SONA 2022: Highlights of Nana Akufo-Addo’s presentation in Parliament
- President Nana Akufo-Addo today delivered his SONA to a packed Parliament for over two hours
- He started his presentation with a congratulatory comment on the Black Stars' qualification to the World Cup
- He also commented on the coup fears, urging Ghanaians that protect Ghana's political stability at all cost because coups won't solve the country's problems
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President Nana Akufo-Addo has delivered his long-awaited 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament and YEN.com.gh presents the key highlights.
The president for the first time responded to recent fears about a possible coup in Ghana because of the current economic challenges.
Source: UGC
Delivering his sixth SONA to Parliament today, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the president emphasized that coups are not the solution to the country's challenges.
He spoke for over two hours on a wide range of issues of national concerns.
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Below are highlights of the 2022 SONA compiled by YEN.com.gh
1. The Black Stars have done an excellent job by qualifying for the World Cup. “Their qualification for the World Cup in Qatar has brought so much joy to Ghanaians, and we are looking forward to an outstanding performance in Qatar.”
2. I know that there is a general sense of anxiety in our nation at the moment. But Ghana is not alone in this. Nobody imagined the devastation from the Covid pandemic would be so widespread and last so long.
3. Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee has been set up for domestic vaccine production and to establish a National Vaccine Institute. A Bill in Parliament would shortly set up the National Vaccine Institute.
4. Agenda 111 was born out of this necessity to address shortcomings in the health sector that Covid exposed. It is an overly ambitious project so some timelines will be missed. Preliminary work on 24 sites is ongoing.
5. At the height of the pandemic, an unbudgeted GH¢1.9 billion was spent on ensuring that children and teaching staff stayed in school.
6. During the pandemic, 5 million households and over 10 million received electricity and water subsidies.
7. In all, GH¢17.7 billion (or 4.6% of GDP) has been spent on containing the pandemic since 2020.
8. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has further aggravated Ghana’s economic devastation after the Covid pandemic.
9. 30% of Ghana’s wheat flour and fertiliser imports come from Russia. 60% of iron rods and other metal sheets are imported from Ukraine, and almost 20% of Ghana’s manganese is shipped to Ukraine.
10. The measures outlined by the finance minister to tackle the challenges in the economy highlight the need for austerity.
11 This year, 34 refurbished National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTI) will be commissioned. In the coming months, the construction of five technical colleges will begin in various parts of the country. In addition, three technical institutes will be upgraded to tertiary status. Furthermore, the initial phase of constructing nine TVET campuses will commence next month.
12 Government is securing financing for five STEM universities in five new Regions – Western North, Savannah, North East, Ahafo and Oti regions.
13. Construction of the Creative Arts Senior High School in Kwadaso is 70% complete.
14. Government is undertaking a comprehensive renovation and modernisation of tourist attractions across the country to take advantage of the rebound of domestic tourism.
15 The success of the Planting for Food and Jobs has transformed the lives of many farmers around the country.
16. The Cocoa industry has marked many exciting and far-reaching achievements this past year, including producing 1,047,385, the highest ever recorded in Ghana’s history.
17. Never again will it be that someone born in this country will live an entire life, die and be buried without any record of their existence. The Births and Deaths Registry operations are finally being digitised to make sure that documents issued from that department are accorded the respect they should have.
19 GIFEC’s Rural Telephony Project is working to fill the void created by the telephone operator’s inability or unwillingness to extend their services to areas they deem uneconomical.
20. ICUMS has been very successful. Before ICUMS, customs revenue for June 2019 to May 2020 stood at GH¢11.25 billion. Between June 2020, the start of ICUMS, and May 2021, customs revenue has increased by 27.6% to GH¢14.36 billion. Customs revenue for 2021 stood at GH¢16.08 billion, as opposed to GH¢12.03 billion in 2019 when ICUMS had not been implemented.
21. Digitisation of hospital records has started through the Lightwave Health Information Management System.
22. Local vehicle assembly plants should take full advantage of the n embargo on the importation of 4×4 vehicles for official use, ramping up production.
25 Coup d’états are not the solution to Ghana’s problems. Both NDC and NPP have played their part to build the nation. Ghana will do everything to protect the peace in the sub-region.
“We do not want to be an island of peace and stability in a region of turmoil.”
26. Let us recall our age-old Ghanaian values of hard work, enterprise, solidarity, dignity and hospitality. Look around you, believe in Ghana, and be inspired by Ghana.
"We will bounce back together."
SONA 2022: There Is A General Sense Of Anxiety In Ghana – Akufo-Addo Admits
President Nana Akufo-Addo said during his 2022 SONA that he is aware of the general sense of anxiety sweeping across Ghana due to the economic hardships.
Delivering his sixth State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the president said it was unfortunate that the pandemic had eroded the gains made by the economy.
"I know that there is a general sense of anxiety in the nation at the moment."
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