President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that his administration inherited a deeply troubled nation when he assumed office on January 7, 2025, describing the country as “sick” with a fragile economy and governance structures in tatters.
The President made the disclosure during his official three-day state visit to Zambia, where he addressed members of the Ghanaian community living in the country.
Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding his return to power, President Mahama outlined the severe challenges his government faced from day one, emphasising the urgent need for comprehensive intervention to avert further collapse.
“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,” he stated.
The President explained that the debt distress had severely damaged investor confidence and cut off Ghana’s access to critical international financial support, compounding the economic difficulties across multiple sectors.
He recounted how these harsh realities formed the core of his 2024 election campaign message, during which his team was candid with Ghanaians about the scale of the problems and the necessity for deep, systemic change.
“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,” President Mahama said.
He stressed that the goal was never merely to secure electoral victory, but to fundamentally overhaul and revive the nation’s institutions, economy, and key sectors such as health, education, and agriculture.
President Mahama reiterated that superficial measures would be insufficient to restore stability and sustainable growth, underscoring his administration’s commitment to a comprehensive reset of the country’s systems.