Senior Partner at AB & David Africa, David Ofosu-Dorte, has highlighted several areas in which President John Dramani Mahama has performed strongly during his first year in office, commending the administration for stabilising critical sectors of the economy.
He made the remarks during a roundtable discussion on John Mahama 2.0: Thematic Assessment of Year One, which aired on Channel One TV on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Mr. Ofosu-Dorte said the government has delivered on the most urgent priorities since assuming office, particularly efforts to halt further deterioration following a challenging economic period.
“What was required when we had moved from a situation of DDEP, an IMF situation, and all the chaos surrounding it. For me, any good manager will tell you that in such a situation, the first thing is to stop deterioration,” he said.
Road Infrastructure
On road infrastructure, Mr. Ofosu-Dorte noted that the government has taken steps to prevent further deterioration of existing roads.
“One is the road sector; if a road is deteriorating, what has been put in place to ensure that the deterioration stops? And I think there are a lot of examples that have come on your station. Quite a lot of examples of road projects. But this is stage one. Stop deterioration doesn’t mean you should rest on your laurels,” he explained.
Energy Sector Debt
Touching on the energy sector, he commended the government for addressing longstanding debt challenges and implementing payment arrangements to clear arrears.
“The energy sector debt huge one; it has been perennial; it has been with us since about 2007, thereabout. There are times it appears to go and come back. It fluctuates. I understand that as of December 31, 2025, GHC1.4 billion in arrears has been paid.
“I’m aware there have been some arrangements to pay the arrears over a period. It appears they are ahead of schedule with payments. That is a significant effort to prevent further deterioration. And that is quite important,” he remarked.
Student Accommodation
Mr. Ofosu-Dorte also praised the government’s efforts to address student accommodation deficits, particularly at the University of Ghana.
“Another example is to promise to supply student accommodation. I’m sure you have heard about the 10,000-student hostel for the University of Ghana. Where you have a university which says it has 40,000 students in shortage in accommodation.
“Attempting to supply a quarter of it, in year one, even though it has not been achieved, is an attempt to stop deterioration. It’s by these I measure,” he said.
Power Supply Stability
Regarding power supply, he observed significant stability in the sector, suggesting that the era of persistent outages, commonly referred to as dumsor, has been largely contained.
“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 stated.
He attributed the improvement to increased transparency and better cash flow management within the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
“How was the power debt paid? It appears the intent was simple transparency: to show what goes into the ECG, how the cash flow mechanism works, and how we can collect and apply a method we have discussed but have not yet implemented. That is a good attempt to stop deterioration,” he added.
Conclusion
Mr. Ofosu-Dorte concluded that, when assessed against roads, power stability, and student accommodation, the Mahama administration has performed strongly in its first year.
