APA – Accra (Ghana)
President Akufo-Addo’s assurance that Ghana has instituted necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity against extremist activities dominates the headlines of Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana has instituted necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity against extremist activities.
However, he says, the country cannot afford to take its territorial integrity for granted.
He said whereas many countries in the Sahel region have experienced terrorist attacks, Ghana is the only country the coastal region of West Africa that has not experienced such attacks.
That, he said, the government was doing everything possible to equip its security agencies to enable them to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
President Akufo-Addo, who is delivering his message on the State of the Nation (SONA) to Parliament on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, said Ghana’s security remains one of his government’s top priorities.
The SONA is in accordance with article 67 of the 1992 constitution that says the President should give the State of the Nation Address at the beginning and close of every Parliamentary Session.
The State of the Nation Address is an annual address to Parliament given by the President of the Republic covering economic, social and the financial state of the country.
President Akufo-Addo said it had taken deliberate policies by the government to keep the country’s security intact, stressing that “the primary responsibility of the state to its citizens is to provide security for its nationals.
He said the government had paid critical attention to the welfare of the security agencies in the country, pointing out that the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police Service, for instance, had been given the needed logistics to enable them function as expected.
The newspaper says that the Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has described Ghana’s current socioeconomic status as hopeless in reaction to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) today [Tuesday, February 27, 2024].
Speaking on the floor of Parliament after the address, Dr Forson said it was no surprise that many Ghanaians were leaving the country.
Mr Speaker, the state of our nation is hopeless. No wonder that ordinary Ghanaians including professionals are leaving our shores in droves, in search of greener pastures,” he said stressing that the President’s administration had failed as a government, highlighting the unemployment situation in the country.
Furthermore, Dr Ato Forson, stated that the President could not take the blame alone and thus, he had failed together with Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who is the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the upcoming general elections.
“Mr Speaker, $1 is today GH¢13. Mr Speaker, under President Mahama, $1 was 3 GH¢3.80. Mr Speaker, a vote for Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia is a vote for President Akufo-Addo,” the Minority Leader said.
“Mr. Speaker, to conclude on the matter, Ghanaians voted for the President and appealed to the vice president to support him to succeed. Mr. Speaker, the president cannot fail alone. The President will have to fail together with the Vice-President so Mr President, you have failed with your Vice President,” he added.
In conclusion, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson intimated that Ghanaians will not miss President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Bawumia.
“We know you are going, and we can only wish you bye-bye,” he said.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the German government has provided €1.1m grant to Prefos Limited for the construction of a 75 MW Solar Assembly Plant in the Ashanti Region.
The project, which started last month and expected to be ready in 2026, would produce “semi-knocked down” solar-powered streetlights and solar panels for domestic and international market.
The plant is poised to significantly impact Ghana’s energy sector by assembling 600 pieces of SKD LEDs and 500 pieces of solar-powered LEDs daily.
At a signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, a representative from the German embassy, Ms Paulina Okkens, said the grant was secured through Investment for Employment (IFE), an investment mechanism created by the KfW Development Bank, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
She said her country would continue to work with companies and investors in order to create good jobs, and improve working conditions and social protection for the vulnerable in societies.
She again said the project would enable Prefos Limited to procure, replace, repair, and install new street lighting with solar-powered LEDs in Ghana and neighbouring countries.
“The use of solar-powered LEDs streetlights would significantly reduce power consumption and save the municipality money, and enable Prefos Limited to install more streetlights in underserved areas of the country,” she said
The Executive Director Prefos Limited, Mr Alexie Kwasi Fosu, was optimistic that the facility would meet the burgeoning demand for energy-efficient lighting solutions.
The newspaper says that President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has made the boldest declaration about Ghana’s preparation to host the 13th African Games, affirming that the country was ready to welcome all sports athletes to the continental showpiece.
Presenting his message of the State of the Nation (SONA) to the Parliament yesterday, President Akufo-Addo minced no words about the government’s commitment to stage a historic and successful Africa Games.
“Ghana is ready to welcome sports men and women from around the continent to participate in the 13th edition of the African Games. It seems incredible, but this is the first time that Ghana will be hosting these games,” he told Parliament.
According to him, it has taken a lot of courage to have persist¬ed with the decision to host the games, in the face of the country’s financial problems which came in the midst of the preparations.
“But I am glad we went ahead. The preparations are all complete, and I was excited and very pleased with what I saw at Borteyman when I went to commission the Games village some two weeks ago.”
President Akufo-Addo further indicated that Ghana would be left with high class sporting facilities to serve athletes well, long after the games are over.
“Some of the events will take place at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium. It is worth noting that this is a facility that started under former President, J.A. Kufuor, and was abandoned by successor governments,” he said.
However, he expressed joy over the completion of the project under his stewardship, not just because of the games, but also because it has taken 75 years of existence for Ghana’s premier university, University of Ghana (UG), to have a sports stadium.
President Akufo-Addo also hinted the unveiling of a Presidential Policy on Football, a long-term, far-sighted approach to correct what has gone wrong with football.
That, he said, would take the country back to the time of scouting, grooming and developing talent at the district grassroots level.
GIK/APA