President John Mahama has urged Ghanaians to prepare for a challenging year ahead, while assuring the nation that his government remains committed to delivering development and shared progress across the country.

Addressing a non-denominational thanksgiving service to mark his first anniversary in office on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, the President said the year ahead would demand discipline, patience and resilience from both leaders and citizens.

He noted, however, that the challenges of 2026 would also create opportunities to consolidate reforms and accelerate national growth.

“The year ahead will demand even more from us. It will test our resolve, our patience, and our discipline,” President Mahama said.

“But it will also offer us opportunities to deepen the reforms we have begun, accelerate our growth, and ensure that development and progress touch every part of our country.”

The service brought together traditional authorities, religious leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, parliamentarians and representatives of the judiciary, as the President reflected on a year shaped by difficult choices and structural reforms.

Mr Mahama acknowledged that many of the measures introduced by his administration may not yet be immediately visible to the public, but insisted they were necessary foundations for sustainable development.

He identified economic stabilisation, institutional reform, strengthened social protection systems and the restoration of confidence—both locally and internationally—as key priorities pursued over the past year.

“The work we have begun is far from finished,” he said, adding that progress should not be judged solely by statistics.

“It is also measured by hope restored, trust rebuilt, and the right direction regained.”