Mahama has not harmed the economy, but he can do more to help it

In his first eight months back in power, President John Mahama has been a steadying hand. His willingness to hold a press briefing, to field questions candidly and vulnerably, contrasts sharply with his predecessor’s disdain for such encounters. Ghanaians are breathing easier under a leader who seems calm, measured, and respectful of the citizenry’s right to information. In a time of crisis and uncertainty, that is not nothing.

But let us not mistake absence of harm for the presence of progress. The economic ship, though steadied, is still adrift in dangerous waters. The much-vaunted “early miracle” of the cedi was in truth more Bank of Ghana theatrics than structural change. Without deeper reforms, we risk another predictable cycle: stabilization, overconfidence, fiscal indiscipline, and then collapse at the first external shock.

The real unfinished business lies in places this government has only gestured at. The informal sector—where 80% of Ghana’s workforce ekes out a living—remains unorganized, underproductive, and dangerously neglected. To leave it untouched is to resign ourselves to fragile gains and recurring crises. If Mahama wishes to leave a legacy, he must build institutions that recognize and transform this sector into an engine of growth.

Beyond economics, constitutional reform and decentralization demand urgency. The tragedy of recent weeks, and the chronic failures of centralized governance, underline the need for elected district leadership and bottom-up participation. Yet the early signals—Cabinet directives over common funds, half-hearted announcements—suggest the same old top-down planning that breeds sleaze and unfinished projects. If Mahama wants to matter in Ghana’s history, he must empower Ghanaians to matter in their own districts.

The gold sector remains his Achilles heel. Galamsey has already eaten into our rivers, our lands, and our political conscience. Instead of breaking the cycle, Mahama’s government appears ready to deepen it with the GoldBod and its rentier temptations. Posterity will judge this harshly if left unchecked.

The President has earned goodwill by being a “nice” leader, a sharp departure from the arrogance of the last regime. But Ghanaians cannot eat niceness. They need food, jobs, safety, and hope. Mahama has not harmed the economy—but he must do more to help it. The window for real reform is narrow, and history is less patient than politics.