President John Dramani Mahama, on the evening of Wednesday, May 7, delivered a national address marking his first 120 days in office, highlighting a flurry of legislative reforms, economic interventions, and bold governance decisions.
Candidate Mahama, prior to the 2024 elections, had promised to deliver on a number of key items within his first 120 days of assuming office as President.
In his words on Wednesday, “We made promises, and we have kept them.”
President Mahama pointed to the swift formation of the leanest government in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, with only 56 ministers and deputies, as well as the roll-out of a strengthened Code of Conduct for appointees, explicitly banning the purchase of state assets by officials.
He also detailed the successful convening of a National Economic Dialogue, which informed a raft of fiscal measures, including an amended Public Financial Management Act with sanctions for noncompliance and the introduction of a debt rule to reduce Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio to 45% by 2034.
Further, he announced the repeal of the controversial E-Levy, Emissions Levy, and the Betting Tax, saying the COVID levy will be phased out as part of broader VAT reforms.
President Mahama emphasized transparency and a crackdown on past corruption, revealing ongoing forensic audits, anti-graft probes, and an upcoming bill to streamline scholarships. “My commitment to fighting corruption is not limited to recovering loot from past appointees,” he declared.
The President designated these first 120 days as “a foundation for building the Ghana we want together,” urging collective national effort moving forward.
