Gold Street Business: 'Hearty Akwaaba, Ghana!'

President Akufo-Addo began his address during the inauguration of the second mandate by thanking the audience for their expression of solidarity and friendship. He congratulated Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on his assumption of office as the Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the 4th Republic.

He expressed his eagerness to work with the Speaker to advance the peace, progress and prosperity of the Ghanaian people. He attributed his victory to the appreciation of the Ghanaians bestowed on him for playing his role ably during the crucial period of the COVID-19 havoc.

During his speech he said that Ghana’s economy even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to show resilience and a much faster rate of recovery than originally envisaged.

He stated that Ghana remains one of the most attractive destinations on the African continent for Foreign Direct Investments with the presence of some of the world’s largest conglomerates in the country being clear evidence of this fact. He said that the main preoccupation of his second term would be to establish a strong economy undergoing structural transformation to value-added activities, which will generate jobs for the country’s people and enhance their living standards.

He mentioned about his various initiatives such as free education, providing access to quality healthcare, food security for the masses, infrastructure development, indigenous production of accessories to prevent COVID-19 and a host of other developmental activities.

While he spoke of his vision to build a “Ghana beyond Aid” he did not elaborate on issues such as Govt. spending and the GDP growth slide in 2020 due to which Ghana’s dependence on external aid cannot be ruled out.

To his fellow Ghanaians he said, “There are endless opportunities, if we remain united”. Was that a signal to the opposition to prevent political animosity from polluting his governance? The overall inference to be drawn from the President’s speech is that hope and optimism can help shroud the negative tidings of ground realities.