Accra, Dec. 31GNA - The following is the full text of President John Agyekum Kufuor's New Year's Eve broadcast to the nation:

"Fellow Ghanaians,

"We have come to the close of one year and the beginning of another. This is a good moment to acknowledge with gratitude the hand of God in all our positive achievements of the past year. In thanking Him, we must seek His guidance and greater blessings for our Jubilee Year.

"New Year's Eve is a watershed, and all round the world humanity celebrates the event with stock-taking of the passing year and visions for the ensuing year.

"The eve of the New Year is also a moment of different moods. These include happiness, thoughtfulness, gratitude, nostalgia and even sadness.

"Typically, our nation is equally gripped by the spirit of this magic period as an opportunity for reflecting on the passing year which, as you are aware, has been full of challenges, difficulties and successes.

"Significant among the challenges were the sky-rocketing crude oil prices which hit us from the very beginning of the year.

"Equally troubling were the many industrial actions that assailed the economy and society from otherwise stable sectors such as education, health and the public sector generally.

"Regrettably, the year also witnessed ghastly accidents on our roads and water courses most of which were caused by reckless driving, defective vehicles and overloading of boats.

"The menace of drug-trafficking became exposed as never before. Apparently regular and decent individuals were alleged to be implicated in this dehumanizing trade, and the fear is that we have not seen the bottom yet. The good news however, is that the Narcotics Control Board is being re-constituted and equipped to find solutions to this problem on a sustained basis.

"The incidence of violent crimes increased within the society. Sadly, the perpetrators were of all ages, including some minors who apparently were driven by a need to secure items like mobile phones and other electronic gadgets. These young people also tended to be under the influence of drugs.

"Yet another challenge occurred during the second half of the year, in the form of unfavorable weather conditions which affected the major source of our energy, the Volta . This led to load shedding which impacted negatively on electricity supply for both domestic and industrial uses.

"The cumulative impact of these setbacks naturally led the populace to wonder whether the economy which had been performing creditably, could withstand the shocks.

"Thankfully, as serious as all these challenges were, they failed to destabilize the society and economy to the extent that was feared.

"That the situation was largely contained can be attributed to the inherent strengths that have been developing within the society as a result of:

"Firstly, the openness of social discourse,

"Then, the increasing understanding of the mechanism of governance and the maturation of its diverse institutions, both public and private,

"Thirdly, the improving efficiency of macro-economic management, and incipient partnership between the public and private sectors for growth,

"Fourthly, the gradual but steady improvement in the law and order situation, as well as the acknowledgement and support by the international community and development partners for the country's good governance practices.

"Fellow Ghanaians, it is becoming increasingly clear to our entire society that there is no magic wand of governance that would guarantee instant and spectacular results. Programmes and projects of development take time to mature.

"In the light of this appreciation of maturation, the year which is drawing to a close must be adjudged successful. It has been a year in which the moral and material fabric of our society has been stretched to the limit, tested and proven to be resilient and stable. It is this stability that constitutes the platform for the launch of the much desired accelerated growth for our national development.

"I must at this stage commend our law enforcement authorities for the appreciable and visible improvement in the execution of their duty. Naturally, there is still room for improvement, especially on the level of discipline that must be expected within their ranks. The authorities should work to weed out any miscreants that tarnish their image.

"On this front, we should acknowledge the substantial support and co-operation that the forces have enjoyed from our development partners both locally and internationally, especially in the area of the fight against drug trafficking.

"Fellow nationals, underlying the unrest on the labour front were agitations for increased pay. Government has gone ahead to launch the new pay structure within a framework which removes distortions, ensures equity and eliminates unfairness in the system. Already, there have been substantial increases in salaries across board; and this is only the first phase.

"Henceforth, the governing paradigm of the new framework is equal pay for work of equal value. What is left now is to improve productivity in order to put more money into the national treasury to sustain steady increases in salaries to levels that give greater satisfaction to all.

"My dear friends, at this special time of stock-taking, we cannot forget our victorious Black Stars. Their brilliant performance at the recent World Cup Tournament still resonates around the world. Beyond the massive goodwill that this has brought to the country, the spill-over returns have positive economic, political and diplomatic dimensions, which redound to the good of the nation.

"Yet another feather in our cap is the global acknowledgement of our country as a haven of peace and good governance on the continent of Africa . We are also at the forefront of peacekeeping efforts around the world. The professionalism and good conduct of our forces continue to be acclaimed. The entire nation is proud of these gallant men and women.

"Speaking of national pride, fellow citizens, this month brings to an end the successful tenure of office of our compatriot, Kofi Annan, as the Secretary-General of the UN. There is no doubt that his tenure has kept the image of Ghana in the full view of the world, and enlarged her persona among the community of nations. On behalf of all Ghanaians, I congratulate this illustrious son of the soil and wish him a happy and productive retirement.

"Fellow citizens, we are at the threshold of the 50th year of our independence. The Jubilee year is acknowledged everywhere as an auspicious year. In Biblical terms, it is the year the heavens pour out great blessings on favourite nations. Now at peace with herself, Ghana should launch into the Jubilee year in a manner expected of people who believe in God's providence.

"There are many events lined up already for the year, right from January, the first month. We expect many international visitors.

"Under the auspices of the German Head of State, President Horst Kohler, a programme dubbed 93Partnership with Africa Initiative" which is targeted at the youth, will be held here in Accra , this month. A number of Heads of State including Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Festus Mogae of Botwana, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa are expected to participate in the Conference.

"The Lord Mayor of the city of London is also expected in the third week of January. In February, the Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain , Mr. John Prescott and UNESCO will jointly launch a programme on the Abolition of Slavery, again in Accra .

"For the highlight of the celebration in March, we should expect to see many Heads of sister states and friendly nations on the continent of Africa and beyond.

"In the case of the African nations, their presence will be in recognition of Ghana 's seminal contribution to the struggle for the liberation of the continent.

"Among the personalities expected in March will be the Duke of Kent, whose mother, the Duchess of Kent, deputized for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, of Great Britain at our Independence in March 1957.

"Prior to the Independence Day Celebration, our own Kofi Annan will be here to begin a series of lectures to herald and commemorate the Jubilee.

"The rest of the year will witness other major events. Among these will be an important global meeting of Finance Ministers for a Conference titled 93World Financing for Development".

"In addition to the Republic Day celebration, July will also witness two Summits. First the summit of the African Union, and then a major meeting on the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) of the United States of America.

"These many events should convince us, as Citizens of Ghana, that the year 2007 is truly an auspicious year for our nation; a year in which Ghana is being acknowledged with appreciation and goodwill for our development and our good governance by much of the world.

"This level of international appreciation should unite all of us to share a common vision and move on with confidence in pursuit of our common agenda for the total and accelerated development of our nation.

"Fellow Citizens, I invite us all to reflect on our common heritage and all that unites us. This should begin with a focus on the solemn prayer which precedes commencement of business every morning in our national Parliament. The prayer reinforces the words of our national anthem that urges us to resist the rule of oppressors, and I want to quote it here.

"O God, grant us a vision of our

Country, fair as it might be,

A country of righteouness,

where none should wrong his

neighbour;

A country of plenty, where evil

and poverty shall be done away

with,

A country of brotherhood, where

all success shall be founded on

service, and honour shall be

given to the deserving;

A country of peace, where

government shall rest on the

will of the people and the love

for the common good.

Bless the effort of those who

struggle to make this our

vision a living reality,

Inspire and strengthen our people

that they may give time,

thought and sacrifice to speed

the day of the coming beauty of

Ghana and Africa .

"Fellow Ghanaians, imbued with the spirit behind these words, we should be able to celebrate the lives of great achievers of our nation in the areas of statesmanship, education, enterprise the cultural arts, and intellectual pursuits.

"We should find it in our hearts to engage in positive thoughts that recognize value in each one of us and which encourage us to be each other's keeper.

"This is a sure way to strengthen national cohesion for sustained national development.

"My brothers and sisters, in the coming year, government will be pursuing policies aimed at empowering the citizenry in general, and especially the Private Sector. This Sector must challenge itself to become an important player in the global economy and government will support it.

"Other impending programmes for the year include the redenomination of the cedi. This signifies the growing strength of both the economy and the currency.

"On course as well is the exercise to issue all citizens and permanent residents with national identity cards. The success of this exercise should facilitate effective planning for national development.

"Fellow Ghanaians, however much we differ on issues, there are moments that should bring us together. One such moment is the Golden Jubilee of our nation's independence. We should rejoice in the fact that in spite of the many periods of uncertainty and difficulties in the last fifty years, we have managed to pull together as a nation to this day.

"We have come to a stage which the world is acknowledging as promising for success. We have given ourselves a functional democratic constitution that is standing the test of time. The rule of law has become the order of the day and underpins the good governance which is giving meaning to our national motto of Freedom and Justice.

"So fellow citizens, let us resolve to draw a firm line between our chequered and unhappy past, and a future full of hope, achievement and fellow feeling. With such resolve we cannot fail.

"Given the solemnity of the celebration, the highlight of which falls on the 6th of March, let us as a nation usher in that very special day by holding vigil on its eve.

"Fellow Ghanaians, the Jubilee Celebration is a unique opportunity not only to demonstrate our unity as a nation, but also to highlight the many opportunities for commerce, business and tourism. It is the occasion to bring to the fore our famed arts and culture and our traditional warm hospitality.

"I appeal to the entire nation to display a high sense of responsible citizenship, dignity and commitment to the success of the Jubilee Celebration. Sprucing up the home and the environment should be part of the commitment. The sense of pride in our environment ought to be on display not only for the occasion but for all times.

"I therefore urge all of us including the District Assemblies, traditional authorities, religious groups, market leaders, the trades unions and the entire civil society to join together to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our nation in a befitting manner.*

"But before I conclude, let me leave a special word to the young people of Ghana. The future belongs to you. Fifty years ago I was a teenager looking to the future with great hope and expectation. Unfortunately, the experience had not been half as good as most young people of my generation dreamt it will be.

"I want to speak on behalf of the elders and adults of this nation and say that, with our resolution of today, we are prepared to set things aright and sustain them, so that the path will be easier and smoother for you.

"But one thing is sure, you must use every opportunity to prepare yourselves diligently so that you will not fail this nation and yourselves when your turn comes. Seize the moment and become worthy citizens of our country.

"Now, let me wish each and every one of us a happy, prosperous and peaceful New Year and a Blessed Golden Jubilee of our nation's Independence .

"Fellow Ghanaians, it is now my historic and unique good fortune as President of the Republic of Ghana to declare the Golden Jubilee Celebrations duly launched.

"Long Live Ghana (end full text)