2022 SONA Happens Today

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to be in Parliament today, March 30, 2022 to present the State of the Nation Address.

Article 67 of the Constitution mandates the President to present the address to Parliament at the beginning of each session of the lawmaking body and before the dissolution of the house.

“The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation”.

The presentation was postponed after it was scheduled earlier in the month. It was previously announced that the President’s sessional address would be delivered on March 3.

In the President’s 2020 State of the Nation Address, he touched on various aspects of national development including health, security, economy, agriculture, environment and corruption.

Justification

The Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, responding to criticism of the Akufo-Addo administration over the delay said, the President is within time to deliver the 2022 State of the Nation Address.

He said the constitution provided that the President shall at the beginning of each Session of Parliamemt and before dissolution of Parliament deliver to Parliament a message of the State of the Nation.

“The first meeting is the beginning of the session. So Mr Speaker, we are still within the beginning of the Session and people should avert their minds to this. So the President will come and he will come within this session in this meeting. This includes the entirety of the first session” he stated.

Expectation

The address sets out the government’s key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead.

It will give President Akufo-Addo the opportunity to highlight the achievements of his government, challenges faced and also outline developmental measures for the coming financial year.

#SONA2021

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, President Akufo-Addo delivered the 2021 State of the Nation Address for his second term.

In his presentation, the President charged MPs to discharge their duties towards the rapid transformation of the economy and the improvement of the living standards of the citizenry.

President Akufo-Addo also pledged that the Executive would work in tandem with the Legislative arm of government to fulfil this aim.

“As President of the Republic, I give my firm commitment to this end, and I assure Mr Speaker and the Legislature of the co-operation of the Executive in this endeavour.

Again, the President reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to improve the welfare of the Ghanaian teacher.

“I acknowledge that the teacher is at the centre of every reform in the field of education. Prioritising the welfare of teachers remains a key objective of government,” he stated.

He revealed that the NPP administration has been able to restore hope and confidence in the economy despite inheriting a shattered economy from the NDC administration and the adverse effect the Covid-19 pandemic had on the economy.