State of the Nation Address as delivered by President Mills Today : Live Updates

Thursday, 16 February 2012 11:48

Written by ghanapolitics.net

Mills delivers state of the nation address

President JEA Mills is presenting his fourth State of the Nation Address to Parliament this morning.

Follow our live updates here.

Mills enters House.

Speaker Joyce Bamford Addo announces his presence in the House.

She invites president to the podium to deliver his address.

Mills acknowledges dignitaries including former president Rawlings who is in the House with his wife, Konadu.

Greets and wishes all a prosperous year.

The state of the nation is stable, economy is good.

For three years that he has been president, country has moved in the right direction in accordance with NDC manifesto despite internal and external constraints

There is hope

Ghana recorded highest economic growth of almost 14 per cent in 2011.

Economy recorded longest single digit inflation in 42 years.

The successes that have been chalked up should be to the credit of all Ghanaians especially government.

Watching developments in the global economy with hope and apprehension.

Worsening economic state of HIPC countries can bring about serious consequences.

Doing what we can to prepare against any eventuality.

Achievements have resulted in an increase in investor confidence in Ghana.

FDIs have increased.

Commends Ghana Revenue Authority for good job done.

Achievements have impacted positively on the key areas.

Education sector achieved great things.

Many classroom blocks are being constructed in Accra to eliminate shift system which has hampered education.

1,700 schools to be built.
Will reduce schools under trees.
Distributed 3 million school uniforms to needy students nationwide.

Wills address employment problems of the youth by completing school projects to educate youth.

School of Fisheries we promised at Anomabo is on the way.

Various changes are taking placed in ICT. Changes are here too.
Mobile number portability is an example.

Preparations are underway to change from analogue to digital TV well ahead of the deadline.

In agriculture, government has increased combine harvesters and other farm inputs.

Cotton farmers in the three northern regions will attest to the revival of cotton industry.

Government has rehabilitated irrigation dams.

Produced more than one million tonnes of cocoa fir the first time.

Have out-performed every government in history in terms of payments to cocoa farmers.

Taken steps to enforce fisheries regulations.

Power outages will be brought under control.
Thousand hundred communities have connected to national grid.

Plans to put street lights on every regional capital on course.

Earned $444 million in oil last year. Will continue to make full disclosure of earnings and liftings of oil.

Hopes further exploration will yield good results.

Givernment has demonstrated Ghana first.

Minority singing, clad in black mourning the state of affairs in the country.

President is undaunted and continues with his address

Last year which was action year, 80 per cent of public sector workers migrated onto single spine salary structure.

This has however increased wage bill from 2.4 billion to 3 billion Ghana cedis.

This could not have been without improvements in the economy.

People say good economic indicators have not translated into their pockets but that cannot be true.

Now expects greater commitment and efficiency from workers.

NHIS has increased to 17 million plus. There is need for national dialogue on financing of health.

Plan to improve access to healthcare proceeding according to plan.

Laying health infrastructure aggressively.

Equipping hospitals through out the country.

MRI are being installed at the Komfo Anokye and Tamale teaching hospitals. Two more will be installed at Volta and Central regional hospitals.

Built health assistant training schools as well as nursing schools.

When it comes to roads we have done a lot. Tetteh-Quarshie-Madina is 85 per cent complete, Kumasi-Techiman road complete, Nsawan, Sogakofe-Adidome, etc are nearing completion.

A resident of town that benefited from a road project came to him and said wunpe wei, na wupe dien, to with if you don't like this, what do you like.

Did not mention N1 Highway because Kufuor secured the funding.

Election year there is need for security. Doing all that we can so that we can make them ready to undertake task of securing peace.

Crime has reduced but we hope to have a crime-free society.

Supplied hardware to military.

Installing digital border surveillance equipment for immigration.

Ghana very much believes in good neighbourliness which remains one of our cardinal objectives.

Believes in diplomacy. When it comes to protecting land and maritime borders will use diplomacy.

Training youth in conflict resolution, effects of drugs and substance abuse etc.

Team Ghana did well at the Maputo Mozambique games.

Stars lost to the eventual winner so they did well.

Stars must be taught how to take penalties.

ET Mensah is a specialist in penalty taking.

Promises to help Black Stars regain form.

Job 600 will be completed this year and confident will be the first president to address MPs in the building.

Has not relented in the fight against corruption.

Appreciate the contribution of judiciary to deepening democracy in Ghana but where there is a perception that the judiciary is on the side of wrongdoers, it undermines democracy.

Elections

The judiciary must resolve electoral disputes with dispatch.

The media has a critical role to play.

Atta Mills has no intention of bringing violence in Ashanti region nor does he know of anybody seeking to do that.

Committed to violence-free election.

I have always preached peace because I believe in peace.

Happy that some leaders are responding to calls for peace and have now realised there is need to pray for peace.

Won't slow fown pace of development.

We have to hold in check those who want to hold this country to ransom. If we are not circumspect, the peace of the country will be jeopadised.

Pray the cooperation of legislature.

Once we deal with each other in the best of faiths, success will always crown our efforts. I wish you the best of luck, Thank you.

Minority have pulled out red cards chanting 'away, away, away.'

Mills says he expected heckling but "I didn't expect the heckling to be so gargantuan."

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