President John Dramani Mahama has concluded his second State of the Nation Address in Ghana’s Parliament since his second coming, with a reflective appeal to unity, resilience, and shared responsibility, framing Ghana’s current state as one of renewal anchored in collective effort.
Drawing from recent international experience and domestic challenges, the President urged citizens to see national development as a common duty rather than the task of government alone.
He recalled a recent trip to Zambia where a mislabeling of Ghanaian culture briefly sparked online ridicule. According to him, what could have become a moment of embarrassment instead evolved into a demonstration of national confidence.
“We corrected the record. We turned ridicule into reach. We turned confusion into connection,” he told Parliament, adding that the episode ended in a gesture of friendship with Zambians rather than confrontation.
President Mahama said the incident, while fleeting on social media, revealed something deeper about Ghana’s sense of self. He described it as evidence of a nation that understands its brand equity and refuses to be defined by others. “It showed citizens aligned around a common identity. It showed a country that knows who we are,” he said.
However, he cautioned that unity around cultural pride has often been easier to achieve than unity during political disagreement. He challenged Ghanaians to mobilise the same collective resolve behind the development agenda.
In the President’s view, progress would accelerate if the energy displayed in defending national identity were redirected toward shared economic and social goals.
Historical Roots of Unity
Placing the call for unity in historical context, the President reminded the House that Ghana’s past was shaped by collective resistance to political subjugation and economic exploitation.
He argued that the present pursuit of development demands a similar spirit. “We must guard our development as firmly as we guard our identity, and we must act as one people with one purpose,” he stated.
President Mahama warned against misrepresentation and distortion, whether political or social, that distract from national progress. He said such divisions weaken the collective capacity needed to confront modern challenges.
Turning to leadership responsibility, the President acknowledged a familiar maxim in public life that ultimate responsibility rests with the President. He said he not only accepts this principle but lives by it daily. “The buck stops with the President,” he said, stressing that he would never shirk the duty attached to his office.
Yet he was quick to add that nation building goes far beyond the presidency. He described development as a chain of effort stretching from policy conception to laws, resource mobilisation, service delivery, and value creation in everyday spaces such as farms, classrooms, workshops, and markets.
Citizens as the Engine of Progress
According to President Mahama, the true strength of the Republic is revealed in the competence and integrity of citizens across professions. He said it is the daily work of ordinary people that turns national purpose into lived reality.
While he pledged to continue carrying the weight of final accountability, he asked citizens to bring equal measures of energy, skill, and patriotism to the national task.
“No policy can substitute for civic duty,” he said, adding that no programme can replace the discipline with which Ghanaians sustain families, serve communities, and keep the Republic moving forward.
The President cautioned against judging the nation solely by its current difficulties. In his view, a country is defined by the choices its people make in response to hardship.
He noted that throughout history, Ghanaians have repeatedly chosen cooperation over division and steadiness over despair, even during periods of economic strain and demanding transitions.
He described this pattern of response as the deeper strength on which Ghana’s future rests, saying the nation has faced testing moments before and emerged stronger.
A Dawn of Renewal
Invoking an African proverb, President Mahama said that however long the night, the dawn will break. He argued that the present moment requires not only endurance but action, noting that renewal belongs to those who prepare for the morning rather than dwell on darkness.
“For Ghana today, that dawn is not a promise we recite. It is a reality we must build,” he said, urging citizens to embed responsibility within institutions, the economy, and the values passed to future generations.
In his final remarks, the President emphasised that the Republic is larger than any political party, office, or moment, adding that Ghana belongs equally to farmers, traders, teachers, nurses, artisans, entrepreneurs, young citizens, and elders alike. Each, he stressed, has a stake, a duty, and a claim on the future.
Concluding the address, President Mahama declared that nations endure not because they are spared trials but because their people refuse surrender. “The state of our nation is resilient, the state of our nation is renewing, and our nation is firmly in the hands of its people,” he said.