Former President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nominee for Ghana's upcoming presidential election, has unveiled a detai
Former President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nominee for Ghana’s upcoming presidential election, has unveiled a detailed 25-point plan outlining his priorities for the first 120 days if elected.
The document, titled “Mahama’s First 120 Days Social Contract with the People of Ghana,” was released as part of the NDC’s manifesto launch on Saturday [August 24, 2024].
Key highlights of Mr. Mahama’s plan include the formation of what he promises will be the “leanest and most efficient” government in Ghana’s Fourth Republic within the first 90 days. He has committed to nominating his complete list of Cabinet Ministers for parliamentary approval within the first 14 days of his administration.
Mr. Mahama also pledges to tackle the economic challenges facing the country, starting with a National Economic Dialogue aimed at addressing the true state of the economy. He plans to prepare a homegrown fiscal consolidation programme to guide his administration’s first budget. Additionally, he intends to scrap several taxes, including the E-levy and the COVID levy, within the first 90 days to alleviate the economic burden on Ghanaians.
On education, Mr. Mahama promises to introduce a “No-Academic-Fee” policy for first-year students in public tertiary institutions and to commence the distribution of free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools. He also plans to implement social interventions such as Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities and the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MahamaCares) Fund.
In terms of governance, Mr. Mahama is committed to instituting inquiries and forensic audits into several matters of public interest, including the collapse of indigenous Ghanaian banks, the National Cathedral scandal, and the COVID-19 expenditure. He also plans to ban political appointees from purchasing state assets and to allocate seed money for the establishment of a Women’s Development Bank.
Mr. Mahama’s agenda also addresses environmental issues, with a plan to ban illegal mining activities in forest reserves and to launch the ‘Tree for Life’ and ‘Blue Water Initiative’ aimed at rehabilitating areas degraded by illegal mining.
Security is another priority, with Mr. Mahama pledging to commence investigations to purge state security agencies of militia and vigilante elements, and to reopen investigations into unresolved criminal cases, including the murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale.
Other significant points in his plan include launching job creation programmes such as the ‘Adwumawura’ and ‘National Apprenticeship’ programmes, reviewing the Customs (Amendment) Act 2020 to support the local automotive industry, and carrying out a shakeup of all loss-making state-owned enterprises.
Read the entire document below;
MAHAMA’S FIRST 120 DAYS SOCIAL CONTRACT WITH THE PEOPLE OF GHANA.
1. Nominate within the first 14 days the complete list of Cabinet Ministers for parliamentary approval.
2. Constitute the LEANEST AND MOST EFFICIENT government under the fourth republic in my first 90 days in office.
3. Establish a robust CODE OF CONDUCT AND STANDARDS for all government officials.
4. Hold a National Economic Dialogue to discuss the true state of the economy and prepare a homegrown fiscal consolidation programme to guide the budget.
5. Within my first 90 days in office, scrap the following draconian taxes to alleviate hardships and ease the high cost of doing business: E-levy, COVID levy, 10% levy on bet winnings, and Emissions levy.
6. Within my first 90 days in office, review taxes and levies on vehicles and equipment imported into the country for industrial and agricultural purposes.
7. Commence drafting needed legal amendments and prepare for implementing the 24-Hour Economy Policy under the Office of the President.
8. Establish an Accelerated Export Development Council (AEDC) to promote exports as part of a broader strategy for economic transformation.
9. Convene a national consultative conference on EDUCATION to build consensus on needed improvements to the sector.
10. Implement the ‘No-Academic-Fee’ policy for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions—universities, colleges of education, nursing training institutions, etc.).
11. Introduce the following social interventions: Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities, the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MahamaCares) Fund.
12. Commence the distribution of free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools.
13. Institute inquiries and/or forensic audits into the following matters of public interest: The collapse of Indigenous Ghanaian banks and financial institutions at a supposed cost of GHS25 billion, illegal printing of money, the US$58 million National Cathedral scandal, illegal and inflated single- sourced contracts, COVID-19 expenditure scandal, PDS, Agyapa, SML, Ambulance spare parts deal, 13th African Games, Sky Train, Pwalugu Dam, Maths Sets, Galamsey Fraud, missing excavators and tricycles, Sputnik-V, BOST Scandal, and others…
14. Institute a government policy banning political appointees from purchasing state assets.
15. Allocate seed money for the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank.
16. Launch the following priority job creation programmes in the first budget: ‘Adwumawura’ Programme, ‘National Apprenticeship Programme’ and ‘One Million Coders Programme’.
17. Commence the review of the Customs (Amendment) Act 2020 to scrap the law banning the importation of salvaged vehicles to rescue the local automotive industry at Suame Magazine, Kokompe, Abossey Okai, among others.
18. Lay before parliament a new bill to streamline government scholarship administration, prohibit political appointees from accessing government scholarships, and eliminate political patronage, cronyism, nepotism, and corruption in awarding government scholarships.
19. Ban illegal and new mining activities in forest reserves. Roll out our ‘Tree for Life’ and Blue Water Initiative’ to heal and sustainably harness the environment by turning areas and water bodies degraded by illegal mining into economic and ecological recovery hubs.
20. Launch ‘The Black Star Experience’ initiative as Ghana’s flagship Culture, Arts and Tourism brand to transform Ghana into a preferred tourism destination.
21. Commence investigative processes to purge state security agencies of all militia and vigilante elements.
22. Re-open investigations into major unresolved criminal cases including the 2020 election killings, Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence, murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale and Silas Wulochamey.
23. Initiate a probe into the man-made disaster caused by the VRA’s spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams that displaced and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of citizens in the Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra.
24. Initiate immediate steps to compensate the flood victims, including those in the Oti, Bono East and Savanna regions.
25. Carry out a shakeup of all loss-making SOEs and realign them to break even and transition into profit-making.