Mahama highlights Ghana’s economic recovery, healthcare expansion at UN

President John Dramani Mahama has used his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly to highlight Ghana’s economic recovery and a series of domestic programmes aimed at improving living standards.

President Mahama said his administration’s “Resetting Ghana Agenda” was focused on fiscal discipline, infrastructure development, industrialisation, social protection and expanded access to healthcare.

He said the government’s economic measures had helped restore growth, reduce inflation, stabilise the cedi and lower the country’s public debt burden, describing the progress as what some circles have called the “Ghanaian miracle”.

“Economic growth must have a human face,” President Mahama told the Assembly on Thursday, September 24, stressing that improvements in macroeconomic indicators must translate into better conditions for ordinary citizens.

He said the government was implementing the Big Push Programme to expand roads, digital connectivity, schools and health facilities, while the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme was intended to drive value addition, industrial activity and job creation.

The President also highlighted the Free Primary Health Care Programme, which was launched in Ghana in April 2026 and is being rolled out in phases. The Presidency says the programme initially targets 150 underserved districts before expanding nationwide by 2028.

“Citizens must experience democracy not only through the ballot box every four years but also through improved access to food, quality education, decent housing, accessible healthcare, and economic opportunity,” he said.

President Mahama further cited the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCare, as an additional intervention for people living with conditions including renal failure, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The Presidency has described the fund as providing additional support for specialised treatment, including dialysis.

He said Ghana would use its upcoming chairmanship of the African Union in 2027 to promote continental integration, accelerate implementation of AfCFTA, support peace and security efforts and strengthen Africa’s collective voice on the international stage.