President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that he assumed office at a time when the nation was in deep distress, marked by a fragile economy and a governance system close to collapse.
According to him, the conditions prevailing at the time of his swearing-in on January 7, 2025, required urgent and far-reaching action to halt further decline.
President Mahama made the remarks during his official three-day state visit to Zambia, where he engaged with members of the Ghanaian community resident in the country.
Addressing the gathering, he reflected on the circumstances under which his administration took over the leadership of the country and highlighted the magnitude of the challenges it inherited.
He explained that Ghana was facing severe economic hardship, alongside widespread difficulties in critical sectors including health, education, and agriculture.
The President noted that the situation was worsened by the country’s debt distress, which had severely undermined investor confidence and restricted Ghana’s access to international financial assistance.
“We inherited a country that was sick. The economy was in crisis, and governance was in tatters. We had so many issues in health, education, and agriculture, and most of all, we had defaulted on our debt. Our debt to GDP had risen above 100% and nobody wanted to lend to Ghana again.
“So we fought the election and we said our objective was to win power and reset Ghana in all sectors and I likened it to resetting a computer to work properly again.”
The President said these harsh realities shaped both the message and mission of his campaign in the 2024 general elections.
He indicated that his team was candid with Ghanaians about the need for a fundamental overhaul of the system, emphasising that superficial solutions would not be sufficient to restore stability and growth.
According to him, his return to office was driven not merely by the desire to win an election, but by the need to fundamentally reset and revitalise the nation’s institutions and economy.
