Akufo-Addo state of the nation address: Five takeaways from Ghana president speech

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Di president of Ghana don deliver wetin im say be di state of di nation address for parliament according to di constitution of di kontri.

Dis dey come as di di kontri dey suffer economic meltdown wit oda challenges.

President Nana Akufo-Addo tok say di goment don dey on track to rescue di kontri from di economic wahala.

1. Goment say dem improve security for kontri and di borders:

Di president tok say dem make more investment for di kontri security.

Dis include equipment for di police and oda security agencies wey ensure say di wahala wey dey happun for oda kontris wit insurgent attacks neva reach Ghana.

For di internal security, President Akufo-Addo tok say, di conflict wey dey happun for Bawku dey worry.

Im add say one task force dem set to deal wit dat conflict, don recommend say make di national communication authority shut down four radio stations for Bawku wey “dey promote hate speech wey make pipo dey kill diasef.”

Di president add say im go also ensure say di 2024 election for December go be free and fair wit no disturbances.

2. Infrastructure projects and industrialisation dey happun

Before di governing party win di 2016 election, dem don promise to build factory for every district for di kontri.

Many sabi pipo tok say dis na mere campaign promise sake of moni wey dem go take build ova 216 fresh new factories in four years no dey.

Eight years on, di president don give update say dem build 321 projects for di various districts.

“Out of di number, 211 be new small and medium scale business wia 110 be existing companies wia goment don give financial support,” di president tok for di address.

According to di president, dem don create ova 170,000 jobs under dis one district, one factory project.

Di president also tok parliament say im goment build twelve fish landing sites across di coastal communities.

“We don build 64 court houses for di judges and magistrates for di kontri wia 160 courts don get modern technology equipment wey go make dem do dia work well.”

Im add say very soon, goment go create one law wey go ban di export raw bauxite.

E mean say all di mineral resource go dey processed for di kontri before dem go export di aluminium products.

Di president also announce say for march dis year, goment go launch wetin dem dey call “performance tracker”.

According to di president, dis tracker get all di gist about di projects di goment don dey build.

Dis tracker go get di updated list of projects and dia location as well as dia stages of completion.

3. Social protection initiatives still dey despite IMF bailout

Di IMF bailout program for Ghana don force goment to take some decisions wey affect some sectors of di economy.

One controversial programme wey dem implement na Domestic debt exchange program wey affect pipo dia investment including pensioners.

Dis DDEP make pensioners go on demonstration over dia moni.

But goment don tok at di time say di move na critical before dem fit get di IMF bailout.

But President Akufo-Addo tok say, “we take dis painful and unpleasant decisions to bring back di economy.”

Im also add say di “Ghanaian currency don stabilize wia di macroeconomic indicators dey point to di right direction.”

Di social interventions like di free senior high school programme, di livelihood empowerment against poverty (LEAP) still dey happun despite di IMF conditionalities.

In fact, di president don tok say dem increase funding for dis social protection interventions wey dey help di citizens.

4. Goment dey boost tourism and creative arts industry

President Akufo-Addo tok say im goment dey invest for di tourism sector wia dem renovate various tourism sites.

Dem go continue wit dis upgrade for many of di sites so say tourists go make happy to visit.

Im also add say di plenti pipo wey don visit Ghana during di Christmas be example of di fact say dem dey make di kontri “a welcome destination for diasporans”.

Aside dat, President Akufo-Addo tok say dem go collaborate wit di creative arts industry to “boost cinema and content creation.”

“We go offer tax incentive for cinema projects, rebate on import duties on cinema equipment.”

Goment go offer 20% tax relief for film production and cinema project, wey go boost content creation for di kontri.

5. Ghana football for rise again

Ghana im poor performance for di Afcon for Ivory Coast capture di attention of di president.

Im admit say di performance of di Black Stars of Ghana dey sink lower and lower since di 2006 and 2010 World Cup wia Ghana don do well.

President Akufo-Addo tok say, goment go invest in improving di game so say Ghanaians go enjoy dia football again.

“Time don reach say we go return to di colts and juvenile football wia don serve di kontri well for many years.”

According to di president, im go soon issue “presidential policy on football” wey go determine di future of football.

“We go ensure say every district get juvenile football team wey go raise talents across di kontri to feed di national teams, na so di 100 Astro turfs we build go help,” di president tok.

During di presentation of di address, opposition members of parliament heckle am.

Dem tok say na empty address wit no inspiration wia dem wonder why di president no touch on corruption and oda issues.

Minority leader for parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson tok say di president neva tok anitin new for dis address.

“Di president no tok about di plenti taxes wey dey burden Ghanaians. Im also dey silent about di high cost of living for di kontri.”

Parliament don adjourn wia di house go begin debate di full statement by di president on 28 February.

Earlier, some citizens bin say dem expect say di address go deal wit “bread and butter issues.”

“Na how dis plenti tok-tok go reflect for my pocket be wetin I dey search, no be anoda talk shop,” Nicholas Agyiri wey be mechanic tok BBC Pidgin before di address.

Janet Amankwa be public sector worker for di last six years. Im tok say today, tins neva dey beta.

“Today you carry moni go market, only three items you fit buy. We no fit pay water and electricity bills.”

For business owners, di conditions don hard today.

High cost of raw materials, fuel, heavy duties for di ports and utility prices wey don shoot up dey affect dem.

Organised labour and di trades union congress don dey cry for sometime now, say plenti taxes for di kontri don dey affect dem.

Unemployment also don dey choke di kontri. Di goment don explain say di economic crunch na as a result of di covid 19 pandemic and di Russia-Ukraine war.

But sabi pipo tok say dat excuse neva be enough justification.

Dem tok say oda kontris wey suffer di impact of covid 19 and di Russia-Ukraine war, don recover wia dem dey record positive growth rate.

Dia economic indicators also dey look fine.

Dem explain say na mismanagement and “reckless expenditures” wey cause di wahala for di kontri.

One sabi pesin for di third world network Africa, Dr Yao Graham bin tok say “we don fall from kontri wia don dey preach Ghana beyond aid, to kontri wia dey need desperate help.”

Na so di kontri go di IMF for $3bn bailout for 2023.

So far, di executive board of di IMF don already release two tranches ($1.2bn) of moni from di $3bn facility.

But di president tok say despite dis wahala for di economy, dem dey put in place policy wey go improve di situation.