Mahama pledges economic stabilisation and commitment to Free SHS Policy

President-elect John Mahama has reaffirmed his dedication to tackling Ghana’s economic challenges while maintaining key social policies, including the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative. Speaking to VOA’s Paul Ndiho on Saturday, December 14, Mahama outlined his administration’s priorities, emphasising economic recovery as central to achieving national progress.

Focus on Economic Stability
“The economy is going to be the number one focus because it affects everything else,” Mahama stated. “If the economy is in a bad way, it affects education, agriculture, sports—every sector of the country. So, we are going to have to deal with stabilising the economy.”

Mahama acknowledged Ghana’s current engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and stressed his administration’s commitment to continuing the program.

“In all the other times that we’ve gone to the IMF, it’s just been for macroeconomic stability, but we have twin problems,” he explained. “We’ve requested some discussion with the IMF because we were part of the negotiation of this program. We need to look at how we can all be on the same wavelength in terms of implementing the program.”

Mahama ruled out abandoning the current IMF program but suggested adjustments might be necessary. “I want to make that clear: we are not jettisoning the program. But within the program, I am sure there can be some leverage for tweaking it. If we are able to reach that agreement, then we continue the program till it ends,” he added.

Free SHS Policy to Stay
Turning to education, Mahama dispelled rumours that his government plans to scrap the Free SHS policy, which provides free secondary education to Ghanaian students. “Free SHS has come to stay, and it is not going anywhere,” he affirmed. “Nobody is going to scrap Free SHS. What was said was political talk and gimmickry. We are going to maintain it.”

Mahama, however, noted the need for sustainable funding to support the program. “What we are going to do is get dedicated funding for it,” he said.

This comes in the wake of comments by former Finance Minister Seth Terkper, who highlighted the financial strain of the Free SHS initiative during an interview with Accra-based TV3. Terkper pointed out that many countries offering free education limit it to day students to manage costs effectively.