President John Mahama has described Ghana as resilient and on a path of renewal, calling on citizens to actively shape the country’s future.

Delivering the 2026 State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Friday, 27 February, the President acknowledged that nations are tested, but resilience comes from refusing to surrender.

“Nations endure not because they are spared trial, but because their people refuse to surrender to trial. Ghana has been tested before. We did not surrender. We will not surrender now,” he said.

“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. Our nation is on the brink of takeoff, and so, ladies and gentlemen, to my passengers, fasten your seat belts,” President Mahama added.

Drawing on an African proverb, he said the country is emerging from past difficulties.

“However long the night is, the dawn will break. Mr Speaker, the dawn is breaking for Ghana. The moment we are in requires not only endurance, but also action. Renewal belongs to those who prepare for the morning, while others still speak off and look back at the darkness,” he said.

President Mahama emphasised that the Republic belongs to all citizens—farmers, traders, teachers, nurses, artisans, entrepreneurs, parliamentarians, young people, and retired personnel.

“Each of these people has a stake in our nation, and each one has a duty. Each has a claim on the future we’re shaping together,” he said.

He added that the country’s renewal depends on institutions, the economy, and the values passed to future generations.

“For Ghana today, that dawn is not a promise we must recite. It is a reality we must build into our institutions, into our economy, and in the ethics of responsibility we pass on to the next generation,” President Mahama said.

He called on all Ghanaians to contribute actively to nation-building.

“I will continue to carry the weight of final accountability. And I ask an equal measure that our citizens bring their full measure of energy, skills, and patriotism to the common task of advancing our country. That is how nations are built. That is how economies grow. No policy can substitute for civic duty,” he said.

The President reminded Parliament that Ghana is defined not by its challenges, but by how citizens respond.

“We are sometimes tempted to judge our nation only by our failures and our difficulties. But the country is not defined solely by its difficulties. It is defined by the choices its people make in response to those difficulties,” he said.

Highlighting the enduring spirit of Ghanaians throughout history, he added:

“Repeatedly through our history, Ghanaians have chosen steadiness over despair, cooperation over division, and purpose over cynicism. That is the deeper strength on which our future rests.”

He recalled past testing moments, from economic strain to periods of political transition, urging citizens to continue building on Ghana’s resilience.

“We have faced testing moments before, and we have overcome them. We’ve gone through periods of economic strain, transitions that have demanded much from our citizens and our public servants alike,” he concluded.