Speaking during a courtesy call by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, Mr Mahama emphasised the importance of creating partnerships that reflected the realities of today and the vision of his incoming government.

“This adjustment is crucial and will help put the new government that would be inaugurated next year on the same springboard with our development partners to begin the rebuilding of the economy and the country,” Mr Mahama stated.

Transition process guided by law

Underpinning this transition is Section 1 of the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845), which mandates the formation of a Transition Team within 24 hours after the declaration of presidential election results.

This legal framework ensures continuity and smooth handover between administrations, setting the stage for collaboration with development partners and other stakeholders.

Mr Mahama noted the need for swift engagements with international institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, to realign ongoing programmes with his government’s priorities.

“Looking at the existing programmes, we need to tweak them to meet the realities of today… One of our main concerns is the issue of debt repayments. We need to see how we can smooth them so that we don’t default again, which will be more catastrophic than the current defaulting,” he remarked.

IMF and World Bank programmes

Ghana is currently under a 36-month, $3 billion Extended Credit Facility with the IMF and has also signed several agreements with the World Bank, including a $250 million Ghana Financial Stability Project and another $250 million for the Ghana Energy Sector Recovery Programme. Mr Mahama stressed the urgency of managing debt repayments while working to stabilise the economy.

“I don’t kid myself that it is going to be an easy task; it is going to be quite tough. I anticipated that we were going to win, but I didn’t anticipate the margin by which we were going to win. That is an indication that Ghanaians have very high expectations,” he said, committing to working tirelessly to meet these demands.

Global collaboration and domestic concerns

The President-elect highlighted the critical role of global partnerships in Ghana’s recovery. He lauded the United Nations and its agencies for their longstanding support, particularly in addressing challenges such as food security.

“We are anticipating that there is going to be some problems with the availability of food, and so how we are able to quicken support to ameliorate the situation is something that we would like to work on,” Mr Mahama said.

He expressed readiness to collaborate with agencies such as UNICEF and UNHCR to uplift Ghanaians from the current economic challenges.

UN’s support for Ghana

Mr Abani commended Ghana’s seamless 2024 elections, describing the polls as a hallmark of democratic excellence in Africa.

“This visit is to assure you that the UN stands fully with you and fully with Ghana. We know your presidency is just about to unfold, and I can assure you of our collaboration,” Mr Abani said.

The elections saw Mr Mahama secure 6,328,397 valid votes, representing 56.55%, underscoring his strong mandate.

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He made the argument after the Finance Ministry wrote to President Akufo-Addo, on March 4, advising him to refrain from signing the passed Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill into law.

The Finance Ministry cautioned that such action could lead to severe repercussions on the country’s financial support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The statement highlighted concerns that the expected US$300 million financing from the First Ghana Resilient Recovery Development Policy Operation (Budget Support), currently awaiting Parliamentary approval, might not be disbursed if the bill is signed into law.

However, Prof. Gatsi said loan agreements signed with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund do not reflect LGBTQI+ conditions.

“When the IMF deal was signed, there was no condition regarding LGBTQ. The same hold when the World Bank loan was approved by parliament. The only condition was that the legislature must consider the loan and pass it”.

“So to come at this hour indicating that if we go ahead to sign the LGBTQ Bill into law, then all those monies will elude us, does not reflect the terms of the agreement we signed with the IMF and the World Bank”, he said.

He pointed out that the demands made by international donors and organisations do not align with African values and culture.

According to him, the relationship between African governments and the international organisations must be limited to business and partnerships.

“That is the way we can work together. They need us, we need them. That is the situation,” he said.
Professor Gatsi is of the view that Ghana and its leaders need to stand firm when it comes to the values that society hold dear.

“I will not say they are hypocritical at this point. All I will say is that, some of their thinking does not reflect our society and we are reminded to protect our society. That is the difference and they need to get to that point to accept what we are doing” he stated.

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