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Thursday, March 28, 2024

President Mahama delivers final State of the Nation Address

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President John Mahama will today deliver his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he comes to the end of his four-year tenure.

The address is in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution and is expected to highlight some of the nation’s achievements and challenges.

Some governance experts say the outgoing President’s address my be reconciliatory.

10:14

Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho takes his seat. says a short prayer.

Majority and Minority leaders called to join spekaer to receive President Mahama in Parliament’s lobby.

10:19

President Mahama ushered into the chamber.

10:22

President Mahama begins the speech by wishing members and Ghanaians a happy new year.

Thanked Vice president, chief justice and members of the house for the corporation they afforded him during his tenure.

The global economic downturn couples with climate change are wreaking havoc on countries across the globe.

But Ghana has had to thirve in these tiems.

Education

Shortage of teachers and textbooks resulted in a situation where the children shared text books.

The resulted in the slow performance in BECE and WASSCE.

His government took it up not to only improve the situation.

More children have more access to text books and no longer have to share.

Schools under trees have been replaced and teachers are more available.

Teacher absenteeism has also gone down

The construction of new community day high schools will keep children in school. A situation the president says has improved the education system.

Ghana has over the last three years taken the three top spots in the WASSCE exams.

Tertiary level, constirctuon of additional universities have improved access to education

Conversion of polytechnics into universities, among others.

Health

New polyclinics have improved assess to health care

Increased numbers of trained professionals and the construction of CHPS compound has contributed in reducing problems in the sector

Deploy more health professionals to assist in the providing adequate health care.

New district hospitals in districts across the country, including new to be constructed ones in Somanya, Buipe, Tolon and Sawla will advance further the policy of providing every district with a first class health facility.

New polyclinics, health centres and CHPS compounds have also helped to bring quality healthcare to the doorsteps of people

This has resulted in a phenomenal expansion of the utilization of the NHIS

Patient utilization for 2015 stood at 29 million, a significant increase from what it was in 2008

The rate at which health professional are being produced, Ghana may need to sign agreement with less endowed countries to officially deploy some of our health professionals to assist in improving their health systems

Social protection 

To cushion the poor and vulnerable many social protection programmes have been introduced to cushion the poor

School feeding programme, less than 500,000 children were being fed

Under LEAP less than 60,000 households were benefitting

Few children has access to books, school uniforms and school sandals

His government’s effort under this administration to provide a relief for the deprived has paid off

The school feeding programme is better managed today and covers more than 1.5 million children

LEAP is benefiting more than 150,000 households

The percentage district assembly common fund meant for people with disabilities has been increased by 50 percent

School children in public school are getting all their textbooks, including free uniforms, school bags and sandals.

 

Water

Provision of boreholes, small water systems and major urban water treatment projects have significantly increased access to water

Statistics show at the end of 2015 show that 76 percent of both rural and urban residents have access to potable water

Teshie desalination plant, Kpone water expansion project, Accra-Tema metropolitan area project has expanded access to urban water supply in Accra

Areas that were traditionally water starved like Adenta, Teshie today have access to sufficient water

Estimate that his administration has lifted more than 7 million people out of water deprivation

 

Power

The early years of his government was riddled with power outages

Shortage of power crippled the growth of the economy and many businesses have to resort to the use of generators to survive

Took responsibility for the development and promised to solve it

It took a lot of hard work and effort at fastracking the deployment of emergency plants and speeding up the completion of ongoing plants to ensure that they added more than 800 megawatts of power to the national grid within 18 months

This has helped in stabilizng the power situation

Domestic gas from the TEN and Sankofa fields Ghana is entering into an era of energy self sufficiency

Access to power under his administration continues to increase Ghana will have one of the highest access to electricity

 

Read the full text of president Mahama’s address here

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