More jobs and no 'concern fees'

Former Ghanaian President John Mahama will be under huge pressure to meet the expectations of voters after his landslide victory in Saturday's election.

He swept back to power after eight years in opposition, running what political analyst Nansata Yakubu described as a “master class” campaign.

He defeated Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia with 56.6% of the votes to 41.6% to achieve the largest margin of victory by a candidate in 24 years.

But the turnout was lower than in the 2020 election, especially in some of the heartland areas of the New Patriotic Party of Bwaumia (NPP), suggesting that people there – unhappy with his performance in government – will stay at home rather than switching sides.

As Mahama's supporters celebrated his victory, Belinda Amuzu – a teacher in the northern city of Tamale, Mahama's stronghold – summed up their hopes.

“I expect that the new government will change the economy, and that the hardship will come down. It should also prosecute corrupt officials so that it will be a lesson to others,” she told the BBC.

“The austerity” has become a common phrase in Ghana since the economy hit rock bottom in 2022, triggering a cost-of-living crisis that shattered Bawumia's reputation as “the economic baby boomer” – and caused the defeat on their hands from Mahama.

Ghanaian economist Professor Godfred Bokpin told the BBC that the challenges facing the next government were huge.

“What Ghana needs now is credible leadership, lean government and efficiency in public service delivery. Without that, it cannot have a future,” he said.

Mahama has promised to bring down the size of the cabinet from over 80 to about 60, but Dr Bokpin argued that it should be smaller while political analyst Dr Kwame Asah-Asante emphasis on the need for positions to be based on merit rather than loyalty.

Mahama, who is set to become Ghana's first female vice president when the new government takes office next month, will be flanked by former Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

Dr Yakubu said her role was not “tokenism” and she was not someone who could be “manipulated”.

“We have our first outstanding female vice president in Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang,” she said BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

Mahama served his first four-year term as president after winning in 2012, but lost his re-election bid in 2016 when Nana Akufo-Addo rose to power with Bawumia as his running mate .

Dr Yakubu said Mahama contested the 2016 election on his track record of building roads, schools and hospitals but voters rejected him, as their mantra then was: “We don't eat bun -structure.”

However, she said, during the Covid pandemic voters came to appreciate the infrastructure built by his government, especially hospitals.

As a result – combined with the fact that the economy had fallen into a serious crisis under the current government, forcing it to seek a $3bn (£2.4bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – it was Mahama re-elected, Dr Yakubu added.

She told the BBC that Mahama would now be expected to fulfill his campaign promise to create jobs to reduce the unemployment rate to almost 15%, and to ease the cost of living crisis by giving away some taxes – or as Ghanaians say. “concern fees”.

Mahama has promised to make Ghana a “24-hour economy” through the creation of overnight jobs in the public and private sectors. He said he would give tax incentives to businesses to stay open at night and lower electricity prices for them.

But his critics have their doubts, pointing out that Ghana was plunged into its worst electricity crisis in his first term and the power cuts were so bad that Mahama mocked him when he was announced as “Mr Dumsor” – “dum” means “off”. and “sor” means “on” in the local Twi language.

He has also promised to scrap a number of taxes – including the much-criticized electronic tax on mobile transactions and the one on carbon emissions from petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.

Prof. Bokpin said it was doubtful that the Mahama administration would be able to fulfill its promises.

“They have not done a cost and benefit analysis. There is no budget space to turn these promises into reality,” he said.

But Mahama is confident he will prove his critics wrong, saying he plans to renegotiate the IMF loan situation to free up money for “social intervention programmes” in a country where 7.3 million people living in poverty.

In an interview before the election, Mahama told the BBC that the IMF wanted “a certain balance” in the government's finances.

“And so if you manage to cut spending, and you're able to increase revenue and increase non-tax revenue coming in, you're able to create a balance,” he said.

Dr. Asah-Asante said Mahama's experience as vice-president had been a good place to navigate the troubled waters in Ghana.

“Of course, he is likely to have problems, but he has what it takes to turn things around,” the analyst said.

Mahama's previous time in government – as vice president and president – was marred by allegations of corruption, but he has consistently denied any wrongdoing. existence

In 2020, a UK court found that the aviation giant Airbus had used bribes to secure contracts with Ghana for military aircraft between 2009 and 2015.

An investigation then began in Ghana, but the Office of the Special Prosecutor concluded, in a decision announced just months before the election, that there was no evidence that Mahama was involved in corrupt activities himself.

The outgoing government has also been accused of corruption, including the purchase of ambulance spare parts at a cost of $34.9m and a controversial national cathedral project in which $58m was spent without any progress being made.

Mahama promised that his government would tackle corruption, and ensure that officials were prosecuted for crime.

“We are thinking about special courts,” he told the BBC.

Dr Asah-Asante said Mahama should demand financial accountability from the outgoing government during the transition phase so that “whatever went wrong, he will be able to put it right” as soon as possible. his government in office next month.

The analyst said Mahama, who will be inaugurated next month when President Akufo-Addo steps down after his two terms in office, had no choice but to meet the expectations of Ghanaians – or else they would “punishing his government as they punished. the NPP”.

Mahama was quick to acknowledge this in his victory speech, saying: “The expectations of Ghanaians are very high, and we cannot afford to disappoint them.

“Our best days are not behind us; our best days are ahead of us. Forward forever – never back.”

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