On Thursday, February 27, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama presented his inaugural State of the Nation Address (SONA) to the 9th Parliament of Ghana, fulfilling his constitutional obligation under Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution.
His speech focused on Ghana's socioeconomic progress, fiscal stability, and infrastructure development.
While commending successive administrations and this government for advancing Ghana's commitment to democratic process, the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), a nonpartisan think tank advocating for evidence-based governance and equitable economic policies, has analyzed the address on seven (7 ) thematic areas: economic crisis & recovery, governance & fiscal consolidation, social development, infrastructure & energy, anti-corruption & justice, security, and international relations.
It is imperative to discuss each of these thematic areas for clarity and confirm or otherwise if indeed the country is in economic crisis at stated by our President. On economic crisis & recovery, the President said Ghana's economy, inherited by the current administration, is described as fundamentally "broken," burdened by a staggering GHS 721 billion public debt, soaring inflation at 23.8% (2024), and a rapidly depreciating cedi that lost 27.8% of its value in 2023 alone.
