Book

When John Dramani Mahama was inaugurated as President of Ghana on January 7, 2025, he inherited a nation in distress. Inflation was soaring above 23 percent, interest rates exceeded 30 percent, the cedi was in freefall, investor confidence had collapsed, and public debt had reached unsustainable levels . The mandate from the ballot box was unambiguous: Ghanaians demanded a sharp break from the brutal socio-economic mismanagement of the past . Out of this challenge emerged the "Reset Agenda" a comprehensive plan to restore hope, rebuild trust, and rekindle prosperity . The "Reset" Agenda (2025) In Ghana: A New Departure or Another Cycle of Ambition and Disappointment? by Christopher Noyuoro, George Gyader, Simon Tengan, and Frank Teng-zeng offers a critical and comprehensive examination of one of the most ambitious governance reform initiatives in Ghana's Fourth Republic. The authors, all affiliated with the Department of History and Political Science at UBIDS—bring scholarly rigor and analytical depth to assess whether the Reset Agenda represents a genuine new departure in Ghanaian governance or merely another cycle of political ambition followed by the familiar disappointment that has characterized previous reform efforts. The Genesis of the Reset Agenda. The book opens by situating the Reset Agenda within its historical and political context. The authors trace how the economic crisis that gripped Ghana in the years preceding the 2024 elections eroded public confidence in governance institutions and created a fertile ground for radical reform promises . President Mahama's Reset Agenda, as articulated in his inaugural address and subsequent policy pronouncements, promised nothing less than a fundamental restructuring of the Ghanaian state and economy. At its core, the Reset Agenda is built on the principles of restoring integrity, transparency, and inclusive development governance . The authors demonstrate how this vision extends across multiple domains: economic stabilization, institutional renewal, youth empowerment, decentralization, and international engagement. The book provides readers with a detailed exposition of the Agenda's key pillars.