Mema wo afrehyia pa ooo. As we welcome 2026, I wish each of you Sisters and Brothers of Ghana at home and abroad, a Happy New Year. We closed out 2024 with another pivotal election in the history of Ghana.
In 1957, Ghanaian freedom fighters cast off the chains of imperialist colonialism and declared our home, Ghana, a free and independent nation. The dream was a prosperous nation ruled by a government of self-determination fueled by the hopes and dreams of diverse peoples and cultures that together are woven into the soul of Ghana.
As an independent nation the struggle to fulfill the dream of the 1957 freedom fighters continues. As we welcome the coming of a new year, let us reflect on the past as we light the fires of hope for the future of our nation. Let us remember that hopes and dreams are fueled with determination, and responsibility.
This is especially important to achieve the goal of self-governance that burned in the souls of those that fought and died in 1957 so this generation of Ghanaians could be free to pursue their dreams. When the calendar changes from 31st December to 1st January, it is symbolic of a new beginning.
A New Year is more than symbolic; it is a time to measure the accomplishments and failures of a nation’s governance and its leadership. In the last two election cycles, as an independent candidate for president with limited resources I challenged the status quo of a two-party cabal. I spoke about a need for a new direction, a concrete and determined plan to protect the natural resources of Ghana while nourishing our hopes and dreams as free people.
Although the election continued with the pattern of choosing the NDC and NPP Candidates, I am disillusioned but not discouraged. My love for Ghana will never be extinguished. My quest for a free and independent government will continue to burn in my soul.
I am proud of my campaigns and messages that I delivered. When I fall I will pick myself up, dust myself off and like a New Year begin once again. For us as individuals and together as a Nation the New Year calls upon us to pick ourselves up and start all over again. Let us use the turning of the page of a New Year to measure how the government elected on 7th December 2024 worked to grow our nation and its people.
At the heart of Ghana’s challenges is a crisis of trust. The current administration’s commitments to transparency and accountability have yet to produce a decisive shift in how corruption is prevented, investigated, and punished. In every election cycle the NPP and NDC rhetoric about reform is common, consistent and repetitive. Outcomes matter more. A new year is about direction. It is about looking at the accomplishments and planning the future.
To this date procurement systems remain vulnerable, political patronage continues to distort public spending, and accountability mechanisms too often appear selective rather than systemic. For trust to be restored, anti-corruption efforts must move beyond commissions and speeches toward independent prosecutions with real consequences regardless of political affiliation.
Without trust, public cynicism will continue to undermine national cohesion and drive people into an underground economy that includes Galamsey, e-waste, bribery and the corruption of government officials.
Economic growth figures are just numbers when wages fail to keep pace with inflation. Ghanaians are working more yet living less securely. The news from the current administration tells us that stability is returning. For most Ghanaians, stability is a political theory.
Inflation may have eased from its peak of over 50% in 2023 but prices did not fall— they stayed high. Wages still lag, which means households have negative buying power. Rent did not decrease. Transport costs did not reset.
As of this New Year:
- The daily minimum wage still does not cover basic food and transport
- Youth unemployment and underemployment remain structurally high
- The informal sector continues to absorb economic shocks without protection.
In 2026, if inflation continues to slow, then real wages must rise, not in speeches, but in pay packets. Any economic recovery that does not raise purchasing power is an illusion.
Ghanaians voted in 2024 in hopes that they and their nation would fly again. Ghanaians have heard the language of accountability from the previous administration; they have not seen it. The public procurement processes remain obscure.
Government expenditures at all levels are rarely scrutinized. Past audits go unread and gather dust. Corruption is not defeated by creating new offices with more officials given a knife and fork to share in the graft pie, it is defeated when consequences become routine.
If 2026 is to be meaningful, benchmarks should include:
- Public disclosure of major government contracts
- Timelines for prosecution on long-standing audit infractions
- Enforced asset declarations for senior officials Without benchmarks of accountability, anti-corruption remains words that fly away with the passing birds.
Ghanaians drive on half-finished roads, live on the fringe of a modern world with unstable power, and water systems that break down faster than they are repaired. Infrastructure is treated as a political showcase rather than a public utility and necessity.
In 2026, this administration needs to concentrate on:
- Fewer new project launches and more project completions
- Published maintenance budgets—not emergency repairs
- Transparent cost controls on public works Infrastructure should make life easier; NOT increase debt.
Ghana is rich in gold, oil, cocoa, and now strategic minerals, it is the assets of a nation that should benefit all Ghanaians. Communities near these resources often remain poor, while environmental damage from interlopers and foreign corporate cronies of the ruling class continues. Foreign investment is necessary—but terms matter.
Too many agreements prioritize short-term inflows over long-term national value. Too little processing happens at home. Too little technology transfers to Ghanaian hands. This means jobs fly out of Ghana. Benchmarks for 2026 need to include:
- Public disclosure of major resource agreements
- Increased local processing and value addition
- Enforced environmental standards with penalties Protecting Ghana’s resources is not anti-business. It is pro-Ghana and pro-Ghanaian.
As we close out 2025 and welcome the hope and promise of 2026, we owe it to our ancestors to carry on their dreams of a free, democratic, corruption free nation. As Ghanaians we are not asking for miracles, we never have. We want a plan that is clear, concise, viable and ready to take our nation into the future to create a New Ghana government.
We want a government that is responsible for its people. In 2026 we need:
- Wages that match the cost of living
- Infrastructure that works
- Institutions that apply the law evenly
- Resources that benefit citizens before corporations.
The vote of 7th December 2024 was not an end. Like the New Year, it was the beginning. Beginnings are judged quickly by whether they move with clarity—or drift on excuses.
This New Year, Ghana does not need more slogans.
It needs timelines.
It needs competent, responsible leaders.
It needs an iron-clad group of fiduciaries who are science-based, data-driven and human-centered.
It needs benchmarks etched in stone.
It needs proof.
It needs systems-based blockchain data management.
And it needs a ruthless, no-nonsense commander, who has zero-tolerance for everything except perfection.
May this year be remembered not for renewed promises, but for promises kept. My dream for 2026 is the continuation of the 1957 Independence Fighters, a free Ghana for Ghanaians.
Let us celebrate the dawning of a new year with hope in our hearts, dreams in our minds, and determination in our souls. Let 2026 be the Year that Ghana, picks itself up, dusts itself off and starts all over again.
Enjoy the day and celebrate.
Onyankopɔn nhyira obibiara na ɔnyɛ w’akoma so ade mma wo. Onyame mma Ne nsa so wɔ wo so, nnɛ ne daa nyinaa.
God Bless OUR Homeland Ghana. Thank You