President John Evans Atta Mills has stated that his government is poised to move the Ghanaian economy to greater heights after chalking the necessary macroeconomic stability needed for economic growth. The president gave the assurance when he delivered his third State of the Nation address in Parliament Thursday morning. “I am happy to report that as a result of prudent policy measures and with the understanding and support of the people of Ghana we were able to sustain macroeconomic stability with inflation declining further from about 16% in 2009 to a single digit figure of below 9%,” the President declared. He said his government is creating the necessary conditions to achieve economic growth in order to check high inflation which could be a bane to economic stability. President Mills said the Government’s Co-ordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies for 2010-2016 which he presented to parliament in December is intended to drive the government's plan “to transform the economy for accelerated growth and job creation." He said government will achieve economic transformation through accelerated human resource development, agricultural mechanization and value-added processing of the national resource endowments on the back of the new oil and gas resources. The president further said that aside the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, government will create Special Development Zones (SDZ) to reduce income inequalities among Ghanaians. The SDZ, he indicated, will be made up of the Western Corridor Development Authority, Eastern Corridor Development Authority and the Forest Belt Development Authority. He said during his government’s recent visit to Asia, funding was secured to rehabilitate the railway sector, the roads covering the Eastern Corridor (spanning Ho, Nkwanta, Kadjebi, Worawora, Yendi and beyond) and the Western corridor (stretching from Elubo, Enchi, Juaboso, Wa and beyond). On the energy situation, President Mills said the Petroleum Commission Bill which is currently before parliament needs to be passed into law to cater for issues of local content and participation in the petroleum sector. According to the President, the West African Gas pipeline project is already providing fuel to two 100 megawatts gas turbines of the VRA and the Ho Asogli Thermal Plant. “The construction of a 132 megawatts thermal power station in Takoradi also began last year and is scheduled for completion at the end of this year,” the president added. Touching on plans for the agricultural sector, the president stated that the implementation plan for the National Irrigation Policy will be completed and launched in the course of the year with the first phase of the Afram Plains Irrigation project also taking off to increase crop yield. The president said “the National Buffer Stock Company will this year improve its storage capacity of 34,000 metric tonnes to at least 60,000 metric tonnes. The Company will also acquire a modern rice mill to enhance the processing of local paddy rice.” The president announced that the Ministry of Agriculture will collaborate with the University of Cape Coast to establish a Fisheries College at Anomabo in the Central Region to train professional technicians in the industry as part of the fulfillment of the NDC’s 2008 manifesto promise. The refurbishment of the Tamale Teaching Hospital as well as the expansion of the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine centres at the Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals are also expected to begin this year. President Mills assured that the policy choices and concrete development programmes of his administration will raise Ghana to the next level with its promise of a better future and a Better Ghana. Story by Derick Romeo Adogla/Myjoyonline.com