- President Mahama Urges CEOs to Back Ghana’s Shift From Stability to Production
President John Dramani Mahama has called for a stronger partnership between government and the private sector to accelerate Ghana’s economic transformation, insisting that the country’s reset agenda will only succeed if stability is converted into production, jobs and rising incomes.
Speaking at the 10th Ghana CEO Summit, President Mahama said the platform had become an important national forum where policymakers, investors, innovators, development partners and business leaders could align ideas around the country’s long-term development priorities.
“Ghana’s economic transformation requires engagement between policymakers, business leaders, investors, innovators, development partners, and not the government alone,” the President said.
The President said Ghana had spent considerable time discussing economic recovery, stability and national reset, but stressed that stability alone cannot transform lives unless it produces real gains for households and businesses.
He argued that economic transformation must be measured not only by macroeconomic statistics, but by whether ordinary Ghanaians experience better jobs, higher incomes, stronger production systems and improved confidence in the future.
“We’ve talked long enough. It is time to take off,” Mr Mahama said, according to the report.
The President also assured business leaders that Ghana’s current macroeconomic stability would be sustained, disclosing that the country had completed its Extended Credit Facility programme with the International Monetary Fund and had agreed to enter into a Policy Coordination Instrument arrangement for technical assistance.
He said the decision was intended to preserve policy credibility and fiscal discipline over the next 36 months, while supporting economic stability and sustainable development.
For investors and corporate leaders, the assurance is significant. Ghana’s recent recovery has followed a difficult period of debt restructuring, currency volatility, high inflation and constrained private-sector activity.
The President’s message was therefore aimed at restoring confidence that recent gains in inflation moderation, exchange rate stability and fiscal management will not be treated as temporary relief, but as the foundation for a more productive economy.
Mr Mahama said stability must now support production, while production must create jobs, improve incomes and restore dignity among citizens.
“A farmer must be able to produce with confidence that he has a reliable market and will get a fair return for his production. A factory owner must have access to raw materials, energy, finance, and equipment without avoidable uncertainty,” he stated.
The President also used the summit to call for urgent reforms in Ghana’s business regulatory environment, warning that bureaucracy, duplicated procedures and conflicting signals from state agencies continue to slow down investment and productivity.
“A business person should not waste productive time shuttling between public offices to obtain routine approvals. A serious investor should not receive conflicting signals from agencies of the same state,” he said.
According to him, reducing duplication, improving transparency and accelerating service delivery are essential if businesses are to expand operations, create jobs and compete effectively in export markets.
He further linked the government’s work on special economic zones to the broader industrialisation agenda, stressing that such zones should not become isolated enclaves disconnected from the wider economy.
Rather, he said, they must support technology transfer, attract investment, strengthen exports and create decent employment opportunities.
On agribusiness, President Mahama said Ghana must close the gap between farmers who struggle to find reliable buyers and factories that struggle to secure raw materials of the right quantity and quality.
He described agribusiness value chains as an ecosystem linking farmers, transporters, processors, exporters, packagers and retailers into a coordinated structure capable of generating jobs, exports and stronger local economies.
The President identified cocoa, cashew, shea, oil palm, rice, poultry, textiles, pharmaceuticals and light manufacturing as sectors with strong potential for industrial expansion and value addition.
“We must move beyond just exporting raw materials and paying higher prices for finished imports. We have the people, we have the enterprise, and we certainly have the opportunity to retain more value within our economy,” he said.
Mr Mahama also explained the proposed 24-hour economy initiative, describing it as a productivity strategy rather than merely an extension of working hours into the night.
He said the policy seeks to improve the utilisation of Ghana’s productive capacity where businesses have access to labour, raw materials, energy and market opportunities.
According to him, different businesses may require different forms of support, including additional shifts, improved logistics, stronger security systems, extended public services, digital infrastructure and better transportation systems.
“Our clear objective is to help businesses grow, create quality jobs, and maximise our resources. When businesses thrive, government thrives, and the country prospers,” he noted.
The President urged CEOs and investors to continue showing confidence in Ghana through investment, innovation and long-term commitment to local production and exports.
He also formally launched the CEO Government Compact 2026, describing it as a new framework for strengthening collaboration between the state and the business community.
The Compact is expected to provide a platform for translating policy dialogue into measurable action, especially around investment climate reforms, industrial growth, productivity, exports and job creation.
For Ghana’s private sector, the President’s message carries both assurance and expectation.
Government is promising stability, regulatory reform and stronger partnership. But businesses are also being asked to invest, innovate, expand production and help turn the country’s recovery into a broader economic transformation.
Mr Mahama’s closing message was direct: Ghana must move “from dialogue to delivery, from policy to production, and from production to better lives for
