Let’s strengthen institutions to deliver on mandate — Arise Ghana
A civil society organisation, Arise Ghana, has stressed the need to strengthen institutions to deliver on their mandates.
It has also called for a broad national conversation on the country’s progress over the past year and its future trajectory under President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra last Wednesday, Co-Convener of Arise Ghana, Marion Gifty Nyaaba, said aside from assessing the progress and policing the policies of the current government, Ghanaians need to demand the fulfilment of the campaign promises of President Mahama, which it described as a social contract between the government and the people.
Dubbed “An independent National Reflection on Ghana’s State of Affairs: One Year of the John Dramani Mahama Administration,” the press conference was to examine a year of President Mahama's tenure.
Stability
Ms Nyaaba said that Ghana had moved away from an economic freefall, with notable gains in macroeconomic stability, currency performance, tax relief and governance intent.
“Ghana is no longer plummeting into economic freefall. The ship has been steadied, the leaks plugged and a sense of direction restored,” she said.
Ms Nyaaba said that stability could create conditions for growth, investment and innovation, but it does not guarantee them.
She acknowledged that the Mahama administration had averted economic disaster; however, the progress could easily be reversed if corruption and weak accountability resurface.
“These improvements stem from a combination of policy discipline, international partnerships and domestic resilience — proof that when Ghanaians unite behind sound strategies, progress is possible,” she added.
Governance
On governance, Ms Nyaaba said the Mahama administration had demonstrated a clear intent through a more consultative and inclusive governance approach.
It cited the introduction of a Code of Conduct for public appointees, renewed momentum in anti-corruption efforts and the launch of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) to reclaim misappropriated state assets, including looted state lands and bungalows.
Ms Nyaaba, however, stressed that results, not declarations, must ultimately judge governance.
Investigations, Ms Nyaaba said, must lead to prosecutions and prosecutions must result in fair and impartial convictions, regardless of political affiliation or social status.
