RESETTING GHANA – ONE YEAR IN RETROSPECT

‘A comparatively peaceful year in retrospect’, is how a 70-year-old retired academic described President Mahama’s first year in office.

From the observers’ seat, let me say without any fear of contradiction that as citizens we are pleased with the progress made so far by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by President John Dramani Mahama.

A year after, the overwhelming mandate that returned the NDC to government under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama was more than an electoral outcome. It was a national call for a #Reset in leadership, governance and public trust. However, it was in the days that followed, during the complex transition from one administration to another, that this mandate found its first and most enduring expression.

First, the transition itself set the tone. It unfolded with calm, cooperation and adherence to Ghana’s constitution, without the usual fallouts. In his inaugural address on January 07/2025 President Mahama declared that Ghana was open for business.

Unlike nations grappling with uncertainty, Ghana chose continuity and dialogue over conflict and disruption. State institutions held firm, security agencies remained professional and the transfer of responsibility took place with dignity and restraint. More than a procedural success, this peaceful handover reassured citizens, investors and partners alike that, change in leadership does not mean instability in the state. In fact, it laid the foundation upon which renewal and the #Reset Ghana, could take root.

From that foundation, government moved quickly into action. Within weeks, the John Mahama–led NDC Government signaled discipline and purpose:

• Institutional discipline: Cabinet Ministers were nominated within 14 days and approved by Parliament, the leanest government under the Fourth Republic was constituted within 90 days, a Code of Conduct for public officials operationalised, and a National Economic Dialogue convened to ground policy in consultation.

• Relief for households: The E-Levy, Betting Tax, and Emissions Levy were scrapped, while COVID levy was absorbed into VAT reforms.

• Human-centred reforms: The “No-Academic-Fee” policy for first-year tertiary students, free tertiary education for Persons with Disabilities was launched; free sanitary pads were rolled out for schoolgirls; and MahamaCares (The Ghana Medical Trust Fund became operational. These affirmed that the #Reset in governance, needed to begin with dignity.

• Strategic economic renewal: Job-creation programmes such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme and One Million Coders were launched, and Goldbod was established as a cornerstone of forex mobilization.

Meanwhile, the economy began to stabilise. Where uncertainty once prevailed, confidence gradually returned:

• Inflation declined and interest rates eased, dropping from January’s 23.5% rate to single digits, 6.3% in November and even lower in December.

• The debt burden reduced, the cedi regained strength and import cover lengthened from weeks to months.

• Fiscal discipline improved, signaling not merely technical recovery but the careful rebuilding of the social contract between state and citizen—restoring predictability for households and credibility for businesses.

Across key sectors, our reforms were visible.

• Education: Funding for the future of Free SHS was secured, national research fund was launched; and 154,000 students benefited from “No Fees Stress”.

• Health: The NHIS was uncapped; revenue rose to GHS 9.76bn; 13,000 nurses received financial clearance; a 2-year backlog of Pharmacy doctors paid, and the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund was established.

• Energy & Digital Economy: Solar investments commenced; data value more than doubled while consumer costs fell; and household media prices were reduced.

• Agriculture: Feed Ghana, boreholes, irrigation dam rehabilitation, and targeted food inflation control restored agriculture’s strategic role in food security.

• Infrastructure & Local Government: The Big Push policy was launched with a plan, and the sod cutting for various road construction to begin, cleared huge contraction debts and laid foundations for growth, while affordable housing and timely payment of District Assembly Common Fund releases have been duly implemented.

Equally important, accountability was pursued deliberately. Thanks to Operation Recover all Loot(ORAL) Investigations into corruption, prosecutions for acts of malfeasance, legacy challenges from the banking sector to major procurement and infrastructure projects have sent a clear message: a #Reset is not only about new programmes, but about restoring integrity to public life. Where reforms remain unfinished, they have been acknowledged openly, which clearly demonstrates the government’s commitment to good governance and transparency.

In retrospect, this year marks a period of unprecedented progress. The confidence placed in President Mahama and the NDC did not merely endorse a government; it entrusted a vision of a Ghana renewed in governance,fairness, steadiness and shared purpose.

Looking ahead, the task is clear.

• To consolidate our economic recovery into lasting stability;

• To accelerate industrial growth, job creation and digital transformation; and

• To enhance institutional reform so that accountability becomes the enduring culture of governance.

If the first year essentially restored trust, President Mahama and his government aim to translate that trust into even more tangible transformation for our people.

Guided by the calm leadership and anchored in the mandate for renewal, Ghana now stands poised not merely to recover but to forge forward with confidence and collective purpose.

President Mahama says, that his comeback must count.