The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akudo-Addo will today deliver his last but one State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament.
In accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, President Akufo-Addo is expected to provide an overview of the nation’s current state, as Parliament has just begun a session.
Before the 8th Parliament is dissolved on the eve of January 7, 2025 President Akufo-Addo shall address Parliament for the last time.
Article 67 says “The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation.”
This will be the fourth time President Akufo-Addo has fulfilled this constitutional obligation in his second term, and at the end of his two terms as president, he would have done this the tenth time.
EXPECTATION
President Akufo-Addo will have the opportunity during his address to update the nation on aspects of his governance.
In particular, Ghanaians would be eager to hear the President speak on the economic recovery programme under the US$3 billion IMF-supported Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).
He also expected to update the nation on the government’s infrastructural developments and the way forward with its funding. The government has already promised not to indulge in unbudgeted expenditures.
The out-gone Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, told the media some time ago, after a ministerial retreat, that no new projects would commence if funds were not made available.
A deputy Minister for Finance, John Ampontuah Kumah, days after the second tranche of IMF money hit the accounts of the Bank of Ghana, indicated that government would see to completing stalled projects.
Going into a crucial general election, the president is likely to assure Ghanaians of his commitment to contributing to ensuring free, fair and transparent polls, but with the ultimate wish to hand over to his vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is contesting on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
This address may face the usual heckles from the opposition MPs, who would not agree to anything the president may say, which paints a positive impression about his government.
The opposition would look forward to hearing the president come out clear on the fight against corruption and the fights, though, as expected, they will maintain their stance that the Akufo-Addo government is corrupt.
FLASHBACK
Concluding his SONA for 2023, which marked Ghana’s 66 years since independence, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana had taken steady strides towards becoming a more developed country.
According to him, the Ghana of 1957 is not the Ghana of 2023.
“We have come a long way since the days of our six million population, with very few modern amenities for its people, to today’s population of thirty-two million, with a growing stock of modern infrastructure, spanning drones to supply our medicines, to the Ghana Card, which identifies each of us as proudly Ghanaian,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo added that, as president, he has championed the innovation of policies and the execution of projects that have helped improve the quality of life of the Ghanaian people. He added a promise: “And, God willing, I will continue on a path that brings the most benefit to the people of Ghana.”
Today, in his address, Ghanaians would hear how he has ferried the nation through the stormy moments, while ensuring that petrol stations have fuel and markets and shops are well-stocked, among others.
