that will bring greater effectiveness to the work of the UN and the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame has been elected as the new Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), making her the first African woman to lead the committee.

Ms Fefoame, who is also Sightsavers’ global advocacy manager for social inclusion, was elected to the position during the CRPD’s 28th session held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The meeting took place on 7 March, the day ahead of International Women’s Day.?

A statement from Sightsavers, copied to the Ghana News Agency said Ms Fefoame has been a member of the committee since 2018.

She was first nominated for the role by the government of Ghana, her home country. Ms Fefoame originally joined the CRPD following the Sightsavers Equal UN campaign, which has called for gender equality on UN committees since 2016.

The statement described Ms Fefoame as a lifelong disability rights advocate and champion of inclusive education, particularly for girls with disabilities.

Sightsavers’ deputy CEO, Dom Haslam, said: “This is an incredible recognition of Gertrude’s commitment and dedication to the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls.

“Getty is a true force for the realisation of the Convention and I have no doubt will lead the work of the committee with the same energy and passion that she shows every day in her work for Sightsavers.”

The statement said in her new role as chair of the CRPD, Ms Fefoame will lead the committee in its mission to promote, protect, and monitor the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. This includes overseeing the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has been ratified by over 180 countries.?

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations in a separate statement said they celebrate Ms. Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame as Ghana joins the rest of the world to commemorate International Women’s Day as she continues to break the barriers.

The GFD says she served on the Board of GFD for a period of 8 years until December 2022. As a passionate advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities especially women and girls with disabilities, her elevation as chairperson testifies the works she has done over the overs on the committee and the working groups she has been on. She continues to inspire all women including women and girls with disabilities in Ghana and Worldwide

The UNCRPD remains an important human rights treaty body that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. ?A continued Ghanaian presence on the Committee will further strengthen Ghana’s efforts on disability inclusion and rights for all people across the world, the GFD added

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had his fair share of teasing from the opposition side in parliament when he was introduced by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on Wednesday, March, 8, 2023.

Speaker, before the presentation of the State of the Nation Address by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, acknowledged and introduced the dignitaries present in the house.

Among these names was that of Vice President, Dr. Bawumia.

“His Excellency the Vice President, Alhaji, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,” Bagbin said and in response, the majority side in parliament chanted, “yeah yeah”.

Right after this, minority members followed with their version of chants; “What a solid team! What a solid team!” they said.

This is rather significant because members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and minority members in parliament have, on several occasions, blamed Bawumia for spearheading an Economic Management Team in government which has underperformed, leading to what they say is the country’s current economic crisis.

In the most recent instance, Former President, John Dramani Mahama, tauted Bawumia while speaking during the launch of his campaign in Akatsi – Volta region.

According to Mr. Mahama, the Vice President and other members of the Economic Management Team of his government are now running away from taking responsibility for the bad management of Ghana’s economy.

“They are behaving as if they were not part of it. All of them dey inside. They all have contributed to the mess in which we are,” he said.

The State of the Nation Address is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which states that the President shall deliver a message on the SONA to Parliament at the start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament.

SONA is a constitutional obligation and yearly tradition where the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces reports on the status of the country unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year and proposes to Parliament certain legislative measures.

Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana obliges Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker of Parliament, and the Judiciary to receive the President’s SONA.

Source: Ghana Web

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed concern over the shortage of some childhood vaccines in the country.

Delivering his address to Parliament on the State of the Nation on Wednesday, the President said the shortage, if prolonged, would negatively affect Ghana’s Childhood Immunisation Programme, which has been recognised as one of the most successful in the world.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently expressed worry about a steady decline in measles vaccination coverage globally, because of the concentration on the fight against COVID-19.

“In accordance with our desire not to become part of this global trend, Government has taken steps to ensure that stocks of these vaccines are procured and supplied, as a matter of emergency,” he said.

The President said the Ghana Health Service had developed an elaborate programme to catch up on children who had missed their vaccinations immediately after stocks arrived.

He encouraged all parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children are vaccinated once the programme begins.

“No child should be denied access to vaccination, mercifully, so far, not a single child has died because of the outbreak,” he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his Administration has over the last six years championed the innovation of policies and the execution of projects that have helped improved the quality of life of the Ghanaian people.

“And, God willing, I will continue on a path that brings the most benefit to the people of Ghana,” he stated, in his State of the Nation’s Address, on Wednesday.

The Address covered all aspects of the Government’s development agenda, programmes and policies, including the state of the country’s economy, agriculture, education, Information Technology, tourism, mining, climate change, health and infrastructural development.

On agriculture, the President said, in 2022, the Government completed the rehabilitation and modernisation of large-scale irrigation schemes at Tono, Kpong and Kpong Left Bank projects.

“The three schemes are expected to provide six thousand, seven hundred and sixty-six hectares (6,766ha) of irrigable land for all-year-round crop production,” he stated.

Phases One and Two of the Tamne Irrigation Project had also been completed, with Phase Three of the project at 57 per cent completion.

“I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.

Beyond the construction of roads, he said, the NPP Administration had also implemented successfully a National Identification System with the Ghanacard, constructed more railways, and also established the Zongo Development Fund to address the needs of Zongo and inner-city communities.

“We have constructed more infrastructure in the Zongo Communities than any other government in the Fourth Republic,” he stressed, adding that the Government had worked assiduously to increase the proportion of the population with access to toilet facilities from 33 per cent to 59 per cent.

There has also been an increase in the number of public libraries from 61 from independence until 2017 to 115 in 2022.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said the Government had provided more equipment, that is, vehicles, ammunition, among others, to security services than any other government in the Fourth Republic, while successfully implementing the Digital Address System.

On industrialisation, he said, in four years, 106 companies had been completed and in operation under the ‘One District, One Factory (1D1F).

According to him, 148 factories were under construction-the largest expansion of that sector since independence.

On health, he indicated that his Administration had introduced drones in the delivery of critical medicine, vaccines and blood to people in remote parts of the country.

“Today, Ghana has the largest medical drone delivery service in the world with six Zipline Distribution Centres in Omenako, Mpanya, Vobsi, Sefwi Wiawso, Kete Krachi and Anum,” the President stated.

On tourism, he said international arrivals nearly trebled in 2022, from a low of three hundred and fifty-five thousand, one hundred and eight (355,108) in 2020, to over nine hundred and fifteen thousand (915,000).

Domestic visits to tourist sites were also up by over 55.7 per cent during the period, he hinted, saying all those had been made possible by deliberate marketing initiatives and upgrades of tourist infrastructure by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and its Agency, the Ghana Tourism Authority.

President Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the Government had overseen an improvement in revenue collection, with the introduction of an e-VAT and e-Invoicing System.

For example, figures from nineteen (19) taxpaying companies onboarded unto the e-Vat system revealed total recorded monthly sales increasing from two hundred and twenty-two million cedis (GHS222 million) in November 2021 to seven hundred and twenty million cedis (GHS720 million) in November 2022.

Again, in December 2021, total monthly sales of two hundred and eighty-four million cedis (GHS284 million) also saw a huge increase to one billion cedis (GHS1 billion) in December 2022, the President said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Wednesday stated that the government has embarked on the construction of 120 courthouses with accommodations for judges across the country.

The move, he said, was to support effective and efficient justice delivery in Ghana.

Delivering the State of the Nation address to Parliament in Accra, the President pointed out that many of the courts across the country were not fit for purpose and did not provide suitable facilities for the efficient administration of justice.

“The inadequacy means that people have to travel long distances to gain access to courts.

“As someone who for years earned my living as a practising lawyer, I have first-hand experience of the unacceptable state of courthouses around the country and I am glad to inform the House that we are resolving this problem.

“For the first time ever, we have the happy situation of purpose-built courthouses with accommodations that are waiting for judges to be appointed to put them to use,” the President said.

Out of the 120 courthouses, 60 had already been completed, whilst the others were at various stages of completion.

President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the construction of six new Regional High Courts with judges’ residences was also ongoing, with three already completed and commissioned, and others scheduled to be finished by April 2023.

The President in October 2022 commissioned a new, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi, together with 20 townhouses and a guesthouse to serve as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who are mandated to handle Appeals from the Northern part of the country.

Also, 210 vehicles have been distributed to all judges in the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts, and Lower Courts.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia says Ghana-Card numbers will be issued to newborn babies at birth from March 31, 2023.

The number will be a special identity for every child throughout his/her education journey and not wait till 15 years before registration.

Vice President Bawumia announced this at a breast cancer awareness programme at Accra Newtown, to mark International Women’s Day, on Wednesday.

The event was jointly organised by Breast Care International and the Office of the Vice President to sensitise women on the need to regularly check and screen their breasts for early detection of cervical cancer for treatment.

International Women’s Day is marked every year to recognise the enormous contributions of women in national development held on the theme: “Digital: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.”

The Vice President highlighted some of the digital programmes and interventions rolled out by the Government to enhance service delivery and promote the ease-of-doing-business in Ghana.

They included the digital property addressing system for easy identification of properties and locations, medical drone delivery centres to facilitate speedy delivery of medicines and blood products to remote areas, mobile money interoperability payment system for convenient transfer of money across the various telecommunication networks and electronic renewal of national health insurance cards.

He believed that the digitisation of the economy would fast-track economic development and urged the public to support the government’s digital transformation agenda.

Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the Founder of the Breast Care International and Peace and Love Hospitals, in an address, paid glowing tribute to women in Ghana and across the globe, for standing up for their civic rights and drawing attention to acts of injustices being meted out to women in deprived communities.

“The continued re-awakening of our consciousness to challenges impeding our progress bears testimony to our fidelity to the cause of the female textile torchbearers who triggered this struggle in New York on March 8, 1857.

“Clearly, that pioneering protest against unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women has not been in vain, given the sustained gains recorded by activists against artificial barriers and inequalities against women,” she said.

She noted that women in Afghanistan, Libya and several other places where rights were under threat, should remind Ghanaians and the world of the long walk to freedom.

Therefore, she said, it was imperative to support females across the world to bring alive the dreams of little girls yearning to become women of substance tomorrow.

“The sterling performance of several renowned global women is sufficient evidence that a successful woman is the one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her,” she pointed out.

Dr Wiafe-Addai underscored the need for women to resist all cultural stereotypes stifling their initiative and drive.

She said the Breast Care International and Peace and Love Hospital were poised to move away from the generalities of the celebration and do some stock-taking on the various pitfalls to forge a future with higher women inclusion in decision-making processes.

Source: Ghana News Agency