Mahama’s first-year performance scores 4.9/10 in IERPP assessment

The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) has rated President John Dramani Mahama's administration below average in its first year in office, awarding the government a score of 4.9 out of 10 for its performance in 2025.

The assessment was contained in the think tank's inaugural Performance Tracker Report, which evaluated the government's performance across several key sectors of the economy and public administration.

According to the report, shortcomings in infrastructure, energy, industry and manufacturing, governance, policy implementation, and social service delivery significantly affected the administration's overall score.

Presenting the findings, IERPP Executive Director, Professor Isaac Boadi, said infrastructure was the single biggest factor behind the government's below-average rating.

He noted that capital expenditure remained substantially below expectations during the review period, limiting the pace of infrastructure development.

"The team scores this administration 4.9 as against 10 for the year under review (2025). We identified five key areas that actually brought the number down, and one main area happens to be infrastructure, which we know failed to spend, and the spending of this administration's capital expenditure stood at 0.9% in 2025," he said.

Professor Boadi indicated that the institute's findings were based on what it described as an independent assessment of the government's performance across multiple sectors.

Beyond infrastructure, the report highlighted challenges within the energy sector, industry and manufacturing, governance, policy implementation, and social service delivery as additional factors that contributed to the overall rating.

According to the IERPP, performance in these sectors fell short of expectations during the government's first year, ultimately lowering the administration's overall score.

Professor Boadi explained that while progress had been recorded in some areas, the identified weaknesses outweighed those gains in the institute's assessment.

The think tank described the Performance Tracker as an independent mechanism designed to evaluate the effectiveness of government policies and programmes using measurable indicators across various sectors.

IERPP said the initiative aims to promote accountability, inform public debate and provide evidence-based analysis of government performance.

The report concludes that while the administration has made efforts to implement its policy agenda, greater attention will be required in critical sectors such as infrastructure development, industrial growth, governance and public service delivery to improve future performance.