Dr Razak Kojo Opoku, Founding President of the UP Tradition Institute, has criticised the performance of President John Mahama’s administration in delivering on the promises outlined in the 2025 Budget.

In a detailed assessment released in September 2025, Mr. Opoku argued that nine months into the year, the government has failed to implement over 70 per cent of the policies and programmes captured in the budget presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson on March 11, 2025.

According to him, a policy audit showed that only 28–30 percent of the budget commitments have been achieved, leaving a majority of flagship programmes unfulfilled.

Resetting the Economy: Mr. Opoku said the government has not delivered on its promise to “reset the economy for the Ghana we want,” citing poor exchange rate management, insecurity, and continued illegal mining.

Outstanding Arrears: He listed huge debts that remain unpaid, including:

$1.73 billion owed to Independent Power Producers,

GHS 68 billion owed by the Electricity Company of Ghana,

GHS 32 billion owed by COCOBOD,

GHS 5.75 billion owed by the Road Fund.

Unmet Structural Reforms: The administration, he argued, has not implemented core parts of the “resetting agenda,” including restoring trust in public officials and rolling out the 24-hour economy policy.

Macroeconomic Targets: The 2025 goals of achieving at least 4.0% GDP growth, a 1.5% budget surplus, and three months of import cover in international reserves have not been met.

Flagship Policies: He pointed to the failure to abolish the COVID-19 levy, implement the $10 billion Big Push initiative, establish the Women’s Development Bank, and launch programmes such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Scheme, the National Coders Programme, and agricultural initiatives under the Economic Transformation Agenda.

Social Programmes: Promises such as increasing LEAP beneficiaries from 350,000 to 400,000 and allocating 80% of development funds directly to District Assemblies have also not materialised.

Dr. Opoku concluded that the Mahama administration has not demonstrated sufficient commitment to fulfilling its own budgetary pledges, warning that many citizens remain unconvinced by the government’s economic direction.

“The government has been able to achieve only 28–30% of the policies and programmes outlined in the 2025 Budget,” he stated, adding that more unfulfilled commitments exist beyond those highlighted in his analysis.