President Mahama promises to place Ghana on right path

President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his determination to work hard to place Ghana on the right path and lead the people over the hurdles and the obstacles that might threaten to keep Ghana from meeting its development goals.

He said his entering into public service was out of a genuine desire to help make a difference in the lives of Ghanaians.

These were contained in the President’s maiden “state of the nation” address on Thursday.

He stated that his vision for Ghana was to create a conducive national environment in which the children would grow happily into responsible adults and workers  proud to work and defend the national values.

“My dream is to improve maternal health, reduce the hazards of child bearing, encourage teachers to use their influence to positively mould the next generation and Ghanaians creating together and sharing the benefits equally”, he said.

President Mahama said Ghana would achieve more by working together, and pointed out that togetherness would enhanced the capacity of Ghanaians to meet the urgent needs of the country, while promoting excellence and rewarding achievement.

He said Ghana had witnessed impressive socio-economic developments in the last two decades, citing improvements in roads and social infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country as examples.

President Mahama said health facilities had been expanded and access improved in educational institutions with the private sector playing a pivotal role and making some positive changes for which Ghanaians must be proud of.

He however admitted that real challenges remained as Ghanaians made those advances, saying much more was still expected of them to help reduce poverty, expand infrastructure and provide more social services for the people to sustain its status as a middle-income developing country.

President Mahama emphasised that his administration would pursued rapid economic development with a sense of urgency in order to create new jobs particularly for the youth.

“In partnership with the private sector, we will expand our infrastructure in a manner that will accelerate economic growth.

“We will embark on an ambitious but realistic programme of building new roads and bridges; expand electricity generation to energize the economy and society; improve access to good drinking water and health facilities; and improve sanitation and human security”, President Mahama stated.

President Mahama said his administration would work and transform schools, colleges and universities to meet the demands of a “new age” with emphasis on technological innovation.

He said a well-designed and efficient public sector working in partnership with the private sector would be instrumental in achieving that objective to deliver a prosperous nation.

He said his government would over the next four years build an economy that would reward hard work and nurture Ghanaian entrepreneurs and businesses whose prosperity were not tied to political circles and patronage.

“As President, I am firmly focused on putting Ghanaians first, building a robust and resilient economy, expansion of infrastructure, improving transport as well as ensuring accountable governance”, he stated.

Source: GNA