CDD-Ghana First-Year Review: Stabilization under Mahama, but structural reforms lag

The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has called for deeper institutional reforms across governance, anti-corruption, the economy and national security, warning that while the administration of John Dramani Mahama has achieved early stabilization, structural weaknesses persist.

At its First-Year Assessment forum held in Accra on February 19, 2026, the think tank evaluated the John Mahama II administration across six thematic areas: democracy and governance; anti-corruption and accountability; economy and jobs; environment and social development; foreign affairs and regional integration; and defense, security and peacebuilding.

Presenting the report, Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante said the President assumed office in 2025 with a 56 per cent electoral mandate but amid declining public trust, high perceptions of corruption and severe economic strain.

Citing Afrobarometer data, he noted that only 28 per cent of citizens expressed trust in the president prior to the 2024 elections, while 82 per cent believed corruption in government was widespread.

Governance: Progress and pressure points

CDD-Ghana commended the administration for publishing a Code of Conduct for appointees, initiating a Constitutional Review Committee and expanding civil society consultations on major policy decisions.

However, it flagged transition-related violence involving party-affiliated groups and criticized the Presidential Transition Act for failing to adequately regulate lower- and mid-level handovers.

The report also raised concerns about Parliament’s frequent use of certificates of urgency, revealing that about 54 per cent of bills were concluded within a week. It warned that such speed risks weakening legislative scrutiny.

On the judiciary, CDD described the September 1, 2025 removal of the Chief Justice under Article 146 as unprecedented in the Fourth Republic. While acknowledging procedural compliance, it urged publication of the full investigative report to strengthen transparency and public confidence.

The think tank further cautioned against potential civic space constraints, citing arrests of content creators over alleged false publications and renewed discussions around the anti-LGBTQ bill.

Anti-corruption: Signals, but enforcement gaps

CDD welcomed the launch of “Operation Recover All Loot,” amendments to the Public Financial Management Act and work toward a new National Anti-Corruption Action Plan.

Yet it questioned the $20,000 gift threshold under the presidential code of conduct, describing it as vulnerable to abuse. It also cited low prosecution rates, allegations of selective justice and institutional coordination challenges among oversight bodies.

The report noted that sole-sourced contracts reportedly accounted for about 40 per cent of procurement activity, raising red flags over transparency and value for money.

Panel discussant Beauty Emefa Nartey of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition described current reforms as promising “signals” but stressed that durable change would require measurable benchmarks, institutional independence and sustained funding.

Economy: Stabilization without full transformation

On the economy, panel discussant Prof. Atsu Amegashie said the administration had delivered notable early gains. These include reductions in fuel prices, a sharp decline in food inflation from 28.3 per cent to 4.9 per cent, falling treasury bill rates and a drop in debt-to-GDP from 61.8 per cent to 45 per cent following debt restructuring. Government also reported creating 330,000 jobs.

However, he cautioned against relying solely on debt-to-GDP as a sustainability measure, arguing that debt service relative to revenue offers a clearer picture of fiscal stress. With revenue-to-GDP around 16 per cent, Ghana’s fiscal space remains constrained.

He warned against “jobless growth,” urging private-sector-led employment, reduced cost of doing business and improved monetary transmission so lower treasury bill rates translate into cheaper commercial lending.

Environment: Illegal mining threat deepens

Mr. Daryl Bosu, Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, warned that illegal mining remains an existential environmental threat.

He reported that forest reserves affected by mining increased from 45 to 50 within the year, with more than 5,500 hectares degraded. Although over 1,400 arrests were recorded, prosecutions remained below four per cent.

CDD welcomed the revocation of Legislative Instrument 2462, which had permitted limited mining in forest reserves, but warned that enforcement gaps, political interference and alleged complicity of some security personnel continue to undermine progress.

The think tank cautioned that Ghana risks severe water insecurity by 2030 if pollution trends persist.

Defence and security: Containment versus redesign

Retired Colonel Festus Aboagye, a peace and security expert, framed his assessment around whether the administration had laid foundations for long-term reform rather than solved entrenched crises within one year.

On the Bawku conflict, he noted that tensions had escalated significantly before the 2025 transition. In June 2025, government doubled military deployment from about 400 to 800 personnel to contain violence, enabling trade and movement along the Walewale–Bawku–Bolgatanga corridor.

He described the engagement of an Asante mediation committee as the most decisive policy action beyond containment. However, he observed that the conflict remains unresolved, with lives reportedly lost even during mediation.

He cautioned against treating Bawku purely as a rule-of-law issue, arguing that its historical and political roots require sustained mediation and broader peace architecture.

Col. Aboagye said the Ghana Armed Forces, estimated at about 14,000 personnel, remain professional but materially overstretched, citing inherited debt obligations and declining defense budgets. Modernization efforts, he said, have lagged behind expectations.

On the August 6 helicopter crash that killed eight personnel, he pointed not only to equipment shortages but to a deeper institutional culture in which political imperatives can override professional advice.

He also addressed the recruitment exercise in which six young women lost their lives, describing youth unemployment — evidenced by roughly 30,000 applicants — as the deeper structural issue. He warned against politicization of recruitment and called for digital reforms to entrench transparency.

Describing the recent arms amnesty initiative as bold but insufficiently data-driven, he urged a comprehensive national disarmament strategy.

“If the reset is to mean anything,” he said, “it must move from deployment to redesign.”

He proposed a defense modernization audit, digital recruitment reforms, strengthened local peace architecture, constitutional safeguards in cyber legislation and a return of national security coordination structures to strictly civilian, constitutionally defined mandates.

Beyond crisis management

Overall, CDD-Ghana concluded that while the Mahama administration has demonstrated responsiveness and achieved early macroeconomic stabilization, enforcement gaps and structural weaknesses remain across governance, anti-corruption, environmental protection and national security.

The think tank urged the government to shift from policy signaling and crisis containment toward deeper institutional redesign capable of delivering durable economic recovery, accountable governance and sustainable peace.