Stability Is Not Success Without Justice — Arise Ghana Tells Mahama

Pressure group Arise Ghana has issued a stern warning to President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, insisting that recent economic stabilisation will amount to little unless it is backed by decisive anti-corruption action, strict accountability and deep institutional reform.

Addressing journalists at the International Press Centre in Accra on Wednesday, January 7, the group said Ghana may have stepped back from the brink of economic collapse but remains “one bad decision away from relapse” if corruption, political complacency and weak enforcement are allowed to resurface.

Arise Ghana Co-Convener Marion Gifty Nyaaba, speaking at the press conference, said the group did not mobilise Ghanaians to change governments “only to inherit a softer version of the same failures.” She stressed that while economic calm has returned, it should not be mistaken for transformation.

“Stability is not transformation. It is only the floor, not the ceiling. Without justice, discipline and courage, these gains will evaporate,” she said.

Arise Ghana acknowledged improvements in key macroeconomic indicators, noting that inflation has dropped sharply from over 23 percent in January 2025 to 6.3 percent, while economic growth has rebounded to above 6 percent. The group also pointed to the strengthening of the Ghanaian cedi, now trading at about GH¢10.4 to GH¢10.6 to the US dollar, describing the currency’s recovery as proof that fiscal indiscipline is not inevitable.

“The cedi’s recovery shows what is possible when recklessness gives way to discipline. The question is whether this discipline will survive political pressure,” the group said.

According to Arise Ghana, foreign reserves exceeding $11 billion, falling Treasury bill rates of about 11 percent, and the restructuring of public debt demonstrate that Ghana has at least “paused the bleeding.” However, it warned that macroeconomic calm without institutional courage would only postpone the next crisis.

The group’s strongest criticism was directed at the government’s anti-corruption posture. While welcoming the introduction of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) and the Code of Conduct for public officials, Arise Ghana insisted that intentions and declarations alone do not recover stolen wealth or deter wrongdoing.

“If ORAL becomes a slogan without prosecutions, it will be remembered as theatre, not reform,” Nyaaba warned.

Arise Ghana explicitly demanded the immediate arrest and extradition of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, arguing that allowing high-profile figures to evade accountability would destroy public trust and undermine the credibility of the government’s anti-corruption agenda.

“There can be no selective justice. There must be no untouchables — past or present,” the group said.

The pressure group welcomed the abolition of the E-Levy, COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy, betting taxes and emissions taxes, saying the removals have eased pressure on households and small businesses battered by years of economic hardship. However, it cautioned that tax relief must not be undermined by backdoor levies, wasteful public spending or politically motivated procurement practices.

On strategic sectors, Arise Ghana acknowledged improvements at COCOBOD, including better debt management and higher producer prices for cocoa farmers, but warned that Ghana remains vulnerable as long as it continues to rely heavily on exporting raw cocoa beans.

“Stabilisation without value addition is survival, not development,” the group said.

Arise Ghana described GoldBod as a long-overdue intervention aimed at reclaiming Ghana’s gold wealth, crediting it with formalising small-scale mining, reducing smuggling and injecting about $4 billion into the country’s foreign reserves. It cautioned, however, that GoldBod must not repeat the corruption, political interference and opacity that undermined previous institutions in the sector.

The revival of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) after more than six years of inactivity was praised as a rare example of economic sovereignty translated into concrete action, with the potential to reduce fuel imports, preserve foreign exchange and strengthen energy security.

On the government’s 24-Hour Economy policy, Arise Ghana said the initiative would fail if it is not supported by reliable electricity supply, adequate security, efficient transport systems and proper worker protections.

“You cannot run a 24-hour economy on a 12-hour power supply,” the group cautioned.

Arise Ghana also described youth unemployment, with more than 1.3 million young people currently idle, as a “slow-burning national emergency” capable of erasing recent economic gains if left unaddressed. It called for urgent investments in skills training, entrepreneurship financing and labour-intensive industries to absorb the growing youth population.

The group issued an unequivocal rejection of any third-term ambitions, describing such ideas as unconstitutional, dangerous and destabilising.

“Ghana does not need eternal leaders. It needs leaders who respect the rules and strengthen institutions,” the statement said.

In its concluding remarks, Arise Ghana called on citizens, civil society organisations and the media to “guard the change,” warning that silence, apathy and fear would allow corruption and misrule to return.

“We did not rise only to sit back. We will watch, we will speak, and we will resist any attempt to betray the people of Ghana,” the group declared.

Source:Joseph Wemakor