President Mahama Inaugurates Presidential Advisory Group on Economy to Strengthen Governance
President John Dramani Mahama has officially inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Group on the Economy (PAGE), signaling a renewed focus on economic governance and long-term stability. Speaking at Jubilee House during the group’s inaugural meeting, the President urged members to approach their mandate with honesty, independence, and a strong sense of national responsibility.
“Your collective experience and expertise come at a critical moment when Ghana faces complex economic challenges that demand careful judgment rather than easy solutions,” President Mahama said, emphasising that PAGE’s counsel would be central to shaping decisions affecting livelihoods, investor confidence, and the nation’s standing in the global economy.
The advisory body will provide strategic guidance on macroeconomic management, fiscal consolidation, debt sustainability, and policy coherence between fiscal and monetary frameworks. PAGE’s remit also covers structural transformation, industrial development, competitiveness, export-led growth, private sector expansion, and job creation. Members are expected to advise on flagship initiatives, including the 24-hour economy and the Accelerated Export Development Programme.
PAGE will report directly to the President through advisory memoranda, strategic briefs, and policy reviews. President Mahama highlighted that the group, which existed under previous administrations, has been expanded and strengthened to reflect Ghana’s evolving economic complexity. He urged close coordination with the Economic Policy Coordinating Committee, chaired by the Minister for Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, to ensure efficiency and coherence.
The composition of PAGE reflects three guiding principles: experience and institutional memory, diversity of expertise across fiscal, monetary, capital market, and private enterprise domains, and gender and generational balance. Notable members include Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, economist Kwame Pianim, industrialist Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, business leader Togbe Afede, and former Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor. Technical support will be provided by the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama, Special Advisor on the Economy Seth Tekper, and NDP Chair Dr. Nii Moi Thompson.
President Mahama acknowledged the difficult economic realities, including renewed debt distress, policy inconsistencies in the petroleum sector, and weak governance of state-owned enterprises, stressing the need for “correction without amnesia.” He called on PAGE to draw lessons from past successes and failures, restore fiscal discipline, attract investment, and re-anchor expectations, with the ultimate goal of reestablishing Ghana as a predictable, competitive, and resilient economy.
The advisory group is expected to meet at least quarterly, with additional sessions convened as necessary, providing expert guidance on major milestones such as the national budget, monetary policy developments, and medium-term economic plans.
