President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will on Tuesday, March 9 deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA), in accordance with Article 67 of the Constitution.
This will be his first State of the Nation Address in his second term.
Article 67 of the Constitution mandates the President to present to Parliament the address at the beginning of each session of the House and before its dissolution.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on the first sitting of the House after resuming from its three-week COVID-19 shutdown, stated that one of the immediate parliamentary business is to receive the President for the presentation next Tuesday.
“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,” the Right Honourable Speaker announced.
Expectations
President Akufo-Addo’s address is expected to be an overview of plans for his second term in office, having won the 2020 general elections.
It is expected to cover areas of national development such as security, economy, agriculture, environment, education and, particularly, health due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the roll-out of the country’s vaccination exercise.
Budget presentation
Mr Bagbin also disclosed arrangements for the presentation of the annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government, in accordance with Article 179 of the Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
The budget, he said, will be laid in Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021, on behalf of the President.
“In accordance with Article 179 of the constitution, his excellency has given further indication his horse is prepared to present and lay before this house the Budget 2021 on Friday 12 March for consideration and approval,” the Speaker said.
