Kufuor delivers State of the nation speech today

The President, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, will today deliver the State of the Nation Address with or without the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in parliament. This would be the last but one State of the Nation Address by President Kufuor before he leaves office in January 2009; it is also coinciding with Ghana’s 50th Anniversary celebrations next month.

Speaking to ADM exclusively yesterday, an Osu Castle source disclosed that “the president is really happy because the nation has made tremendous progress since he took over in 2001 and he is always happy to tell Ghanaians”.

The State of the Nation Address, ADM has learnt would dwell on the state of Ghana’s socio-economic development in 2006, what the 2007 budget is calculated to achieve and the role that the government will be playing in implementing the policies and programmes outlined in the budget.

The Golden Jubilee Celebration and the need for national unity is another area that would receive prominence. “We are in a jubilee year, so the expectations of Ghanaians are very high, the State of the Nation Address will also bring to the attention of Ghanaians what we need to do, empower the individual citizen as well as deepen the participation of the private sector”, ADM’s source said.

One important issue that would be addressed by the president, the source said, is the current energy crisis. “The President will also take the opportunity to tell the nation the steps being taken to address the current energy crisis. These include the Takoradi thermal plant which is being re-engineered to improve upon its capacity, the Bue Hydroelectric Dam, the West Africa Gas Pipeline and other efforts being devised to solve the energy crisis”.

Issues on governance and the steps taken by the government to make the institutions that ensure its growth in stature and independence would also be addressed.

“The freedom that Ghanaians are enjoying would be highlighted by the President” the ADM’s source said, adding, “The records show that the current freedom in the country is unparalleled in the country’s history and the president would not leave that out of his address, especially when he knows he is improving on it daily. The Right to Information Act would also be enacted by the end of the year”. The source said the president would also use the opportunity to elaborate on some of the achievements made by his government.

“The Millennium Challenge Account, the hundred percent cancellation of our external debt, the Black Stars World Cup glory, youth employment programme, mass transportation, school feeding programmes, capitation grant, inflation - which is getting to a single digit - our GDP growth, which has seen tremendous progress since 2001 and others would be revealed by the president”, the source said. The State of the Nation Address is a constitutional duty that the President must perform at least once a year to give account of how the nation is being run.

The main opposition party, the NDC may not witness this morning’s address by the President since they have opted to boycott parliament indefinitely, but another source told the ADM that even if it is an empty House, the president would have to fulfil his constitutional duty and deliver the address. ADM