Mahama’s 120-day Social Contract resounding success — Valerie Sawyerr

The Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs, Dr Valerie Sawyerr, has expressed unwavering confidence in the government’s ability to deliver on all its policies.

She said the remarkable execution of policies and pledges contained in the bold 120-day social contract, which the government advanced on its own volition — quite unprecedented in the Fourth Republic — had laid a robust foundation for the country’s recovery. 

Commitment

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Sawyerr said every commitment was meticulously planned and implemented, adding that it was not about ticking boxes, but about restoring faith in governance through tangible results. 

When President John Dramani Mahama assumed office on January 7, 2025, he presented Ghanaians with a compact of urgent reforms designed to reset the nation’s trajectory.

With the deadline now passed, a thorough assessment reveals not just fulfillment but an impressive achievement, as the administration had delivered on all 25 pledges, she said.

Discipline and accountability

Outlining the achievements, Dr Sawyerr said from the outset, President Mahama signalled a break from profligacy by assembling the leanest executive under the Fourth Republic — just 56 ministers and deputies — a deliberate downsizing to enhance efficiency.

District Chief Executives were swiftly nominated across all regions, undergoing rigorous vetting to ensure competence over cronyism.  

The administration’s anti-corruption drive, she addeed, gained teeth with the launch of a strengthened Code of Conduct for Government Appointees on May 5.

The document, which Dr Sawyerr described as "non-negotiable", bans conflicts of interest, including the purchase of state assets by officials.

At a high-level retreat in Ada, Cabinet members underwent intensive sessions on ethics, with a clear warning that breaches would trigger dire consequences.

Economic recovery

The Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs also cited the National Economic Dialogue held on March 3 to 4, which produced a consensus to overhaul tax policies, tighten expenditure controls and reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

By April, legislative action followed with amendments to the PFM Act which institutionalised a 45 per cent debt-to-GDP cap by 2034, while an independent Fiscal Council was established to monitor compliance.

"We’re ending the era of reckless borrowing," Dr Sawyerr emphasised.  

True to his pledge, she said, President Mahama scrapped oppressive taxes, abolishing the E-Levy, Emissions Levy and the 10 per cent betting tax, while fast-tracking VAT reforms to eliminate the COVID-19 levy by November 2025. 

24-Hour Economy

Dr Sawyerr said the 24-Hour Economy Policy, the cornerstone of President Mahama’s agenda, had transitioned from concept to concrete action.

She said draft legislation to support night-time productivity, including revised labour laws for shift workers and tax incentives for participating businesses, had been completed.

Early wins include 24-hour passport services at the Accra headquarters, 24-hour premium services at the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the DVLA’s clearance of an 18-month licence backlog, and partnerships with financial institutions to provide low-interest loans for night-time enterprises.

In addition, the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is also training 23,000 security personnel to safeguard businesses operating after dark.  

Export-led growth

Dr Sawyerr also mentioned the Accelerated Export Development Advisory Committee, inaugurated on May 5 and chaired by President himself, which targets a threefold increase in non-traditional exports by 2028.

Also, the Ministry of Trade had engaged stakeholders in Suame Magazine, Kokompe and Abossey Okai to finalise a bill repealing the ban on salvaged vehicle imports, a move set to revive auto workshops and spare parts markets.  

Promises kept

The National Consultative Conference on Education, which took place in February–March, 2025, consulted with over 5,000 stakeholders to redesign curricula and address funding gaps.

Its recommendations, due imminently, will inform long-term reforms. In the interim, the No-Academic-Fee policy for tertiary first-year students is already operational, with GH¢452 million to be disbursed directly to the institutions involved.

For marginalised groups, the administration has delivered free tertiary education for persons with disabilities which begins in August 2025 with a GH¢51 million allocation.

Again, the MahamaCares Fund, launched on April 29 and free sanitary pads for six million schoolgirls are being distributed nationwide, accompanied by menstrual health education.  

Justice, anti-corruption

Forensic audits into 15 high-profile scandals from the National Cathedral’s $58 million mystery to COVID-19 fund abuses are advancing, with Deloitte’s report on the former expected by the end of the month.

The National Investigations Bureau (NIB) has wrapped probes into the Sky Train and National Service ghost names with prosecutions underway.  

Notably, the government has reignited investigations into election-related violence, including the Techiman shootings and Ayawaso West Wuogon brutality, while arresting a suspect in journalist Ahmed Suale’s 2019 murder. 

Environmental restoration

Dr Sawyerr also mentioned the launch of the Blue Water Initiative to deploy 2,000 guards to monitor polluted rivers, while Tree for Life aims to plant 20 million seedlings annually.

Moreso, a legislative instrument to take away the President’s power to grant approval to lease out forest reserves to mining companies has been laid before Parliament, with over 150 excavators seized from illegal operators so far.  

“A lot of work is ongoing in the mining areas but not everything can be made public due to security concerns — we are rectifying past neglect,” Dr Sawyerr said.

She also touched support for victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage, a comprehensive shake-up of SOEs being underway as part of the achievements.

On job creation, programmes such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme, and the One Million Coders were all taking shape.

Cultural renaissance

Again the Black Star Experience has been launched to market the country on the local and international tourism map.

Dr Sawyerr’s confidence in the administration’s 120-day delivery is rooted in measurable outcomes.

"Ghanaians demanded action, not excuses.

We’ve provided it," she said.

While long-term gains will take time, the President Mahama administration’s first quarter has set a precedent for responsive, accountable governance.

She said critical bills such as the Scholarship Authority Act and Women’s Development Bank were poised for parliamentary scrutiny soon.

As Dr Sawyerr put it: "This is just the beginning. The reset is real."