Experts from various fields have given high marks to the first year of President John Dramani Mahama’s second administration during a high-level roundtable on Channel One TV on Tuesday.
The programme, themed “John Mahama 2.0: A Thematic Assessment of Year One” and hosted by Bernard Avle, brought together economists, governance specialists, agricultural researchers, and environmental scientists to evaluate the government’s performance across key sectors.
Macroeconomic Stability Remains Positive but Fragile
Economist Professor William Baah-Boateng commended the administration for maintaining macroeconomic stability during its first year, while cautioning against complacency.
“The year 2025 has been good in terms of macro stability. There’s no question about that. But we shouldn’t jubilate,” Prof. Baah-Boateng said.
He likened key economic indicators to medical conditions: “Managing an economy is like managing the health of an individual. I equate inflation to hypertension, and unemployment to diabetes. These two move together, and if poorly managed, they can quickly erode hard-won stability.”
Prof. Baah-Boateng added that sustained progress will require disciplined fiscal management and consistent monetary policy. “Long stability will be able to facilitate economic transformation,” he noted.
Power Supply Stabilisation Marks End of Dumsor Era
David Ofosu-Dorte, Senior Partner at AB & David Africa, praised the administration for stabilising electricity supply nationwide, effectively containing the era of frequent outages, commonly referred to as dumsor.
“Let’s take the power sector apart from the payment. I don’t know if dumsor has returned or ‘dum sie sie’. To the best of my knowledge, from where I stay and work, there has been a large amount of stability,” he said.
Ofosu-Dorte attributed the improvement to government measures addressing the energy sector’s longstanding debt, better cash flow management at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and enhanced transparency in sector operations.
Agricultural Sector Shows Progress but Farmers Face Challenges
Agricultural research scientist Professor Roger Kanton assessed the administration’s performance in agriculture, noting that flagship initiatives such as Feed Ghana, the 24-Hour Economy, Nkukor Nkitinkiti, farm banks, farmer service centres, and mechanisation centres are on track.
“When you take what the President said he will do and what he has done so far, I think, so far so good,” Prof. Kanton said.
He cautioned, however, that low food prices are limiting farmers’ ability to earn a fair income. “There should be a balance between food production with the livelihood of the farmer in mind, such that there will be an optimal price, so people can afford the food, and at the same time, the farmer can also get a source of income,” he added.
Governance, Transparency, and Accountability Recognised
Mary Addah, Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, lauded the government’s commitment to good governance, accountability, and inclusiveness during its first year.
“For us, it is our explicit opinion that this government, when you look at the subject matter of good governance, benchmarking them on the key indicators—including accountability, transparency, and inclusiveness—we cannot fault them at all for the work they have done,” she said.
Anti-Illegal Mining Efforts Yield Visible Results
Environmental scientist Dr. Ekua Odoom praised the government for its efforts in combating illegal mining (galamsey) and protecting forest reserves.
“There has been appreciable visibility and clear action in fighting galamsey. So far, about 1,500 arrests have been made, including foreign nationals, alongside the seizure of mining equipment,” Dr. Odoom said.
She also highlighted legal reforms, including the repeal of LI 2462, which banned mining in forest reserves, and stressed the need for permanent institutional mechanisms to sustain these gains.
“The NAIMOS is a very good initiative, but it needs permanent positioning in heavily mined areas. It shouldn’t be a one-off task force event,” she added.
30, 000 Teachers Needed
Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, however, disclosed that Ghana is currently grappling with a severe teacher deficit, with about 30,000 classrooms operating without teachers following the government’s failure to recruit new teachers in 2025.
According to him, the lack of recruitment has had a direct impact on basic education, leaving many pupils without proper instruction and increasing the risk of school dropouts.
He explained that the education sector requires at least 15,000 new teachers each year to maintain balance in the system, accounting for poor distribution and annual attrition.
However, he noted that no teachers were recruited in 2025, worsening an already strained situation.
Conclusion
The forum concluded that the first year of the Mahama administration has achieved notable successes in macroeconomic management, energy stability, agriculture, governance, and environmental protection.
Experts, however, emphasised that maintaining these gains will require policy consistency, legal enforcement, and careful balancing of economic growth with citizen welfare.
“The first year shows promise, but long-term success will depend on consistency, discipline, and effective execution of policy,” Prof. Baah-Boateng concluded.
