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Ghana Connect explores Prez Mahama's State of the Nation Address

By Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
Politics Ghana Connect explores Prez Mahama's State of the Nation Address
FEB 27, 2015 LISTEN

Twenty-four hours after President John Mahama presented rather lofty ideas in the State of the Nation Address as required by law, a section of Ghanaians appear unconvinced of the president's preparedness to walk the talk.

"I do not intend to manage the energy crisis as has been done in the past; I intend to fix it," the President said in reference to the crippling power crisis facing the country.

That sounded reassuring but on Joy FM's Ghana Connect Programme, Friday Paa Kow, a student with the Methodist University who appears to be frustrated by the many broken promises from the presidency said the citizens are tired of the talk.

"We want to see action and not words; we have heard that before but things are getting out of hand," Paa Kow said.

With the Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa connecting right in the studio, Paa Kow wasted no time in firing a question at him; one question which has been asked over and over again and the one question whose answer seems to have eluded everybody. When will the 'dumsor' end?

Ablakwa would not give a definite date as to when the power crisis will end except to empathize with Ghanaians on the sorry challenges they are going through.

He said Mahama's address to Parliament "is not about giving promises; it is about giving specifics about what he is doing to resolve the challenges.

Mr Ablakwa said in a few months an additional 1,000 megawatts of power will be added to the generation capacity, pointing out that the President took time to outline how the additional megawatts will be brought on stream.

Connecting on the line was Kinna Likimani, a local blogger, who was thoroughly dissatisfied with the government's fight against corruption in the country.

"Everywhere there is service or a queue in Ghana there is corruption," she noted.

She wants systematic change and a thorough internal control systems to check the weaknesses in the system.

Play the attached audio for the full version of Ghana Connect

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