The President, Nana Akufo-Addo says government will come back to engage Parliament on the steps it intends to take on the future of the Agyapa transaction.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, March 9, 2021, he assured that steps will be taken on the deal whose transaction was unsuccessful last year.
“Mr. Speaker, let me, at this point, assure the House that, in the course of this session of Parliament. Government will come back to engage the House on steps it intends to take on the future of Agyapa transaction.”
Akufo-Addo
Illegal Mining
Touching on illegal mining, he averred the sector has seen much improvement since his last administration. And also so much achievements have also been made in the sector.
He says, the menace of illegal mining in the sector was still a serious issue to the country.
“Mr speaker, when I appeared before this house on 4th January, to deliver the last SONA at the dissolution of parliament, I called for a national discourse on the standing issue of the illegal small-scale mining in the country.
“I called for a national discourse on the long-standing issue of illegal small-scale mining in our country. Yes, in the last four years, so much has been achieved in cleaning up this industry. Training miners in the best methods of mining, introducing community mining, enacting additional regulatory legislation. But the reality is that illegal small-scale mining remains a major problem.”
Akufo-Addo
Nana Akufo-Addo reposed confidence in the Newly appointed Lands and Natural Resource Minister, John Abu Jinapor, to facilitate the national dialogue on steps to take in bringing on board solutions to curb this menace.
“I am confident that the new, energetic Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor, will rapidly facilitate the holding of this national dialogue, and will work to build on the progress of his predecessors by enhancing regulation of this sector, which should be anchored on the protection of the environment and on community mining.”
Akufo-Addo
Bauxite Exploitation by GIADEC
Moreover, he indicated that, the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation, has made good progress on the bauxite exploitation programme. This, he says will drive the nation’s industrial transformation agenda.
“We are at the final stage of an open and transparent investor engagement process. And are in negotiations to select strategic investors to partner GIADEC for the bauxite mining and the alumni refinery project.”
Akufo-Addo
Similarly, he said the Ghana Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GISDEC), has been set up and has begun its work in earnest. Agyapa
On industrialization also, the President made known the nation has succeeded in attracting major global vehicle manufacturers, under the automotive development policy to set up in Ghana.
“So far, Volkswagen has produced one thousand, one hundred and sixty-seven (1,167) vehicles. SinoTruk- two hundred and seventy-six (276) vehicles, and our own Kantanka has produced four hundred (400) vehicles. The Japanese conglomerate, Nissan, has also started the assembly of vehicles in the country.”
Akufo-Addo
