Just nine months into his return to the presidency, President John Dramani Mahama’s approval rating has slipped, which might point to signs of eroding public goodwill.
A new nationwide poll shows his job approval rating dipping to 67 percent in September, down six points from 73 percent in July.
The survey, conducted by the independent research firm Global InfoAnalytics and released this week, paints a picture of sustained but softening support for the 66-year-old veteran politician, who reclaimed the presidency in January after a decade out of power.
Mr. Mahama’s net approval — the gap between positive and negative views — stands at a robust +45 percent, with only 22 percent of respondents expressing disapproval and 11 percent undecided.
Diving Deeper Into The Numbers
Yet the numbers reveal subtle fissures. Public confidence in the direction of the country fell from 71 percent to 66 percent over the same period, and negative assessments of government performance rose by five points, to 16 percent.
Among younger voters — a demographic that propelled Mr. Mahama’s National Democratic Congress to victory in the December 2024 elections — optimism appears to be waning fastest, with calls for quicker action on job creation and inflation.
Mr. Mahama’s resurgence last year was a story of redemption. Ousted in 2016 amid accusations of economic mismanagement during his first term, he campaigned on promises of anti-corruption crusades, tax relief, and infrastructure revival. His victory over the incumbent New Patriotic Party, marred by scandals of its own, was hailed as a democratic reset.
Early in office, he moved swiftly: abolishing unpopular digital taxes like the e-levy, slashing ministerial positions by nearly half, and launching a gold export board to curb smuggling.
These steps won plaudits from economists and business leaders, who credit them with stabilizing the cedi and boosting gold revenues to $5 billion in the first half of the year.
But as the administration pushes forward, controversies have piled up, testing Mr. Mahama’s mandate.
In early September, he announced a controversial agreement with the United States to accept West African nationals deported under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The deportation deal came on the heels of another flashpoint: Mr. Mahama’s abrupt dismissal of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo in September, which raised concerns of executive overreach.
These episodes are compounded by earlier turbulence. In his first 100 days, Mr. Mahama’s “Operation Recover All Loot” anti-graft drive led to high-profile arrests of former officials, but accusations of selective justice have proliferated.
Mass layoffs of over 2,000 civil servants — many young hires from the previous regime — have also sparked controversies.
Some Controversial Issues in Mahama’s Early Tenure
- U.S. Deportation Agreement (September 2025): Ghana’s pact to host West African deportees from the U.S. has been criticized as overburdening local resources and enabling rights abuses.
- Chief Justice Dismissal (September 2025): The ouster of Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has raised alarms over judicial independence and potential executive meddling.
- Mass Public Sector Layoffs (January–April 2025): Dismissals of over 2,000 workers, including young graduates, have been decried as politically motivated and economically disruptive.
- Selective Anti-Corruption Prosecutions (Ongoing): High-profile cases against opposition figures proceed.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
