- President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out any premature celebrations over Ghana’s pending completion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, declaring that his government will not organise “kenkey and waakye parties” while the economy remains under recovery.
Addressing a citizens’ engagement at Ndewura Jakpa Senior High School in the Savannah Region on Saturday, May 23, President Mahama took a swipe at the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration, accusing it of leaving behind an IMF programme that was “completely off track” and on the brink of collapse before the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed office in January 2025.
According to the President, key performance indicators under the IMF deal had been missed by the previous administration, forcing his government to introduce tough corrective measures to stabilise the programme and restore international confidence.
“We inherited the IMF programme from the previous government. At the time we took over, all the agreed performance indicators were out of track, which meant that the programme was in danger of derailment,” Mahama stated.
He explained that after a series of IMF review missions, Ghana has now received favourable assessments, with the latest mission reportedly endorsing the country’s progress ahead of the release of the final $380 million tranche.
“The final mission just left Ghana last week, and they have given us a satisfying mark… but we are not going to have a kenkey party because it is still work in progress,” he stressed.
Mahama’s comments appear to contrast sharply with criticisms often levelled against governments accused of celebrating IMF approvals despite economic hardships facing ordinary citizens.
The President maintained that although progress has been made in restoring stability, his administration remains focused on rebuilding the economy rather than engaging in political fanfare.
