Ghana is in total disarray and the President’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) delivered before Parliament on Tuesday, 9 March 2021 does not reflect the true state of the nation, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has said.
According to the CPP, President Akufo-Addo failed to state in clear terms the exact state of the nation but rather a repetition and recycled of unfulfilled campaign promises.
Reacting to the President’s first SoNA in his second term, the CPP in a statement noted that: “The situation that most Ghanaians find themselves in now is deplorable and unable to meet their basic needs in terms of the simplest of existence which is steeped in gainful employment, access to good and affordable health care, decent accommodation, food security, and quality education that leads to a better life. Circumstances of the ordinary Ghanaian, spread across the entirety of our beloved nation, is worsened by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of neoliberal economic policies which continue to be implemented by the NPP.”
The CPP said the President failed to expatiate and address Ghana’s ballooning national debt currently standing at “approximately a whooping Two Hundred and Ninety-Seven Billion Ghana Cedis which represent a close to 78% of our Gross Domestic Product(GDP).”
The CPP further noted that its research has revealed a contrary view by the President that there was no food shortage in the year under review.
The statement said the country was dependent on the importation of food, agricultural product (rice, maize, tomatoes), and poultry products(chicken) to supplement local production.
“In the year 2020, there was a massive shortage of maize, tomatoes and basic food items in the country. The question is then asked by the CPP that why are Ghanaians paying exorbitant prices for foodstuffs in the market when there is a complete food glut in the country?” the CPP’s statement quizzed.
The CPP further indicated that it finds it surprising that President Akufo-Addo did not state the position of government on the matter of LGBT+ especially at a forum where he was present before the representatives of the people.
It added that the CPP is also highly disappointed and dismayed that the President in his address did not touch on the issue of corruption and did not give any clear roadmap and commitment to fighting this menace and canker.
The statement promised that a CPP government if elected into power would meet the economic, social, health and educational aspirations of the people and create a comfortable haven for Ghanaians and make Ghana great again.
Read the full CPP statement below:
CONVENTION PEOPLES PARTY – PRESS STATEMENT THE DECLINING STATE OF GHANA – CONVENTION PEOPLE’S PARTY
The Conventions Peoples Party would like to put on record, that in its view the state of our dear nation is in total disarray. The address by the President on Tuesday the 9th of March 2021 on the Floor of Parliament, failed to state in clear terms the exact state of our beloved nation Ghana, but rather a repetition and recycled unfulfilled campaign promises. The situation that, most Ghanaians find themselves in now is deplorable unable to meet their basic needs in terms of the simplest of existence which is steeped in gainful employment, access to good and affordable health care, decent accommodation, food security, and quality education that leads to a better life.
Circumstances of the ordinary Ghanaian spread across the entirety of our beloved nation is worsened by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of neo-liberal economic policies which continue to be implemented by the NPP.
The President failed to expatiate and address our ballooning national debt currently standing at approximately a whooping Two Hundred and Ninety – Seven Billion Ghana Cedis (297.00 billion Ghana Cedis) which represent close to 78% of our Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
This fact alone is worrying because our true fiscal situation means that all the NPP so-called promises of projects and infrastructural developments are all rhetoric and cannot be done. It has come to the fore that this debt stock increased from One Hundred and Twenty Billion Ghana Cedis to present state.
The intervention of a 32-megawatt hydroelectric plant in the Northern part of Ghana is laudable but the President failed to tell us the cause of recent power outages, system collapses, a semblance of load shedding at specific hours of the day, causing interruptions in our daily lives as well as the debt stock of the Electricity Subsector of the Energy Sector. The Party’s research has also revealed a contrary view by the President that there was no food shortage in the Year under review.
On the contrary, it came to the fore that the country was dependent on the importation of food, agricultural product (RICE MAIZE TOMATOES), and poultry products(CHICKEN) to supplement local production. In the year 2020 there was a massive shortage of maize, tomatoes and basic food items in the country.
The question is then asked by the CPP, that why are Ghanaians paying exorbitant prices for foodstuffs in the market when there is a complete food glut in the country. These high prices for foodstuffs certainly, go beyond the pockets of ordinary Ghanaians. As part of the campaign promises of the NPP, they promised to build hospitals in all district capitals, and more hospitals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and now a further promise is made to build a hundred and Eleven more hospitals.
It is unfortunate and unacceptable that none of these promises have been fulfilled by the NPP government. These failed promises are being perpetuated in the face of a dwindling health care system which is falling into a total abyss of dilapidation The CPP abhors LGBT+ orientation and its looming scourge trying to overtake the socio-cultural fabric of our society, what is surprising is that the President did not state the position of government on the matter especially at a forum where he was present before the representatives of the people.
The CPP also believe that the President could have told the nation how the campaign promise of One Million Ghana Cedis per Constituency is being implemented and how the money (Task Payers) has been utilised. The CPP is also highly disappointed and dismayed that the President in his address did not touch on the issue of corruption and did not give any clear roadmap and commitment to fighting this menace and canker. The President did not give any plan of action in his address concerning the Fifty-Eight percent (58%)of our teeming and disappointed unemployed youth in the country and this, the CPP is highly unhappy about.
The CPP with a lot of sadness wish to indicate that the State of Our Nation Ghana as presented by the President is not a true reflection of the State of our Nation, the true state of the nation is a gloomy picture without hope which does not meet the real needs of our people The COVID- 19 pandemic has clearly exposed the weaknesses, in our economy the situation making most Ghanaians destitute, it is in this light the CPP is calling on Ghanaians to join the rank and file of the party so as to change the fortunes of Ghanaians.
Certainly, a CPP government if elected into power would meet the economic, social, health and educational aspirations of the people and create a comfortable haven for our people and make Ghana Great Again Forward Ever Backwards Never.
Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah
(signed)
General Secretary
