Today, March 9, President Akufo Addo is expected to deliver his first State of the Nation Address after being inaugurated as president for a second term.
This is per Article 67 of the 1992 constitution which states that “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”.
The time for the president’s address was initially scheduled for 8:30am however, the time was shifted to 1 pm. In a parliamentary press statement, the change in time “has been necessitated by the business of the house for the week.”
On Tuesday, March 2, after parliament resumed following a 3-week shutdown due to COVID-19, The House Speaker, Alban Bagbin indicated that the readiness of the President to fulfill his obligation.
“The House will be privileged to receive the President who is obligated to deliver the State of the Nation Address. His Excellency has given an indication to me that he is ready to do the obligation on Tuesday 9th March 2021, Alban Bagbin said.”
The president’s address will primarily focus on the plans he has in store for national development in his second term in office. His speech is thus expected to focus on agriculture, education, security, health and other relevant sectors of the economy. His address is also expected to centre on the COVID-19 vaccine exercise. On the 1st of March, Ghana became one of the world’s First Nations to administer vaccines from the COVAX vaccine alliance as it seeks to immunize 20 million Ghanaians by 2022.
Speaker Alban Bagbin also disclosed that this year’s budget will be presented before Parliament on Friday, March 12, for consideration and approval.
“In accordance with Article 179 of the constitution, his excellency has given further indication his house is prepared to present and lay before this house the Budget 2021 on Friday 12 March for consideration and approval,” Alban Bagbin said.
