President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will Wednesday, March 8, 2023, deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament.
This 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, wherein 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.
To that end, Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana imposes an obligation on Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker of Parliament and the Judiciary to receive the President’s SONA.
Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Vice Chairman, Business Committee of Parliament, and the Deputy Majority Leader, during his presentation of the Business Statement of the House on Friday, March 03 for the week ending Friday, March 10, urged MPs to be punctual and accordingly be seated in the Chamber latest by 0915 hours on Wednesday day, March 8, for the SONA.
The address was rescheduled last month.
Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, explaining why the meeting had been rescheduled said: ‘After extensive discussions, the address has been shifted to the 8th of March. It is for good reason that the President agreed to the date.’
‘The 6th is an important date for all of us and there will be a national event in Ho and the President is expected to be there. On the 7th, it cannot be held. So, we have agreed to sacrifice some assignments and do the SONA on the 8th,’ Mr Bagbin said.
Source: Ghana News Agency