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Ghana President John Mahama don tok say im govment don restore di economy afta im inherit di kontri wey dey suffer crisis.
For im second state of di nation address as president since im win di 2024 elections, President Mahama tok say “Ghana dey work again wey we dey open for business.”
According to di president, tins don dey back on track – wey different sectors dey work togeda for development.
Inflation don reduce, exchange rates dey low wey di business environment don improve.
Fuel prices also don drop for di pumps.
Di govment ova di last one year don reduce import duties, cancel some levies and taxes wey make importers begin to get joy for dia business again.
Di importers and exporters association say di macroeconomic indicators don improve dia business.
But di opposition party say di citizens no dey feel di impact for dia pocket.
During di president im address, di opposition new patriotic party (NPP) lawmakers for parliament wear black outfit wey dem carry cocoa pods enta di house wey dem use to protest sake of dem cut cocoa prices wey di farmers bin dey complain.
Di govment MPs and lawmakers on di oda hand wear white cloth wey dem carry Ghana flags to cheer di president.
Dis be some of di highlights of di president im address.
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY
President say dem cut cocoa price to stay competitive
Di cocoa sector don dey face kasala for di last few weeks afta govment decide to cut di producer price of cocoa from GHc 3.6k ($338) to GHc 2.6k ($244) per 64kg bag – sometin wey vex farmers.
Di govment tok say dem reduce di price sake of global market prices for di commodity don fall.
President Mahama say di kontri dey comot from di economic crisis wey e suffer under di previous govment, na so dem go do tins differently to make di economy stable.
“For di last few weeks, we don take di painful but necessary decision to revise di producer price of cocoa to achieve competitive pricing and deal wit di liquidity challenge for di sector.”
Im add say if govment no take dis action, di kontri go end up pumping billions of money wey dem borrow into di sector, “dis kind expenditure go carry us back to di economic crisis wey we don begin to fix.”
“I understand why di cocoa farmers don vex, but I fit assure dem say dis reforms go change di sector and guarantee fair price wey go make dem meet dia production cost and make decent profit.” President Mahama explain.
Wia dis foto come from, PARLIAMENT OF GHANA
‘Energy sector get issues – but we dey deal wit dem’
President Mahama say im inherit energy sector wey get plenty debt of at least GHc 80b ($7.7b) wey be due to non-payment of gas, technical and commercial losses among odas.
Di president tok say di tins di govment put in place don stabilize di sector wey pipo dey get power for dia business.
Im tok say di power distributor also dey collect revenue effectively to prevent leakage for di sector.
For di last few weeks, pipo bin dey complain about di fact say dia electricity dey finish quick quick – na so di energy minister set committee to investigate di mata within one week.
Dem tok say if dia investigation show say di metre wey pipo get for dia homes dey faulty, di ministry go replace dem.
President Mahama say di govment through di energy ministry go supply 12,000 fresh smart metres from di end of di first quarter of dis year.
Im also tok say di Tema oil refinery wey shutdown for many years – don officially begin to operate again.
“For di first time since 2018, di refinery don begin to process crude oil into petroleum products; e mean say we dey strengthen di energy sector for our pipo.”
Mahama say job creation agenda dey on course
Di president tok say di govment dey continue to create jobs for di pipo despite di concerns by di opposition parties say millions of pipo still be unemployed.
President Mahama say ova one million pipo get employment between di first and third quarter of 2025, according to di Ghana statistical service.
Im tok say di govment go work to make sure more pipo get jobs through dia 24-hour economy wey dem go soon implement afta parliament bin pass di 24-hour economy bill.
Di president also tok say ova 950,000 pipo also escape multi-dimensional poverty for di last year – 2025.
Wia dis foto come from, PAUL NINSON/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Health care backlog & no-bed syndrome
For di last few days, social media don blow wit tori of one engineer wey die afta three major public hospitals allegedly deny am emergency care afta im get accident.
Di three hospitals tok di ambulance wey carry am say dem no get bed, na so di 29-year-old engineer die.
Di health minister don order investigation for dis mata, parliament also ask dia health committee to chook eye for di case.
Di Korlebu teaching hospital wia dem carry di patient go finally bifor im die, don interdict two doctors and two nurses as investigations continue.
During di state of di nation address, President Mahama tok say no hospital fit turn away emergency case for any hospital for di kontri.
Di president say im go deal wit di no-bed syndrome.
“You no need comfortable bed to save a patient. Patients wey dey face emergency gatz to receive help even under makeshift conditions.”
Di president say “we dey expand di ridge hospital and police hospital expansion projects to fix di no-bed syndrome. We go ensure say we finish di la General hospital, di Afari hospital, di Sewua hospital and di Komfo Anokye hospital maternity block to make sure healthcare dey available to di pipo.”
President Mahama also tok say govment don absorb 13,500 nurses and midwives onto di payroll , togeda with hundreds of doctors and pharmacists, wey dem go employ more of dem to serve for parts of di kontri.
Im appeal say make di doctors and nurses accept posting to di rural areas – as govment go give dem incentives.
Road infrastructure dey hapun across di kontri
President Mahama say im govment invest heavy for road projects across di kontri under dia ‘big push’ agenda.
Di president confam say ova di last one year, govment don start 50 road projects wey dey cover ova 1140 km; di cost of dis projects so far dey ova GHc 50b ($4.7m).
“Govment dey also complete 23 projects wey di previous govment don start bifor dem comot power. Those projects wey dey cover 573km dey estimated to cost GHc 15b ($1.4m).”
Di president add say across di 16 regions for di kontri, 73 projects dey hapun.
Wia dis foto come from, LANDS MINISTRY
Galamsey still dey give di govment wahala
As di president bin dey deliver di state of di nation address for parliament, some citizens and pressure groups demonstrate against illegal mining (aka galamsey).
Bifor, di police go court to stop di demonstration sake of dem say e fit cause “public safety wahala” at di same time di president dey address parliament.
Di police ask di organizers to choose anoda date for dia anti-galamsey protest, but di organizers continue di march.
Dem carry placards wey dem waka through di principal streets of Accra to present petition to key ministries to fight galamsey.
Lawyers for di protestors confam inside one letter say dem dey ready to offer legal help to di pipo wey be part of di anti-galamsey protest, if di police decide to arrest dem.
During di state of di nation address, President Mahama tok say govment dey try dia best to deal wit di mata.
Im tok say illegal mining continue to dey cause wahala to waterbodies, public health and national security.
“We don intensify prosecution of illegal mining cases wey we dey target di big pipo wey dey behind di galamsey wahala.”
“Ova 114 case dockets wit hundreds of accused pipo dey bifor various courts wey we deploy special prosecution teams to fast-track illegal mining cases. We also dey pursue equipment of dis miners.”
Security forces dey storm communities across di kontri wia illegal mining still dey hapun – dem dey arrest pipo wey dem dey seize dia equipment – di president say dis operation go continue.
Anti-corruption and accountability
Di president say im dey committed to support di fight against corruption.
In di last year, di govment bin provide resources to di anti-corruption agencies to do dia work – and even though dem say di wheels of justice dey grind slowly, govment say dem go ensure say pipo wey tiff money from di state go suffer di punishment.
“By December 2025 for example, di economic and organized crime office (Eoco) don investigate 462 cases wey dem dey prosecute 15 of dem,” John Mahama tell parliament.
Im add say “Eoco don recover more dan GHc 600m ($57k) wey dem scata transnational carjacking groups – recovering 29 luxury cars wey dem tiff.”
“Di attorney general office go continue to use criminal prosecution and non-conviction-based asset recovery to collect money wey dem tiff back to di state for development.”
President Mahama add say, “I dey in hurry to see say dem prosecute pipo wey tiff money from di state, but dat no mean say we go rush, we gatz to investigate well well, build docket and file charges, wey di accused pipo also gatz to get dia day for court to ensure say only pipo wey dey guilty to suffer punishment.”
