President John Dramani Mahama has expressed surprise at the speed of Ghana’s economic recovery, describing the turnaround as far faster than his government initially anticipated.
Speaking at the 23rd Anniversary and Thanksgiving Service of the First Sky Group in Accra on Sunday, January 25, 2026, the President said Ghana’s fiscal stabilization has attracted global attention, with international financial institutions struggling to believe the pace of progress.
According to President Mahama, officials from both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have repeatedly expressed amazement at how quickly the Ghanaian economy has shifted toward stability.
“We are all surprised and shocked at the quick turnaround. Anytime I meet IMF and World Bank officials, they themselves cannot believe what has happened in Ghana,” he said. “So, Ghana has now become the poster boy of the IMF and the World Bank.”
Reflecting on the economic crisis his administration inherited, the President admitted he had prepared himself—and the nation—for a much longer period of hardship. He explained that he initially expected it would take at least two years before any meaningful signs of recovery could be seen.
“In my own imagination, I thought we would need about two years to begin to see a turnaround,” he noted. “But Ebenezer, this is how far God has brought us.”
President Mahama attributed the rapid recovery to a mix of strict fiscal discipline, sound economic policies, and what he described as divine intervention.
To underscore the scale of the progress made within just one year, the President cited major economic indicators, including a sharp drop in inflation from 23.8 per cent to 5.4 per cent, as well as a 37 per cent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi.
“To bring inflation down from 23.8 per cent to 5.4 per cent in one year? And for the cedi to appreciate by 37 per cent in the same period it is only God,” he said.
The President added that Ghana’s reform efforts have now become a reference point for other African countries grappling with fiscal challenges. He noted that several peer nations are studying Ghana’s policy choices and structural reforms as a model for economic recovery.
“When you go to other African countries, they say, ‘Don’t you see Ghana? Don’t you see what Ghana has done?’ That is why I say, it is by the grace of God,” President Mahama concluded.
