I won’t be the type of leader who would be interested and focus in shifting blame onto others, but rather be a man of conviction and stand firm to solve all issues for the betterment of my country people, President John Dramani Mahama has said.
“I am sad to report that the state of our nation is not good. Our economy is in crisis, and our people are suffering unprecedented hardships. Mr. Speaker, it is not my style to lament and shift blame when confronted with challenges, as others often do. My approach is to accept challenges and work hard to resolve them. Indeed, that is precisely what the people of Ghana elected me to do. I have not come here to lament the state of our country, though there is much to lament. I understand why I was elected with such high voter confidence—to solve their problems” President Mahama made it known in his first State of the Nation Address of his second term to Parliament yesterday, February 27, 2025.
The President was speaking on the point that, the economic situation in reality that he inherited from the erstwhile administration is not something that can be described as good.
He further explained that, the assessment of Ghana’s current state, reveals that, the country is in crisis, adding that, with hard work and experience, he would put the nation back on a path of growth and prosperity.
“Notwithstanding this gloomy background, I remain committed to leading this government, taking every necessary step to reset our economy, getting things back on track, and working with the good people of our country to build the Ghana we want. We are doubling our efforts to complete all outstanding structural reforms. Through the budget, we will implement corrective measures to restore fiscal discipline and debt sustainability.
He further assured, “We are also working towards completing the upcoming fourth review of the IMF-supported Programme. The review is scheduled from April 2nd to April 15th, 2025, and the IMF Executive Board is expected to approve it in June 2025. As we have done previously, we are also building buffers in the Sinking Fund and adopting prudent debt management practices to ensure prompt repayment of upcoming domestic and external debt maturities.”
National Dialogue
On the measures to tackle what he described as economic mess, the President indicated that, there would be a National Economic Dialogue to discuss vital and relevant issues aim to solve everything and see to the fact that, all Ghanaians are having good living condition.
“Mr Speaker, in fulfilment of our 120-day social contract with the Ghanaian people, we have put in place the planning committee to host the National Economic Dialogue. This dialogue is expected to discuss the State of the economy and reach a consensus on the key policies needed to address the devastating economic crisis confronting us.”
He added, “It will support the development of a home-grown fiscal consolidation programme and highlight key structural reforms and policy priorities essential for resetting the economy and creating prosperity for all. I believe there is absolute wisdom in what our elders say: that two heads are better than one. Consultation and consensus building have always proven to be better than unilateral decision making.
“It is my hope that our colleagues on the other side of the divide will display love of country and participate in this National dialogue unlike their boycott of the Senchi Forum in 2014. I humbly choose a different path of accommodation and cooperation with all stakeholders. We will continuously engage on important issues so that together, we can reset our country and focus on sustainable development. Together, we shall build the Ghana we want.”
