Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, widely known as Kwaku Azar, has described President John Dramani Mahama’s New Year address as a governing statement, rather than a campaign speech.

In a Facebook post on January 2, 2026, the legal scholar said the address was designed to stabilise the political atmosphere after what the president characterised as a difficult inheritance, while establishing early economic credibility and reorienting national conversations toward unity, accountability and shared responsibility.

According to Kwaku Azar, three themes stand out prominently in the address: the insistence on ‘One Ghana’ as a governing principle, the framing of corruption as a moral and fiduciary failure, and the deliberate extension of responsibility beyond government.

He said the most consequential aspect of the speech was civic rather than economic, pointing to the president’s declaration that there is ‘only one Ghana’ and no partisan versions of the country.

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“There is no NPP Ghana. There is no CPP Ghana or NDC Ghana. There is only one Ghana,” he stated.

He noted that the statement seeks to discourage permanent political hostility without denying the legitimacy of disagreement.

However, he cautioned that in a political environment where partisanship often determines access to opportunity and protection, calls for unity must be supported by credible institutional behaviour.

“Governing through inclusion in a polarised system requires discipline, restraint and visible fairness in the exercise of power,” he said, adding that unity must be demonstrated through appointments, investigations and the treatment of dissent.

On corruption, Kwaku Azar observed that the president framed the issue as a breach of public trust rather than merely an administrative or legal failure.

He said the assertion that every cedi belongs to the people positions the state as a trustee of public resources and implicitly rejects selective accountability.

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He noted that such framing invites heightened scrutiny, as civil society, the media and citizens are entitled to demand consistency and impartiality in anti-corruption efforts.

The address, he added, also emphasised shared responsibility for national development, as young people were urged to lead and innovate, businesses encouraged to invest and create jobs, civil society and the media invited to hold government accountable, and traditional and faith leaders called upon to promote social cohesion.

Public servants were reminded of the need for daily integrity, while the diaspora was presented as a strategic development partner.

Economically, Kwaku Azar said the president focused on stabilisation and credibility rather than ambitious promises, highlighting inflation control, currency stability, debt restructuring and restored confidence as foundations for long-term growth.

The broader emphasis, he noted, was on strengthening institutions to translate recovery into sustainable development across key sectors.

He said the address represents an invitation to unity, accountability and collective ownership of reform, stressing that the success of the vision will ultimately be judged by consistency in governance rather than the eloquence of the speech.

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Meanwhile watch President John Dramani Mahama’s 2026 New Year Message