Ghana’s president-elect John Mahama, due to be inaugurated on 7 January, will have his work cut out, as the country suffers its worst economic crisis in a generation and a study finds more than 60 percent of Ghanaians want to emigrate.
Mahama has been Ghana’s main opposition figure for several years, having previously served as president from July 2012 to January 2017. He failed in his bid to be re-elected in 2016’s elections, and then again in 2020.
But while his party and supporters are rejoicing his win in December, the challenges he is facing are considerable – with rising poverty and a new study finding six out of 10 Ghanaians wish to emigrate, chiefly in search of better job opportunities.
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Economic and energy challenges
Ghana is in the midst of an economic crisis. The country remains the world’s number two cocoa producer, but there is turmoil in the industry as well as in gold.
“The economic situation is dire, and I’m going to put my soul, physique and everything into it and focus on making lives better for Ghanaians,” said Mahama, after his National Democratic Congress party’s comfortable win in the election held on 7 December.
“If the president is asking us to tighten our belts, he must also tighten his,” he said.
(with newswires)
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