President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on all Ghanaians to join hands and help develop the country, saying “there are endless opportunities, if we remain united.”
Delivering his second inaugural address yesterday, as the President of the Republic and Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, he said there are limitless prospects for the country’s rapid development.
“What our forebears dreamed of, we will achieve! If we inherited dreams and visions from our founding fathers, we should leave legacies of achievements and realities to our children and their children… I believe in the limitless prospects of Ghana and of us, her people. So, let us be up and doing, and, with faith in the Almighty, seize our destiny,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the emphatic margin of victory given him by Ghanaians, and assured that he is ready to do more for the people, saying his second-term victory was a recognition of the amount of work done by his government over the last four years.
“I cannot, therefore, take this honour and privilege bestowed on my modest self lightly, and I thank Almighty God and the Ghanaian people, who, by an emphatic margin, renewed my mandate in office for four more years, in the elections of 7th December,” the President said.
Relations with Speaker
Congratulating Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on his election as the new Speaker of Parliament, the President gave the assurance of working together with him to chart a new path in the governance and politics in the country.
“Together, you and I will be charting new territory in the governance and politics of the 4th Republic, for this is the first time in the life of this Republic that a President from one party will be obliged, by the exigencies of the moment and the will of the people, to work, in all sincerity and co-operation, with a Speaker of Parliament from another party. I am confident that both of us will be guided in our relationship by the supreme interest of our people in ensuring good governance in the ordering of the affairs of state.
“I want to assure you of my wholehearted determination to work with you to advance the peace, progress and prosperity of the Ghanaian people. Once again, many congratulations to you and the re-elected and new Members of Parliament,” he said.
Ghana’s democracy
Recounting the successful conduct of the December 7 elections as another feather in the cap for Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said Ghanaians have, once again, manifested, time and again, in 28 years of the 4th Republic, their determination to build a free, democratic, peaceful nation, which is respectful of individual liberties and human rights, the rule of law, and the principles of democratic accountability.
“A governance structure built on the separation of powers provides the best vehicle for the protection of these values, with a well-resourced Judiciary and Parliament as the principal accountability organs of the State. This has been the main thrust of public policy in these past four years, and will continue to be so in the next. The unity and stability of our country are the welcome outcomes of such a development,” he added.
To this end, he urged Ghanaians to be “citizens and not spectators”.
“I appealed to you to be active participants in the effort to help build the Ghana we want – the democratic, free, prosperous and united Ghana envisioned by our founding fathers as the Black Star of Africa,” the President said.
Economy
Touching on the economy, which has remained resilient despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the President said the measures put in place by the government have ensured that the country recovers faster than envisaged.
“Ghana remains one of the most attractive destinations on the continent for foreign direct investment, with the presence in the country of some of the world’s largest conglomerates attesting to this fact. Establishing a strong economy, undergoing structural transformation to value-added activities, which will generate jobs for our young people and enhance their living standards, will be the main preoccupation of my second term,” he said.
On infrastructure, President Akufo-Addo indicated that 15 per cent of communities in the country without electricity will be connected to the national grid by the end of his second term.
“We have already begun constructing hospitals in the remaining districts that do not have one – a process which will be completed within a year. The percentage of Ghanaians without access to potable water is set to reduce significantly, following the commencement of work on a number of water supply projects across all parts of the country. The majority of our people live in unacceptable housing, and we shall tackle the problem with vigour,” he said.
He cautioned Ghanaians to continue to observe the Covid-19 safety protocols in order to reduce the number of active cases.
“We have taken the bold step of re-opening all our schools again, because of our fundamental conviction that education is the key to our future. We will do everything possible to ensure not only the safety of the children, but of teachers and non-teaching staff as well,” he said.
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