On Tuesday, January 7, John Mahama, the recently elected president of Ghana, will took office in Accra as the nation looks for answers to its worst economic crisis in a century.
Mahama takes office in the middle of a severe economic downturn. He has previously pledged to handle the country’s frequent power outages, fight corruption, improve the energy supply, and find long-term answers to Ghana’s financial difficulties.
“In the energy sector, we are facing a critical situation,” Mahama said. “The Electricity Company of Ghana is the ‘sick man’ of the entire value chain, and we must address this issue urgently.”
Additionally, the new president has started to improve Ghana’s ties with other stable African countries, visiting Kenya shortly before the year ends to meet with President William Ruto.
Ghana’s chief opposition leader, John Mahama, has previously made two attempts to reclaim the presidency.
In the December 7 elections, Mahama emerged victorious as the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), defeating Mahamudu Bawumia, who represented the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Following the ruling party’s acknowledgment of defeat, former President Mahama secured the election win.
To prevent an unprecedented government shutdown, the Ghanaian parliament passed a provisional budget in mid-December, allowing the government to allocate 68.1 billion Ghanaian cedis (€4.2 billion) for spending until March.
The interim budget was approved in a meeting that extended into the night, according to parliamentary speaker Alban Bagbin.
As part of his campaign pledge to combat corruption and recoup embezzled public cash, Mahama recently established an anti-corruption task team.
The five-member committee will concentrate on retrieving embezzled public cash and the gains from corruption in Ghana in recent years. Mahama emphasized during his campaign that one of the main problems causing corruption was unregulated procurement practices.
Many Ghanaian voters want change as they took their economic annoyances to the elections.
Crusaders Against Corruption attorney and anti-graft advocate Emmanuel Wilson Junior commended the effort and urged the new government to act quickly.
“This represents a positive move. The disregard for corruption has angered Ghanaians. Wilson said, “We expect this team to be proactive and ensure true accountability.”
The NGO Amnesty International also said that Mahama and his administration should use this chance to make human rights advocacy and defense a top priority.
Amnesty International said on Monday that it is highlighting topics such as women’s rights and gender equality, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to a healthy environment for all of the nation’s residents.
About The Author
