President John Mahama is scheduled to present his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on February 27, as programmed by Parliament.

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This was announced by the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga, on the floor of Parliament on Friday, February 14. The Office of the President communicated this date to Parliament, and it was confirmed during the session.

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The delivery of SONA by the president aligns with the constitutional mandate stated in Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution. According to this article, the president is required to present the SONA at the beginning of each session of Parliament and may also deliver a supplementary SONA at the end of the session to update the nation on the state of the country.

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In his second term under the 9th Parliament, President Mahama is expected to outline Ghana’s current state and his administration’s strategy for navigating the country through this challenging period, especially as Ghana remains under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) support program.

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With Ghana’s ongoing economic challenges and recent warnings from the World Bank regarding the government’s fiscal decisions, many expect key issues to be addressed in the upcoming speech. The IMF's recent discussions with the government, including talks on scrapping certain taxes and recommendations to tackle the country’s growing debt crisis, are also crucial topics.

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Additionally, President Mahama is expected to address important sectors such as education, health, and energy. On January 3, the immediate past president, Nana Akufo-Addo, outlined the state of the economy, which has now been handed over to the Mahama-led administration.

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Former President Akufo-Addo highlighted the resilience of Ghana’s economy, which faced significant hurdles, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the IMF-supported Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), his administration stabilized the economy.

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“Economic growth has also returned to the pre-COVID trajectory, with an impressive growth rate, rising from 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024, 7 percent in the second quarter, and 7.2 percent in the third quarter. It is projected that this year’s growth rate will be 6.3 percent, significantly higher than the 3.4 percent my administration inherited in 2017,” he said.

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President Akufo-Addo also emphasized strides in healthcare, including the Agenda 111 project to expand access to medical facilities and the revitalization of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

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Coverage now includes critical treatments for childhood cancers and sickle cell disease, reflecting a commitment to enhancing health equity.

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