President John Dramani Mahama used Friday’s 69th Independence Day address to reaffirm the government’s core economic agenda, telling Ghanaians that freedom demands responsibility as he pointed to three flagship policy milestones now driving the country’s recovery.
Speaking at a ceremony at the forecourt of Jubilee House in Accra on March 6, 2026, the President said the reform agenda already set in motion is designed to translate Ghana’s hard-won economic stability into tangible prosperity for every citizen.
This year’s anniversary is marked under the theme “Building Prosperity, Restoring Hope,” which the Mahama administration has described as the guiding blueprint for its economic priorities.
On the economy, the President pointed to the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, which he signed into law on February 19, as a transformative turning point. The initiative aims to create 1.7 million quality jobs over four years, reduce import dependency, and reposition Ghana as a competitive player in regional and global export markets. The government has allocated GHS 110 million in the 2026 Budget to support the rollout, with resources targeting businesses that want to operate beyond traditional hours.
The President also confirmed that work on the Women’s Development Bank is in its final stages. When fully operational, the bank will be mandated to expand access to finance for women-led businesses, a segment the government says has historically been underserved by the formal banking sector.
Mahama used the occasion to call for a national recommitment to responsible resource stewardship, saying independence was never an endpoint. “We need to re-establish responsibility in our national life and how we manage natural resources,” he said.
Analysts note that the President’s broader recovery agenda will face its most critical test not in the articulation of policy but in execution, with a population recently emerged from an acute debt crisis watching closely for results that reach beyond macroeconomic data.
