President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will in the afternoon of Tuesday, March 9, 2021 deliver his first State of the Nation address, after his electoral victory in the December 7, 2020 presidential election.
The electoral victory gave the President a second term of office, after being president of Ghana from January 7, 2017 to January 6, 2021.
The address will be given before Parliament House, in Osu-Accra, is in accordance with Article 67 of the current 1992 Constitution of Ghana which mandates the President to present to Parliament the address at the beginning of each session of Parliament.
He delivered the last State of the Nation Address (SONA), which was also a requirement of the 1992 Constitution, to the nation before the august House to the nation, on January 5, 2021, before the Seventh Parliament dissolved on January 6, 2021..
Tuesday’s SONA, will be the first of the Eighth Parliament, and it is expected to recap achievements of the Akufo-Addo led government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
It is also expected to project into the first of the next four years, government programmes and what strategies the Government intends implementing to achieve them; and rally the people of Ghana towards accelerated national development and progress.
The President would also likely touch on the existence and the position of Ghana, and its role in the comity of nations and international affairs, in addition to measures for improved security and Ghana’s participation in international trade, investment and business.
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,” Speaker Alban Bagbin said in the House last week.
Three days later, on Friday, March 5, 2021, Majority Leader and Chairman of Parliament’s Business Committee Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, announced on the floor of the House that “the Address by the President will take place in the tent erected at the forecourt of Parliament.”
Public Affairs Department of Parliament has however announced that the event, scheduled for the morning has changed to1400 hours.
“This change has been necessitated by the Business of the House for the week,” a notice from the department said.
The notice also indicated that the event would be held under the observance and compliance of all the COVID-19 protocols, thus only invited guests would be admitted.
After the presentation of the SONA, there will be a motion would be moved on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, to thank the President for the message. Each mover each mover and seconder would be allotted 25 minutes, other members 10 minutes, and winding up by Leadership 30 minutes.
“The allotment of time is to ensure that as many Members as possible are availed the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Message by the President since only two days would be devoted to the debate due to the exigencies of the remainder of this Meeting,” the Majority Leader announced.