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‘Akufo-Addo will succeed despite challenges’
In spite of the rigorous opposition by certain political parties in the country, President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is bound to succeed convincingly as President of the Republic, Dr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, a political scientist has said.
He explained that certain occurrences in the country would serve as useful lessons for the President to reorganise himself and improve upon his previous performance from January 7, 2017, to January 6, 2021.
“What this means is that President Akufo-Addo will be more successful during his second term as President of Ghana from January 7, 2021 to January 6, 2024,” he expatiated.
According to Dr Amponsah-Bediako who doubles as the Director of Corporate Communications at the Ghana Standards Authority, “the unsatisfactory performance by some parliamentary candidates in the NPP during the 2020 elections together with some DCEs who sabotaged some of the NPP MPs during the last elections all go to show that great lessons have been learnt from them.”
“The President will use them as a guide in the selection of ministers and DCEs as well as heads of agencies to assist him to produce better results than was experienced during the first term even though his performance in the previous term was marvelous.”
Dr. Amponsah-Bediako was of the view that the going would be tough, but with God on the side of President Akufo-Addo and all Ghanaians, the battle ahead would be won to the surprise of everyone in the country and the world as a whole.
He said, “The opposition NDC is bent on coming out with a tough time in parliament to make it difficult for the success of government business, but in spite of all these, things will miraculously go through to provide great success for the entire country.”
He advised that, “the opposition NDC should not merely think about gaining political scores in what they do, but think about the country as a whole and how all Ghanaians can move forward to achieve greater laurels.”
The slim majority in parliament for the NPP, he said, would pose some difficulty for the approval of some government policies, but “this is where the President will come out to outshine the minority parliamentarians whose interest will be linked merely to their selfish political agenda.”
He said: “It is true every political party aims at scoring political points and gaining some advantage for their political group. But this should not be done at the expense of Ghana’s interest which in my view should be the overriding principle at all times.”
Dr. Amponsah-Bediako said this should be the guiding principle for all the politicians as it has happened elsewhere like the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, among others, to make their country great and beautiful in the eyes of other nationalities who look upon such countries as enviable.
“If Ghana is to go places,” he said, “then this simple advice must be adhered to so that the pedestal of development for the country can be pushed higher and higher to an enviable level.”
The Director of Corporate Communications further advised Ghanaians to lend in their support to the President, who has very good intentions for the country and is prepared to do what he could to achieve greater success.
He described President Akufo-Addo as someone who is like “the egg of a dove that never gets spoilt, no matter what,” and stressed that, “no one should take President Akufo-Addo for granted because he has come at the right time to contribute to Ghana’s development in a special way that cannot be destroyed by anybody.”
Dr. Amponsah-Bediako said: “If such a person is bound to succeed then it will, therefore, be pointless and useless for anyone or any group of people to think that his efforts can be thwarted by any group with sinister motives.”
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
