President Akufo-Addo delivers maiden State of the Nation Address

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will deliver his maiden State of the Nation Address to Parliament today, during which he is expected to outline his policies to address the economic challenges confronting the country.

He will also come up with plans on how to translate his campaign promises, such as the one district, one factory and the one village, one dam policies into concrete realities.

The State of the Nation Address is in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution that states: “The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before the dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation.”

President Akufo-Addo will also outline measures to revive the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the general health delivery system and other programmes and projects bordering on security, good governance and infrastructure.

It is also the expectation of the business community that he will take a look at the high taxes, since they are a disincentive to business.

Meanwhile, some residents of Accra, who spoke to the Daily Graphic yesterday about their expectations, called on the President to address the thorny issue of funding the free senior high school (SHS) policy his government intended to implement, effective September this year.

They also appealed to the President to outline his plans to implement the policies of his government regarding the NHIS and other important national issues as  he delivered his State of the Nation Address to Parliament.

They were also of the view that there was the need for the President to address issues on inflation, the stability of the cedi and food security.

Views

In the view of Ms Felicia Dede, the President should translate his campaign promises into action, especially how his free SHS policy would be funded to remove all doubts lingering on the minds of the public.

She indicated that the full implementation of the policy would help a lot of Ghanaians, especially the disadvantaged in society.

“There are many Ghanaians who are disadvantaged, including parents who find it extremely difficult to pay their children’s school fees.

“So many Ghanaians are happy about this policy and we pray that the President is able to get enough funds to sustain it,” she said.

For his part, a Territory Manager of MTN Ghana, Mr Richard Gyan, said: “I expect the President to put to bed the thorny issue of how the free SHS will be funded, in view of statements made by the Senior Minister and the Finance Minister. I further expect him to lay bare the true state of the economy when he assumed office.”

Prioritise agriculture

A businessman, Nii Armah Lomotey, told the Daily Graphic that he expected the President to come clear on how he was going to fund the free SHS policy.

Moreover, he called on the President to prioritise agriculture, since food insecurity was threatening the African continent.

“Food insecurity is becoming a big issue across Africa and the President must put adequate measures in place to address the issue,” he added.

Employment

A revenue officer at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ms Rosemond Naa Dedei Apaloo, said she expected to hear how the President planned to address issues regarding the NHIS and other important national issues.

Ms Gladys Atta Boateng said: “I would want to hear something concerning the Freedom of Information Bill and how far the President will push it. I would also love to know something about the government’s intention to use the Heritage Fund for projects.”

In her view, a midwife, Ms Evelyn Ofori, said: “We health workers expect the President to quickly address the issue of salaries, allowances and other benefits nurses were promised during the 2016 electioneering.”

“Generally, my expectation is that the government put more measures in place to hold the cedi and bring down inflation because generally people are still complaining, after the elections, that money is hard to come by. There should also be more jobs,” a man who wanted to remain anonymous said.