A Tale of Two Speeches
In a highly anticipated State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered before Parliament on February 27, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama painted a grim picture of Ghana’s economic state, attributing its deterioration to years of financial mismanagement under the Akufo-Addo administration. His address was a detailed and forward-looking blueprint to reset Ghana’s economic trajectory and governance structures. However, his speech was met with a highly critical and often theatrical response from the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who dismissed Mahama’s vision and instead focused on historical contradictions and political attacks.
Mahama’s Vision for Economic Recovery
President Mahama’s address was policy-driven, setting out a clear roadmap to restore economic stability, job creation, and governance reform. He did not shy away from acknowledging the dire economic conditions inherited from the previous government. He revealed staggering figures, including GHS 721 billion in public debt, 2.2 million unemployed youth, and an energy sector crippled by a GHS 70 billion deficit. His plan for economic recovery emphasised austerity measures, fiscal discipline, and investment in productive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and renewable energy.
One of Mahama’s boldest commitments was the reduction of government size to just 60 ministers and deputies, significantly lower than the 120-plus ministers under Akufo-Addo. He also vowed to cut down unnecessary presidential staff, eliminate wasteful expenditure, and redirect resources towards social interventions and infrastructural projects.
With youth unemployment being a major crisis, Mahama outlined various strategies such as the 24-hour economy initiative, an expanded apprenticeship program, and a 10-billion-dollar infrastructure investment plan dubbed “The Big Push.” These policies were designed to create jobs across sectors, boost industrialisation, and position Ghana as a competitive economy in Africa.
Fighting Corruption and Strengthening Governance
Mahama also vowed to implement Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) to retrieve stolen state funds, hold corrupt officials accountable, and restore integrity to governance. He cited shocking examples of 80,000 ghost names in the National Service Scheme, which had led to a loss of over GHS 50 million per month. In education, Mahama promised to refine Free SHS to improve quality while ensuring sustainability. He also pledged to expand healthcare access through free primary healthcare, combat rising food inflation by promoting local food production, and increase female representation in governance.
Afenyo-Markin’s Response: Political Posturing Over Substance
In his rebuttal, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin took a dramatically different approach, largely sidestepping Mahama’s policy proposals in favour of partisan attacks and rhetorical critiques. Afenyo-Markin sought to remind Ghanaians that Mahama himself once presided over economic hardship. He referenced Mahama’s 2013 statement that “the meat is now down to the bones” to suggest that economic struggles are not new. However, this ignored the fact that Ghana’s debt and economic crisis today are significantly worse, with debt levels soaring due to reckless borrowing under Akufo-Addo.
He also criticised Mahama for appointing only two women to his cabinet, questioning why prominent NDC female figures like Zanetor Rawlings, Hajia Lardy, and Helen Ntoso were excluded. While gender representation is a crucial issue, this attack seemed disingenuous given that the previous NPP administration had similarly low female appointments.
The Minority Leader ridiculed Mahama’s claim of running a lean government, arguing that despite cutting ministerial positions, he had increased presidential staffers and committees. However, Mahama had explicitly outlined measures to reduce overall government spending, making this accusation seem more like a political soundbite than a substantive critique.
Afenyo-Markin accused Mahama of sacking public officials instead of creating jobs, claiming that this contributed to the high unemployment rate. However, he conveniently ignored the systematic job losses caused by poor economic policies under the previous administration, such as the collapse of banks and financial institutions due to the NPP’s mismanaged banking sector clean-up.
Notably, the job cuts Mahama’s administration is implementing primarily affects individuals appointed by the previous government in the final months before handing over power, yet Afenyo-Markin remained unwilling to condemn his party’s questionable practice of last-minute political appointments that burdened the public sector.
Rather than providing a compelling counterargument to Mahama’s vision, Afenyo-Markin resorted to partisan taunts, even claiming mockingly that “the streets of Accra are shouting the phrase “Mahama baako, termination bebree” in Twi, which translates to “Only one Mahama, many terminations”. Such juvenile rhetoric undermines the seriousness of the national discourse and does little to offer Ghanaians a credible alternative vision.
The Need for Constructive Opposition
While opposition critique is a vital part of democracy, Afenyo-Markin’s response fell short of providing a constructive counter-narrative. Instead of offering well-thought-out alternative policies, his speech relied on historical references, personal attacks, and political mockery. This approach does little to reassure Ghanaians that the NPP has learned from its mistakes or has a concrete plan to fix the economy. Meanwhile, Mahama’s address – while ambitious – outlined a clear strategy for economic recovery, fiscal discipline, and social development. His policies on job creation, industrial growth, and corruption reduction resonate with a public desperate for economic relief.
Ghana’s Political Future at a Crossroads
As Ghana navigates one of the toughest economic crises in its history, the real question is whether the political class will rise to the occasion. While Mahama has set a clear direction, the NPP’s response must go beyond theatrics and engage in serious, issue-based opposition. The stakes are too high for partisan squabbles to take precedence over substantive economic solutions.
Ghana’s democracy thrives when both the ruling government and the opposition contribute constructively to national development. Instead of resorting to political grandstanding, the opposition must engage with the actual issues facing Ghanaians. A healthy democracy requires a vibrant opposition that holds the government accountable through meaningful debate and alternative solutions, rather than mere obstruction and rhetoric. If the NPP fails to present a viable economic and governance alternative, they risk becoming politically irrelevant in the eyes of the electorate.
For the Ghanaian people, the choice is increasingly clear: a leader focused on restructuring the economy versus an opposition clinging to past arguments without presenting a clear alternative vision. The coming months will test whether the NPP can shift its approach or if they will continue on a path that prioritises political attacks over meaningful engagement. The electorate will be watching closely, and history has shown that those who fail to evolve risk being left behind. The future of Ghana depends not just on Mahama’s policies but also on whether the opposition can rise to the challenge of being a responsible and constructive force in governance.
*Dr Moses Deyegbe Kuvoame is an Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway. He is also the Secretary of NDC Norway and NDC Nordic Chapter.
