We need to propagate the Good News of Mahama’s second coming!

I am one of those Ghanaians who strongly feel that there needs to be sustained propagation of the ‘Good News’ of Mahama’s second coming in 2025. The first coming (first term) of President John Dramani Mahama (JDM), from 2012 to 2016, to the Presidency was both an eventful and development-oriented one.

No doubt the first term of JDM was not without serious challenges such as the dumsor conundrum, the IMF loan contracted with usual conditionalities, etc. Thus, the frantic efforts made by JDM and his appointees in his first coming were largely dimmed by the then lingering ‘dumsor’ problem as well as the notion of the same Political Party (NDC) for three terms, which played a major role in the defeat of the NDC and JDM in 2016.

However, the investments made in the energy sector to curb the dumsor problem, infrastructural development in the health and education sectors across the length and breadth of the country, etc. are some of the durable projects left behind for the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government to benefit from till today.

For instance, about 40 E-Blocks built from scratch and completed by the Mahama’s regime were readily available for use by the free SHS students. Also, the many CHPS compounds, polyclinics, the quaternary hospital like the UGMC, and the Bank of Ghana hospital completed by JDM saved many lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Had it not been these existing educational and health infrastructures built by JDM, the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime would not been able to effectively contain the Covid-19 pandemic and accommodating the swelling numbers of free SHS students. Other Mahama-led E-Blocks were also at various stages of completion before his government left office in 2016.

In terms of the health of the economy, President Mahama also left behind a stable economy to the governing NPP regime led by President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Bawumia. For example, the debt-GDP ratio was about 56%, exchange rate was about 3.8%, year-on-year inflation rate of about 15.4% in December 2016, leading to the upward projection of Ghana's economic growth in 2017 and beyond.

The economic, social, and environmental gains chalked by the governing NDC regime led by President Mahama have been eroded by this current government led by President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia (chairman of the EMT).

The current mismanagement of the economy coupled with greed, corruption and nepotism by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government has largely led to the reversal of the gains made by the Mahama-led regime till 2016. For instance, the macro-economic indicators such as inflation rate, debt-GDP ratio, exchange rate, interbank policy rate, etc. are in a bad state now and the economy of Ghana is rated as junk ('CCC') or below by Fitch Ratings!

This poor show of governance exhibited by the failed Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government gives more meaning to the honest and visionary leadership style of JDM offered Ghanaiamns in the first term of his government.

In fact, the relevance of former President Mahama in Ghana’s politics is not in doubt as the NDC Party maintained him as the Flagbearer for the 2020 and 2024 general elections.

Former President Mahama’s second coming (second term) in 2025, when voted into power, will be the best thing that will happen for Ghana. Here is why we need to continuously propagate the ‘Good News’ of Mahama’s second coming!

As the most experienced and visionary person, former President Mahama will use his rich presidential experience, vision of building a better Ghana, and his personal reflections while in Opposition to take prudent decisions and implement transformative policies like the 24-Hour Economic policy, remove nuisance taxes, etc.

President Mahama is the only Presidential candidate who will be able to fight corruption effectively and efficiently after the Akufo-Addo’s regime by holding his appointees responsible and restoring our economy and standing in the community of nations. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP and Alan Kyeremanteng of the ‘Butterfly Movement’ cannot and will not want to investigate into the rot of the Akufo-Addo-led government, of which they are part, after it expired on January 6, 2025.

President Mahama will also put in place a lean and effective government, as he promised to Ghanaians recently; to cut waste and deliver good governance to the people of Ghana with honesty and integrity.

The Presidential ticket of the NDC with former President Mahama and Prof. Dr. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is a ticket that we should all buy into come December 7, 2024.