President John Dramani Mahama has called on ministers and other holders of public office to give a full account of why government projects have fallen behind schedule and to answer journalists' questions about how public money is being used. He made the demand at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards in Accra on Saturday, November 7, 2026, according to Graphic Online.
The event was held under the theme "Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom, and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age."
Why it matters
The remarks tie the government's transparency pledge to the everyday work of reporters covering state spending. According to Graphic Online, President Mahama argued that the right of access to information only carries weight when officials actually respond to requests for it. He said a journalist asking how public funds were spent should get a direct answer, along with supporting records where the law requires disclosure.
He also said residents of affected areas are entitled to know where they stand when a government project slips. When work runs late, he said, officials should set out the cause and tell the community what to expect next.
Officials told to own mistakes and face hard questions
The President extended the same expectation to errors made within government departments. Public officials, he said, should acknowledge when a mistake has occurred and describe what is being done to put it right. That, he added, is how citizens can tell whether their concerns are being taken seriously or set aside.
Addressing his colleagues directly, he reminded them of the administration's commitment to openness and said they should meet tough questions with the same candour they show when publicising successes.
President Mahama said the obligation applies to him as well. He described scrutiny as a way for leaders to test whether the information they receive in official briefings matches conditions on the ground. Having spent time both asking questions and being required to answer them, he said he appreciates why officials should be open to being questioned.
He argued that a government's regard for press freedom is shown most clearly when it is pressed on a subject it would prefer to leave alone.
A call for even standards in reporting
The President also asked journalists to maintain professional discipline. He said the same standard of evidence should be applied to the government, the opposition and anyone else trying to shape public debate. People facing serious allegations, he said, should be given a fair chance to respond, and news organisations should make it easy for audiences to find corrections.
He assured the assembled journalists that his government would protect their role in holding public officials to account, and said they would be free to put even the hardest questions to his administration. At the same time, he warned against efforts to deliberately create scandals.
What to watch: whether ministries and departments begin publishing explanations for delayed projects and responding to information requests with the speed the President described.
