President John Dramani Mahama has admitted that the state of Ghana’s economy he inherited upon returning to office left him momentarily questioning his decision to take on the responsibility again.

Speaking about the early days of his administration, President Mahama suggested that the economic realities he encountered triggered a quiet sense of regret, as the depth of the challenges became clearer through economic data and briefings.

“When we came into office, I pinched myself and said, ‘what trouble have you gotten yourself into,’ because what we saw there, economic numbers and all that,” the President said at a closed-door meeting with senior advisers in November.

He explained that the economy was in such disarray that it became apparent his government had taken on a far heavier task than initially anticipated. The situation, he noted, was one that demanded humility, resilience, and divine intervention.

“I mean the way things were haywire, we realised that we had really bitten quite a lot and that God should help all of us to have the jaws and mouth to be able to chew what we had bitten,” President Mahama stated.

The President added that the weight of the responsibility led his team to seek spiritual strength alongside policy solutions, acknowledging that the task ahead was daunting.

“And happily, He listened to our prayers,” he said.

President Mahama’s remarks highlight the scale of the economic difficulties his administration inherited and underscore the pressures faced by the government as it works to stabilise the economy and steer the country toward recovery.

Meanwhile the first 120 days after his inauguration have shown that, indeed, God heard his prayer for help.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, marked exactly 100 days since President John Dramani Mahama, together with Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, was sworn into office following their victory in the 2024 presidential election.

Confident of his electoral success, President Mahama had signed a contract titled “Mahama’s First 120 Days Social Contract with the People of Ghana,” which outlined the specific goals he intended to achieve within the first 120 days of his administration.

In addition to the social contract, Mahama made several promises to Ghanaians, which were highlighted in his party’s 2024 manifesto, “Resetting Ghana for Jobs, Accountability and Prosperity.” This article examines some of the key achievements of his government during its first 100 days, as well as the commitments yet to be fulfilled, particularly those captured in the 120-day social contract.

Among the milestones achieved, President Mahama fulfilled his promise to nominate the full list of cabinet ministers within the first 14 days for parliamentary approval. He submitted a total of 42 ministerial nominees, including cabinet, non-cabinet, and regional ministers. All nominees were vetted and approved in less than a month, a process considered unprecedented in Ghanaian political history.

The President also delivered on his pledge to hold a National Economic Dialogue to assess the true state of the economy and develop a homegrown fiscal consolidation programme to guide the national budget. He established a seven-member National Economic Dialogue Planning Committee chaired by renowned economist Dr. Ishmael Yamson, which organised the forum from March 3 to March 4, 2025.

Mahama further fulfilled his promise to convene a national consultative conference on education to build consensus on reforms needed in the sector. An eight-member committee was established to oversee the National Education Forum, which reviewed the education system from February 18 to February 28, 2025.

Additionally, the President committed to reopening investigations into major unresolved criminal cases, including the 2020 election-related killings, the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence, the murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, and the case of Silas Wulochamey. Accordingly, he has directed the Inspector General of Police to initiate investigations into electoral killings that occurred during both the 2020 and 2024 elections.

Mahama promised, “Within my first 90 days in office, [I will] scrap the following draconian taxes to alleviate hardships and ease the high cost of doing business: E-Levy, COVID Levy, 10% Levy on Bet Winnings, and Emissions Levy.”

This commitment was fulfilled following the passage of the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

President Mahama has also delivered on his promise to implement the ‘No-Academic-Fee’ policy for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions, including universities, colleges of education, and nursing training schools.

He has further honoured his pledge to introduce key social interventions, such as Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities and the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MahamaCares) Fund.

The President has also begun distributing free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools. This initiative was facilitated through a budget allocation for the procurement of sanitary products, announced by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.

As promised, seed funding has been allocated for the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank.

In addition, President Mahama launched several priority job creation initiatives, including the ‘Adwumawura’ Programme, the ‘National Apprenticeship Programme,’ and the ‘One Million Coders Programme.’

In line with his commitments, he allocated funds to compensate flood victims in affected areas, including communities in the Oti, Bono East, and Savannah regions.