On Thursday, February 27, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama delivered the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in his second term as Ghana’s president.
The inaugural address, in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, was delivered 50 days into the new administration.
With Ghanaians highly expectant of the new government, the president touched on several areas of interest, such as education, energy, sports, health, transport, and international relations.
Acknowledging the high standards of governance Ghanaians demand of him, President Mahama highlighted some achievements of his government and the numerous plans for the nation.
While stating that the people of Ghana are “suffering unprecedented hardships”, he said the government had implemented transparent and prudent measures to turn the economic fortunes around.
Here are some key areas the president captured in the SONA:
- Economic recovery
President Mahama pledged to actively seek solutions to what he said was an “economic crisis” confronting the country and to reset it on a path of growth and prosperity.
To do this, he said the government will complete outstanding structural reforms, implement corrective measures to restore fiscal discipline and debt sustainability, complete the fourth review of the IMF-supported programme, and build buffers in the Sinking Fund.
Another measure towards economic recovery is to adopt prudent debt management practices to ensure prompt repayment of upcoming domestic and external debt maturities.
- Bondholders will receive every dime
The president also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fulfilling all financial obligations to bondholders.
He assured investors that every bondholder would receive their full payments as promised and reiterated that financial commitments to investors would not be compromised.
In this respect, he said the government has successfully honoured the matured coupon payment of GHS 6.081 billion (in cash) and GHS 3.46 billion (in kind) due in February 2025 to all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) bondholders.
- GHS 70 billion debt
In his address, the president revealed that Ghana’s energy sector is saddled with a GHS 70 billion debt as of December 2024.
The debt, he said, remains a significant barrier to providing consistent and affordable electricity to Ghanaians and poses a serious threat to the economy.
He continued that this has left several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the energy sector struggling to stay afloat.
- Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL)
President Mahama revealed that he has tasked investigative bodies to bring the culprits of the National Service Authority ghost names scandal to justice.
In what he called a “brazen theft of public funds”, the president said it is estimated that the culprits added more than 80,000 ghost names to the NSS payroll that could have yielded them over GHS 50 million a month.
To this effect, he has directed that they be declared wanted and their assets traced and frozen until investigations are completed.
He announced the establishment of a unit at the presidency where complaints and reports regarding graft and corruption will continue to be received and transferred to the office of the Attorney General.
- National Service personnel in military training
In order to achieve a legally robust regime to govern the National Service Scheme, the president directed the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment to present a Legislative Instrument (LI) to support the implementation of the newly passed National Service Authority Act 2024 (Act 1119).
He also announced that the government would introduce short military training as part of Ghana’s national service scheme to instill a sense of fitness and discipline in the youth.
- Free SHS programme
President Mahama assured Ghanaians that the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy would not be abolished but improved to address existing challenges.
Mr. Mahama described the 5.1 million beneficiary figure cited by the previous administration as inflated, stating that available data puts the actual number at 3.4 million since the policy began.
To improve the programme, he outlined plans to eliminate the double-track system by expanding school infrastructure and unfreezing the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to finance stalled projects.
The government will also review the quality of meals provided to students under the school feeding programme.
- 5% employment slots for PWDs
The government, in President Mahama’s address, intends to ensure the implementation of legislation that encourages public and private employers to reserve 5% of their employment for persons with disabilities.
This is to foster fairness and cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone can engage fully and equally in social, economic, and political life.
- Reintegration of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) into ECOWAS
President John Mahama pledged that Ghana will maintain a continuous engagement with its Sahelian neighbours and continue to work with them to resolve the difficulties.
These neighbours, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, officially withdrew from ECOWAS to sign a confederation treaty, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The president said he has appointed a special envoy to help sustain diplomatic relations, aiming to achieve their reintegration into the regional bloc.
- Passport application centres across the country
The government will expand passport application centres nationwide to reduce processing times to 7 days.
The passport offices will align with the vision of a 24-hour economy by working around the clock to
- Transparency and accountability in the administration of sports
President Mahama reiterated his commitment to reforming the sector and ensuring that funds allocated to sports are properly managed.
He emphasized that his government would take firm measures to prevent financial mismanagement and restore confidence in sports administration.
In addition to enforcing accountability, Mahama assured Ghanaians of his government’s commitment to revitalizing sports infrastructure across the country.
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