Kufuor rallies nation to pull together

Accra, Dec. 31, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday rallied the nation to pull together and seize every opportunity to make a giant leap forward.

In his traditional New Year Message to Ghanaians, he said the signs were clear that the country was at the threshold of great prosperity.

President Kufuor, therefore, counselled politicians to be mindful of this and to ensure that they helped to stave off acts likely to hold back the nation's forward march to progress, as they geared up for the 2008 electioneering campaigns.

He reminded them that Ghana's elections had become the benchmark for other countries on the Continent. Every effort should, therefore, be made to maintain this record so that the nation could continue to enjoy the high esteem of the International Community.

He pledged Government's maximum support to the entire society, particularly the Electoral Commission (EC) and the contending political parties to enable the country to run yet another credible elections next year.

He expressed satisfaction with the growing appreciation of democratic procedures in the selection of flag-bearers by all the major political parties and said it was both a happy development and a sign that the country's democracy had come of age. President Kufuor, who reviewed the economy and highlighted landmark events and challenges including the severe energy crisis that hit the country during its Golden Jubilee year, outlined efforts to permanently address the cyclical shortages that had bedevilled the energy sector.

He announced that the West African Gas Pipeline Project had been completed with the delivery of its first flow of nitrogen to cleanse the pipes.

Barring any unforeseen problems, flow of natural gas from the pipes should soon become an everyday occurrence to fuel thermal energy generation.

Additionally, work on the Osagyefo Power Barge was progressing steadily and should be ready for inauguration by March 2008. Again, the Government was on the verge of concluding agreement for the construction of hydro-dams on Ankobra, Pra and Tano Rivers alongside the Bui Hydro-Electric Dam Project.

President Kufuor said this should enable the authorities to blend hydro and thermal energy generation sources to provide a permanent and affordable solution to the country's energy needs. On the economy, he gave a more positive assessment, saying, macro economic policies and programmes implemented over the past seven years had driven down inflation and interest rates and generated steady growth.

"The Cedi has been re-denominated smoothly without incident. The country, for the first time ever has successfully issued a Eurobond on the London Stock Exchange, raising 750 million dollars in the process." The bond, which he said was over-subscribed by more than three billion dollars, showed the confidence level of the international market in the economy, something that should make every Ghanaian proud.

President Kufuor said the resilience of the economy was underlined by the fact that despite the ever-spiralling price of crude oil, now nearly 100 dollars per barrel, compared to about 25 dollars in 2001, the economy had managed to hold together.

He reiterated the Government's resolve to put in place measures to enable the country to benefit fully from its discovered oilfields. Initial estimates put the find at over three billion barrels. President Kufuor thanked the nation for the goodwill, prayers and words of encouragement he received after he had escaped unhurt in a car crash.