The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has delivered its most comprehensive independent verdict yet on President John Dramani Mahama’s first year in office, characterising the administration’s overall performance as one of “promising signals constrained by structural realities,” with exceptional macroeconomic gains sitting alongside persistent governance deficits that, if unaddressed, could undermine the wider Reset Agenda.
The think tank published its One-Year Assessment Report on the Mahama Administration, titled “The Second Coming,” on February 23, 2026, following a public roundtable on February 19 at which policymakers, civil society representatives, academics and media practitioners examined the findings across six thematic areas.
Economy: The Clearest Win
The report’s sharpest praise was reserved for macroeconomic performance, which CDD-Ghana described as exceptional relative to what the administration inherited. Fuel prices fell by approximately four to eight percent between December 2025 and January 2026, generating a 15% reduction in commercial transport fares, while food inflation collapsed from 28.3% in January 2025 to 4.9% by December, and cedi appreciation reduced the cost of imported essentials including medicines.
However, the report warned that the macroeconomic recovery rests on foundations that require continued discipline. The debt-to-GDP ratio improved dramatically but Ghana faces GH¢20 billion in repayments in 2026 and GH¢50.3 billion in 2027, repayment cycles that will test fiscal resilience severely. The 24-hour economy, the centrepiece of the jobs agenda, had not become operational by year’s end, and youth unemployment, at approximately one in three young Ghanaians aged 15 to 24, remained a structural failure that GDP growth alone had not resolved.
Democracy and Governance: Mixed Signals
CDD-Ghana described the administration’s democratic governance performance as mixed, noting visible corrective steps including the publication of a Code of Conduct for appointees and the establishment of a Constitution Review Committee, but warning that significant structural governance gaps remain.
The report cited incidents of vigilante violence during the political transition, including unlawful entry into public installations, and flagged a transparency deficit around the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, noting that the investigating committee’s report was not published, despite the unprecedented nature of the action.
On anti-corruption, CDD-Ghana acknowledged the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) initiative, the launch of the Code of Conduct, and the Attorney-General’s active prosecutorial posture, but flagged a widening perception of selective justice. The report pointed to the abrupt discontinuation of several high-profile cases involving persons affiliated with the ruling party, while opposition figures faced aggressive enforcement, as the clearest evidence of unevenness that risked corroding public trust in the accountability architecture.
The think tank also raised concerns about the use of pre-trial detention and bail conditions in high-profile political cases, noting that the handling of such matters had generated serious debate about fairness, due process, and the potential for institutional overreach.
Environment: Progress Without Convictions
The environmental chapter documented both genuine progress and a defining enforcement failure. The revocation of Legislative Instrument 2462, which had exposed 89% of Ghana’s gazetted forests to mining, was described as one of the most significant environmental legislative reversals in recent history. The establishment of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the deployment of Water Guard units represented structural steps forward.
But the report placed a stark number alongside those achievements: despite over 1,400 arrests in 2025, earlier enforcement cycles showed only a 4% prosecution rate, meaning that arrests function as temporary disruptions rather than meaningful deterrents. Galamsey financiers remain almost entirely beyond the reach of enforcement, 50 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves are still under invasion, and the rivers supplying drinking water to millions remain badly contaminated.
Security: Reform Over Force
The defence and security assessment acknowledged a meaningful structural shift, with the National Security budget moved to the Ministry of the Interior to bring it under parliamentary scrutiny. The Bawku crisis has seen a Security-plus-Mediation model replacing exclusively kinetic approaches. However, permanent military deployment in Bawku costs approximately GH¢6 million per month, a pace the report said was fiscally unsustainable without a negotiated political settlement.
Foreign Affairs: Recalibration With Risks
On foreign policy, CDD-Ghana noted that the administration had repositioned Ghana as a bridge-building actor in a fragmented West Africa, particularly through the appointment of a Special Envoy to the Sahel and direct bilateral engagement with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The report acknowledged Ghana’s more vocal Pan-African posture at global forums as a soft-power asset but cautioned that assertive norm-driven activism generates diplomatic sensitivities with Western partners whose economic and security cooperation Ghana continues to depend upon.
CDD-Ghana’s overall conclusion was that without decisive institutional reforms and legislative action, Ghana risks entrenching systemic weaknesses that will continue to hinder transparency, public trust, and democratic consolidation. A final version of the report will be published on CDD-Ghana’s website and social media platforms following revision based on roundtable feedback.
