By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Accra, Jan. 07, GNA – The AfriKan Continental Union Consult (ACUC) has assessed President John Dramani Mahama’s first year in office, noting measurable economic stabilisation, renewed policy direction, and improved public confidence.
The ACUC cautioned that structural reforms must be deepened to deliver sustained improvements in living standards.
In a report titled “Governance in Motion: Achievements, Challenges, and the Road Ahead,” the ACUC said governance remained a reflection of leadership quality, stressing that it was both legitimate and necessary to interrogate the administration’s performance after one year, acknowledging progress while constructively identifying gaps.
The assessment, ACUC explained, was grounded in facts, field observations, and policy analysis, covering domestic governance and international relations, reviewing macroeconomic performance, resource governance, education, anti-corruption institutions, environmental protection, state-owned enterprises, decentralisation, and foreign policy posture.
On the domestic front, the ACUC observed that Ghana remained richly endowed with natural resources, including gold, oil, gas, fertile land, and human capital, yet many communities continued to face deficits in potable water, sanitation, healthcare, and basic infrastructure, with preventable diseases persisting even in urban areas.
The report recalled that, a year earlier, the country had been burdened by a severe debt crisis, high inflation, currency instability, youth unemployment, and what it described as systemic corruption normalised through democratic impunity.
It noted that workers’ incomes were overwhelmed by rising fuel prices and the cost of goods and services, while currency volatility deepened import dependency.
However, ACUC said key macroeconomic indicators had improved within the first year of the administration, citing the completion of debt restructuring, declining inflation, stronger reserves, and improved trade performance.
It noted that these developments suggested that “Ghana is breathing again,” although stabilisation must translate into visible and sustainable benefits for citizens.
The report highlighted the establishment of the GoldBod as one of the most strategic fiscal interventions undertaken so far, noting that it had contributed to increased gold reserves, strengthened confidence in the cedi, and improved regulation of the gold sector.
The ACUC commended the Board’s management while urging continued transparency and institutional independence.
On education, it called for deeper integration of African history, values, and intellectual heritage into the curriculum, advocating structured teaching of African inventors and innovators to restore intellectual confidence and align education with Ghana’s industrial ambitions.
The report urged the Ghana Education Service and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to integrate African and Afro-descendant inventions into future curriculum reviews, stressing the need for strong regulatory oversight by bodies such as the National Teaching Council and the National School Inspectorate Authority, free from political interference.
On anti-corruption, the ACUC described the recovery of GH¢337.4 million by the Economic and Organised Crime Office against a GH¢200 million target in 2025, as a strong governance signal, while calling for decentralised operations to strengthen prevention.
It recommended streamlining investigative bodies to avoid duplication and justice loopholes, adding that performance reviews of ministers and chief executives within six months should guide retention or removal.
The report described the 24-hour economy proposal as a potential game changer for employment and productivity, citing stakeholder engagements and plans for a legislated national authority, alongside a vision for a new national capital to decongest Accra.
It also encouraged the revival of state-owned enterprises, citing the rejuvenation of the Tema Oil Refinery under Ghanaian engineers as evidence of local capacity.
On environmental protection, the ACUC commended the government for repealing legislation that allowed mining in forest reserves and called for intensified action against illegal mining in collaboration with traditional authorities, urging decisive sanctions against foreigners engaged in galamsey.
The report added that public sentiment indicated renewed confidence, with field assessments suggesting that about 70 per cent of Ghanaians believed their December 2024 electoral choice was justified.
It further described the president’s administration’s reset agenda as tangible, stating that leadership outcomes were beginning to reflect purposeful governance.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo