President John Mahama’s return to office has begun on a high note, with many Ghanaians expressing satisfaction with his first 120 days, according to Dr Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, Associate Professor of Development Politics at the University of Ghana Business School.
“Generally, a general assessment, 120 days, how do you think this administration has fared? I think it’s been very positive. And I get the impression that, I mean, Ghanaians are generally very happy with these few number of days,” Professor Abdulai said during an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey.
He pointed to one major policy decision that has gained widespread public approval—the promise and delivery of a lean government.
“For me, I think one of the crucial steps that has been taken by this government that appears to be so widely applauded by the Ghanaian public is this issue of the number of ministers,” he noted.
“One of the promises was to sort of, like, establish the leanest government that Ghana has ever had. That single most promise is extremely crucial, because we know, we all know, everyone admits that we have a running value type of government, and the impact of that on the public purse has been very, very significant.”
The academic added that the president’s appointment choices have also inspired public confidence.
“Overall, if you look at the kind of appointments that have been made within these days, I mean, many of them people feel extremely excited that the government means business by prioritizing, I mean, experienced people, people who have sort of, like, demonstrated some knowledge within the field that they are leading.”
He concluded that the public perceives the president as committed to delivering results and establishing a meaningful legacy.
“Overall, overall, I think this has been a very good start. It has given Ghanaians the impression that this president means business, that this president wants to leave behind a good legacy. I mean, that’s the general impression that I have and the impression that I think majority of Ghanaians have.”
