Three Experts Advise Akufo-Addo Ahead Of State Of The Nation Address On Wednesday

Three Experts Advise Akufo-Addo Ahead Of State Of The Nation Address On Wednesday

  • Three experts have been sharing their views about what would constitute a laudable SONA by Nana Akufo-Addo on Wednesday
  • Prof Kwesi Aning, Col Festus Aboagye (rtd), and Dr Theo Acheampong spoke to YEN.com.gh exclusively earlier this month
  • The need to diffuse the national security threat occasioned by high unemployment and economic hardship featured in the views of one of the experts

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Three experts have put forth their expectations for President Nana Akufo-Addo's sixth State of the Nation Address (SONA), scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

This year’s SONA, which has been described by some as very crucial for the president, was initially scheduled for Thursday, March 3, 2022, but was postponed following a disagreement between the Presidency and Parliament.

Two security experts, Professor Kwesi Aning and Col Festus Aboagye (rtd), and Economist Dr Theo Acheompong, shared their expectations for the upcoming SONA in an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh.

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Kwesi Aning and co
L-R: Prof Kwesi Aning, Col Festus Aboagye (rtd) and Dr Theo Acheampong. Source: UGC
Source: UGC

Prof Aning wants the president to be particular about the biting economic hardship since it quickly becomes a security threat.

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Prof Aning spoke to YEN.com.gh before the president announced the opening of Ghana's land and sea borders yesterday. Still, when he spoke about it, he said the closure of the borders had disrupted the livelihood and economic activities of people living in the border communities.

"He must say something concrete about how he will revive the economy and deal with the dangerously high unemployment statistics. The growing frustration among the youth due to unemployment and economic hardship remains a major threat to national security – especially now," Prof Aning warned.

For Col. Festus Aboagye (rtd), a worthy SONA from the president would speak about the troubling waves of coup sweeping through the sub-region.

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"He must not just speak about it. He must be sincere enough to condemn the root causes of the military upheavals that have toppled democratically elected governments.

"He won't say this, but he will do this nation a great deal of good if he promises to block the excesses under this administration like abuse of judicial and executive power and deep-seated corruption," Col Aboagye advised.

Economist and political risk analyst, Dr Theo Acheampong told YEN.com.gh that he expects the SONA to layout plans about how the government is addressing the triple issues of the rising cost of living, debt sustainability – especially given the recent sovereign downgrades by Fitch and Moody's – and measures the government was taking to deepen inclusive growth.

"The latter [inclusive growth], more so, given that the recent census and other reports point to rapid urbanisation and worsening inequality in the country," Dr Acheampong surmised.

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Nana Akufo-Addo responds to complaints about the tough economy; says good days are coming

15 Takeaways From President Akufo-Addo's 28th COVID-19 Update

President Nana Akufo-Addo delivered his 28th COVID-19 address to Ghanaians on Sunday, March 26, 2022, with 15 key announcements and revelations.

The president painted a generally good picture of Ghana's Covid situation and announced that the country's land and sea borders will be opened from today, March 28, 2022, two years since he shut them.

Also, Nana Akufo-Addo announced that in-house activities at churches, mosques, conferences, workshops, private parties and events, cinemas, and theatres can resume with full capacity as long as the people attending are fully vaccinated.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
George Nyavor avatar

George Nyavor (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) George Nyavor writes for YEN.com.gh. He has been Head of the Politics and Current Affairs Desk since 2022. George has over 9 years of experience in managing media and communications (Myjoyonline and GhanaWeb). George is a member of the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners Ghana (CAMP-G). He obtained a BA in Communications Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2010. Reach out to him via george.nyavor@yen.com.gh.