BY BOAKYE STEPHEN, KUMASI, GHANA | REPORTING FOR GHANAIAN NEWS, CANADA | May 24, 2026
President John Dramani Mahama says his administration will not celebrate Ghana’s completion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme with unnecessary fanfare because the country’s economic recovery process remains unfinished.
Addressing residents during a citizens’ engagement at NdewuraJakpa Senior High School in the Savannah Region, President Mahama argued that his administration inherited an IMF-supported programme that was already in danger before the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed office in January 2025.
“We inherited the IMF programme from the previous government. At the time we took over, all the agreed performance indicators were out of track, which meant that the programme was in danger of derailment, so we had to take some stringent actions to bring it back into alignment, and we were able to do that,” he said.
According to the President, subsequent IMF review missions approved the corrective measures implemented by his government.
“The missions that came approved the programme, and the final mission just left Ghana last week, and they have given us a satisfying mark, and it is now going to the board to release the last tranche of $380 million to support our economy, but we are not going to have a kenkey party because it is still work in progress,” he stated.
In another engagement during the “Resetting Ghana” tour, Mahama repeated concerns that the programme had nearly collapsed before his administration intervened.
“We have also come to the end of the IMF programme. We inherited the IMF programme from the previous government. At the time we took over from the previous government, all the agreed performance indicators were off track. It meant that the programme was in danger of derailment,” he stated.
“But we’re not going to have a kenkey party because we believe that it is still a work in progress,” he said.
Commentary | Boakye Stephen
The IMF debate remains one of Ghana’s most politically sensitive economic discussions. While the Mahama administration credits itself with stabilizing the programme, critics are expected to challenge the narrative ahead of future political contests. The President’s repeated use of the phrase “kenkey party” appears designed to communicate caution and seriousness rather than celebration.
