Ghanaians witnessed the most uncomfortable, dire situation, arrogance,
corruption, and heartless governance for a period of eight years, before all
came to an end in 2024. During the eight agonizing years of state capture, widespread
corruption, and the collapse of banking institutions, the impact took its
drastic toll on the economy. However, after Mahama took control in less than a
year, things have improved. What did he do?
In January 2025, President John Mahama took over the worst
form of Ghana after a protracted period of horrible economic calamity that had
emerged under Akufo-Addo's administration. A significant amount of debt, high
inflation, and a weakening currency plagued the economy. Due to the severe
challenges Mahama faced, Ghanaians had unfavorable impressions that he would
fail, but they were disappointed.
His policies were part of a broader strategy to restore
stability and reduce dependency on foreign aid. At the same time, he needs
money to fund a wide range of activities, such as public goods and services,
healthcare, and education. His policies and economic initiatives included
rolling out a 24-hour economy to boost business activity, emergency services, and social protection
programs like pensions and unemployment benefits.
Despite the nation's high debt, which has negatively
impacted many institutions, such as the Electricity Company of Ghana and the
COCOBOD, Mahama made every effort to address the unpredictable, intermittent
power outages, or "Dumsor," that plague the country. It also promoted
agriculture by putting policies in place that would allow the government to buy
excess produce from farmers to prevent food waste.
A complicated combination of internal variables or domestic
troubles that had developed in the eight years of extensive corruption and
money laundering was the cause of Mahama's economic difficulties. However, he
did steer clear of the harsh criticism and instead concentrated on finding
quick solutions to fulfill several important pledges during his first 120 days
in office, signaling a proactive beginning to his second term.
The quick nomination and parliamentary ratification of a
complete cabinet, comprising 42 ministers and regional and non-cabinet
officials, in less than a month, is one of the significant achievements. By
appointing fewer ministerial and deputy ministerial nominees in the first 30
days than the previous government, Mahala has also made great strides toward
establishing the Fourth Republic's leanest and most efficient government.
Additionally, he organized the National Education Forum to
realign policy direction in the education sector and started the National
Economic Dialogue, which brought stakeholders and experts together to create a
long-term recovery program. To counteract environmental degradation, social and
environmental initiatives have also been created, such as the "Blue
Water" and "Tree for Life" programs.
The One Million Coders Program and the Mahama Cares social
protection framework were also introduced to help vulnerable groups and develop
young people's digital literacy. The National Cathedral project was scrapped,
Hajj tickets were lowered from GH¢75,000 to GH¢62,000, and university
residential facility costs were lowered from GH¢3,000 to GH¢2,500, among other
noteworthy accomplishments.
The government has also revived investigations into the
murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale and launched new ones
into the violence around the 2020 election, including the shootings in Ayawaso
West Wuogon. Prominent politicians have been arrested or questioned in 280
incidents of suspected corruption since the establishment of the Operation
Recover All Loot (ORAL) preparatory committee to look into corruption.
The creation of the Gold Board to legalize the nation's gold
trade and the reorganization of inefficient State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are
two other measures Mahama has taken to modernize state institutions. To
encourage job creation, the government has initiated the Adwumawura Program and provided seed funding for the Women's Development Bank. To further
establish Ghana as a popular travel destination, the Black Star Experience, a
flagship tourism and cultural revitalization initiative, was launched.
President John Mahama reaffirmed "the need for Africa
to move beyond aid dependency amid U.S. aid cuts and rising trade tariffs"
in a recent interview with Time Magazine, which was based on the ideas and
philosophy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first Ghanaian leader. He called the $156
million cut in USAID spending on governance, education, and health a
"wake-up call" that would eventually encourage African countries to
become more independent.
The Ghanaian leader acknowledged the short-term challenges
but said Ghana had adjusted its national budget to make up the difference,
adding, "We're fine, but not so in some other countries," where
school feeding and other programs have been affected. Under his "Resetting
Ghana" agenda, the cedi has strengthened by 30%, and inflation has been cut
in half, leading to affordable prices of commodities throughout the country.
In less than a year, if the NDC government has accomplished
this and, more significantly, has taken the fight against corruption to a new
level, resulting in the arrest and questioning of some politicians, then
President John Mahama should be commended. The only thing left Ghanaians are anxiously
waiting for is to imprison all corrupt politicians found guilty, which will
assess whether he is a serious and sincere leader who would keep his word.