The recent official launch of former President John Mahama’s 2024 campaign has prompted a resurgence of scrutiny regarding his prior “lavish campaign promises” that went unfulfilled.
During this event, Mahama, who is seeking to reclaim the presidency, made a multitude of new commitments, asserting his integrity by claiming he is not a liar and vowing to fulfill all campaign pledges.
Mahama, who held the position of Vice President from 2009 to 2012 and served as President from 2012 to 2017, is making another attempt to regain the presidency after his defeat in 2016 and subsequent unsuccessful bid in 2020.
Nevertheless, following the launch of his campaign, which was marked by significant promises, attention has turned to his record regarding campaign commitments and their execution.
Political scientist Abdul Razak Yando has raised concerns about the authenticity of Mahama’s new political promises in an open article, highlighting the former President’s history of making commitments that were not honored when he was in office.
As Mahama has launched his campaign, laced with promises, it is important to interrogate how he fared the last time he made juicy promises to Ghanaians and was allowed to lead the country between 2012 and 2016.
It is important for questions to be asked of the former President, especially for young voters who have just turned 18 years old, to know how the only former President who will be on the ballot in the 2024 elections, performed when they were 12 years, as far as some major promises he made to the country are concerned.
Unfortunately, a detailed analysis of former President Mahama’s 2012 Manifesto, revealed that the former President, after being elected as President, did not fulfill many lavish promises.
As many as 46 big promises made by John Mahama during the 2012 elections were not fulfilled after Ghanaians voted for him as President.
Here they are, the promises, as contained in the 2012 NDC Manifesto, which is publicly available for scrutiny.
1. Strengthen the CHRAJ to fight corruption – even without an “explicit complainant”.
Verdict: unfulfilled
2. Abolish the Office of Accountability that Ghanaians believe protects corrupt officials.
Verdict: unfulfilled
3. Revise the law on Asset Declaration to increase transparency and accountability.
Verdict: unfulfilled
4. Enact a Freedom of Information Bill so the public has access to official information to enhance the fight against corruption.
Verdict: unfulfilled
5. Place an upper limit on the number of Justices on the Supreme Court.
Verdict: unfulfilled
6. Separate the Attorney General from the Ministry of Justice – for efficiency and transparency.
Verdict: unfulfilled
7. Reverse Ghana’s image as an easy target for money laundering and drug transport point.
Verdict: unfulfilled. Ghana was internationally renowned as a drug transit point.
8. Introduce special tax rates to financial institutions that lend to priority sectors, agriculture, industry, services and micro-, small and medium sized businesses and pensions.
Verdict: unfulfilled
9. Develop limestone deposits at Buipe, Nauli and Nadowli for cement.
Verdict: unfulfilled
10. Rejuvenate the textile industry, from seed production to processing and printing.
Verdict: unfulfilled
11. Establish shea processing in all northern regions to achieve 50,000 tons per year.
Verdict: unfulfilled
12. Support salt processing to benefit the communities and the petrochemical industry.
Verdict: unfulfilled
13. Rehabilitate abandoned but viable manufacturing enterprises, such as Kumasi Jute, Aboso Glass, Tannery and Coir Fibre, Pomadze Poultry.
Verdict: unfulfilled
14. Explore an integrated Iron and Steel industry at Oppon Manso.
Verdict: unfulfilled
15. Create a special pension scheme to encourage farmers and fishermen associations.
Verdict: unfulfilled
17. Set up a Ghana Commodities Exchange to provide post-harvest infrastructure, trading standards.
Verdict: unfulfilled
18. Process at least 60% of the cocoa produce locally, including plans for another Cocoa Processing Factory in the Western Region to reduce transport problems and increase jobs.
Verdict: unfulfilled
19. Improve fish stocks through education and enforcement by an equipped Navy.
Verdict: unfulfilled
20. Reduce post-harvest losses: increase storage, processing, freezers and ice facilities.
Verdict: unfulfilled
21. Correct the quality and management problems of pre-mix fuel.
Verdict: unfulfilled
22. Improve capacity of small-scale operations and reduce illegal galamsey.
Verdict: unfulfilled
23. Implement a One-time national health insurance premium.
Verdict: unfulfilled
24. Pay licensed teachers a professional allowance of 15% of the basic salary.
Verdict: unfulfilled
25. Pay technical-vocational education teachers an addition 10% allowance of basic salary.
Verdict: unfulfilled
26. Pay teachers in deprived areas an additional allowance of 20% of basic salary.
Verdict: unfulfilled
27. Schools under trees will end by 2016
Verdict: unfulfilled
27. Build two technical schools in each district.
Verdict: unfulfilled
28. Rehabilitate and upgrade all technical schools.
Verdict: unfulfilled
29. Construct a new railway line: Kumasi through Wa to Hamile.
Verdict: unfulfilled
30. Establish 2 more landing points on the Volta River to reduce transport distances.
Verdict: unfulfilled
31. Develop the petrochemical industry utilizing local and imported natural gas and Ghana salt.
Verdict: unfulfilled
32. Double TOR’s capacity toward processing Ghana’s oil.
Verdict: unfulfilled
33. Constructing two hundred (200) new Community Day Senior High Schools where these do not exist.
Verdict: unfulfilled
34. Establish ten (10) new Colleges of Education in the medium term to be located in areas currently not well-served and in anticipation of the increase in student numbers on account of our increased access to education programme;
Verdict: unfulfilled
35. An average GDP growth rate of at least 8% per annum;
Verdict: unfulfilled
36. A single digit rate of inflation;
Verdict: unfulfilled
37. An overall budget deficit equivalent to 5% of GDP.
Verdict: unfulfilled
38. Gross international reserves that will cover not less than four months of imports.
Verdict: unfulfilled
39. Overall, our economic policies and programmes will aim at the attainment of a per capita income of at least US$2,300 by year 2016.
Verdict: unfulfilled
40. An integrated petroleum industry based on bauxite;
Verdict: unfulfilled
41. A petro-chemical industry based on salt and natural gas;
Verdict: unfulfilled
42. A fertilizer industry to give impetus to agro-development.
Verdict: unfulfilled
43. A salt-based chemical industry for caustic soda.
Verdict: unfulfilled
44. Allied consumer products and exports based on oil and gas; and an integrated iron and steel industry based on the iron ore deposits at Oppon Manso in the Western Region
Verdict: unfulfilled
45. Address gender inequality by ensuring the expeditious enactment of the Affirmative Action Act
Verdict: unfulfilled
46. To establish a commission of enquiry to investigate matters related to public land acquisitions.
Verdict: unfulfilled
-BY Daniel Bampoe.
