President-elect John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, dismissing pre-election claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that his administration would abolish it as “political talk and gimmickry.” In a Voice of America (VOA) interview, Mr. Mahama stated unequivocally, “Free SHS has come to stay, and nobody will abolish it.”
He emphasized that his administration’s focus will be on securing sustainable funding to enhance the program’s effectiveness and address existing challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities, and funding delays. Mr. Mahama aims to create a dedicated funding mechanism to ensure the policy’s long-term viability while improving the quality of education for all beneficiaries.
Separately, President-elect Mahama also confirmed that his administration will not abandon the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. In a separate VOA interview on December 14th, he stressed the importance of the IMF-backed economic reforms while acknowledging the need for potential adjustments to better suit Ghana’s developmental needs.
Mr. Mahama recognized the current economic challenges and the crucial role of the IMF program (initiated under President Akufo-Addo) in stabilizing the economy, but he indicated a need for further discussions with the IMF to ensure alignment on implementation, stating: “We’ve requested further discussions with the IMF, as we were not part of the negotiations for this programme. We need to ensure that we are all aligned in terms of its implementation. We are not going to jettison the programme. Let me make that clear. We will not abandon it, but within the framework of the programme, I believe there is room for some adjustments. If we reach an agreement on those adjustments, we will continue the programme until its conclusion.”
He prioritized economic stability as the cornerstone for progress across all sectors, stating, “The economy will be our top priority because it impacts everything else. When the economy is in poor shape, it affects education, agriculture, sports, and every other sector of the country. Therefore, stabilizing the economy will be our foremost task.”
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