Mr. Oppong remarked that “substantial parts [of the address] have been about promises instead of what is currently happening.”

“We may have missed the actual requirement of the constitution [Article 67] on this matter because it says the President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before a dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the State of the Nation,” he said on The Big Issue.

The most recent State of the Nation address, by President Nana Akufo-Addo, contained a number of projections and proposals, notably when he spoke on sanitation, the creation of new regions, the state of the eastern corridor road, among others.

Mr. Oppong stressed that, there must be a clear difference between the budget statement, which is about projections, and State of the Nation, which should “be to state exactly how the state, the economy, the political environment is like.”

“…But over time, our Presidents have taken advantage and even highlighted more promises. It is becoming like a duplication of what the President does through the Finance Minister. The Finance Minister does this in November and then within two months or sometimes one month, the President too has to come and give the State of the Nation Address,” the lawyer added.

In his view, “the point is to state what it is because what he should do about it would have been stated by the Finance Minister.”

‘State of promises’

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had earlier described the President’s State of Nation Address as a ‘State of Promises’ after the President’s delivery in Parliament on Thursday.

On the back of the Minority Leader’s comment, Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, said the President’s address was more of a campaign speech and all the president did was talk about what he is going to do instead of what his outfit has done so far.

“Virtually, he was just talking as if he was on a campaign trail, still making promises. Instead of him to be telling us exactly what he has been able to do in 2017, the President wasted all the time talking about what he was going to do,” he said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Speaking on The Big Issue, the policy analyst cited the restricted spending in 2017 and increased budgetary allocations for 2018 as the reasons government will have to be wary of this year.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GK5ov9Ai8I3tSObtgbvJrKaVVu6vWWbA”]His comments were in response to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address, which highlighted the improved prospects of Ghana’s economy.

Progress made in the economy in 2017 included reduced inflation, increased economic growth, a rise in GDP by up to 7.9 percent, and an increase in Ghana’s international reserves.

The President, among other things, also noted that the World Bank has projected that Ghana’s economy will probably grow by 8.3 percent this year, which will be the fastest in the world in 2018.

Mr. Cudjoe acknowledge the economy’s growth as being “stellar” but said a proper reading the Akufo-Addo government’s handling of the economy will be in 2019 and beyond.

“There has been a stellar performance. The macroeconomic outlook is looking great but it is also looking great on the back of restricted spending in the first year. It is this year and the subsequent years that will actually test these macroeconomic figures, especially now that we have made huge budgetary allocations, to the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives for instance. The real test of the fortitude of the management of the economy will then be felt.”

Boldness with IMF deal

President Akufo-Addo, during his address, said he expected the improving macroeconomic indicators to usher Ghana out of the International Monetary Fund programme later this year after his administration extended the 2015 programme.

In response to this, Mr. Cudjoe said: “it was very reassuring to hear the President say that we were going to get out of the IMF deal, which is very useful.”

He lauded the boldness and optimism of the government to declare it would exceed the IMF’s projections.

“For the first time, we were able to tell the IMF that these are the expectation of the economy but we think that we can do better because we had put in place certain measures that would ensure private sector growth and enhance opportunities within the economy so that your fear that the economy may be going to a downward spiral may not actually happen,” the IMANI Africa President said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 2018 will provide true test for ‘recovering’ economy – IMANI Boss appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“When I heard the comparison between the NDC and the NPP in terms of procurement figures, I wasn’t particularly sure what the basis of the comparison was,” Mr. Cudjoe noted on The Big Issue.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XyWePxz0zDTNEddLGnWiTfQJAPTydjsp”]He also downplayed the significance of the reduction in sole-sourced contracts because there was still a lack of transparency as far as citizens were concerned.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, speaking to the Media in January, first revealed that his government had saved about GHc 782 million from sole sourcing and restricted tendering processes within its first year in government.

He was keen to note that this was in sharp contrast to the zero savings made from sole sourcing in 2016 under the National Democratic Congress.

The drop in sole-sourced contracts is noted to be 37 percent from 2016.

He reiterated this point during his State of the Nation address where he outlined that 394 sole sourcing requests were made in 2017, out of which 223, representing 56.6 percent, were approved, and 171, representing 43.4 percent, were rejected.

No change from NDC era

Despite President Akufo-Addo’s assertions, Mr. Cudjoe expressed some misgivings with the fact that goods were still being sole-sourced as he asked “whether we would ever do anything significantly different from what we have seen in the past.”

“Even if there was 90 percent approval of sole sourcing under NDC and we now have 50 percent approval under the NPP, the point I am trying to make is that there is no basis for this kind of comparison because, first of all, we don’t even get to see, as ordinary people, what exactly is being procured,” he said.

Per the IMANI Africa President’s understanding, sole sourcing “must be rare” thus, leading him to wonder whether the over 200 approved sole-sourcing requests were “from Mars.”

“If you look at the functions of various public agencies, those that are executing projects, what are they buying? Roofing sheets, cement, branding buses? What is so special about the [agreements sole sourced]?”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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• Inspiration

State of the nation addresses are expected to inspire. When the president mounts the podium to give the state of the nation address, one of the things he is expected to do as a leader is to inspire the nation to action. A State of the Nation address is not just a dry speech made up of statistical figures and percentages though we all agree that is paramount and extremely important. Through the power of words and language the president is expected to call the nation to action, prompt a sense of optimism and rally citizens to a national cause. President Nana Akufo-Addo did have some good sentences but there was limited passion and none of the soaring rhetoric and clear vision for people to latch on to. This was yet another opportunity to develop his “Ghana beyond aid” idea further into a national cause and movement. He clearly missed it. There wasn’t any use of anecdotes or personal stories to define an era or to demonstrate the president’s dreams and hopes for the country and the future. It was a dry, boring and mechanical speech that sounded perfunctory. Did the President inspire? No.

Verdict/Scorecard: Poor. Needs to pay special attention to this element of his speech and bounce back stronger.

• Broad Theme

Was there a broad theme? Absolutely not. Was there an identifiable theme? Speeches must mean something not just constitute the weaving of words or the presentation of laundry lists. Was this just a patch work of words and figures? Did we get the sense of a big philosophical argument or thesis or theme underpinning his entire state of the nation address? I don’t think so. What is the Nana Addo presidency about? The speech was good at listing a lot of ideas but the connective tissue was missing. We need to know the president’s world view and the broad themes or ideas or framework guiding or underpinning his presidency.

Verdict/Scorecard: Fail. There was no clear theme

• National Unity

Was there an appeal to national unity? Did the president demonstrate bipartisanship? Was there an appeal to national values and patriotism? The state of the nation address is a national event and the president must not miss any opportunity to deepen national cohesion. The first thing the president must always do is to call on or remind citizens of important national values, attitudes and beliefs. He did well with shaking hands with both members of the aisle, recognizing previous presidents and mentioning names like Dr Obed Asamoah and Mr Kofi Adams but this wasn’t enough. His comments about the NDC not recognising former President Rawlings were a bit unnecessary too. It is important not to use the State of the Nation address to score political points. The President should never miss the opportunity in a State of the Nation address to play up and entrench national values and appeal to the nation’s sense of patriotism.

Verdict: Average. The President tried but did not comprehensively appeal to a national sense of patriotism. At some point he tried to score political points.

• Definition of nation’s problems

Did the president define the nation’s problems well, connect with people and show he understands our problems? Did the president demonstrate that he understands our plight? He attempted to do this by speaking about jobs, sanitation, traffic, water and lack of toilet facilities. The fact that the president didn’t talk much about increasing fuel prices showed a certain disconnect since this was one of the major issues of public conversations going into the SONA. So here, we will say the president did well by enumerating some problems but did it speak to the core and the heart of the issues Ghanaians are facing in a compelling way? Verdict: Probably not. His performance was marginally average. In other words, this was a weak average.

• Vision

Successful State of the Nation addresses are visionary. They paint a clear picture of the future and demonstrate how to achieve it. Did he lay forth a bold and strong national vision? Does he provide direction? The president needs to make a powerful and lay out a strong vision for the nation. We need to see an undying urge to succeed, showing empathy and authenticity.  There was absolutely no compelling vision and cause around which the nation could rally. The idea of a clear vision is related to the first point of inspiration. People are inspired when there is a clear, strong vision they can latch on to. Did we see a Head of State who take responsibility for his pitfalls or problems? I think there’s a lot more work to be done in this department.

Verdict/Scorecard: The President scored below average here. More work needs to be done

• Language

The Speech was generally well written. There weren’t any memorable quotes and the president missed several opportunities to employ rhetorical tools such as anecdotes, parallelisms and threepeats. He did well by employing repetition for emphasis in certain critical areas. He also used humour effectively in several areas. The use of an Ewe proverb (Nu veve la, wo dane le eze veve me) was also quite effective considering that the president is not from the Volta Region. It shows a willingness to learn from other cultures further strengthening national cohesion. It was a good moment for him. It eased tensions, people laughed and it created quite an exciting atmosphere. Generally the language was comprehensible but the wording got dense at a point.

Verdict/Scorecard: Satisfactory, a bit above average but more room for improvement.

• Delivery and non-verbal cues

The president is a solid speaker. He had great command over his delivery. He was genial, enthusiastic, quite energetic and focused. There were no unnecessary gesticulations, his movement was synchronised, well timed and complimentary to the delivery. There were also just a few response to comments from the gallery. His appearance was good, formal and appropriate. However the President would have scored more points if he made this a Batakari Thursday. He tended to cough quite a bit but one cannot fault him too much for that. He used his handkerchief effectively as well. Generally his physical behaviour was apt.

Verdict: Excellent

• Conclusion of Speech

The president had a flat ending. The ending of a speech is one more chance to restate an important point, advocate for an issue, restate a theme and rally the nation. The president needs to end on an inspirational tone. President Akufo-Addo missed this final opportunity to have a lasting impression. He ended abruptly, there was no last hurrah and no call to action. The ending was just not moving, not powerful and failed to connect with the audience.

Verdict/Scorecard: Poor

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By Etse Sikanku and Frank Kofi Boadi

The post Rating Nana Addo’s style, delivery in State of the Nation address [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This follows the president’s State of the Nation Address on [Thursday] February 8, 2018, where he stated that the country’s economy had been projected by the World Bank and other international bodies to be the fastest growing in the world in 2018.

According to them, the upward trajectory of the economy is due to the solid foundation laid by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kCCazVYPavnDpena0dIiSwsFNoCWaLmb”]Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who addressed the press today [Friday], February 9, 2018, said contrary to the President’s projection, Ghana may not exit the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program by the end of this year as suggested by the president.

The IMF program which started in 2015, was to end in 2017, but the IMF upon concluding its fourth review of Ghana’s programme in August 2017, extended the programme by one year and approved a $94.2 million disbursement.

Haruna Iddrisu says Ghana can only exit the IMF program “if [Ghana] meets the benchmark of fiscal consolidation” adding that by the President’s assessment, Ghana is nowhere near exiting from the program.

“One of it is fundamental debt management and superior debt management strategy and its sustainability and to avoid moving the country into a debt distress country especially when they are issuing bonds. So as a Minority we are mindful and concerned about his early announcement and how that can affect the international financial market and even the Ghanaian economy as they continue to issue bonds. We have not met all the requirements and we are not likely to meet all the requirements,” headed.

According to Haruna Iddrisu, the Akufo-Addo government is only hiding behind refusal to clear arrears owed contractors, to suggest that fiscal discipline has been achieved.

“…The fact that you are accumulating arrears and not paying contractors does not mean you are disciplined fiscally and prudent, no. Yesterday [Thursday], he [President], was talking about the eastern corridor road, Bolgatanga-Bawku road, the contractor is virtually packing out of site for non-payment. Since he got some releases from the NDC to commence work, he has not had any substantial inflow from the government of Nana Addo Dankwa, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Finance Minister in order to be able to continue work.”

“They [NPP Government] are compelling many contractors to do what you can call a raiser cut…that does not respect the sanctity of contracts. Internationally, we are making the country a laughing stock because out of fear of political intimidation, many of them are giving in to what they should not including local contractors. We expect the government to stop those by force raiser cuts they are giving international contractual arrangements and others,” the Minority Leader noted.

On the claim that about 745,000 employment avenues were created under the Planting for Food and Jobs program, Haruna Iddrisu called for an independent assessment and full publication of the names of those employed under the program.

“All agricultural experts in this world and the country must interrogate the figures of 745,000 persons employed under planting for food because even the committee chairman’s own constituency the numbers are not what they are reporting…someone independent, if you have the list, please  publish it for us because its important. So if you distrust government and the minority, let’s have an independent assessment,” he added.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke M. Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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Government has revealed that the money saved from renegotiating the contract for the purchase of some cars for use by the Presidency under the previous administration, was used to procure a hundred cars for the Police Service.

[contextly_sidebar id=”hI7KTb7tkoZ69ri2QPzSLOUFS5fsfwpT”]The Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, stated that with the risk of a judgement debt hanging over its head, government renegotiated with Amalgamated Securities Limited, purchasing.

Mr. Hamid stated that the remainder was used to purchase 100 Toyota Corollas for the Police Service.

“Government has however made sure to obtain maximum gain for the public purse and also for ensuring the security of the state.We have reduced the number of vehicles ordered from 43 to 34, which is nine short of the original number. In place of the nine, we have acquired 100 Toyota Corolla cars for use by the Police Service in line with our commitment to retool the Police Service to enable them play effectively, their role of protecting the Ghanaian people.We have done all this with a total amount of US$ 8.8 million,” the Information Minister said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Mr. Anning on Eyewitness News however indicated that, this will not resolve the challenges the Police Service face in carrying out their duties.

“Criminals don’t use the asphalted roads, they use the bad roads and will be able to escape from the Toyota Corollas procured for the police. Anyone on bicycle fit to run will be able to outrun this Toyota Corolla and I wonder if there was a conversation between those who matter on the government side and the Ghana Police Service as to what types of vehicle or vehicles they will need.

“100 Toyota Corollas are not fit for purpose. We need the vehicles, but they ought to have been better operationally fitted vehicles. These vehicles are not fit for purpose in terms of operations or the types of operations that the Police Service use vehicles for.”

Ghc800m for police; helicopters, drones in the offing- Nana Addo

His comments comes on the back of President Nana Addo’s announcement of government’s plans to allocate some GH¢ 800million to the Ghana Police Service to ensure improvement in its operations.

He said the amount will be used for the procurement of modern policing equipment and gadgets including helicopters and drones to enhance the capacity of the service in dealing with crime in the country.

In his 2018 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo said the government is committed to resourcing the police with the necessary equipment to ensure that it carries out its mandate of enforcing law and order in the country.

“The police, the prosecution services and the judiciary owe it to all of us to make us feel and be safe. I do not need to repeat that crime wears no political colours, and I am certain that message has gone down to all…The law enforcement agencies will crack down very hard on all those who would disturb the peace of our nation…We will give the Police the resources they need to do their job,” Akufo-Addo said.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mr. Amissah Arthur said he was disappointed the President failed to spell out plans of empowering law enforcement agencies who will deal with persons creating fear and panic in the name of politics.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FLC4lnakbJpDWyVDkfiasCoKZo5bugkW”]“He speaks very well but there was very little content. The worry of most people is insecurity. I thought he was going to empower law enforcement agencies to deal with political party youth who are creating fear and uncertainty but he did not.”

Although the President had indicated in his address that government was allocating some GHC 800 million to the Ghana Police Service to ensure an improvement in its operations, the Vice President said that was not enough.

Nana Addo also spoke about political vigilantism, and asked the police to carry out their duties effectively, by arresting culprits without fear or favour.

“Retooling them is not empowering them against political vigilantism. That is the fear most people have. The law enforcement agencies themselves are worried about the role that these people are playing in this country and I did not hear anything like that” Amissah-Arthur said.

Nana Addo delivered ‘State of promises’ – Haruna Iddrisu

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, also described the address as ‘State of Promises’.

On the back of the Minority Leader’s comment, Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, told Citi News the President’s address was more of a campaign speech, adding that all the president did was talk about what he is going to do instead of what his outfit had done so far.

“Virtually, he was just talking as if he was on a campaign trail, still making promises. Instead of him telling us exactly what he has been able to do in 2017. The President wasted all the time talking about what he was going to do,” he said.

Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu, in reaction to Muntaka’s claims however said once they are in opposition, the Minority will never be satisfied with government’s efforts at developing the country.

“It is typical that in opposition you have to rubbish everything that is right under your nose. Even he [Muntaka Mubarak] would have to admit that the improvements in the indices as indicated by the President are remarkable. You will marvel at it and so I am not surprised that he is saying he heard nothing,” she said.

She challenged some of the information put out by the Chief Whip, saying they were inaccurate.

“Unfortunately, all the facts that he claims he has put out are nonfactual and are bombs, and I challenge you to do a fact check,” she said.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This took place moments after Mr. Mahama together with other former Presidents including Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as former Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, observed the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Nana Akufo-Addo in Parliament.

Following the two-hour address, the former President was pictured with a spoon in a plate of rice with a number of the Minority MPs.

He was flanked by his former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.  It is unclear what message the former President seeks to send across by this act.

Click below to watch the video:

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post John Mahama eats with Minority MPs [Video] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A number of them were seen in black apparel, whilst others had pieces of plaster on their mouths, symbolizing some sort of gagging.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, was himself, wearing black traditional Dagomba wartime regalia.

During the national anthem, the Minority MPs made sure they empathized the parts of the verse that said: “…and help us to resist oppressors’ rule with all our will and might for evermore.”

They subsequently chanted that section of the anthem suggesting that they were resisting some form of oppression from the New Patriotic Party government.

Speaking to Citi News after the President’s Address, NDC MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, explained that the NDC legislators had to voice their opposition to what they perceived to be an erosion of Ghana’s democracy.

“The plaster on my lips was to express my disappointment about the rising cost of living in the country and silently to protest against fuel price increases, the increasing incidents of insecurity in the country and to let the people of Ghana know that we are unhappy about what is also happening in the country.”

“…As you can see, our democracy is taking a dip. As you can see, things are not happening the way they should. The party promised the people of Ghana milk and honey from the skies. Unfortunately, we are not seeing any relief for the mothers. We are not seeing any relief for students,” Ras Mubarak said.

This comes on the back of a staged walkout in Parliament on Tuesday when the ‘cash for seat’ investigative report was being debated in Parliament.

The Minority side said it believed the report reflected only the views of the Majority side on the Committee.

The walkout was followed by a sit-down protest on Wednesday where the Minority MPs refrained from taking part in discussions on the Floor of Parliament despite being present.

‘Address of promises’

Haruna Iddrisu has described the President’s State of Nation Address as ‘State of Promises’ after the President’s address in parliament today [Thursday].

Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, said the President’s address was more of a campaign speech, and that all the President did was to talk about what he is going to do instead of what his outfit has done so far.

“Virtually, he was just talking as if he was on a campaign trail, still making promises…instead of him to be telling us exactly what he has been able to do in 2017, the President wasted all the time talking about what he was going to do,” he said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NDC MPs don black, plaster mouths in protest against gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A little over a year into the New Patriotic Party’s four-year term, President Akufo-Addo affirmed that his government’s economic management team’s hard work was beginning “to show positive results.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”l1PDKcMB0wQj3wgLp1VgznE5ORgg9GVh”]The President’s touting of the economy, especially at the mention of the Finance Minister’s name, during his address, was met with jeers from the Minority National Democratic Congress MPs, who have continued to pile pressure on Mr. Ofori Atta over alleged malfeasance in the issuance of the $2.25 billion bond in April 2017.

As evidence of the progress of the economy, President Akufo-Addo cited the strong trajectory of the Ghana Stock Exchange Composite Index in January 2018, which gained 19 percent in dollar terms, according to benchmarks tracked by Bloomberg.

The World Bank has also projected that Ghana’s economy will probably grow by 8.3 percent this year, which will be the fastest in the world in 2018.

The President expects these improving macroeconomic indicators to usher Ghana out of the International Monetary Fund programme later this year after his administration extended the 2015 programme.

“The good macroeconomic performance in 2017 will strongly support our successful completion of the IMF programme. We are determined to put in place measures to ensure irreversibility and sustained macroeconomic stability so that we will have no reason to seek again the assistance of that powerful global body.”

Ghana on the right track

Beyond the strong economic indicators, President Nana Akufo-Addo said his economic management team had found imaginative ways to deal with the “oppressive debt situation” bringing relief to the country and rebuild the “annual average rate of debt accumulation as reduced from a high of 36 percent to 13.6 percent as at September 2017.”

“As a result of appropriate policy and the normalization of power situation in the country, [we]  have also engineered a spectacular revival of Ghanaian industry from a growth rate of negative 0.5 percent in 2016, to 17.5 percent in 2017,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo was however keen to stress that, the gains made on the economy from did not mean Ghana was out of the woods.

“I do not suggest in any way that these headline grabbing-figures mean we are anywhere near resolving our economic problems. I am saying, to borrow the language of the economist, that for the first time in a long while, our macroeconomic fundamentals are solid and all the critical indices are pointing in the right direction,” the President Stated.

Jabs at NDC government

Like in his 2017 address, President Akufo-Addo’s figures on the progress of the economy were used to take subtle jibes at the Mahama administration, and the state that it left the economy in 2016.

The President noted that, gains made in the economy over the past year included reduced inflation, increased economic growth, rising GDP by up to 7.9 percent, and an increase in Ghana’s international reserves.

He added that, almost half of the arrears inherited from the Mahama administration have been paid “and crucially, we are current with obligations to statutory funds.”

Other achievements cited by the President included the doubled capitation grant, the return of nurse and teacher trainee allowances, and he added that his government continued “to confound the skeptics and professional naysayers, we have implemented Free Senior High School Education.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ken Ofori-Atta is a ‘national asset’ – Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.