Mahama: I’ll Establish Better Future for Ghana’s Youth

President-elect John Dramani Mahama has shown an urgent sense of responsibility towards the youth in the country following his victory in the general elections held on December 7.

During his campaign rallies, Mahama acknowledged the passion and high goals of the youth, describing it as a sobering reminder of the work that needs to change Ghana’s future and ensure a better life for all Ghanaians.

In an interview with DW TV, Mahama reflected on the optimism displayed by young Ghanaians, expressing how deeply moved he was by their enthusiasm.

“Looking at the faces of the young people I saw at all the rallies and the high expectations they have in our government, gives me a humble feeling and a sense of preparing to give it my best so that I can turn this country around and create a better future for our young people.”

“I call it reset in Ghana. We need a reset so that we can create a better environment for our young people to thrive and create enough opportunity for them to be able to realise their full potential.”

Mahama also acknowledged that many young people in Ghana are grappling with a sense of hopelessness as opportunities remain elusive despite their talents and hard work and promised that his administration would focus on fostering an inclusive environment where every young Ghanaian, regardless of background, can dream big and succeed.

In same interview, Mr. Mahama emphasised his administration’s intent to implement bold reforms to governance structures, enhance anti-corruption frameworks, and enforce strict accountability within public institutions.

The President-elect acknowledged widespread public frustration over the mismanagement of public resources, inefficiencies in governance, and Ghana’s rising national debt.

Describing corruption and waste as significant obstacles to progress, Mahama pledged to introduce constitutional reforms and impose severe penalties on individuals involved in corrupt practices, signalling a decisive shift towards transparency and fiscal discipline in his administration.

“And one of the first things we will do would be to take the whole issue of constitutional review again and see how we can structure things so that we have a more dynamic constitution going forward. Aside from that, we need to take the fight against corruption and waste to a new level.

“And so how do we improve our governance system so that we are not having so much waste as a result of corruption and waste? So that is something that we need to look at to ensure our economic managers can manage it in such a way that we don’t end up where we have found ourselves at this time in terms of debt management.”

He underscored the importance of aligning constitutional reforms with Ghana’s current realities, particularly by incorporating mechanisms that promote accountability and exact punitive consequences on individuals who abuse their public positions for personal gain.

Mahama added that reforming the constitution will create a stronger governance system and ensure that those found guilty of corruption face meaningful repercussions.