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STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS - 2012
”STILL BUILDING A BETTER GHANA”
Part Two
Part One
Part Three
Emerging Oil & Gas Sector
The University of Health & Allied Sciences (Faculty)
The University of Energy and Renewable Natural Resources
(Faculty)
Other Public Universities
The broader National Economy.
JOB CREATION
Madam Speaker,
This Administration has been concerned about job creation and
its importance for the growth of the economy and the
development of the nation.
Indeed, the second pillar of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) Manifesto addresses the building of a Strong and
Resilient Economy as well as the Creation of Jobs.
It is on this account that as soon as this Government settled,
we organized a special Cabinet Retreat to deal solely with
this vital subject.
It would be recalled Ministers, as leaders of their sectors,
were directed to work with the leadership of the private
sector to find innovative ways of creating jobs outside the
traditional employment avenues.
I can say with confidence that many jobs have since been
created outside the non-traditional areas of employment.
Of course, many have also been employed via the traditional
employment avenues.
With the expected heavy infrastructure expansion as well as
the building of the allied petrochemical industries associated
with our oil and gas find, I can safely project that many more
jobs will be created by the time the tenure of this Government
comes to an end.
AGRICULTURE
Crop Farming
Madam Speaker,
We have also made progress on the agricultural front.
True to our commitment to modernizing agriculture, the
Government has increased the stock of Rice Combine Harvesters,
maize harvesters; additional grain-cocoon storage facilities
and bore holes for agricultural purposes where none existed.
Agricultural Mechanization Service Centers have also been
established.
As a result of targeted interventions in the agricultural
sector, we have recorded significant increases in rice, yam
and maize production.
Cotton
Madam Speaker,
Our cotton farmers in the Northern Regions can attest to how
far we have gone in reviving the cotton industry while
Government intervention has resulted in a sizeable increase in
cotton production.
Irrigation
Madam Speaker,
Between 2009 and 2011, Government has rehabilitated several
irrigation dams in the three northern regions, the Greater
Accra, Volta, Ashanti, and Brong Ahafo regions.
With the completion of a master plan for irrigation
development, the first phase of the Accra Plains Irrigation
Project covering an area of about 11,000 hectares will begin
this year.
Cocoa
Madam Speaker,
For the first time ever, Ghana produced over one million
tonnes of cocoa in 2011.
Our output last year was over 50% the output in 2008 which was
680,000 tonnes.
In terms of the percentage of the world cocoa price that is
paid to the farmer, we have out-performed every government in
our history.
At an average world market price of US$2,450.00 per tonne in
January 2012, we are paying the cocoa farmer about 80% of the
world market price.
Sheanut
Madam Speaker
A new shea nut factory has been established at Buipe in the
Northern Region, to process sheanuts for export. The factory
is expected to process close to 40,000 tons a year.
Government has already inaugurated the National Steering
Committee to formulate programmes and strategies for growing
and sustaining the industry.
The floor price for purchases at the farm gate has been fixed
to ensure that the farmers are not shortchanged.
Madam Speaker,
Government through COCOBOD has launched a 6-year cocoa
re-planting programme to rehabilitate old cocoa farms in
Ghana.
The programme entails the production of elite cocoa hybrid
seedlings for distribution to farmers free of charge to be
used in replanting.
The main objective of the programmes is to create employment
opportunities for our youth in cocoa growing communities
throughout the period of the programme and assist them to
acquire the relevant techniques and skills in cocoa production
under the Youth in Agriculture Programme.
Another objective is to encourage under-producing farmers to
expand their acreage and increase their yield.
Fisheries
Madam Speaker,
This administration has taken steps to enforce the Fisheries
Regulations and protect fisheries resources. To this end some
patrol vessels have been acquired and will soon be
commissioned.
Implementation of a Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Plan
will begin this year.
A turnkey fish processing plant at Elmina is expected to
commence this year.
WATER
Madam Speaker,
We pledged in our Manifesto to focus on the production,
distribution and supply of water taking into account the needs
of the poor. We also pledged to build and expand a number of
water plants nationwide.
Since 2009, we have constructed hundreds of boreholes fitted
with hand pumps, hand dug wells with hand pumps and piped
water systems throughout the country.
Several others have been rehabilitated.
I have directed that at least 20,000 boreholes be constructed
nationwide over the next four years.
The Government has absorbed the 5% contribution by communities
to the capital cost of construction of rural water systems in
rural communities.
The Kpong Water Expansion Project is expected to add 40million
gallons of water daily to the Accra-Tema Metropolis.
The many interventions we have made in the urban water sector
are expected to bring about an increase in coverage from the
present 62% to 80% by 2015.
ENERGY
The Power Sector
Madam Speaker,
This Government inherited a total electricity generation
capacity of around 1,800 megawatts in 2009.
We have since installed an additional 376 megawatts to the
generation capacity.
Additional capacity will be added this year through the
expansion of the Takoradi International Company (TICO), the
planned completion of the Bui project, the development of the
Kpone Thermal Power Plant; and the completion of the Tema
Osono Power Project.
By the end of 2013, power generation should reach about
3,300Mw, an over 80% increase in the generation capacity we
came to meet.
Madam Speaker,
The national electricity transmission system that we inherited
was saddled with over-aged and obsolete equipment, overloads,
high losses, low voltage and evacuation constraints, among
others.
We have, since assuming office, taken action to improve the
situation.
These have included the completion of transmission networks
and substation projects at Buipe in the Northern Region;
Kpando, Ho and Asiekpe in the Volta Region; Sunyani and
Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region; Obuasi and Kumasi in the
Ashanti Region; Tema and Accra in the Greater Accra Region;
Winneba in the Central Region and Takoradi in the Western
Region.
In all honesty, the phenomenon of “dumsor, dumsor” is not as
bad as it used to be at the time we took over the management
of the affairs of state and it is our determination to
continue to work to make the situation much better than it is
currently.
Rural Electrification
Madam Speaker,
From 2009 to date, under the various rural electrification
projects, over 1,700 communities have been connected to the
national grid.
We are aiming to extend electricity to a further 4,000 or more
communities covering all the regions in the country.
I would like to mention that the programme to provide street
lights to all regional capitals is proceeding according to
plan and will in future be extended to cover all municipal and
district capitals in the country.
Oil and Gas
Madam Speaker,
At the end of last year, Ghana had earned a total of
US$444,124,724 from the sale of the Ghana Group’s
4liftingstotalling 3,930,189 barrels of crude oil.
We have made and will continue to make full public disclosure
of all oil liftings and revenues accrued even as we hope for
success in on-going oil and gas exploration in other areas.
The appointment and inauguration of the Public Interest
Committee under the Chairmanship of an eminent Ghanaian is to
demonstrate the Government’s intention to enhance transparency
and accountability.
Once again, this Government has demonstrated its commitment to
a Ghana-first approach to the handling of national affairs
wherever the national interest can better be served that way.
There have been some challenges in production at the Jubilee
Oil Field. As a result, production estimates have been scaled
down pending the completion of a remedial programme.
The Ministry of Energy and the newly established Petroleum
Commission are positively keeping a close eye on the matter.
Madam Speaker,
The Ghana National Gas Company Limited (Ghana Gas) which is
charged with responsibility to build, own and operate
infrastructure required for gathering, processing,
transporting and marketing of natural gas resources in the
country has commenced business in earnest especially in the
area of the development of gas infrastructure.
The completion of the project will stimulate diversification
of the national economy.
THE SINGLE SPINE SALARY STRUCTURE
Madam Speaker,
In my State of the Nation Address last year, I informed this
House of the bold and courageous steps we had taken to
implement the new pay policy, popularly referred to as the
Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP).
As at that time, just about 11% of public service employees
had been migrated onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
In the 2011 Action Year, over 80% of public service employees
were migrated onto the SSSS and the process is expected to be
completed within the year.
The implementation of the SSSS has not been without
challenges.
We regret the hiccups and I wish to express Government’s
appreciation to Organised Labour and Associations for their
continued support and collaboration as we work to successfully
implement the Single Spine Pay Policy.
With the huge increase in the wage bill resulting from the
implementation of the SSSS, Government expects that there will
be commensurate increase in efficiency and productivity in the
Public Services.
SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS
Madam Speaker,
In my first State of the Nation address in 2009, I indicated
that SADA and CEDECOM will be used to address the peculiar
poverty related problems in the three Northern regions and the
Central region respectively.
In the intervening period, the law that formally establishes
the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority has been passed
and the Authority has been formally established.
CEDECOM is the shell around which the Western Corridor
Development Authority will be created.
The creations of the other Development Authorities that I
mentioned in my 2011 Address are receiving very active
attention at the NDPC and will follow in the course of the
year.
HEALTH
National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)
Madam Speaker,
The National Health Insurance Scheme continues to grow with
utilization rising from about 600,000 in 2005 to over
17.5million as at December 2011.
There is the urgent need for dialogue and consensus on
financing of the NHIS to ensure sustainability.
Currently, measures are being implemented for cost containment
through improved provider payment systems.
Meanwhile, for better customer orientation the scheme has
planned to start a call centre to make it more user-friendly.
Health Infrastructure
Madam Speaker,
Our plan to improve access to quality healthcare is very much
on course via a number of on-going projects nationwide.
Indeed, a number of new health facilities have been completed
within the last three years and will soon be put to use,
notable of which is the Winneba Municipal Hospital.
Significant progress has been made on the Tamale Teaching
Hospital rehabilitation project.
Government is also strengthening the capacity of existing
Regional, District Hospitals, and Polyclinics.
Five polyclinics will be completed by the end of June in
Wechiau, Babille, Ko, Lambussie and Hain, all in the upper
west region.
Government’s intervention in the deplorable state of the
Korle-bu Teaching hospital has led to the procurement of life
support equipment and new oxygen plants, the installation of
which will soon commence.
Under the National Medical Equipment Replacement Project,
Government is providing life support equipment, and medical
imaging in selected District Hospitals nationwide as well as
re-equipping radiology departments in the teaching and
regional hospitals with state of the art Magnetic Resonance
Imagers, and CT scanners.
These centers are also receiving mammography units to make
breast cancer screening routine.
Equipment will be supplied and installed in district hospitals
as well as health centers across the country.
As a matter of fact, state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) machines are currently being installed at the
Komfo Anokye and Tamale Teaching Hospitals.
It is expected that in the course of the year, MRI machines
will be installed at the Volta and Central Regional Hospitals.
Basic Obstetric equipment have also been supplied and
installed in selected district hospitals and health centers
across the country as part of efforts at reducing maternal
mortality.
The National Ambulance Service will take delivery of 160
ambulances this year to augment the existing fleet.
Apart from health structures and equipments, we have
established new Health Assistant Training Schools, Nurses
Training Schools, as well as Midwifery schools in various
parts of the country to train more health personnel.
Madam Speaker, with the help of the Cuban Government, 250
Ghanaian students will benefit from medical training in Cuba.
200 of them will study for their first degree in medicine
while 50 of them will benefit from specialist training.
Government has also succeeded in reaching an agreement with
the Cuban Government to increase the yearly medical personnel
quota to Ghana from 200 to 300.
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