“A comparatively peaceful year in retrospect,” is how a 70-year-old retired academic described President John Dramani Mahama’s first year back in office.
From the observer’s seat, let me state without fear of contradiction that many citizens are pleased with the progress made so far by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) under President Mahama’s leadership.
One year on, the overwhelming mandate that returned the NDC to government was far more than an electoral outcome. It was a national call for a reset—in leadership, governance, and public trust. Yet it was in the immediate days following the elections, during the complex transition from one administration to another, that this mandate found its first and most enduring expression.
A Transition That Set the Tone
The transition itself set the tone for the year ahead. It unfolded with calm, cooperation, and strict adherence to Ghana’s Constitution, without the familiar tensions and disruptions.
In his inaugural address on January 7, 2025, President Mahama declared that Ghana was open for business.
Unlike many nations grappling with post-election uncertainty, Ghana chose continuity and dialogue over conflict. State institutions held firm, security agencies remained professional, and the transfer of responsibility took place with dignity and restraint. Beyond procedural success, this peaceful handover reassured citizens, investors, and development partners that a change in leadership does not equate to instability.
Rather, it laid a firm foundation upon which national renewal and the Reset Ghana agenda could take root.
Early Signals of Purpose and Discipline
From that foundation, the Mahama-led NDC government moved swiftly into action. Within weeks, it signaled discipline, clarity, and intent:
Institutional discipline: Cabinet Ministers were nominated within 14 days and approved by Parliament. Within 90 days, the leanest government under the Fourth Republic was constituted.
A Code of Conduct for public officials was operationalised, and a National Economic Dialogue convened to ground policy in broad consultation.
Relief for households: The E-Levy, Betting Tax, and Emissions Levy were scrapped, while the COVID-19 levy was absorbed through VAT reforms.
Human-centred reforms:
The No-Academic-Fee policy for first-year tertiary students was introduced, alongside free tertiary education for Persons with Disabilities. Free sanitary pads were rolled out for schoolgirls, and MahamaCares the Ghana Medical Trust Fund became operational, affirming that the reset in governance must begin with dignity.
Strategic economic renewal:
Job-creation programmes such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme, and One Million Coders were launched, while GoldBod was established as a cornerstone for foreign exchange mobilisation.
Economic Stabilisation and Renewed Confidence.
Gradually, the economy began to stabilise. Where uncertainty once prevailed, confidence returned:
Inflation declined steadily and interest rates eased, falling from 23.5% in January to single digits 6.3% by November and even lower in December. The debt burden reduced, the cedi regained strength, and import cover lengthened from weeks to several months.
Fiscal discipline improved, signalling not merely technical recovery but the careful rebuilding of the social contract between state and citizen—restoring predictability for households and credibility for businesses.
Visible Sectoral Reforms
Across key sectors, reforms became increasingly visible:
Education: Sustainable funding for Free SHS was secured, a National Research Fund was launched, and over 154,000 students benefited from the No Fees Stress initiative.
Health:
The NHIS was uncapped, revenues rose to GHS 9.76 billion, 13,000 nurses received financial clearance, a two-year backlog of pharmacy doctor payments was cleared, and the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund was established.
Energy and Digital Economy:
Solar investments commenced, data value more than doubled while consumer costs fell, and household media prices were reduced.
Agriculture: Feed Ghana, borehole projects, irrigation dam rehabilitation, and targeted food-inflation controls restored agriculture’s strategic role in food security.
Infrastructure and Local Government:
The Big Push policy was launched with a clear financing plan.
Contract arrears were cleared, sod-cutting for major road projects began, affordable housing initiatives progressed, and District Assembly Common Fund releases were made timely and predictable.
Accountability and Integrity
Equally significant was the deliberate pursuit of accountability.
Through Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), investigations into corruption, prosecutions for acts of malfeasance, and reviews of legacy challenges from the banking sector to major procurement and infrastructure projects sent a clear message: the reset is not only about new programmes, but about restoring integrity to public life.
Where reforms remain unfinished, they have been acknowledged openly an approach that reinforces the government’s commitment to transparency and good governance.
Looking Ahead
In retrospect, this first year marks a period of steady and unprecedented progress.
The confidence placed in President Mahama and the NDC was not merely an endorsement of a government; it was an entrustment of a vision of a Ghana renewed in governance, fairness, stability, and shared purpose.
Looking ahead, the task is clear:
To consolidate economic recovery into lasting stability;
To accelerate industrial growth, job creation, and digital transformation; and
To deepen institutional reforms so that accountability becomes an enduring culture of governance.
If the first year restored trust, the years ahead must translate that trust into even more tangible transformation for the Ghanaian people.
Guided by calm leadership and anchored in a clear mandate for renewal, Ghana now stands poised not merely to recover but to move forward with confidence and collective purpose.
As President Mahama has said, his comeback must count.
Article by Joyce Bawa Mogtari
Presidential Adviser and Special Aide
