Mahama’s govt shows promise but challenges loom - Experts

President John Dramani Mahama has received rave reviews from governance experts and academics for his performance in government as his administration chalked up 120 days in office.

Stepping in for his second term tenure, the President has described his second coming as a legacy regime, seeking to reset a country he had diagnosed as malfunctioning during his campaign for office.

On the back of a resounding electoral victory, his job was seen as a difficult one, given that the economy was shackled by a programme under the watch of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But five experts, in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, said the President had exceeded expectations with an impressive general showing in the opening four months of his four-year mandate, although another group suggested that the President’s tenure so far had been largely poor.

The experts and academics are Professor John Gatsi of the University of Cape Coast; a former United Nations Senior Advisor on governance, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah; a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Political Science Department, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante; Dr Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari of the Political Science Department of the University for Development Studies and Gilbert Arhinful Aidoo of the University of Education, Winneba.

Gatsi’s views

Prof. Gatsi said the President had made significant strides in achieving the objectives outlined in his 120-day social contract with the people of Ghana.

He praised the President's efforts in creating a moderate business environment, reducing inflation, and stabilising the economy in 120 days.

“He has brought about a moderated environment as opposed to the harsh business environment that we used to experience about four months ago,” Prof. Gatsi said.

The economist further commended the President's commitment to transparency and accountability, saying “transparency is heightened. Voice and accountability are open.

These are the things that countrymen and women want to experience”.

Asked to rate the President's performance, Prof. Gatsi replied: “He just performed remarkably. He just performed excellently. He just performed to the expectations of the people of Ghana."

The senior lecturer urged the President to maintain the momentum, infusing those positive developments into various sectors of his administration, expressing optimism that the President would build on the progress to deliver on broader promises, including agricultural and infrastructure development, and the fight against corruption.

Agyeman-Duah’s take

Prof. Agyeman-Duah said President Mahama had made a good start in fulfilling his 120-day social contract with the people.

He said the President had covered "quite an appreciable space" and fulfilled some major promises, including launching a Code of Conduct for his appointees and setting up committees to review the Constitution and deal with the 24-hour economy.

“Overall, I think he started well,” Prof. Agyeman-Duah said, adding that "we are yet to see the results of some of the initiatives that take time to build.”

Looking ahead, the governance expert emphasised the importance of implementation, saying “the sweetness of the pudding will be known once we eat it”.

He added that the extent to which appointees would comply with the new Code of Conduct would be crucial in determining the success of the President's initiatives.

Asah-Asante’s opinion

Dr Asah-Asante commended President Mahama’s first 120 days in office as a strong and commendable start, marked by “the President’s superior knowledge” of national issues and commitment to governance.

He highlighted several fulfilled promises under the President’s 120-day social contract, including the timely nomination of Cabinet ministers, the formation of a lean government, and the launch of a Code of Conduct for public officials, which he called an important step in tackling corruption.

Dr Asah-Asante further praised initiatives such as the national economic dialogue, efforts to remove burdensome taxes, and the early implementation of policies such as the 24-hour economy.

He mentioned areas where work was ongoing or yet to commence to include investigations into unresolved criminal cases, scholarship reforms, and the re-organisation of state-owned enterprises.

While acknowledging these shortcomings, he urged the government to maintain momentum, enforce accountability, and support anti-corruption institutions, cautioning against complacency and the risks of premature political triumphalism.

Bukari’s ideas

Dr Bukari said since taking office, President Mahama had shown a performance that was focused on economic recovery, infrastructure development and governance reforms.

He said given Ghana’s recent economic challenges characterised by high debt, inflation and currency depreciation, the new administration had prioritised fiscal discipline while expanding social programmes such as the MahamaCares and education initiatives.

“His experience as a former President could lend stability, but critics might question his ability to tackle corruption and unemployment effectively, though he demonstrates his readiness to fight corruption with the establishment of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).

“Infrastructure projects, a hallmark of his first term as President, have also resumed with ambitious one-billion-dollar investments in roads, energy and digital infrastructure. However, funding constraints due to Ghana’s debt crisis could slow progress.

Internationally, Mahama shows his readiness to maintain strong ties with the West, while engaging with China and other emerging partners for investment,” he said. 

“Overall, Mahama’s performance over 120 days has hinged on balancing economic recovery with inclusive development, leveraging his experience while adapting to new challenges,” Dr Bukari added.

Aidoo’s thoughts

Mr Arhinful Aidoo said the 120 days might be too early for a thorough assessment of President Mahama’s tenure, and that patience and a long-term view were necessary to evaluate the administration's efforts to turn around the IMF-powered economy and put it on a sustainable path.

"For me, 120 days is too early for any deeper assessments," he said.

He, however, commended the government for implementing several initiatives aimed at promoting transparency, accountability and economic growth.

Mr Aidoo said ongoing governance reforms included appointing a lean team of 56 ministers and deputies within 30 days, introducing a Code of Conduct for government officials, and banning appointees from purchasing state assets.

“A digital portal has also been created for reporting breaches, further enhancing transparency and accountability,” he added.

The Political Science lecturer said the government had further launched economic interventions, including scrapping controversial taxes such as the E-Levy and betting tax.

He mentioned the Adwumawura, One Million Coders, and National Apprenticeship initiatives as programmes introduced to boost employment opportunities, while macro-economic indicators had shown significant improvement, with inflation and exchange rates trending positively.

Mr Arhinful Aidoo acknowledged that the government had introduced social protection interventions to reduce poverty and protect the vulnerable.

“While Mahama’s administration has achieved notable milestones in governance, the economy and social welfare in its first 120 days in office, several issues such as delays in audits, policy rollouts, and legislative reforms remain unaddressed,” he said.

Group disagrees

The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy, however, disagreed with the general opinion of the experts and instead rated President Mahama’s first 120 days in office as a failure, scoring his performance at 36.20 per cent in relation to the 25-point plan he outlined during his 2024 campaign.

The assessment was supposedly based on a document titled “Mahama’s First 120 Days Social Contract with the People of Ghana”, promising lean governance, tax reliefs, social interventions, economic reforms, audits, job creation, education support, environmental action and accountability within his first four months in office.

The organisation, made up of academics from some public universities, evaluated the President’s progress on these promises across four thematic areas: Governance and Accountability, Economic Reset, Social Intervention, and Energy and Environment.

The group presented its assessment at an event in Accra yesterday through its Executive Director, Prof. Isaac Boadi, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Finance at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

In the area of Governance and Accountability — covering transparency, anti-corruption measures, and institutional reforms — the report indicated significant delays in key pledges such as forensic audits into COVID-19 expenditures and the National Cathedral project, reforms to scholarship administration, and probes into election-related violence, with the overall score for this area standing at 23.13 per cent.

On Economic Reset, which focused on tax reforms, job creation and industrial growth, the assessment scored the President 45.56 per cent.

The report highlighted that while some initiatives had begun, many lacked clear implementation frameworks, casting doubt on their long-term viability.