President Akufo-Addo launches cocoa farmers’ pension scheme.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 1st December 2020, launched a pension scheme for the country’s 1.5 million cocoa famers.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “the Pension Scheme will enable cocoa farmers to make voluntary contributions towards their retirement, whilst COCOBOD makes a supplementary contribution on behalf of the farmers as well.”

This, he explained, “guarantees a decent retirement income for cocoa farmers for life, and ensures that they can maintain decent livelihoods after retirement.”

Launching the Pension Scheme at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, as part of his 3-day tour of the Ashanti Region, President Akufo-Addo there millions of cocoa farmers across the country who are responsible for the production of a crop, that has, for over a century, been the mainstay of the economy of the country.

In recognition of their hard work, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) was mandated, under Section twenty-six (26) of the COCOBOD Law, 1984 (PNDC L.81), to establish a Contributory Insurance Scheme for Cocoa Farmers within the framework of the Social Security Scheme, so that they could also enjoy a well-deserved pension, upon retirement.

Unfortunately, successive Governments, for various reasons, were unable to fulfil this, much to the disapproval of cocoa farmers who continued to make demands for the establishment of the “Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme”.

“As candidate Akufo-Addo, in the run-up to the December 2016 elections, I made a solemn pledge to cocoa farmers that, if the Ghanaian people reposed their confidence in me, and I won the election of 2016, my government would establish the pension scheme for them not just in fulfilment of the legal requirement, but also in line with Government’s plans to improve the living standards of cocoa farmers in Ghana,” he said.

Upon his assumption of office, the President tasked the CEO of COCOBOD, Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, to begin to work earnestly with the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and other stakeholders to set up a Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme to support cocoa farmers enjoy a decent pension.

“Through the shared determination and expertise of those I put in charge to ensure the establishment of the scheme, both the legal framework and the technical structures have been put in place for the smooth take-off of this all-important scheme,” he said.

To ensure the successful rollout of the scheme, COCOBOD is embarking on a census to collect data on farmers for the Cocoa Management System (CMS), adding that “the CMS will hold a robust database of all cocoa farmers in the country, and track their contributions. It will also facilitate the prompt payment of claims to beneficiary farmers.”

President Akufo-Addo entreated all cocoa farmers to sign on to the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme, in order to enjoy the full benefits of the Scheme.

Stori: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Turn out in numbers, vote massively for the NPP” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has appealed to all eligible voters in the country, ahead of the conduct of the 7th December presidential and parliamentary elections, to turn out in the numbers, and vote massively for him and the New Patriotic Party.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the policies and programmes implemented by his Government, since his assumption of office in 2017, such as Free SHS, 1-District-1-Factory, and Planting for Food and Jobs, have resulted in the enhancement of the living standards of Ghanaians.

Embarking on a day’s campaign tour of the Western Region, on Sunday, 29th November 2020, which saw him visit Sekondi, Kwesimintsim, Mpohor, Agona Nkwanta, Tarkwa, Bogoso and Akropong, the President indicated that “with four more for Nana and the NPP, we will do even more for you.”

To the electorate, the President added that “everyone who has registered and is in possession of a voter ID card should not sit at home, and assume that ‘Nana has already won, so I won’t vote’. If you haven’t voted, Nana hasn’t won.”

The President continued, “So everyone should leave their homes on 7th December, go to your respective polling stations and vote massively for Nana and the NPP. That is what will give us a decisive victory we are after.”

With the NPP in control of one hundred and sixty-nine (169) seats in Parliament, President Akufo-Addo told residents of the Western Region of the importance of maintaining a majority of seats in Parliament.

The President explained that a majority of seats in Parliament is what will strengthen his hand in Government, and will pave the way for the implementation of policies and programmes that wull help move Ghana onto the path of progress and prosperity.

Tour of Ashanti Region
From Monday, 30th November, President Akufo-Addo will embark on a 3-day campaign tour of the Ashanti Region, with visits, on day one, to Bantama, Offinso North, Offinso South, Afigya Kwabre North, Manhyia North, Subin and Asokwa.

On Tuesday, 1st December, he will launch the Cocoa Farmer’s Pension scheme at Jubilee Park, commission the Bodukwan Multi-fruit processing factory, and address residents at Manso Nkwanta, Manso Adubia and Patasi.

On day 3 of his campaign tour, the President will visit Nyinahin, Mpasatia, Bohyen, Bantama, SUame and Ash town.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Gov’t will continue to expand, modernise Armed Forces” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says it is his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to see to the continued expansion and modernisation of the Ghana Armed Forces, in order to enhance its capacity to combat contemporary and future threats effectively.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of military officer cadets of Regular Career Course 60 and Short Service Commission and Special Duties Course 58, on Friday, 13th November 2020, President Akufo-Addo stated that, in view of the growing threats to peace and stability in West Africa, “our actions, in this regard, cannot be business as usual”.

It will be recalled hat, at last year’s graduation ceremony, the President reiterated Government’s commitment to retool the Ghana Armed Forces, and also improve on barracks infrastructure to boost morale and operational efficiency.

Specifically, he also indicated his determination to reconstruct the Ghana Military Academy, and transform it into a world-class institution.

“A year on, I am able to state that the first phase of the reconstruction works of the Ghana Military Academy is almost complete. The renovated Officer Cadets’ Mess and the new Academy Parade Square have been completed, and are fully operational, as we can all see today. The administration block, with its offices and conference rooms, and two-storey classroom block, are all nearing completion,” the President said.

He continued, “The second phase of the project, which includes the construction of an auditorium with 800-seating capacity, an accommodation for cadets and platoon commanders, and a fence wall around the entire Military Academy, with other utility structures, will be completed by December 2021.”

In addition to the developments taking place in the Ghana Military Academy, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government is also equipping and rehabilitating training facilities for the Ghana Armed Forces, to help promote effective training.

To this end, he indicated that, three weeks ago, he commissioned a state-of-the-art training facility constructed for the Ghana Navy at Nutekpor, in the Volta Region, adding that the Bondase Training Camp is also going to see a massive facelift, with the provision of additional accommodation and training infrastructure, which will facilitate the training of personnel.

“Government has committed further over two hundred million dollars ($200 million) for the purchase of more armoured vehicles for the Army, and the upgrading of the equipment and surveillance capacity of the security and intelligence agencies,” he assured.

All these investments, according to the President, are to ensure that our men and women in uniform are well equipped and motivated to deliver on their mandate of safeguarding the peace, integrity and security of the nation, as well as maintaining Ghana’s contribution to international peace and security.

To the graduating officer cadets, President Akufo-Addo urged them to maintain a healthy relationship with the civilian population, in line with the tenets of national integration and cohesion.

“I am reminding you, today, that your commission into the Armed Forces places great responsibility on you to guard against the temptation of using the uniform to intimidate your civilian counterparts, who are your natural partners in the development of our nation, and whose taxes provide the means for your sustenance as members of the Armed Forces,” he added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“It’s only Akufo-Addo’s government that can fulfill pledge to pay us” – Assembly Members

The Greater Accra Association of Assembly Members believes that the pledge to pay Assembly Members a monthly salary can only be fulfilled by a Government led by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Paying a courtesy call on the President, on Tuesday, 10th November 2020, Mr. Stephen Kwasi Acquah, spokesperson for the Association, indicated that the promise to pay salaries to Assembly Members is a call in the right direction, and is welcome by all Members.

“However, in the 2012 and 2016 manifestoes of John Mahama and his NDC, the candidate who is today telling us he will pay us if he wins the 2020 election, the pledge to pay Assembly Members was made in those manifestoes,” the spokesperson said.

He continued, “He (John Mahama) reneged on the pledge he made to pay us when we voted for him in 2012, and that is why we did not vote for him again in 2016, even though he had repeated that pledge.”

Mr. Stephen Kwasi Acquah, on behalf of the Greater Accra Association, stated that “if there’s someone who we believe can pay Assembly Members on a monthly basis, then it has to be Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”

Outlining the policies implemented by the Akufo-Addo Government from 2017 to date, the spokesperson of the Association indicated that the Free SHS, 1-District-1-Factory, the Nation Builders’ Corps, and the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs have proven to be extremely beneficial for them and the constituents they represented.

“Prior to the inception of Free SHS, we would always wake up to knocks on our doors by parents who could not afford to take their wards to school. The implementation of Free SHS has lifted the burden of us. Because of NABCO, no one harasses us for jobs anymore,” he added.

Thanking the President for making time to meet with them, Stephen Kwasi Acquah stressed that “we believe that if we support you, and ensure that you get four more years, our circumstances, as Assembly Members, will be better off under your Government.”

On his part, President Akufo-Addo told the Members of the Association that “I like very much the commitment that has been made” towards ensuring that there would be no return to power of the NDC.

“The atmosphere in the country is good for us. The Ghanaian people are very happy with the work that has been done for them over the course of my first term in office, so help me take the message to every nook and cranny of the country. We cannot afford any complacency. The election is not won until the last vote has been counted, and we have to make sure that everyone who has registered comes out to vote,” President Akufo-Addo added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo commissions 40-year-old120-Bed Bekwai Municipal Hospital

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Daankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the 120-bed ultramodern Bekwai Municipal Hospital, a project which started during the era of the late military Head of State, General I.K. Acheampong.

Commissioning the hospital, on Saturday, 7th November 2020, President Akufo-Addo stated that the ceremony is further evidence of his Government’s commitment to continue with and complete successfully major infrastructure projects that were inherited from previous governments, so that expected socio-economic benefits can be enjoyed by all.

“Having stalled in 2013, due to lack of funds, Government, through the dynamic, hardworking Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central, successfully negotiated for funding from the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) for the completion of the civil works, procurement of equipment with a three (3) year warranty period, and the training of required personnel for the operation of the hospital,” the President said.

Constructed at a cost of €22.33 million, the hospital has been fitted with an outpatient department; emergency unit; physiotherapy department; staff accommodation (16 housing units comprising 2, 3 & 4 semi-detached bedrooms); male & female wards; recovery ward; medical gas plant; 3 operating theatres; and offices.

Additionally, the hospital has a central sterilization department (CSSD) and laundry; medical stores; kitchen; relative’s lodge; water storage; mortuary; car park; supply & installation of medical equipment including user and application and maintenance training; supply of start-up medical consumables; and post warranty maintenance.

The President reiterated Government’s commitment to improving access to essential and quality health services through the provision of the necessary health infrastructure, equipment and logistics, including the deployment of appropriate technology, as part of the drive to attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“I want to reinforce the call to the administrators to embrace and strengthen the culture of maintenance. This edifice has been put at great cost to our nation, and we should be in the position, some ten years down the line, to see it still in good condition,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, “It should not fall in the ways in which several institutions like this in Ghana have gone. The leadership of this facility must set the example for its periodic and constant maintenance, and will be held accountable for this.”

The President commended the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service for the great efforts they and their teams have put into the completion of this hospital.

“We shall continue to sustain our agenda of building a robust, resilient and sustainable healthcare system for current and future generations. Indeed, with four more years for Nana and the New Patriotic Party, we will do even more for you,” he added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Election 2020: “Traders for Nana” declare support for President Akufo-Addo and the NPP

“Traders for Nana” a group of women traders from Accra and Kumasi, have declared their support for the President Nana Akufo- Addo and expressed confidence in his ability to deliver on his manifesto promises based on his excellent record in his first term.

At a brief meeting with the First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo at her office in Accra to declare their support, the group said the Akufo-Addo government since assuming office in 2017 has implemented policies and programmes which have not only enhanced a conducive business climate, but also brought peace, happiness and contentment to their homes.

The group stated that under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana has seen an end to Dumsor, resuscitation of the NHIS, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) which has brought food security, the 1 District 1 Factory (1D1F) which is changing the face of the country’s industrial landscape, and what they termed “the almighty Free SHS” which has brought significant relief to their members, nationwide.

Members of the group affirmed that President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated honesty, incorruptibility, hard work and competence, all of which is an indication that their future social and economic status are secured under the able leadership of President Akufo-Addo.

They also congratulated the First Lady for promoting the well-being of Ghanaians especially women and children with initiatives in health, education and women’s empowerment . According to the group, no First Lady has delivered first class infrastructure in health and education like Mrs Akufo-Addo, recalling the construction of a Mother and baby Unit and a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as well as libraries across the country.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo thanked the GUTA ladies for their support for President Akufo-Addo and the NPP stating that the President has proven that he can be trusted to keep his promises to Ghanaians, citing the Free SHS, One Constituency one ambulance, 1D1F,Planting for food and Jobs, Construction and renovation of health facilities among many others. She assured the traders that when given another term, Nana Addo will work hard to do more for Ghanaians, including the business community.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Tema to get new sewer network, solid waste and water treatment plant” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the commencement of the construction of a sewer network and waste water treatment plant, and a solid waste treatment facility, at Tema.

According to President Akufo-Addo, Tema is the foremost, well-planned community in Ghana, with a central sewerage network, pumping stations, and a treatment facility, which were constructed and commissioned in 1963, and, consequently, rehabilitated in 1994.

The facility, the President noted, has been shut down because almost all the sewer lines have become obsolete and overaged, thereby creating environmental pollution and occasioning serious health hazards for residents.

Indeed, the initial design capacity of the sewer plant was to treat twenty thousand (20,000) cubic metres of waste water per day for a total population of fourteen thousand, nine hundred and thirty-seven (14,937). The current population of Tema, according to the Ghana Statistical Service, is three hundred and sixty thousand, eight hundred and twenty-eight (360,828).

“The sewer system can, therefore, not cope with the volumes generated as a result of increased population,” he said.

The President continued, “It is, thus, for this reason that Government deemed it prudent to facilitate the construction of an Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant and a Waste Water Treatment Plant to address the environmental sanitation challenges confronting the good people of Tema.”

He explained that the facility will be a modern waste water treatment plant with a combined system that will treat both waste water from the network and septage from cesspool trucks.

“The design capacity is 44,000 cubic metres per day for wastewater from the sewer network, and 1,000 cubic metres per day of septage from cesspool trucks, for areas that are not on the network. The entire waste water treatment plant will comprise the construction of a new treatment plant, rehabilitation/retrofitting of the pumping stations, and construction of a new reticulation system (sewer network)”, President Akufo-Addo added.

Additionally, a four hundred (400) metric ton state-of-the-art Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant will also be constructed at Ashaiman, and it is expected to receive, sort and process some four hundred (400) tons of municipal solid waste per day, to provide a sustainable solution to the solid waste disposal problem in Ashaiman and its environs.

Once completed, the plants will provide an opportunity to have effective and efficient management of municipal solid and liquid waste in a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner.

The production of organic compost for horticultural and agronomical purposes will be an added advantage to boost agricultural production and the programme for Planting for Foods and Jobs.

“Processing of the recyclable fractions of the waste, i.e. paper, plastic and metal, for reuse as input materials for recycling will, in the medium to long term, improve sanitation in the area. Furthermore, the Integrated Composting and Recycling Plant and the Waste Water Plant will create hundreds of direct and indirect employment opportunities,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that government has awarded a contract for the decommissioning and re-engineering of the Kpone (Tema) and Oti (Kumasi) landfill sites, to receive the growing solid waste generated within the Greater Accra Metropolitan and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas respectively, so as to restore the sanctity of the environment.

He, thus, urged all key stakeholders, particularly the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to collaborate with the operators of the facility.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“I have been honest and truthful to Ghanaians” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has appealed to the Ghanaian electorate to repose their confidence in him, once again, and vote massively for him in the December 2020 elections.

Addressing the congregation of the Resurrection Power New Generation Church, at Kasoa, on Sunday, 25th October 2020, at the commencement of his 4-day tour of the Greater Accra Region, President Akufo-Addo stated that “all that I promised to do, in your own presence and in the presence of God, you can all attest to it that I have done a lot of them.”

The President continued, “You have all seen that I am an honest and truthful person. I did not come to deceive anybody in Ghana. I told Ghanaians the truth, today I am telling you the same truth, and it is upon that that I am asking you to help me so that ‘Four More for Nana’ will become a reality.”

Four more years for him, he added, “should also apply to the parliamentary candidates going to Parliament so that they will win.”

Explaining the purpose of his visit, the President noted that he has so far visited all the regions of the country, but Greater Accra, and deemed it important to begin his tour of Greater Accra with a visit to the Church he knows very well.

“Four years ago, I came here to implore Rev. Anthony Kwadwo Boakye to pray to God Almighty, on my behalf, for victory in the 2016 elections. He prayed for me, and God listened to his prayers and I emerged victorious. Afterwards, I came here to show my appreciation to him and the church for the good thing they did for me,” he said, to a rapturous response from the congregation.

The President told the gathering at the Church that “I am here today, once again, that 7th December will soon be here. The country is going to elect someone to lead the nation in the next four years. I am pleading with God to, like He helped me in 2016, to help me again in this 2020 election”.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated to the gathering that “what we have achieved, in the areas of education, health, employment, agriculture and all the others represent a solid foundation we have laid in Ghana for growth and development in the country. I am, therefore, pleading with you that we should move forward and not backwards so that in unity we can move Ghana forward.”

Weija Model SHS
President Akufo-Addo also inspected ongoing work on the construction of the Weija Model Senior High School, a school whose sod he cut in October 2019.

The Weija SHS is one of the new senior high schools, comprises the construction of seven (7) new Senior High Schools and the upgrading of two (2) existing schools into model schools, being established by the Akufo-Addo administration.

The seven new schools are located at Kwadaso, Dabaa, Awaso, Abomosu, Akrodie, Weija and Kpasenkpe. Seven (7) out of the nine (9) schools are proposed science focused schools, with the other two being the first ever Creative Arts School, Kwadaso, in Kumasi, and a Senior High Technical School at Dabaa, named after former President J. A. Kufour.

It will be recalled that contracts for the construction of these schools were awarded in October 2019, and the sites were handed over to the contractors by the consultants a month later.

The Weija Model Senior High School is fitted with the full complement of amenities such as playing fields, administrative buildings, libraries, and dormitories. Additionally, the V-Block in the school has a total of 24 classrooms, as opposed to 12 classrooms in the E-Blocks constructed by the former administration.

Story: Sheial Satori Mensa

Election 2020: “Akufo-Addo needs one more term to do more” – First Lady

First Lady of the Republic, H.E. Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo has urged the electorate in Trobu to vote massively for President Akufo-Addo for one more term to complete the good works he has started with his ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agendum.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo made the call when she toured the Trobu constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

Accompanied by the MCE of Ga North Gertrude Ankrah, MP for Trobu Moses Anim, and NPP executives, the First Lady visited the Muus Timber Market at Ofankor, the Ofankor Market and the Pokuase Market and attended a durbar held in her honour at the Ofankor MA School Park.

At a meeting with leaders and executives of the Muus Timber Market, Mrs. Akufo-Addo thanked the traders for their massive endorsement of then candidate Akufo-Addo in the December 2016 elections and appealed to them to vote massively for him in the up-coming December 7th elections.

Chairman of Muus Timber Market, Mr. Kofi Asante, on behalf of the Timber Merchants expressed their elation at the First Lady’s visit and requested her to extend their gratitude to H.E. the President for his assistance following the fire disaster that occurred at the market in December, 2015 as well as the regular de-silting of drains which has significantly ebbed flooding in the area.

He however complained about the consistent disturbance and harassment meted out by officials of the forestry commission at the various barriers when hauling wood to the Muus and appealed to the government to intervene.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo assured the traders their concerns will be referred to the relevant authorities. Additionally, the First Lady reminded them of the construction of a major storm drain to bring an end to the flooding as well as the resumption of works on the construction of the Sawmill road by Resource Access Construction Ltd stating” this government can be trusted to keep its promises “.

The First Lady’s next stop was the Pokuase Market where she met and interacted with the traders.

She appealed to them to look to the many promises the Akufo-Addo government has fulfilled and vote massively for another four year term for the Party in the December 7th elections.

On behalf of the traders, the Pokuase Market Queen, Naa Ayikai Otoo thanked the First Lady for her visit and assured her of massive votes for President Akufo-Addo and the NPP, stating that the many social intervention policies implemented by the Akufo-Addo led government such as the Free SHS, 1 District 1 Factory (1D1F) and NABCO policies have significantly mitigated their economic challenges and created employment for their spouses and children.

They however appealed to the First lady to facilitate their receipt of assistance from the Covid-19 Stimulus package and MASLOC.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo promised to give their concerns her urgent attention and expressed her satisfaction at the government plan to construct a new market complex for the traders, by Hanisa Construction Ltd. which she said will commence very soon.

The First Lady also visited the Ofankor Market to interact with the traders and appealed to them to vote for President Akufo-Addo and the NPP in the general elections of December 7th.
She again noted with satisfaction, the award of a contract to Well Land Construction Limited for the expansion of the road in front of the Ofankor market.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo also joined the NPP MP for Trobu to inspect the on-going construction works of a three storey facility at the Amamorley Health Centre being under taken by Hon. Anim with his share of the MPs Common Fund and made some donation of detergents and other hospital consumables to the facility.

At a grand durbar held in her honour at the Ofankor MA School Park, the First Lady thanked the traditional leaders of Trobu for supporting the administration of President Akufo-Addo in diverse ways, in his service to the country.

She said though the Akufo-Addo led administration has achieved so much in less than four years it was imperative to vote to retain them in office in order not to erode the gains attained so far, but rather consolidate them and assured them of significant enhancement in their social status when they give the Akufo-Addo led government, one more term to do more.

NPP MP for Trobu, Hon. Moses Anim on behalf of his constituents, thanked the First lady for honouring them with her visit,
He said the NPP government has undertaken several development projects in the constituency in the area of road construction and asphalting, construction of schools, modern toilet facilities and installation of street lights among others, and assured his constituents of the NPP’s readiness to continue with their good works to bring economic and social development to the people.

Hon. Moses Anim called on his constituents to look out for the first position on the ballot paper which will be occupied by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP’s parliamentary candidate and vote for them accordingly.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Vote based on Akufo-Addo’s record – First Lady

The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Naa Okiakor Akufo-Addo, has asked the public to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo based on its development record. Mrs Akufo-Addo made the call when she paid an official visit to the Ablekuma South Constituency as part of her campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region.

According to her, the good record that has been set by the NPP, should be the reason the NPP government is retained for another four years.

She noted that the flagship Free SHS, One District, One Factory, Planting for Food and Jobs and NABCO policies of the ruling government is impacting positively on the lives of Ghanaians.

“Right now, Free SHS has helped Ghanaians and a lot of people are benefiting, the government has also established more than factories all over Ghana which are creating jobs for citizens,” she added. “NABCO has also come to address the issue of youth unemployment.”

Addressing the gathering, she said President Akufo-Addo has started a process of moving the country to another level of development which must be supported by all.

“You have all seen how through the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, the country is changing and we need to support him and the NPP government so the change can be permanent,” she urged.

With less than two months to the general elections, Mrs Akufo-Addo urged all to go out peacefully and vote on December 7 for the NPP and the Ablekuma South NPP parliamentary candidate, Bernard Brown.

She said, “We are a peaceful country and we have shown this by holding free, fair and peaceful elections over the years.”

The First Lady also pledged to liaise with the appropriate authorities to address the concerns raised by fishermen and market women in the constituency.

“As soon as I get home, I will talk to the President about the outboard motor and personally see to it that the Tuesday Market is completed on time for you to continue trading,” she assured.

Ablekuma South NPP parliamentary candidate, Bernard Brown, in a brief remark said the NPP is the best option for the continued development of Ghana and called on the constituents to retain the NPP for another four years, to secure the future of the country.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo commissions €14.5 million 60-Bed Hospital in Ketu North

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 20th October 2020, commissioned the €14.5 million sixty (60) bed Ultra-Modern Hospital for Weta, in the Ketu North District.

The Hospital, according to President Akufo-Addo, is one of six (6) medical installations whose construction commenced three (3) years ago, and was constructed by Vamed Engineering GmbH of Austria at a cost of eighty million euros (€80 million), with funding provided by Raiffesen Bank of Austria.

The other five (5) hospitals are the 80-bed District Hospital at Somanya in the Eastern Region; the 80-bed District Hospital at Buipe, the 60 bed Hospital at Sawla, and the 30-bed Polyclinic at Bamboi, all these three in the Savannah Region; and the 60-bed Hospital at Tolon in the Northern Region.

“All of these facilities are completed, and will be duly commissioned by the end of end November this year,” he said.

The Weta, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering, is fitted with an administration department; outpatient and emergency department; inpatient wards for male, female and paediatrics; obstetrics & gynecology (maternity and child health); surgery including an intensive care unit; physiotherapy unit; pharmacy; diagnostic services including x-ray, laboratory and ultrasound; logistics buildings housing the CSSD, laundry, hospital stores maintenance workshops and power station, and medical gases production unit; mortuary; staff facilities including dining areas, changing facilities and housing units for critical staff.

To ensure that the hospital functions without any major obstacle, the full complement of electro-mechanical systems and medical equipment have been provided.

“To address the issues of maintenance and sustainability, the project scope included a two-year post completion maintenance and training programme. I will entreat the Ghana Health Service to liaise with the Contractor’s maintenance team to maintain effectively the hospital, and ensure that, after this period, maintenance works on this hospital are carried out routinely,” he said.

Reiterating Government’s commitment to providing quality, accessible and affordable healthcare in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the President was confident that the completion of the projects in Somanya, Tolon, Sawla, Buipe, Bamboi and Weta will improve the stock of Infrastructural facilities, thereby improving equity gaps in geographical access to health services.

“I am delighted and honoured by your presence here, and I assure you that this project is a sign of greater things to come for Weta, Ketu North and, indeed, for the whole nation. Government’s commitment to the total development of Ghana is absolute,” he added.

Story: Sheila Mensa

“Commit to Peaceful Electoral Process, Forego Violence” – President Akufo-Addo to Political Parties, Citizens

“On the larger issue of the peace of our nation in these sensitive times, let me assure you of the wholehearted efforts that are being made by my Government and I to ensure the peace and stability of the nation, as we enter the home straight of the electioneering campaign. I am calling on all political actors and the citizenry, as a whole, to commit themselves to a peaceful process, and to forego any resort to violence.”

These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 13th October 2020, when he commissioned the refurbished Hall of Trade Unions of the Trades Union Congress.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “The Inspector General of Police, and the other heads of the law enforcement agencies, have made abundantly clear their determination to enforce the laws of the land, including the law banning vigilantism, in an impartial, even-handed manner, without recourse to political colour, to secure the peace of the nation. I support fully their attitude, and will give them my maximum backing”.

Recounting his commitment to maintaining the peace and stability of the country on several occasions, the President noted that, in 2008, he accepted the results of a closely fought election, which was won by the slimmest of margins, some forty thousand (40,000) votes, without asking for a recount.

“Again, in the disputed elections of 2012, I protested the outcome in the highest Court of the land, and, after proceedings that lasted eight months, I accepted an unfavourable verdict, called on my followers to respect the decision of the Court, and Ghana came out with her democratic credentials enhanced, and the peace and stability of the nation maintained,” he added.

The New Patriotic Party, the President stressed, has proved to the world “that we were willing and able to submerge our individual and partisan preferences for the common good.”

The Party, he added, demonstrated “that it was not the ambitions of Akufo-Addo, nor the fortunes of the NPP, that we sought to promote. The stability and progress of Ghana, and the enhancement of her democracy, were the paramount considerations that guided our every action in those difficult days,” he added.

Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted, has rightly earned a reputation as the pacesetter in democratic governance on the African continent, a reputation he is determined to uphold and, indeed, enhance, prior to, during and after the 7th December elections.

“I would need, of course, the full collaboration and co-operation of the entire citizenry, including members of Organised Labour, to help attain this end. We have all to work together to create the environment that will allow the Ghanaian people to make their decision on 7th December in freedom, peace and security. It is their right,” he added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Past credit pension payments of 2020 public sector retirees will be paid” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured that public sector workers that Government will resolve the issue of ‘Past Credit’ for public sector workers who retire from January 2020.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “Government, through SSNIT, would pay the difference in the lump sum payments, between beneficiaries of PNDC Law 247 and those of Act 766, for those retiring in 2020, with effect from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020.”

The President made this known on Tuesday, 13th October 2020, when he commissioned the refurbished Hall of Trade Unions of the Trades Union Congress in Accra.

He recalled the contents of a letter dated 24th August 2020, sent to him by the Secretary-General, on behalf of the TUC, requesting his intervention to “correct the injustice and unfairness in the implementation of the three-tier pension system”.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that he referred this matter to the Senior Minister, Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo, who, after careful studies and deliberations, has laid out the position of Government in this matter.

Indeed, 2020 marks the transition year where all public sector workers, retiring under the Three-Tier Pension Scheme, are having their pensions paid under the National Pensions Act, 2008, Act 766.

Even though Act 766 clearly offers higher monthly pensions and better lifetime benefits to workers compared to the erstwhile PNDC Law 247, some workers may receive a lower lump sum (made up of the past credit paid by SSNIT and the Tier-2) compared to that paid under PNDCL 247), with the President adding that “a Committee will be established to supervise the implementation of this decision” to ensure that equity prevails and no pensioner is made worse off.

Refurbished Hall
Touching on the refurbishment, President Akufo-Addo stated that in the run-up to the December 2016 elections, as part of several stakeholder engagements he held, he was at the Hall of Trade Unions, where he interacted with the leadership of the TUC, and outlined his vision for the transformation of the country, if he was elected President of the Republic.

“Indeed, the state of the Hall of Trade Unions, at the time of my visit in 2016, and in the early years of my administration, would have made the likes of Pobee Biney, Vidal Quist and their successors very sad,” he said.

Recognising and appreciating the efforts and sacrifices the TUC has made towards the construction of the happy and prosperous Ghana we seek, he stated that “that is why when Government received the request from the leadership of the TUC to assist it refurbish the Hall, we did not hesitate. I have been told by the Minister for Finance that Government’s contribution to this refurbishment was twelve million, seven hundred thousand cedis (GH¢12.7 million)”.

This refurbished Hall, he explained, is a fitting and proper tribute to the memory and work of the leadership of the TUC of yesteryear and today, leaders such as Joe-Fio Meyer, John Tettegah, B.A Bentum, A.M Issifu, A.K. Yankey, Christian Appiah Agyei, Kwasi Adu Amankwah and Kofi Asamoah.

“I am glad to state that the relationship between Government and Organised Labour has been one of cordiality, co-operation and mutual respect. I continue to be reassured by the determination of Organised Labour and its leadership to rally behind Government to create a progressive nation, buoyed on by faster economic growth rates, and driven by the quest for decent jobs,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, “I have been heartened by this, and I am determined, for as long as I remain President of the Republic, to continue even more firmly on this path of co-operation and collaboration on which we have embarked to the benefit of the working people of our country”.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo inspects completed Namoligo 1-Village-1-Dam Project

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has inspected the completed “One-Village-One-Dam” project constructed in Namoligo in the Talensi constituency of the Upper East Region.

Accompanied by the Upper East Regional Minister, Paulina Abayage, and the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, President Akufo-Addo was told that the construction, in fulfilment of the 2016 manifesto pledge of the New Patriotic Party, was undertaken by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA).

The Namoligo Dam is one of ten (10) small dams which have been completed by government through GIDA/Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The contract for the construction of the Dam was awarded in May 2019 and has been substantially completed.

With the project costing GH¢2.5 million, the Namoligo dam has a water storage capacity of 145,300 cubic meters, and has a minimum dam life of forty (40) years.

The President was told that, for occasional (supplementary) irrigation, the cropping area for vegetables can increase to some fifty (50) hectares, with optimum yields assured, since crops will always get the needed water required for healthy growth throughout the growth stages.

To facilitate water access for irrigation, two outlets, controlled by sluice valves, have been provided at vantage points to allow free flow of water on either side of the valley.

Indeed, GIDA has constructed ten (10) similar small dams with irrigation outlets in Upper West Region, and the Northern Region, all in support of “One Village One Dam” programme.

The President urged members of the community to take very good care of the dam, and hoped that the Namoligo community and the other 10 communities, that are beneficiaries of the dams, will use them for their own benefit.

Since 2017, the Government of President Akufo-Addo, in its bid to fulfil the 1-village-1-dam policy, has constructed a number of small-earth dams for water storage, irrigation, and for use by livestock. This is the largest stock of such small earth dams provided since independence.

Thus far, 439 small-earth dams are under construction, and 375 have been completed, and 64 are between 90-100% complete. Each dam provides water for up to five (5) hectares of farmland.

Under the Akufo-Addo Government the Tono irrigation dam has been rehabilitated and rehabilitation projects on both the left and right banks of Kpong are also in progress.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Okyeman says ‘Nana Toaso’, you need four more to do more” – Okyenhene

The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, says Okyenman is solidly united behind the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his bid to win the December 2020 general elections.

At a durbar held in honour of President Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 2nd October 2020, on the second day of the President’s 3-day tour of the Eastern Region, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin noted that the President has demonstrated that he is, indeed, “a President for all Ghanaians”.

According to the Okyenhene, “all of his (President Akufo-Addo) policies have affected every part of Ghana, and have been of immense benefit to every Ghanaian. This is because he has an ancestry where greed and the love of money is eschewed. Service to the Ghanaian people is what he, President Akufo-Addo, is all about.”

The Chief continued, “The President could have easily been someone whose only motivation in office iss to amass wealth for himself. But, no, he has not done that at all. On the contrary, he has implemented policies that have benefitted us all, and improved our living standards.”

Touching on President Akufo-Addo’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin applauded the seventeen (17) addresses made by the President, which have so far outlined the measures being taken by Government to defeat the pandemic, as well as the steps to ease safely the restrictions.

“He has taught us the importance of observing and adhering to the COVID-19 protocols. We should thank God that, at this stage of our national life, he has given us a leader like him. At the height of the pandemic, he provided us with free water and free electricity. He also gave allowances to frontline health workers. This shows the large generosity of his heart,” he added.

The effective management of the economy over the last three and a half years by the Akufo-Addo Government, he stressed, has ensured that the pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on all economies around the world, did not bring untold hardships to the Ghanaian people.

On Free SHS, the Okyenhene indicated that this policy has ensured that money, or the lack of it, has not denied any Ghanaian child access to education, adding that other policies being initiated by the President such as 1-District-1-Dam, 1-Village-1-Dam, NABCO, the development of road infrastructure, and the Zipline drone delivery service are all bearing fruit.

“He was born into a good home. He begun to believe in the public values of equity, equality, freedom and the pursuit of justice. All these are virtues Nana Addo possesses. It is said that, by their fruits, you shall know them. If his policies are bearing fruit, we, in Okyeman, say ‘Nana toaso,” he added.

To residents of Okyeman, who have been beneficiaries of the President’s policies, the Okyenhene had a word of advice for them.

“If you are from Okyenman or a Ghanaian, and your child is a beneficiary of Free SHS and all the other policies of Government, and you believe there is a new wind of development blowing, and you don’t vote well on December 7…”, he retorted, eliciting a rapturous applause from the gathering.

Vote on my record
On his part, President Akufo-Addo thanked the Okyenhene and Okyeman for the warm welcome accorded to him and his delegation.

He told the gathering that “my Government did not come to do lazy work. All aspects of our national life have benefitted from our policies, be they in health, roads, industrialization, or agriculture. My Government has worked for the benefit of all Ghanaians.”

“I have proven that I did not come to lie to Ghanaians, but to work for the progress and development of Ghana and for all Ghanaians. I am asking the people of Ghana to assess me on the basis of my record, and, if they were satisfied with it, they should give me an opportunity to do more for them by voting for me”.

The President told the gathering further that “I am a man of my word. I did not come to deceive to anyone, and that is what has given me the courage to seek your support in the upcoming elections. This is what will strengthen me to consolidate the gains chalked in my first term.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo inspects construction work on new Abomosu model SHS

The Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, that the Abomoso Model Senior High School, which is one of the nine new model schools being constructed by Government, will be completed by the end of the year.

According to Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the establishment of these new senior high schools comprises the construction of seven (7) new Senior High Schools and the upgrading of two (2) existing schools into model schools, making a total of nine (9) schools.

The Education Minister made this known on Thursday, 1st October 2020, when President Akufo-Addo visited the site of the construction of the Abomoso Model Senior High School located in the Atiwa West constituency of the Eastern Region.

The seven new schools are located at Kwadaso, Dabaa, Awaso, Abomosu, Akrodie, Weija and Kpasenkpe. Seven (7) out of the nine (9) schools are proposed science focused schools, with the other two being the first ever Creative Arts School, Kwadaso, in Kumasi, and a Senior High Technical School at Dabaa, named after former President J. A. Kufour.

It will be recalled that contracts for the construction of these schools were awarded in October 2019, and the sites were handed over to the contractors by the consultants a month later.

The Abomoso Model Senior High School is fitted with the full complement of amenities such as playing fields, administrative buildings, libraries, and dormitories. Additionally, the V-Block in the school has a total of 24 classrooms, as opposed to 12 classrooms in the E-Blocks constructed by the former administration.

Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh told the President that plans are in the pipeline for the construction of thirty-five (35) more of such model schools around the country.
 
Creative Arts School
The first ever Creative Arts School in Ghana, located at Kwadaso, shall equip students for the Arts, through powerful learning experiences, embrace and excel in the arts and academics, whilst working towards their visions of the future.

The Project has been designed to include the following 2-storey administration block; library block; auditorium / theatre (1,300 designed capacity); 4-storey 16-unit creative arts block with ancillary facilities; 4-storey 20-unit classroom block with 4 dedicated laboratory rooms; 3-storey dormitory block; 2-storey dormitory block; dining hall with kitchen; principal’s residence; 2 vice principals’ residence, 2 no. staff flats; sports area; maintenance shed; waste treatment/holding bay; access roads and paved walkways; and gate house.

Senior High & Technical School
This School, in honour of the former president of Ghana, J. A. Kufour, shall equip students for the Arts, Science and Technical disciplines through interactive experiences using state of the art methods.

The School shall strive to educate students through theoretical and practical training in technical disciplines, creative production and processes for technical education, and to provide a backbone for the industry under the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.

To create an environment that supports the implementation of a rich, rigorous technical curriculum and encourage a culture of technical and entrepreneurial thinking, learning, creative production and achievement of excellence.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo commissions 60-Bed Tepa Hospital

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 30th September 2020, commissioned the sixty-bed Ahafo Ano Municipal Hospital, located in Tepa, in the Ashanti Region.

This hospital, initiated by former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2008 as part of the ‘Ghana Hospitals Project’, is the third such Hospital commissioned by President Akufo-Addo following the opening of the Upper West Regional Hospital, in Wa, and the Ga East Municipal Hospital, in Accra, which is now one of the country’s foremost COVID19 Treatment Centres.

This Hospital, according to the President, has been long awaited in Tepa, and it is good that, today, the demand for a Municipal Hospital of quality has been realized, as residents and surrounding health facilities will now gain access to improved healthcare from the Ahafo Ano Municipal Hospital.

The “Ghana Hospital Project” involves the design, construction and equipping of one (1) Military Hospital, two (2) Regional Hospitals, and six (6) District Hospitals in Ghana, at a project cost of US$339 million. It falls under the broader objective of providing infrastructure for the delivery of effective healthcare to the citizenry.

Other hospitals being constructed under this Project are the two hundred and fifty (250) bed Regional Hospital in Sewua, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region; the sixty (6) bed District Hospital in Twifo Praso, in the Central Region; the sixty (60) bed District Hospital at Nsawkaw, in the Bono East Region; the sixty (60) bed District Hospital in Salaga, in the Savannah Region; the sixty (60) bed District Hospital in Konongo, in the Ashanti Region; and the five hundred (500) bed Military Hospital at Afari, again, in the Ashanti Region.

All of these projects, the President stressed, all expected to be commissioned before the end of this year.

The Ahafo Ano Municipal Hospital has been constructed at a cost of thirty-six million United States dollars (US$36 million), and has been designed with several departments including administration; outpatient department (OPD); physiotherapy unit; pharmacy; radiology; laboratory; surgical suite (operation dep.); emergency & casualty; and obstetrics & gynecology (maternity and child health).

The rest are central sterile supply department; ambulance station; inpatient wards – 100 bed capacity; staff dining; kitchen & outdoor cooking area; medical gases production unit; laundry; mortuary; medical waste department; general stores; maintenance department; power station; relatives’ hostel; 20 staff housing units; and a mini market.

Additionally, the Hospital has been equipped with modern medical equipment, such as x-ray machines, ultrasound machines, fully equipped operating theatre, medical gases, and patient monitors. It also has a medical waste treatment plant, a power station, a water treatment plant, a central air conditioning system and an anaerobic sewerage treatment plant.

To the Chiefs and people of Tepa, President Akufo-Addo reiterated his commitment to improving access to essential and quality health services through the provision of the necessary health infrastructure, equipment and logistics, including the deployment of appropriate technology, as part of our drive to attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He urged administrators of the to embrace and strengthen the culture of maintenance.

“This edifice has been put at great cost to our nation, and we should be in the position, some ten years down the line, to see it still in good condition. It should not fall in the ways in which several institutions like this in Ghana have gone. The leadership of this facility must set the example for its periodic and constant maintenance, and will be held accountable for this,” he added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo cuts sod for construction of Kumasi-Obuasi railway line

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for work to commence on the 83.5-kilometre standard gauge railway line from Kumasi to Obuasi, as part of the new Western Line being constructed.

Performing the sod cutting ceremony, on Wednesday, 30th September 2020, President Akufo-Addo noted that, by January 2017, out of the 947 kilometres of colonial narrow-gauge rail network bequeathed to the country by the colonialists, barely 10% was operational.

He stated that, apart from the 15 kilometre narrow gauge railway line, built between 2012 and 2017, from Sekondi to Takoradi via Kojokrom, no kilometre of railway line had been added.

“Upon my assumption of office, I was determined to change this statistic, because I believed that the presence of an efficient, effective railway system was critical to the progress, prosperity and development of our nation. This led me to the decision to establish the Ministry of Railways Development, with the dynamic Hon. Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikadu Ketan at the helm of affairs. By all accounts, this has started yielding fruits,” the President said.

He continued, “Today’s event, the cutting of the sod for the construction of the 83.5km Kumasi to Obuasi line, is a clear manifestation of the Akufo-Addo Government’s policy to grow and develop the country’s railway sector.”

It will be recalled that, earlier this year, Cabinet and Parliament both approved a €500 million agreement for the construction of a new standard gauge line from Takoradi Harbour to Kojokrom, and also from Manso to Huni Valley.

Once this is completed, one hundred and two kilometres (102km) of new standard-gauge railway lines would have been constructed, as part of the development of a new standard-gauge Western Line.

President Akufo-Addo explained that the Western Line is critical to the successful establishment of the new bauxite and aluminum industry being promoted by Government.

The Sheini and Oppon Manso iron ore deposits, which will form the basis of the imminent iron and steel industry, according to the President, require a modern railway network to transport the ore and the processed raw material.

Additionally, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that work is also progressing steadily on the Tema to Mpakadan Line, which is the first phase of the Tema to Paga section of the Ghana-Burkina Railway Interconnectivity Project.

“This railway line has branch lines to Sheini and Oppon Manso. The exploitation of the bauxite deposits at Atiwa, as part of the nascent bauxite and aluminum industry, will also benefit from the construction of a new railway line,” he added.

With the imminent commencement of construction of the Boankra Inland Port, following the approval by Parliament of a $300 million concession facility, the President stated that, since 1995, the country has been been grappling with the development of the inland port.

The economic viability of the Boankra Inland Project, he stressed, will be greatly enhanced by the presence of a railway line, adding that “a new standard gauge railway line from Accra to Tema to Kumasi is a must, and I expect contracts to be signed for the commencement of the construction of a line from Accra to Tema towards Kumasi before the December elections.”

With the country’s railway network having never gone beyond Kumasi, the President announced that a feasibility study and the preliminary design of a new standard gauge line, from Eduabin to Paga through Bechem, Sunyani, Techiman and Tamale, has been completed.

“Next week, final stakeholder holder consultations will commence, after which the processes for land acquisition will begin. Let me take the opportunity to appeal to the chiefs, who are the custodians of our land, to give their full support to this project. The economic value of all lands, where there is development of the railway line, will be greatly enhanced,” he added.

In the first four years of his administration, President Akufo-Addo noted that more construction activity in the railway sector has gone on than in any period of the country’s history since independence.

“Over the last three years and ten months we have laid a solid foundation, which will receive an even greater impetus when Nana and the NPP get four more years to do more for you. My commitment to the development of a new modern standard railway network is unwavering,” he assured.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo inaugurates Tree Crop Development Authority Headquarters in Kumasi

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated the Tree Crops Development Authority, whose focus will be on the development of tree crops and the consequential benefits to be accrued to the country.

Inaugurating the Authority on Tuesday, 29th September 2020, at the Golden Bean Hotel in Kumasi, President Akufo-Addo explained that Government’s strategy is to promote the development of tree crops, other than cocoa, with equal or even higher economic potential.

“The Tree Crops Development Authority, which is the legal and institutional outcome of PERD, will lead the agenda for the diversification of Ghana’s agriculture by developing the tree crops sector,” he said.

The President continued, “To kick start the implementation of PERD, seven tree crops namely mango, cashew, shea, rubber, cocoa, oil palm and coffee have been identified and selected for promotion under the programme, six (6) of which are directly under the supervision of the Authority. I am hopeful that, sooner than later, coffee will also be brought under the direct supervision of the Authority.”

With its headquarters, here, in Kumasi, the Authority will operate like COCOBOD, and put in place policies and programmes to guide research, production, pricing and marketing of the six (6) tree crops.

He told the gathering that if the economic potential of the six (6) selected tree crops are properly harnessed, Ghana could soon increase exponentially her agricultural export earnings.

Thus far, 220,257 farmers have enrolled onto the PERD programme, whilst 235,850 hectares of land have been cultivated, with a total of thirty million seedlings of the various crops produced and to be distributed to farmers and interested persons.

“At full implementation, the PERD programme will link agriculture to industry through the provision of a solid raw material base for industrialisation, develop our rural economies, and assist in the structural transformation of the national economy. All these will propel growth, create employment, particularly for the youth, and the creation of wealth,” the President added.

The 29-member Board of Directors of the Authority is chaired by Mr. Stephen Sekyere-Abankwa, with a very proactive management team consisting of Chief Executive, William Quaitoo, and his two (2) Deputies, Yaw Osei Oteng, in charge of Finance and Administration, and Foster Boateng, in charge of Operations.

President Akufo-Addo assured the Members of the Authority of the systematic efforts being made by Government to secure funding for the upgrading of the relevant research institutions to assist in the effective development of the sector.

The President was confident that, in the fullness of time, Government’s approach will be wholly vindicated when all these initiatives are vigorously implemented.

“The over-arching vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid is neither rhetoric nor gimmickry. We are determined, through action, to achieve this vision, and today’s programme is a clear indication of our total commitment. With God on our side, we shall surely succeed,” he added.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Asanteman will remember your good works on 7th December” – Otumfuo to Prez Akufo-Addo

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has assured the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, that, going into the 7th December presidential and parliamentary elections, his record in office “will speak for him”.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II made this known on Monday, 28th September 2020, when President Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace, at the commencement of a 3-day working visit of the Ashanti Region.

Addressing a durbar held in honour of the President, the Asantehene thanked the President for his continuous visit to Manhyia, both as leader of the opposition before the 2016 elections and as President of the Republic.

To this end, he stated that “Your good works in office will speak for you going forward into the election. We, in Asanteman, remember, we do not forget. Asanteman will, therefore, remember your good works on election day. All I can offer you is prayers and blessings.”

Even though Chiefs and traditional rulers are not to engage in partisan politics vote, the Asante noted that “we vote. We will vote based on the good works of the candidate.”

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, thus, urged President Akufo-Addo to direct his communicators and information dissemination machinery to “tell Ghanaians exactly what his Government has done and what is being done” in their respective communities, in the run-up to the December elections.

1,824 projects in Asanteman
On his part, President Akufo-Addo thanked the Asantehene and Asanteman for the warm accorded him and his delegation on their arrival at Manhyia.

He explained that the purpose of his visit is officially to introduce himself, once again, to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as the New Patriotic Party’s presidential candidate ahead of the December elections, and to seek his blessings for the contest.

The President also used the opportunity to introduce all of the party’s forty-seven (47) parliamentary candidates from the Ashanti Region, and appealed for the support of the Asantehene and Asanteman so the party can annex the three remaining constituencies, Asawase, Ejura Sekyedumase, and Sekyere Afram Plains, which eluded the party in the December 2016 polls.

Touching on his record in office, President Akufo-Addo told the Asantehene that development, under his tenure of office, has been distributed equitably to all parts of the country.

In the Ashanti Region, for example, the President indicated that a total of 1,824 projects are being undertaken, out of which 774 have been completed and 1,050 are still ongoing.

He told the Asantehene that there are 604 projects in the education sector, 92 in health, 151 road projects, 606 in the water and sanitation sector, 1 in aviation and 1 in the ports sector.

The Boankra inland Port Project, which has been on the drawing board for several decades, according to President Akufo-Addo, is set to receive parliamentary approval in November, with the $330 million funding needed for its construction already secured by Government.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo presents 10,000 Hospital Beds to Health Ministry

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 22nd September 2020, presented ten thousand hospital beds, under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), to be distributed to hospitals across the country.

According to President Akufo-Addo, it is always disconcerting to see patients being treated in wheel chairs, in plastic chairs, and even on the floors because of the unavailability of beds.

“Government’s determination to see an end to this no-bed syndrome has resulted in the decision to procure these hospital beds and their associated accessories for distribution across the country, to augment the existing numbers in the country,” the President said.

To this end, he stated that “in total, one thousand, five hundred (1,500) pieces of critical care beds with overhead tables; two thousand (2,000) pieces of standard hospital beds with bedside lockers; four thousand (4,000) pieces health centre beds with bedside lockers; one thousand (1,000) pieces of children’s cot; and one thousand, five hundred (1,500) pieces of delivery beds have been purchased”.

At the ceremony held at Burma Camp, where the beds are being housed, President Akufo-Addo stated that the beds, which are to be distributed to all two hundred and seventy-five constituencies, are adjustable for better positioning of the patient’s head and feet.

He told the gathering that these beds will allow for better movement of patients, as well as periodic change to the pressure points on the body, thereby, improving the patient’s blood circulation whilst she/he is in bed, adding that “they maximise comfort for patients who will use them for extended periods of time, and their customisable features will make it easy to adjust specific parts of the bed.”

Whilst urging users and hospital staff to take good care of these beds, which have come at significant cost to the taxpayer, President Akufo-Addo stressed that “with four (4) more years for Nana and the NPP, we will do more for you, because we are motivated by a vision of ensuring that the basic infrastructure in education, health and social services is equitably distributed throughout our nation, to provide relief and encouragement to all sectors of our society. That is how we build a united Ghana”.

IPEP
It will be recalled that, in the run-up to the December 2016 elections, the implementation of IPEP was a campaign promise of the New Patriotic Party.

This pledge was to provide each of the 275 constituencies with the cedi equivalent of US$ 1 million to tackle issues relating to infrastructural development and poverty eradication in rural and deprived communities.

Indeed, the implementation of the programme commenced with the launching of One-District-One-Warehouse component in Ejura, in the Ashanti Region, followed by the unveiling of the One-Village-One-Dam programme at Kuuyoukou in Lawra, in the Upper West Region.

“One of the fruits of this policy was seen by all Ghanaians in February this year, when I commissioned and distributed three hundred and seven (307) state of the art ambulances, i.e. one ambulance per constituency, and the remaining thirty-two (32) to the National Ambulance Service,” he added.

Thus far, these ambulances, the President indicated, have been of immense help to ensuring an effective Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system, and improving our country’s emergency response capabilities.

Indeed, the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, which is implementing IPEP, together with the Coastal, Middle Belt and Northern Development Authorities, have, so far, seen to the construction of 1,000 community water systems; 1,000 public and institutional water closet toilets; 50 prefabricated grain warehouses; 560 small earth dams; 50 rural and peri-urban markets; 26 clinics with bungalows for the medical staff; and 5,014 constituency specific projects.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Free, Fair Elections a basis for strengthening National cohesion” – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the conduct of a free, fair, and transparent election, one whose result is beyond dispute, forms a good basis for strengthening cohesion amongst the Ghanaian citizenry, and preventing needless disputations.

Speaking at the Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association, albeit through virtual means, on Monday, 14th September 2020, President Akufo-Addo explained that from 1992 to date, the conduct of the country’s elections has evolved significantly.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the current multiplicity of media organisations and the power of social media, the existence of transparent ballot boxes, the decentralized nature of tallying and tabulation, and the mode of voter verification has engendered increasing trust and confidence by the citizenry in the process of electing their leaders.

Together with the compilation of a new voters’ register, ahead the conduct of the December 2020 elections, the President explained that “all of these enhanced processes have strengthened the cohesion of the nation. They have also repudiated as fallacious the contentions expressed at various times of our history that democratic governance would breed instability and ethnic conflict.”

He continued, “There have actually been those who went as far as to state that democracy was inherently alien to our culture and social make-up. The continuing success of the 4th Republic provides the most effective response to this unfortunate viewpoint.”

With electoral disputes wreaking havoc in some African countries, President Akufo-Addo stated that Ghana has been spared such incidents, adding that “we have the good sense of the Ghanaian people to thank for this, and we must continue to act as checks and balances for one another.”

Nonetheless, the President noted that Ghanaians cannot and must not take this good fortune for granted, urging all candidates, voters and citizens to conduct “ourselves in a manner that keeps us together as one people, irrespective of our ethnic, religious, gender or political differences and affiliations. The Ghana Project cannot afford ethnic agitations and sectarian pronouncements.”

The President was of the belief that the pressing challenge for Ghana is negotiating satisfactorily the interface between elections and democratic governance, institution-building and development, poverty, jobs and economic growth, with the overriding objective being to enrich the dignity of the Ghanaian.

“There are many examples of countries around the world where that stable period of constitutional government and intelligent management of the economy led to general prosperity. We, in Ghana, can profitably emulate them, for we can make it, if we work at it,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo expressed his delight at the fact that “the political class and stakeholders have agreed upon the necessity, in the face of the pandemic, to hold the December general elections as scheduled to bolster the evolution of our constitutional order, and maintain the culture where executive and legislative authority are exercised in the 4th Republic only by duly elected officials. Ghanaian democracy will be the stronger for that shared commitment.”

He reassured Members of the Bar Association that his Government is making unstinting efforts to ensure the peace and stability of the nation, as Ghana enters the last three (3) months of the electioneering campaign.

“Ghana has rightly earned a reputation as the pacesetter in democratic governance on the continent, a reputation I am determined to uphold, and, indeed, enhance prior to, during and after the 7th December elections,” the President assured.

To this end, he appealed for the co-operation and assistance of all citizens, especially members of the Bar Association, stating that “we have all to work together to create the environment that will allow the Ghanaian people to make their decision on 7th December in freedom, peace and security. It is their right.”

In concluding, the President added that “when my time is up, hopefully, after four more years, I want to hand over to my successor and the sovereign people of Ghana, a country that is greater, fairer, stronger, more cohesive, more prosperous and more united than I met it in 2017. This is the solemn undertaking to which I have committed myself.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Ahafo Chiefs Endorse “Four More For Nana”

Chiefs in the Ahafo Region have declared their unflinching support for the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his bid to secure a second term in office.

Chiefs from Duayaw Nkwanta, Techimantia, Bechem and Kenyasi made this known on Saturday, 12th September 2020, at separate durbars they held in honour of President Akufo-Addo, when the latter visited their towns on day one of his 2-day tour of the Ahafo Region.

At Duayaw Nkwanta, the Paramount Chief of the Duayaw Nkwanta Traditional Council, Nana Boakye Tromo III, told the President that “you have distributed the national cake equitably, and we, in Duayaw Nkwanta, have gotten our fair share of development.”

Citing several examples of projects undertaken in Duayaw Nkwanta, together with policies such as Free SHS, 1-District-1-Factory, and the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, Nana Boakye Tromo III stated that “this clearly shows that you have been chosen by God to lead us.”

He continued, “I want you to know that we are solidly behind you. We are told Chiefs are not supposed to engage themselves in partisan politics. However, it gets to a point in time where you have to help the person who helps you in your time of need. We are solidly behind you, and we are declaring today that ‘four more for Nana’, ‘four more to do more’.”

Techimantia
At Techimantia, after President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the 40.1km Bechem-Techimantia-Akomadan road, the Krontihene, Nana Ampong Koromantan, prayed to God for long life, good health and strength for the President of the Republic.

“Today, we just want to tell you that we, in Techimantia, will never forget you for the construction of the Bechem-Techimantia-Akomadan road. Indeed, the presence of a lot of the townsfolk at this durbar testifies to the fact that we have already accepted you as one of us. It is four more for you,” he added.

 
Bechem
Commissioning a Business Resource Centre for the Tano South District, Bechemanhene, Nana Fosu Gyeabuor II, expressed the gratitude of the Chiefs and people of Bechem for the Centre constructed by the President and his Government.

“Very soon, we shall go to the polls, and if you look at this beautiful building, residents of Bechem do not need to be told about what has to be done. It is up to them. They know what to do,” he said

Touching on the sod cutting ceremony performed by the President for the construction Bechem-Techimantia-Akomadan road, he added that “I know you will do it because you fulfil your promises.”

Kenyasi
At Kenyasi, where the President commissioned a 68-bed ward, doctor’s accommodation and children’s ward at Kenyasi Government Hospital, Nana Kofi Abiri, Omanhene of Kenyasi No.1, recounted how, at during the last visit by the President to his town, he appealed for the construction of several amenities for the community.

“We pleaded with him to construct our road for us, and we also needed a TVET institute. He didn’t ignore our requests as we can see machines constructing the road. We also said that we needed mobile phone network at Wamahiniso, you have done it for us, we are grateful,” he said

The Kenyasi No.1 Chief added that “Nana, since assuming office, you have helped in our development, many of the youth are employed, when you look at the Free SHS you implemented, it has helped the poor. Ghanaians thank you. When we look at NABCO, all those who have completed universities have been employed, Nana, Ghanaians thank you. The One Constituency One Ambulance has also come to help in health delivery. Nana, in all these, you never left Asutifi out, we have our fair share, we thank you very much.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo cuts sod for construction of Wenchi Water Supply Project

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the Wenchi Water Supply Project, at a ceremony at the Jubilee Park in Wenchi.

Cutting the sod on Friday, 11th September 2020, on day 2 of 2-day working visit to the Bono Region, President Akufo-Addo noted that Wenchi means a lot to adherents of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia political tradition, as it is the home of Dr. K.A. Busia, Prime Minister of the Progress Party Government of the 2nd Republic.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “it was in 2002, under the Government of the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, that the existing Wenchi Water Supply System, with funding from the Government and the European Union, was constructed, as part of the Small-Town Water Supply Schemes embarked upon at the time.”

The existing Water Supply System is based on ground water obtained from mechanised boreholes, and supplies water only to the Wenchi Municipality. An assessment carried out by the Ghana Water Co. Ltd. indicated the poor state of the existing system, and the recommendation was for a new Water Supply System, which will abstract water from fresh water sources, ensure continuity of water supply, and meet the ever-increasing demand for water in the catchment area.

“So, you can understand my delight that, again, it is an NPP Government that has come into office to start the construction of a new water supply system for Wenchi. This project is consistent with the 2016 NPP Manifesto pledge providing “Water for All”, a key priority we are committed to implementing,” the President added.

To execute this project, the Akufo-Addo Government has secured a thirty million-euro (€30 million) credit facility from Belfius Bank of Belgium, with the support of the Belgian Export Credit Agency, Credendo.

After its completion, in thirty-six (36) months, the total supply capacity will be ten thousand, seven hundred (10,700) cubic meters per day, which will be adequate to meet the year 2040 water demand for an estimated population of some ninety-two thousand five hundred (92,500) people in towns such as Wenchi, Droboso, Yoyoano, Beposo, Asuano, Koase, Nkonsia, Wurompo and Awisa.

These communities, the President explained, will have their water supply improved in quality, quantity and reliability.

“The prevalence of water-borne diseases, such as guinea worm, cholera and dysentery, will be reduced to the barest minimum, if not eliminated. Additionally, this project will bring in its wake job opportunities, as the Contractor will engage the services of indigenes during the construction period,” the President said.

He was also expectant that, once the water supply project is completed, investors will take advantage of Government’s Flagship Programmes such as “One- District, One-Factory” to establish small and medium scale factories to exploit the natural resources of the area, create employment opportunities for the youth of the community, and stimulate the growth and development of the local economy.

Government, the President assured, will not relent in its efforts to increase access to water for all.

“Plans are far advanced for construction of the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project in the Ashanti Region, Kpong Phase II Water Supply Project in the Eastern Region, Tarkwa Water Supply Project and Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Project in the Western Region, Techiman Water Supply Project in the Bono East Region, Sunyani Water Supply Project in the Bono Region, and Assin Fosu Water Supply Project in the Central Region, which will all provide water in response to the rising demand for water in these areas,” he added.

The President continued, “Nananom, I am excited to be here once again, and, by the grace of God, and with four (4) more years for Nana and NPP, I will be here again, in thirty-six (36) months’ time, to commission the Wenchi Water Supply Project.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

President Akufo-Addo cuts sod for €15 million Techiman Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the construction of an integrated recycling and compost plant at Techiman, in the Bono East Region, on Wednesday, 9th September 2020.

The Plant, which is being established by the Jospong Group and its partners, in collaboration with government, and which is estimated to cost some fifteen million euros (€15 million).

The construction of this plant is in line with the Akufo-Addo Government’s policy of creating an enabling environment for the private sector to partner government to bridge the infrastructure gap in sanitation.

Upon completion, the plant will receive, sort, and process two hundred tonnes of solid waste within the Techiman Municipality.

The President noted that benefits to be accrued from the project include the effective and efficient management of municipal solid waste, the production of organic compost for horticultural and agronomical purposes, reduction in the high rate of plastic pollution, and the processing of recyclable fractions of the total waste such as paper, plastic and metal for reuse.

“Equally more important will be the provision of jobs for the youth of this community and its environs, which will help improve the local economy,” he said.

As co-Chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates for the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, President Akufo-Addo noted that this intervention will help us meet the Goals on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); good health and wellbeing (SDG 3); decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); and climate action (SDG 13).

To Jospong Group and its partners, and, indeed, to all other companies interested in venturing into this field, President Akufo-Addo stressed that “the expectation is that the establishment of such facilities, like the one to be set up here, are replicated in the other parts of the country, to facilitate the management of environmental sanitation across the country.”

He further urged all stakeholders to see to the timely completion of these projects, and to ensure that construction is carried out pursuant to required standards and specifications.

1D1F: President Akufo-Addo inspects $34 million starch processing factory at Amantin

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has inspected ongoing work on a $34 million starch processing factory at Amantin, in Bono East Region.

Touring premises of the Amantin Agro Processing Ltd, a wholly owned Ghanaian company, on Tuesday, 8th September 2020, on day one of his two-day working visit of the Bono East Region, President Akufo-Addo stated that, when fully completed, the factory will be one of the most modernised and fully automated industrial starch factories in West Africa.

According to the promoters of the facility, the company is currently cultivating fourteen thousand (14,000) acres of farm land as its own nucleus plantation, whilst supporting thousands of local farmers to cultivate over forty thousand (40,000) acres of cassava under an Outgrower Scheme involving fifteen thousand (15,000) Principal Out Growers.

The factory is expected to create about four hundred and fifty (450) direct jobs at the factory floor, with more than thirty thousand (30,000) indirect employment opportunities.

Additionally, the factory, with production capacity of three hundred (300) metric tons of industrial starch per day for the first phase, and six hundred (600) metric tons per day for the second phase, will significantly reduce the importation of industrial starch into the country and, thereby, reduce the pressure on our currency.

“The product from Amantin Agro Processing Ltd is going to serve as a major source of raw material input for many processing companies in the food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and textiles industries of the country. This will go a long way to boost domestic industrial production and productivity. Furthermore, it will enhance the export of industrial starch into the global market,” the President said.

Commending management of the company for taking advantage of the 1D1F incentives introduced by this government in putting up such a magnificent industrial establishment, in what is a rural district in the country, President Akufo-Addo reiterated Government’s commitment to partnering with the private sector to establish similar modern factories, which would be globally competitive, and which would take advantage of the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

1D1F
Recounting the importance of the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, President Akufo-Addo explained that raw material producing economies do not create prosperity for the masses, explaining that the way to that goal, the goal of ensuring access to prosperity, is value addition activities in a transformed and a diversified, modern economy.

The One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative, amongst other programmes, under the Industrial Transformation Agenda of Government, is designed to transform the industrial landscape of the country, and build the capacities of domestic entrepreneurs and existing enterprises to produce high quality products and services for both domestic and foreign markets.

Further, according to the President, “it seeks to create employment, particularly for the youth in rural and peri-urban communities, and, thereby, improve income levels and standard of living, as well as reduce rural-urban migration”.

He continued, “Indeed, when the initiative was introduced in 2017, the doomsayers said that it was just a political gimmick, and nothing would come out of this laudable industrial development programme. On the contrary, we are all now witnessing many highly competitive state-of-the-art factories and enterprises springing up in various towns and districts across the country, including this one here at Amantin”.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Four More For Nana already assured for President Akufo-Addo” – Sene East Chief

Nana Osore Krunku III, the Acting President and Kyidomhene of Nkomi Traditional Area in the Sene East District of the Bono East Region, says the Chiefs and people of his Traditional Area are confident that the people of Ghana will give the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the New Patriotic Party in the December 2020 elections

According to him, in the run up to the 2016 election, then candidate Akufo-Addo promised to create new regions from the existing ones, and true to his word, six (6) new regions have been created, from which the Bono East Region was carved out from the old Brong Ahafo Region.

“Indeed, because of your exemplary leadership in Ghana, your policies that have affected every part of Ghana, your handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and your international standing in West Africa, you have been elevated to the status of ECOWAS Chairman. We congratulate you on this this outstanding feat. You have brought honour to Mother Ghana,” Nana Osore Krunku III told the President.

Citing examples of the policies that have been implemented by Government over the course of the last three and a half years, he stated that most of the promises contained in the 2016 NPP Manifesto have been fulfilled.

“In times past, our railways sector was in complete disarray. Today, our railways sector has been revived, and trains are plying routes from Accra to Tema and to Nsawam. This is a great thing for Ghana. Again, Free SHS has reduced the financial burden on parents, and has allowed students, who would have, otherwise, truncated their education at JHS level, now have the opportunity to further their education, and, thereby, guaranteed a brighter future,” he said.

The Kyidomhene continued, “There were many who said Free SHS was not going to be possible. You (President Akufo-Addo) have done well by fulfilling this promise. Planting for Food and Jobs, Youth in Afforestation, are some of the policies benefiting residents of Sene East”.

He also thanked President Akufo-Addo for decentralsiing the processing of awarding scholarships, and thanked the President for instituting the policy of NABCO which has helped solve the problem of graduate unemployment.

Praying for good health, wisdom and long life for President Akufo-Addo, Nana Osore Krunku III, on behalf of the Chiefs and people of the Nkomi Traditional Area, stated that “four more years for Nana is already assured. There is no question about it.”

President Akufo-Addo Elected ECOWAS Chairman

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been elected Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), at the 57th ECOWAS Summit held in Niamey, Niger, on Monday, 7th September 2020.

The President, who was elected unanimously by his peers, takes over the mantle of leadership from the President of Niger, His Excellency Mahamadou Issoufou, for a period of one year.

Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, their Excellencies Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, and John Dramani Mahama, who have enjoyed, in times past, a similar privilege, President Akufo-Addo thanked the Assembly for the honour, and assured that he will do his utmost not to let the side down, and discharge his duties to the best of his abilities.

“Excellencies, I am fully aware of the challenges which confront West Africa. Past leaders of ECOWAS have demonstrated their collective will and determination to drive the agenda of regional integration, opening up our economic frontiers, encouraging healthy competition amongst Member States, and ensuring that we adhere to our formative principles,” he said.

The President continued, “As much as considerable progress has been made since the establishment of ECOWAS, some forty-five (45) years ago, we are all agreed that there is much more to be done to consolidate the socio-economic and political gains made over the years.”

In his remarks, President Akufo-Addo noted that five immediate challenges face the regional organization of ECOWAS, for which Member States must address.

These, he said, are the continuing activities of terrorists in the Region concentrated, for the time being, in the Sahelian area, involving Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the northern parts of Nigeria; the the COVID-19 pandemic, which has attacked the populations and economies of each Member States; the imminent coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area on 1st January 2021; the 2020 decision on monetary union within the ECOWAS space; and the consolidation of democratic governance in the turbulent conditions of the Community.

“The challenges, in these critical regional spheres, such as security, economy, trade, currency and health, must be addressed in a spirit of genuine co-operation and solidarity, if we are to succeed in overcoming them, which we can. In so doing, we must protect, at all costs, our freedom and independence of action, so that the development of our Community responds to the needs and aspirations of our peoples, and not to the goals of external agencies and forces. I am confident that, by the grace of God, I can count on the unstinting support of each one of Your Excellencies in navigating the immediate future of our Community,” he added.

The President urged his fellow Heads of State to recognise that the way forward is to implement regional decisions, such as the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, recognising that, ultimately, the benefits are in everyone’s interest.

“Those of us who believe strongly in integration can do no better than to give our full support to regional decisions. Through this, we will build institutional confidence and integrity in the structural organs of ECOWAS,” he said.

To this end, he admonished Members of the ECOWAS Community to “collaborate to ensure that we adhere to and maintain common values of governance, i.e. the principles of democratic accountability, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the rule of law. Such commonality will facilitate immeasurably the process of bonding amongst the peoples of our Community.”

In conclusion, he urged all in ECOWAS to “give enthusiastic support to Community decisions, and build rapidly our Community. Our peoples deserve no less, and the objectives of peace, progress and prosperity will, thus, be within our reach, realising the historic purposes of ECOWAS.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Ghana-Nigeria Culture of co-operation & Brotherliness will continue” – Prez Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has pledged to do whatever is necessary to strengthen the already-strong relations between Ghana and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to President Akufo-Addo, it is important for the progress of West Africa and, indeed, Africa, that Ghana and Nigeria are seen to be working together, and has assured that the two countries will continue down that path.

The President made this known on Thursday, 3rd September 2020, when the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Femi Gbajabiamila, paid a courtesy call on him at Jubilee House, at the end of his 2-day visit to Ghana, at the invitation of the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Hon. Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye.

Welcoming Nigeria’s Speaker and his delegation to Ghana, President Akufo-Addo explained that when the statement from the Nigerian Minister for Information “warning Ghana over incessant harassment of Nigerians” came out, he was very much alarmed.

“I was alarmed because, if they were the sentiments and attitudes of the Federal Government of Nigeria, then we were in a really serious problem,” he said.

The President continued, “I thought it best to speak to Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari) as soon as possible, which I did, and then I was informed by the Speaker (of Ghana’s Parliament) that he had taken an independent course of action in the matter by speaking to you (the Speaker of Nigeria’s Parliament), and inviting you to come to Ghana to talk about the issues that emerged from the statement,” he said.

Commending Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila for taking up the invitation, President Akufo-Addo stated that the result of the meeting between the Ghanaian and Nigerian Speakers is the way forward, and very acceptable to him.

“The idea of legislation to promote a Ghana-Nigeria Business Council, that will have superintendence over trade and investment matters between our two countries, is well overdue. It is events that produces institutions, and the time has come for it to be done,” he said.

Additionally, the President stated that “it will be a good idea also to set up a joint Ministerial Committee for Ministers on both sides, who would be responsible for shepherding Ghana-Nigerian issues, and reporting to both Presidents at any time when matters occur, and how they should be resolved.”

In concluding, President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians and Nigerians to build on the strong relations that have existed between the two countries, or, at the very least, make sure that the current status quo is preserved.

He reassured Speaker Gbajabiamila that the “Nigerian population in Ghana are safe, many of them have lived for centuries trading and doing business in Ghana without any difficulties, and that culture of co-operation and brotherliness will continue.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Prez Akufo-Addo commissions five Piped Water Supply Systems for 69,000 residents of Volta Region

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned the five (5) Piped Water Supply Systems under the Water Supply Improvement Project (WSIP) of the Ghana-Spain Debt Swap Development Programme (DSDP).

Commissioning the Project at Amedzofe, in the Ho West District, on Tuesday, 1st September 2020, the President stated that the Water Supply Improvement Project (WSIP) is being implemented in the Ho Municipality and in three (3) Districts of the Region namely, Ho West, Agortime Ziope, and Adaklu-Anyigbe, at a cost of $3.78 million.

Beneficiary communities include Amedzofe, Ziope, Akpokope/Batume Junction, Matse, Dzolo Gbogame, and surrounding communities.

The Ghana-Spain Debt Swap for Development Programme (DSDP) is one of the interventions instituted by Government to ensure the continuous provision of potable water to the rural and peri-urban populations of the country, and also a clear demonstration of Government’s commitment to fulfill the 2016 NPP Manifesto pledge of providing “Water For All”.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the commissioned project “has expanded access to water, and has ensured sustainable water supply and sanitation services in thirty-six (36) rural communities. In addition, the project has seen to the construction of eighteen (18) piped water supply systems, and it is expected to serve a total population of sixty-nine thousand (69,000) people in all these districts.”

The remaining thirteen (13) water systems under this Project, he said, are at various stages of completion, and all are expected to be finished in December 2020, for the beneficiary communities also to enjoy potable water.

With the Amedzofe Water System sourcing its water from a nearby spring, that has been preserved over the years, the President commended the Chiefs and people of the town for this feat, adding that “I am expectant that other communities across the country will emulate this worthy example, and protect our water bodies, so as to ensure the availability of water.”

Government, President Akufo-Addo assured, will continue to create an enabling environment, through the provision of social infrastructure, to attract investment to our rural communities.

Reiterating further his Government’s commitment to increasing access to potable water for all, he revealed that funding has been secured for the commencement of work on the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project, otherwise known as the Aqua Africa Water Project.

“The Project will construct one hundred and fifty (150) water point sources and twelve (12) small town water systems to serve some five hundred and eight-eight (588) communities across the Volta, Oti, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern Regions. Once completed, the Project will then benefit some two hundred and eighty-two thousand (282,000) people,” the President added.

President Akufo-Addo, thus, urged the inhabitants of the beneficiary communities to help maintain the water infrastructure, so they can to continue to have access to potable water and, through that, ensure their general well-being and health.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for phase III of five districts water supply project in Volta Region

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the commencement of construction Phase III of the Five Districts Water Supply Project in five Districts of the Volta Region.

Cutting the sod on Tuesday, 1st September 2020, at Adaklu-Anfoe, in the Adaklu District, President Akufo-Addo stated that Phase II of the Project will provide potable water to Central Tongu, North Tongu, Adaklu-Anyigbe, Agotime-Ziope and Ho West Districts.

Prez Akufo-Addo

“It is gratifying to note that this Project will provide potable water to eighty-nine thousand, one hundred and seven (89,107) people in one hundred and eighty-three (183) beneficiary communities, such as Dadoboe, Mawoekpor, Mafi Zongo, Mafi Kutime, Mafi Kumase, Avedo Bakpa, Kpoviadzi, Adidome, Kanikope, Bagalikope and Manase Zongo,” the President added.

With Phase III being financed by a concessionary credit facility from the Raiffeisenbank International of Vienna, Austria, to the tune of €11.5 million, he explained that, treated water to the 183 communities will be transported through 132 kilometres of transmission and distribution pipelines.

Other key components of this Project include installation of booster stations, elevated concrete tanks, health and hygiene education and environmental and social safeguards.

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for the projects

“Upon completion, this Project will result in an increase in water coverage for the Volta Region by some 5.6%. Furthermore, it is also expected to reduce the time spent in search for water, thereby, relieving, especially, women and children of this burden; minimise the affliction of water-borne diseases; and maximise the social and health benefits of clean, safe and reliable drinking water,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Government, he stressed, will continue to create an enabling environment, through the provision of social infrastructure, to attract investment to our rural communities.

“As a result, I expect that, with the availability of potable water in these communities, investors will take advantage of Government’s Flagship Programmes, such as “One- District, One-Factory”, to establish small and medium scale factories to exploit the natural resources of the area, create employment for the youth, and stimulate the growth and development of the local economy,” the President added.
President Akufo-Addo assured residents of Adaklu-Anfoe, and, indeed, residents of the 183 beneficiary communities that his Government would not relent in its efforts to increase access to water for all, a 2016 NPP Manifesto commitment, which remains a key priority.

“Whilst Government is committed to living up to its social responsibility, by providing social services like this water project to the people of Ghana, we expect beneficiary communities to contribute their quota towards ensuring the sustainability of these services, by helping to protect the infrastructure so they can last long,” he noted.

The President urged the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, the implementing Agency of the Project, to ensure timely completion of all detailed designs, and also to ensure that the project construction is carried out in accordance with required standards and specifications.

“I assure residents in this Region that Government has plans to increase further water coverage. Phase IV of this Project will be implemented soon for the benefit of communities in the remaining two districts, i.e. North Tongu and Ho West, through the same funding source,” he said.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for Ghana’s’S first modern foundry and machine tooling centre

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the construction of Ghana’s first modern foundry and machine tooling centre, which will produce agro-processing machines and equipment, farming implements, and spare parts for maintenance and repairs.

Cutting the sod for the commencement of construction on Monday, 31st August, President Akufo-Addo explained that, once completed, the facilities at the Centre will provide technical support for policy initiatives of Government such as “One District, One Factory”, which is already in place in many districts across the country, and is providing jobs for Ghanaian youth.

“More importantly, the foundry and machine tooling centre will put us in a position to develop and grow the talents of skilled and innovative young Ghanaians, who graduate from our schools, colleges and universities,” he added.

Delivering his remarks at the ceremony, the President explained that the establishment of the Foundry and Machine Tooling Centre is a key component of a much broader strategic framework that is designed to ensure that Ghana’s socio-economic development is driven by Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

Explaining the rationale for the establishment of the Centre, President Akufo-Addo noted that the structure of economies bequeathed to countries in sub-Saharan Africa by colonialism was aimed at servicing its needs, promoting, essentially, raw material producing and exporting economies, which imported manufactured commodities from the industries of the colonial power.

“Ever since the celebrated British Governor of colonial Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, left our shores in 1928, Ghana’s economy, like that of many countries on the continent, has generally remained structurally rigid, depending largely on exports of primary commodities such as gold, cocoa, bauxite and timber,” he said.

The President continued, “A major contributory factor to this situation has been the fact that our country imports almost all of the equipment, machinery, and parts that support industry, especially in the manufacturing sector. This has not allowed the manufacturing base of our country to grow and expand, and has, thus, rendered our economy incapable of creating the thousands and thousands of jobs that our young people yearn for, and that will raise their living standards.”

In advocating for a “Ghana Beyond Aid”, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government has decided to pursue the strategy of adding value to our resources, through an accelerated industrialisation strategy that exploits the resources of our nation.

Ghana, he said, is endowed with an abundance of land and good climate for agriculture; a rich supply of mineral and natural resources; a youthful population; we are a strong democracy and politically stable country; and we are now the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), with a market of some 1.2 billion people, targeted to reach 2.5 billion by 2050.

All these factors, according to the President, position Ghana to become a potential business and industrial hub, producing and exporting manufactured goods and modern services to the rest of Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and beyond.

“This is the basis and the foundation for our National Strategy for Industrialisation, and the foundation stone we are laying today is a cornerstone of this industrialisation strategy,” he said.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

“Ghana will look like Paradise during Akufo-Addo’s second term” – Allotey Jacobs

The former National Democratic Congress Central Regional Chairman Bernard Allotry Jacob has said that given the NPP another four years in power Ghana will look like Paradise interms of development.

Speaking to Kasapa FM News’ Yaw Boagyan when the president commissioned the CASA DE ROPA factory under the 1D1F at Gomoa Bewadze in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region, he applauded the government for introducing the policy which has created numerous employment to the people of Central Region and in Ghana as well.

“If Nana Addo continues creating jobs like he is doing now, and Ghanaians should give him another four term he will turn Ghana into Paradise so I personally support his 1D1F policy.”

“As at now the government has commissioned two factories in the Central Region which are the Ekumfi Pineapple and Fruit Juice Factory at Ekumfi Nanaben and Casa De Ropa factory at Gomoa Bewadze which have given the teeming youth in the areas jobs. The factories have employed both skilled and unskilled labour and over 400 local people have been employed. Indeed Ghana will turn into an industrialized nation and youth unemployment will be reduced,” Allotey Jacobs added.

1D1F: Prez Akufo-Addo commissions Ekumfi fruits and juices factory

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 21st August 2020, has commissioned the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory, a project initiated under the One-District-One-Factory initiative of his Government.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory is a wholly-owned Ghanaian company, and has one of the most modern, automated agro-processing plants in the country.

“A total investment of fifteen million dollars, ($15 million), of which ten million dollars ($10 million) was a facility from Ghana Exim Bank, has been made. Presently, the production capacity of the factory is ten (10) tonnes of processed juice per hour, utilizing some ten thousand (10,000) fruits per hour. This means that this factory requires four (4) acres of pineapple fruits to be harvested for processing every hour,” he added.

Commissioning the factory, the President recounted how, on 21st August 2017, some seven (7) months after taking office, he cut the sod for the construction of the the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory, the first 1-District-1-Factory project of his Government.

He stated that “In my remarks, I appealed for the unalloyed support of every Ghanaian for the success of this project. Unfortunately, our political opponents did not heed this call, with some going as far as calling this project a hoax and a political gimmick, and with some describing it as ‘a grasscutter breeding house’.

The President continued, “Nearly, three years down the line, we have confounded the doubting Thomases, and I am very happy to be back here in Ekumfi, and, indeed, very proud to commission the Ekumfi Fruit and Juices Factory. As we can all see, this project has been well-planned and well-thought through, with the raw materials needed for the successful implementation of this project already present, and an outgrower scheme in place”.

Explaining the rationale for the 1D1F initiative, President Akufo-Addo noted that the initiative is designed to transform the industrial landscape of the country, and build the capacities of local entrepreneurs and existing enterprises to produce high quality products and services for both domestic and foreign markets.

Further, it seeks to create employment particularly, for the youth, in rural and peri-urban communities, and thereby improve income levels and standard of living, as well as reduce rural-urban migration.

“That is why Ekumfi, which is one of the richest districts in the country in terms of natural resources, has validated the Government’s approach to industrialization, through value addition,” he added.

With 1,000 acres of pineapple under cultivation, employing about 475 outgrowers, the factory has created direct employment opportunities for over five hundred and fifty (550) people including engineers, food scientists, marketing professionals, accountants, and technicians. In addition, more than one thousand (1,000) indirect job opportunities in Ekumfi and other adjoining districts have been created.

“The Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory is yet another example of Government’s determination to promote the industrial transformation of our country. Government will continue to partner the private sector to establish similar modern factories, and which would be globally competitive, and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area, that will begin trading on 1st January next year,” he said.

Commending the Promoters of Ekumfi Fruits Juice Factory for putting up an excellent, modern processing facility in Ekumfi Nanaben in support of the Industrial Transformation Agenda of the Government, President Akufo-Addo also commended the Chiefs and Traditional Authorities for the release of land for the project, and urged all the farmers and workers to be disciplined, and eschew any negative tendencies that may undermine the success of this great project.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Shama district welcomes new hospital as President cuts sod for commencement

The Parliamentary Candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party “NPP” in the Shama Constituency of the Western Region, Hon. Samuel Erickson Abakah has hinted that the Shama and its environs are previlege to have new modern 100 capacity bed District Hospital.

Although they were having district hospital which was under construction. Meanwhile the new District Hospital has proved that in all diverse ways, H. E Nana Addo is ready to help every Ghanaian as health is concerned, he said.

Hon. Abakah emphasize that daily activities of Shama constituents may not function when their health status is being decreased where it may wave their financial standings.

Hon. Samuel Erickson Abakah, Shama MP

The first time parliamentary candidate who is seeking the mandate from Shama constituents the upcoming December polls stated that, after the completion of the new District and its adjoining communities will ease long distance traveling by indigenes to have access to healthcare.

Hon. Lawyer Samuel Erickson Abakah therefore urged Shama constituents within the District to rally behind good works of H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo and New Patriotic Party including him to give them another four “4” term to do more.

Architectural designs

He made this known in an exclusive interview with Vision1 FM Western Regional Correspondent Benjamin Bray when the president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo on his two days visit od-cutting for a 100 bed capacity modern District hospital for Shama District.

According to president of the republic of Ghana his visit on infrastructure development was delayed due to the outbreak of novel Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. Meanwhile the opportunity came for him to tour the western region with two days visit.

Prez Akufo-Addo

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo emphasize that the money procured for the 100 bed capacity modern District hospital for Shama District is ready and there will be no delayment of the project with an amount of Thirty-Two Million Euros “32M€”.

The New Patriotic Party’s 2020 presidential candidate categorically told the contractor, “POLY GHANGDA” to employ skilled and unskilled workers within the Shama District.

Acting President at the Shama Traditional Area, Nana Kwamena Wiano II and Prez Akufo-Addo

“I’m overwhelmed to be in the Shama District to uplift the infrastructure development which was started in the elsewhere administration of John Agyekum Kufour.”, he stated.

The President of the Republic of Ghana therefore urged Ghanaians to vote for in the upcoming December 7th Election and also told Shama Constituents to vote massively for the New Patriotic Party “NPP” Parliamentary Candidate, Hon. Samuel Erickson Abakah who is a Legislature.

In welcome address the Acting President at the Shama Traditional Area, Nana Kwamena Wiano II said, the president of the republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo then a candidate in the 2016 promised them to uplift the status of Shama polyclinic into district hospital.

According to him, Shama District and its environs are unique in terms of having one district, one Constituency and one tradition.

Nana Kwamena Wiano II, urged both the government and the Chinese contractor “GHANGDA” to fastrack the construction of the 100 bed capacity modern District hospital for Shama District.

It is on record that traditional rulers in the Shama Traditional Area offered 10 acres of land to the government of Ghana together with the Ministry of Health and the Shama District Assembly at cost free for the construction of the new modern 100 capacity bed hospital.

Filed By: Benjamin Bray – Vision1 Fm

UCC Sandwich Students Petitions Prez Akufo-Addo to intervene for second semester arrangements to be rescinded

PETITION FOR SECOND SEMESTER ARRANGEMENTS TO BE RESCINDED

Good morning Mr President.

I hope my submission finds you in your soundest health, as well as your other colleague presidents across the various study centers in the country.

Our Wednesday got moody when we chanced on a letter dated 11th August, 2020 with Reference IOE/OU/87/V.3/156 which seeks to communicate the arrangements regarding the End of Second Semester for B.Ed/ Post – Diploma Sandwich Students.

First of all, it is baffling what prompted this arrangement, following the fact that, teachers in the Junior High Schools who are specially assigned to prepare the final year students for their Basic Education Certificate Examination – 2020 are still in school.

I’m not sure the University of Cape Coast, the institution that we’ve all been proud of, is interested in rather disadvantaging it students, and create discomfort between them and the various Education Directorates across the country. It will interest the Management of the Institution to know that, most Directors of Education already have sheer hatred for teachers pursuing some of these courses (Sandwich/ Distance); a topic for another day. Hence, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to seek permission to be out of school to pursue a course, and to be granted same. Since the letter came, some of us have already sought the mind of our headteachers and it has been a vehemently “NO WAY” for such permission.

Already, a lot of the students are having grave challenges with the online learning. Some are totally unaware of same. It will therefore be inappropriate and unfair for the students to be slapped with another disturbing arrangements.

I therefore petition the Coalition of SRC Presidents to vehemently oppose this arrangement that will bring discomfort to a large section of the student population, as evident on the various SRC platforms.

To the best of my interest and the many colleagues alike, let’s hold on with the current arrangements and call the students to campus after the BECE.

I will await acknowledgement of my petition and update on same.

Thank you.

Derrick Fio
(Petitioner)

cc:
Course Reps

SUPPORTING PETITIONERS

1. Jonathan Sam
2. David Adu Karikari
3. Kettey Savior
4. Isaac Antwi-Boasiako
5. Anesi Iddrisu
6. Oteng Samuel kwasi
7. Philip Kusi Manu
8. Basiru Ahmed
9. Christian Owusu
10. Oppong Ernest
11. Wisdom Kodzo Asumah
12. Osman Umar
13. Raymond Afful-Prempeh Jnr.
14. Adongo Jacob D.

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for €68 million La General Hospital redevelopment project

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for commencement of construction of the La General Hospital Redevelopment Project.

At the sod cutting ceremony on Tuesday, 11th August 2020, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the redevelopment project has been occasioned by a report from the Ghana Health Service, which indicated that the five-storey structure of the Hospital had developed gaping cracks, which made the facility unfit for use.

Furthermore, the unplanned nature of the entire hospital campus required that it be re-organised so that it can function efficiently as a 21st century hospital, which will serve the needs of residents of La and its adjoining communities.

With Government’s policy of achieving Universal Health Coverage for all, which demands that access to decent healthcare is guaranteed for every Ghanaian, no matter where they live, the President explained that this is the reason why Government had to source quickly the requisite funding to embark on the redevelopment of the Hospital, in view of its strategic location in our nation’s healthcare delivery system.

“This facility, in so many ways, complements the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, and its upgrading will serve most people from Osu through La and Teshie, as well as residents living along the coastal corridor of Accra,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, “Indeed, with admissions to this Hospital, arising from maternal health and other related complications, increasing from 20.5% in 2008, to 30% in 2017, and with pregnancy and related conditions, for the first time in the history of the life of this Hospital, being the number one cause of admission, require that we improve rapidly the facilities of this hospital”.
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This redevelopment project is being financed by a credit facility from Standard Chartered Bank of the United Kingdom, with an export credit guarantee from Sinosure of the People’s Republic of China, to the tune of sixty eight million euros (€68 million), with an insurance cover of three million, eight hundred and sixty thousand euros (€3,860,349.18).

The project will be undertaken by the Chinese company, Poly Changda, which has wide-ranging experience in China and other parts of Africa in the construction of healthcare facilities.

Upon completion, it will be transformed into a one hundred and sixty (160) bed facility, and it will be fitted with an outpatient department; inpatient wards; maternity and neonatal services; surgical unit with four (4) theatres; accident and emergency department; public health department; pharmacy unit; laboratory; administration; imaging area, with CT Scan, X-ray room, ultrasound, flouroscopy, mammography units; physiotherapy unit; and a mortuary

Whilst the construction of new infrastructure is ongoing, President Akufo-Addo assured that the Ministry of Health is also putting in place measures, such as retraining of existing staff and support to the various Colleges of Health Education, to guarantee the presence of the necessary human resources to man the facilities that will be constructed.

“Upon my assumption of office in 2017, we started recruiting doctors, nurses, pharmacist, allied health professionals and other support staff, who were unemployed after completing their mandatory housemanship rotation or internship,” he said.

The President added that Government, each year, has been providing financial clearance for those who were eligible to do their housemanship rotation and internship.

“As at July this year, Government has recruited ninety thousand, six hundred and ninety-six (90,696) permanent and temporary healthcare workers. Out of the total employed, twenty-nine thousand, five hundred and eighteen (29,518) are temporary staff, whilst the remaining sixty-one thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight (61,178) are permanent,” he added.

To the Chiefs gathered, President Akufo-Addo assured that “this project is a sign of greater things to come for La, and, indeed, for the whole nation. Government’s commitment to the total development of Ghana is absolute”, adding that “I expect that all of us, gathered here, will be present again, God-willing, for the commissioning of this project, once it is completed.”

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for new 400-bed maternity block; 101-bed urology centre at Korle-Bu

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 11th August 2020, cut the sod for the construction and equipping of a twelve (12) storey four hundred (400) bed Maternity and Gynaecological Centre, and a two (2) storey one hundred and one (101) bed Urology and Nephrology Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

It will be recalled that, on 6th December, 2018, during his visit to Korle Bu, where he commissioned the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre for the Hospital, the President was struck by the poor state of the Maternity Block.

“I promised to remedy the situation, as the current state of the building is not fit for purpose. Today’s ceremony is a fulfillment of the pledge I made,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that the commencement of work on these two projects, in addition to the re-activation of construction work on the abandoned seven hundred and fifty (750) bed Maternity and Children’s Block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, will significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country.

This, he explained, are further testimony to the commitment of Government to improve Ghana’s country’s healthcare infrastructure, and move the country steadily towards the goal of achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage for all.

Once completed, the 400-bed Maternity Block facility, President Akufo-Addo, said, “will contribute to addressing the persistent challenges of high maternal and child health morbidity and mortality in Ghana. It will also accelerate our progress towards the achievement of the SDGs through enhanced access to quality maternal and child health services.”

To this end, Government has secured an amount of one hundred and forty-five million, two hundred and twenty thousand euros (€145,220,000) from Standard Chartered Bank to cover the cost of the project, with an export credit guarantee from Swedish Export Credit towards the reconstruction of the maternity block.

Additionally, the Project has an insurance cover of some nineteen million euros (€18,973,024.85), and it is to be constructed through a joint venture entity known as HEDEBI JV. The partners of this group are Rizzani DE ECCHER, Bergam, and Hospital Engineering Ltd.

Once completed, the 12-storey maternity block will have a four hundred (400) bed capacity; twenty (20) labour delivery rooms; one hundred (100) seater waiting area; twenty-six (26) recovery wards; eighteen (18) treatment rooms; twenty-four (24) consulting rooms; seven (7) theatres; IVF services; ten (10) room accommodation for new mothers; thirty-two (32) seater restaurant, with a preparation area; and an emergency unit with its own triage and operating theatre.

Indeed, once completed, the Centre will be the first public facility to deliver IVF services in the Country.

Urology and Nephrology Centre
Cutting the sod for the construction of the €38 million Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence, also at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, President Akufo-Addo stated that the project is being funded by Raiffessen Bank International AG Ltd of Austria, with OeKB Group, also from Austria, providing insurance cover of €4,666,950.

Once completed, it will offer advanced treatment for persons with genito-urinary conditions, chronic and acute kidney failures, as well as nephrology services such as kidney transplants.

“The two (2) storey Urology and Nephrology Centre will have a thirty-one (31) suite dialysis station for persons with kidney disorders, and seventy (70) beds for genito-urinary patients. The Centre will also provide out-patient services, and serve as a resource base to conduct research into urology and nephrology cases,” he said.

The President was confident that the construction of these facilities at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital will put Korle Bu “in a strong position to give meaning to medical tourism services to neighbouring countries, thereby increasing its revenue base to expand services”.

Story: Sheila Satori Mensa

Prez Akufo-Addo commissions University of Environment and Sustainable Development

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, in Somanya, in the Eastern Region, and cut the sod for the commencement of construction of Phase Two of the University.

At the ceremony, on Wednesday, 5th August 2020, at Somanya, President Akufo-Addo stated that the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), funded through the Italian Export Credit Agency, SACE, and the German bank, Deutsche Bank, is yet another example of the nation’s commitment to providing quality education and skills training for the Ghanaian people.

“Indeed, this is the first university in the country with the mandate to provide higher education, research and disseminate knowledge on matters of sustainable development, the protection of the environment, and a focus on developing agri-business,” he added.

He continued, “At a time when the world’s attention is focused on the attainment of the seventeen (17) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, for which I currently serve as co-Chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates, the establishment of UESD could not have come at a more opportune moment in our nation’s history”.

With the country confronted with issues of deforestation, coastal and marine resource degradation, destruction of our biodiversity, climate change, pollution, sanitation, and the phenomenon of illegal mining, the President was hopeful that UESD “will provide strategic leadership on environmental and sustainability issues, and grow quickly to become a centre of excellence in teaching and research in this very important niche area, not only in the country, but also on the continent and beyond”.

Execution of Phase One cost the nation forty-five million, five hundred and seventy-five thousand euros (€45,575,000.00), with the following facilities commissioned: lecture Hall for School of Natural and Environmental Science; multi-purpose auditorium for School of Natural and Environmental Science; laboratory building for School of Agriculture and Agro-Entrepreneurship Development; faculty offices (administration block) for School of Agriculture and Agro-Entrepreneurship Development; Vice Chancellor’s residency; Pro-Vice Chancellors’ residency; and key officers’ residencies

Furthermore, the President indicated that GETFund has released money, through the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), for the payment of compensation to the original land owners, adding that “I have been assured that the outstanding amounts will be settled within the next two weeks”.

Following the completion of this process, President Akufo-Addo noted that the stage is now set for the rollout of Phase Two of the University, which will involve the provision of the following facilities: lecture halls; main library; laboratory; football pitch; handball/basketball court; badminton court; tennis court; and a tartan track.

“The contract for Phase Two was signed on 6th May, 2020. It is a turnkey contract agreement with M/S Contracta, valued at forty-nine million, eight hundred and ninety-one thousand, ninety-eight euros (€49,891,098.00), to be completed within thirty (30) months of signature of the agreement,” he stressed.

The President was also pleased to announce that Government, through the Ministry of Finance, has granted financial clearance to the University to recruit an initial three hundred (300) staff to enable its smooth take-off.

“The Interim Council is, moreover, expected to begin recruitment of its first batch of undergraduate students for the 2020/2021 academic year. I assure you that Government will continue to do all it can to help this University discharge its mandate, and grow to become a centre of excellence,” he said.

Indeed, the Ministry of Education, acting through the National Council for Tertiary Education, is currently in the process of providing vital logistical support to this University, because of Government’s commitment to provide seed money to allow the University meet some of its most urgent operational needs.

Whilst thanking the contractor for this project, Messrs Contracta Costruzioni, for their commitment to the assignment, the President was confident that the next phase of the project will be carried out on time and on budget, so the University can have the full complement of facilities to help it maximise its potential to deliver quality teaching and learning, as well as cutting-edge research.

“Enhancing our nation’s human resource is key to the development and transformation of our nation. An education that will produce dedicated, determined and disciplined graduates, who will be eager and willing to participate in developing our beloved Ghana, and to become her patriotic future citizens, remains our objective,” he added.

Prez Akufo-Addo cuts sod for Nsukwao basin drainage project; visits 1D1F facility in Akropong

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the Nsukwao Basin Drainage Project, in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region, under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP).

It will be recalled that the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme was launched on 7th May 2019, in Koforidua, with its main goal being to improve urban management and basic urban services in the twenty-five (25) participating Municipal Assemblies across the country.

Cutting the sod for construction of the drainage project on Tuesday, 4th August 2020, President Akufo-Addo noted that the New Juaben Municipal Assembly has identified flooding as a major risk to the lives and livelihoods of persons living in Nsukwao, Zongo, Two Streams, Abongri and other communities within the municipality.

Nsukwao, the community in which the project will be situated, has since 2016 recorded, annually, incidents of flooding, which have rendered most residents homeless.

To this end, the President explained that the Basin Drainage Project will deliver a storm drain that will minimize flooding in the identified communities at the cost of GH¢15,811,145.00, and packaged into seven (7) lots.

It will also involve installation of four (4) storm water surface detention ponds distributed along the Nsukwao River, flow facilities, channelization and streambank stabilization, concrete pipes and culverts and two access roads.

President Akufo-Addo was confident that “this project will make flooding a history in New Juaben, and help restore enhance livelihoods of the residents in the Municipality.”

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama, indicated that her Ministry is currently working closely with the municipal assemblies and the design and supervision firms to come up with next phase of priority projects for the 25 Assemblies.

ID1F – Akro Farms
At Apasare, in Akwapim North, President Akufo-Addo visited Akro Farms Ltd., a 1-District1-Factory (1D1F) initiative.

The company, which produces fresh and heathy table eggs, chicken feed, broilers, processed chicken and day-old chicks, has completed the first phase of its project with an investment of some GH¢20 million.

Management told the President that the automated Brooder house has a capacity of 40,000 birds, and has an automatic egg collection and packaging system installed to ensure speed and efficiency in our processes.

Additionally, the farm has a hatchery, with one feed processing unit and warehouse with 400 KVA Industrial Power Generation plant. The company plans to set up a 16,000 per day capacity meat processing plant for the broiler farm and out grower farmers.

The company has created both direct and indirect job opportunities for over 1,025 individuals involved in the poultry value chain in Akuapim North and its surrounding districts.