Chief of Staff Julius Debrah has made a strong case for Ghana’s social democratic model of governance, arguing that the state must function not only as a business enabler but as an active participant in national wealth creation.
Debrah delivered the position in a keynote address read on his behalf at the inaugural Social Democrats’ Convocation held at the moot court of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School in Accra. The event was organised by the Legal Green Association in partnership with the Ghana Institute of Social Democracy.
Describing social democracy as a system requiring genuine collaboration between government and the private sector, Debrah stated that the Mahama administration’s approach is grounded in both facilitation and participation. “I can say without equivocation that the role of the state is both facilitative of and participative in the generation of wealth through business policies and programmes,” he said.
He pointed to macroeconomic stability as the administration’s first major facilitative contribution, citing fiscal discipline and targeted regulatory reform as the foundations. The results, he said, are measurable: inflation has fallen to 3.2 percent as of March, external reserves have reached 14.5 billion US dollars representing 5.8 months of import cover, and exchange rate pressures have eased alongside declining interest rates and a reduced debt burden.
Debrah further argued that investment in social infrastructure is equally essential, drawing on a local metaphor to make the point. “Our elders say if you want to rear chicken, you first need to build the chicken coop. The analogy here is that, if you want to promote the growth of business in your country, you must build the appropriate infrastructure,” he said, pointing to government investments in roads, hospitals, factories, and schools.
Beyond facilitation, he outlined how the administration is directly engaged in generating wealth, noting that several state-owned enterprises previously on the brink of collapse or earmarked for sale have recorded significant financial turnarounds within a year. Banks, manufacturing firms, and oil processing and marketing companies are now reporting strong profit margins, contrasting sharply with the substantial losses recorded during the country’s recent period of economic strain.
The convocation was also addressed by William Ahadzi, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Social Democracy, who delivered a lecture on the philosophy of social democracy. Attendees included Benedica Lasi, Mustapha Gbande, and Eric Adjei, among other dignitaries.
