John Mahama’s second presidency - Public perceptions so far

John Osae-Kwapong, PhD Politics Sep - 27 - 2025 , 09:57 5 minutes read

President John Mahama’s presidential trajectory is unique.

None of our Presidents so far has experienced an electoral defeat after one term and then returned to the presidency.

A particular narrative, hammered home successfully by his political opponents in 2016, which led to his electoral defeat, is why I remain particularly interested in the second presidency.

It also explains why, in my forthcoming book about his first presidency, I explore the theme of “redemption.”

I believe his electoral win and a second chance at the presidency place him on a path towards redemption among Ghanaians.

Two reports have made efforts to capture the sentiments of Ghanaians.

The first by the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education and the second, Global Info Analytics September National Tracking poll.

A triangulation of both reports shows some positives and red flags that the administration must address.

Big picture

Let’s first examine the Global Info Analytics poll, which was conducted across all 16 regions, captured 83 constituencies and had a total sample size of 9,497.

The methodology combines telephone and face-to-face interviews.

I appreciate the transparency with which they share details of their methodology, including a detailed breakdown of their sample.

I have drawn Mr Dankwah’s attention to the fact that Global Info Analytics polls tend to over-sample men compared to women.

I, however, know that the data is weighted during analysis of the results to correct for this.

I say all this to acknowledge the methodological soundness of the poll.

The President’s approval rating remains high, with seven out of 10 (67 per cent) Ghanaians approving of his performance.

Among partisans, it is expected that those who self-identify as NPP will have a low approval rating (35 per cent) compared to NDC (91 per cent).

However, the President enjoys a 65 per cent performance approval rating among floating voters.

In regions won during the 2024 election, his approval ratings range between 59 per cent (Western North) and 84 per cent (Bono East).

Finally, the President is not doing badly in the three regions he lost in 2024 – Ashanti (55 per cent), Eastern (68 per cent) and North East (62 per cent).

When it comes to the direction of the country, most Ghanaians (66 per cent) say the country is moving in the “right direction.”

In regions won during the 2024 election, the percentage of Ghanaians saying the country is heading in the “right direction” ranges between 52 per cent (Western North) and 80 per cent (Northern).

Finally, the sentiment in the three regions he lost in 2024 – Ashanti (55 per cent), Eastern (64 per cent) and North East (64 per cent) is not underwhelming.

Regarding the standard of living, six out of 10 Ghanaians (57 per cent) feel it is improving, while seven out of 10 Ghanaians (67 per cent) are optimistic about continued improvements.

In sum, the President can take consolation in the current approval rating he is enjoying and what Ghanaians are saying about the direction of the country.

Keep in mind that this President left office with a 53 per cent approval rating, and only 26 per cent of Ghanaians said the country was heading in the right direction (CDD-Ghana, October 2016, pre-election survey).

Red flags

The drops in public sentiment, as captured by the Global Info Analytics polls, must not be overlooked. A close look shows these worrying drops – a) the President’s approval rating (-6); b) country is moving in the right direction (-5); c) rating of government performance as very good/good (-7); d) standard of living optimism (-5); e) state of corruption is improving (-7); and f) government is doing enough to fight corruption (-5). This trajectory cannot continue.

The rating of government performance, where 54 per cent of Ghanaians say ‘very good/good' on how well they think the entire government apparatus is performing, points to a worrying gap compared to presidential performance (67 per cent).

Even among those who say they are NDC, the President’s approval is high (91 per cent) compared to that of his government (65 per cent).

This should remind the administration that succeeding rests not only with the President but also with those serving in key government positions.

The “end” of the honeymoon period, as IMANI describes it in their report, which covered January through June, is worrying.

For a government that came to office with a huge electoral victory, it is worrying to see a shift in the public’s mood within six months.