By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
In his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President John Mahama balanced glowing macroeconomic data with a populist crackdown on mining financiers and a bold Pan-African pivot. This “Resetting Ghana” agenda, delivered on February 27 at the one-year mark of his second, non-consecutive term, was less a traditional speech and more a strategic break from the 2022 debt crisis. “The era of crisis management is over; the era of industrial execution has begun,” Mahama told a packed Parliament, signaling a shift from stabilization to aggressive growth. By leveraging his history as a former legislator and president, he projected an image of “experienced stability” while anchoring Ghana’s future in an assertive new foreign policy.
The Economic “Take-Off” and the Disinflation Milestone
The administration’s headline success is a dramatic macroeconomic cooling. Annual inflation plunged to a historic 3.8% in January 2026—the lowest level since the CPI rebasing in 2021—marking 13 consecutive months of decline. Supported by a $2.8 billion debt restructuring deal and aggressive sterilization efforts by the Bank of Ghana, the cedi has found a rare anchor. “Our nation is on the runway. It is in take-off mode,” Mahama declared. While Real GDP expanded at 6.1% through late 2025, critics remain skeptical. “A primary surplus on paper does not put food on the plates of our people,” remarked Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, arguing that the recovery remains “austerity-heavy” for the average Ghanaian.
The 24-Hour Economy and Industrial Skill-Building
The centerpiece of Mahama’s industrial push—the 24-hour economy—moved from campaign rhetoric to legal mandate following the signing of the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill on February 19, 2026. This is supported by the scaling of the National Apprenticeship Programme to 100,000 participants and the transition of 20,000 youth into entrepreneurship via the “Adwumawura” scheme. The industrial push includes three private-sector garment factories expected to create 27,000 jobs, alongside a strategic search for investors to revive legacy enterprises like the Komenda Sugar and Pwalugu Tomato factories.
Environmental Warfare: Hunting the “Big Fish”
The fight against illegal mining (galamsey) has moved from general enforcement to a targeted war on financiers. “Mr. Speaker, in all these Galamsey operations, there are big fish who never get caught,” the President declared, acknowledging that past efforts focused too heavily on “low-level offenders.” To dismantle these economic networks, the President announced the deployment of specialized prosecutorial teams to 140 high-risk communities. These teams are mandated to “pursue the confiscation and forfeiture of equipment and proceeds,” shifting the focus from the pits to the bank accounts of orchestrators. This legal surge is supported by a technological tracking system for 1,033 pieces of earth-moving equipment and the deployment of 1,634 “Blue Water Guards.”
The Cocoa Pod Protest: A Rural Rebuttal
The most visible challenge to the President’s narrative came from the streets. While the President spoke of agricultural sovereignty, Minority-led “Cocoa Pod Protests” highlighted a rift over farm-gate prices. Mahama addressed the tension directly, admitting that a recent cocoa producer price cut was a “difficult decision to take.” “Revising cocoa producer price was a difficult decision to take, but I had to take them to ensure our collective well-being,” he noted, acknowledging the raw concerns of the nation’s 800,000 farmers. To mitigate the backlash, the President promised that these “tough but necessary” reforms would ultimately “transform the sector and guarantee a fair and transparent price,” preventing the industry from collapsing under a mountain of borrowed funds.
Infrastructure, “Oxygen City,” and Water Sovereignty
The “Big Push” initiative has seen GHS 10 billion in arrears cleared for road contractors, facilitating the 198.7 km Accra-Kumasi Expressway and the modernization of the Eastern and Western Railway Lines. Concurrently, the administration is addressing the 1.8 million-unit housing deficit through the completion of the Saglemi and Kpone projects, and the launch of “Oxygen City” in Ho. To ensure water sovereignty, the government is finalizing urban supply projects in Keta and Sekondi-Takoradi while expanding rural water access across eight regions via Danish grant funding.
The World Cup and the Creative Reset
In a bid to project Ghana’s soft power, the President highlighted the nation’s preparation for its 5th FIFA World Cup appearance. The Black Stars are set to use Bryant University in Rhode Island as their base camp for a daunting group phase against Panama, England, and Croatia. However, the President coupled this sporting pride with a stern diplomatic warning. Recounting the “lot of work” required to restore Ghana’s five-year non-immigrant visas and exit US travel ban lists, Mahama urged supporters traveling to North America to return immediately after the tournament. “I hope the World Cup does not see thousands of Ghanaians travel to America, refuse to return, and push us back onto the travel ban list,” he cautioned. This “Creative Reset” includes GHS 40 million for the creative sector to mitigate AI-driven displacement and a new “MICE” strategy for high-level conferences, all of which depend on the integrity of Ghana’s international travel standing.
Global Soft Power and the Diaspora Anchor
Ghana’s international standing is undergoing a parallel “reset.” President Mahama, recently elected First Vice Chairperson of the African Union (AU), has already been declared the region’s sole candidate for the AU Chairmanship in 2027. On the world stage, Accra is preparing to table a landmark UN resolution in March 2026 to recognize the Transatlantic Slave Trade as a crime against humanity—a move aimed at cementing Ghana’s role as the moral heart of the Pan-African movement.
To support this “Global Ghana” doctrine, Mahama detailed a radical overhaul of the nation’s travel bureaucracy. By decentralizing passport services to all 16 regional capitals and implementing a 24-hour production cycle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs successfully cleared an inherited backlog of over 40,000 applications. “Ghana’s passport administration now operates with zero backlog, guaranteeing delivery within 15 working days nationwide,” Mahama told the House. This efficiency extends to international borders through a new five-day visa processing service and the upcoming Q1 2026 rollout of a national e-Visa platform. To further “ease business mobility,” Ghana has secured new visa waiver agreements with 11 countries, including Algeria and Zambia, bringing its total visa-free destinations to 42.
Voices from the Ground
Despite these diplomatic wins, the “Reset” has met a polarized reception at home. In Accra’s markets, the celebration of the cedi’s newfound stability is tempered by the reality of “sticky” retail prices. “The numbers sound good on the radio, but my rent is still high,” says Abdul Salifu, a trader at Makola. This sentiment highlights the lag between macroeconomic cooling and kitchen-table relief. Meanwhile, the diaspora—which contributed a record $7.8 billion in remittances in 2025—is reacting with cautious optimism to the “Diaspora as the 17th Region” initiative. While the administrative
reforms are hailed as a “huge win” by community leaders in London and New York, a deeper skepticism remains. As one diaspora representative noted, “Clearing the passport backlog is one thing, but we are waiting to see if the 24-hour economy provides the actual security and infrastructure needed for us to move our businesses back for good.”
The Reset Doctrine: A Race Against the 2028 Clock
Ghana’s recovery is being watched as a litmus test for IMF-backed stabilization in Africa. At a time when several West African neighbors are grappling with democratic backsliding and fiscal collapse, Mahama is attempting to prove that a “reset” can deliver both democratic dividends and kitchen-table relief. However, the political stakes are high; with a slim parliamentary majority and vocal “Cocoa Pod Protests” at his doorstep, the President must turn his “24-hour” vision into tangible jobs before the 2028 cycle begins.
The Verdict: Implementation vs. Expectation
Mahama’s 2026 address portrays a nation transitioning from crisis management to structured growth. The success of this “Reset” hinges on the execution of the 24-hour economy and the “Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Policy.” For a population recently emerged from the brink of collapse, the President’s “economic war chest” is a promise of resilience. The looming challenge will be reconciling glittering macroeconomic data with the simmering frustrations of the heartland and the ambitious pursuit of the “big fish” behind its environmental decay.
