The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo will commence a 7-day leave starting from Saturday, November 13, 2021.

Speaking at a press engagement at the Jubilee House today, November 11, 2021, he disclosed that Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, will act in his stead until the President’s official resumption of duties on November 20, 2021, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution.

Mr Arhin noted that President Akufo-Addo during his leave period will honour the invitation of UNESCO’s Director General, Audrey Azoulay to be present at the event which is being held at its headquarters in Paris, France.

President Akufo-Addo, will lead the Ghanaian delegation to attend the 75th anniversary ceremony of the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“President Akufo-Addo will from Saturday, 13th November to Saturday 20th November take a much-deserved, long-overdue 7-day leave of absence, during which he has also accepted an invitation to preside over the panel that will adjudicate a debate in the French parliament on the trial of progress on the 19th of November. He is expected to come back to Ghana on Saturday, November 20, 2021…”
Mr Eugene Arhin

The United Nations Charter, which came into effect on 16th November 1945, provided for the creation of a specialized agency in the fields of education and culture. The President will, on Friday, 12th November, deliver a statement, at the height of the commemoration, on the impact UNESCO has had in Ghana, and what Ghana expects from UNESCO in the coming years.

The President was accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Adutwum and officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry.

Hardship in the country

Following the press briefing, the Communication’s Director touched on Mr. Mahama’s statement made during his public lecture to climax his ‘Thank You’ tour, to which the former President intimated that the current state of affairs is unimpressive. Mr Mahama subsequently described government’s handling of citizens wellbeing as a ‘common national tragedy’.

In his response, the Communications Director at the Presidency requested Mr Mahama to allow the government to perform its duties. He explained that the Akufo-Addo government is not indifferent to the situation but working hard to alleviate the plight of citizens.

“Everybody in Ghana acknowledges that there are hardships, even the President himself has acknowledged it; that is why every effort is being put in place to make sure that these hardships are relieved. And I will just suggest that the former President should take a chill pill and wait and see how best the budget would address the concerns of the average Ghanaian.”
Mr Eugene Arhin

Alluding the current economic crisis to the advent of Covid-19, the Communications Director indicated that government is committed to resuscitating the economy.

“It is not as if this government is sitting down and has thrown its hands in despair and waiting for a divine intervention from the almighty; we are going ahead to do whatever we have to do [to relieve Ghanaians]”.
Mr Eugene Arhin

Mr Arhin expressed optimism that all the concerns by the public will be addressed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is set to present the 2022 budget on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.