Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, a research fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, a research fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and a political analyst, has offered an early review of President John Mahama’s performance during the first 102 days of his return to office.
Reflecting on the administration’s start, Dr. Osae-Kwapong observed notable differences between the current government and Mahama’s previous tenure, which ended with a defeat in the 2016 elections. He believes the President is making a conscious effort to set a new tone and direction for his leadership.
“I believe the John Mahama administration is trying to set a different tone. At least from my observation, compared to his first administration and what led to his loss in 2016,” he said during an appearance on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, April 19.
Among the steps taken so far, Dr. Osae-Kwapong highlighted the President’s commitment to his campaign promise of capping the number of ministers at 60 and addressing pressing concerns, such as the controversial E-levy.
“I mean putting a government together, ensuring that he is sticking with his promise of no more than 60 ministers—some of those key things, low-hanging fruits that you can immediately tackle. The E-levy, a very unpopular policy,” he stated.
He acknowledged that while these early actions are commendable, there are still several unresolved matters that the administration must tackle. He emphasised that the budget released by the government indicates its intended direction and spending priorities.
“…But you also still have a number of things outstanding. Overall though, my initial assessment is that again, if you look at the budget, they have signaled where they want to place their priorities, how they want to spend or not spend. They are putting in place a good framework that will allow them to govern the way President Mahama foresees his current government,” he stressed.
Nonetheless, Dr. Osae-Kwapong stressed that any meaningful evaluation of the administration’s effectiveness would require more time. “As to how it all plays, I think it will take more than 120 days,” he emphasised.
