In his New Year’s Message, the President stated that “we have begun to deliver on that covenant.”
He reported that inflation has dropped from 23% to 5% and that the currency has stabilised. He also highlighted increased electricity supply, expanded healthcare coverage, and progress in the fight against corruption.
To be fair, there has been progress, and national morale has improved. However, the praise has at times been disproportionate to the changes achieved and has even verged on sycophancy, as NDC General Secretary Fiifi Kwetey pointed out a few days ago.
Some are even talking about a third term. Perhaps mediocre governance after mediocre governance has dulled our expectations.
Yet it was from this same leadership perch that Kwame Nkrumah built the Tema Harbour and the Akosombo Dam and delivered massive infrastructure development. It was from this perch that President Kufuor built the Bui Dam, initiated the National Health Insurance Scheme, and presided over the era of the “Kufuor dollar,” which was stronger than the US dollar. It was also from this same perch that Acheampong gave us Operation Feed Yourself, the Dansoman and Suntreso estates, and secured the Africa Cup of Nations permanently in 1978.
And from this same perch, President Mahama himself delivered UGMC, Terminal 3, and many other major infrastructure projects in just four years.
As I write, prices remain too high. Galamsey is still largely untamed. Too many thieves continue to mock ORAL by walking free with their loot. This concern is worsened by the avalanche of nolle prosequi applications, which has created the unfortunate impression that some NDC members may expect benign neglect from prosecuting authorities.
Thankfully, the President appears well grounded in the enormity of what remains undone. He has been diligent, humble, and accessible. In this new year, Mr President, let ORAL advance by leaps and bounds, and let the fight against galamsey be pursued with firmness and resolve. No amount of economic returns from galamsey can justify the destruction of our forests, the pollution of our rivers, and the poisoning of our pregnant women and children.
Beyond Ghana, help Africa find African solutions to African problems. At the moment, we seem bereft of solutions. Mr President, these are the changes that will earn you not a needless third term, but a place—behind Nkrumah—among Ghana’s greatest leaders.
As the President rightly said, “Governments do not build nations alone.”
Indeed. Parliament must fully step into its role of executive oversight and take centre stage in constitutional reform. Too many audit shenanigans have gone unpunished, and constitutional reform risks becoming a circus without firm leadership.
The problems with our Constitution are not quantitative; they are qualitative. That is why our Constitution is nearly three times the length of the US Constitution yet delivers far less. I have not met a single Ghanaian who wished Rawlings or Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had governed for ten years instead of eight.
At the heart of our constitutional democracy lies the uncontrolled monetisation of politics. This must be confronted. No reforms will matter as much as those that demonetise our politics.
May God bless Ghana.
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