President Mahama’s approval rating drops to 58.9% – But 73.5% of supporters still credit his handling of economy
President John Mahama continues to enjoy the support of most Ghanaians, although his approval rating has fallen by more than nine percentage points in five months, according to a nationwide survey released by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
The poll, conducted in May 2026 across all 16 regions with more than 1,000 respondents, placed the President’s job approval rating at 58.9 per cent.
This compares with 68 per cent recorded in an earlier IEA survey conducted in December 2025 and published in February 2026, representing a decline of 9.1 percentage points over the period.
A separate survey by Global InfoAnalytics, also conducted in December 2025, placed President Mahama’s approval rating at 67 per cent, a figure broadly in line with the IEA’s findings at the time.
At his highest point, one month after taking office in February 2025, Global InfoAnalytics recorded an approval rating of 84 per cent for the President.
Wide approval-disapproval gap remains
Despite the decline, the gap between approval and disapproval remains wide.
In the May 2026 survey, 28.4 per cent of respondents said they disapproved of Mr Mahama’s performance, while 12.8 per cent expressed no opinion.
This leaves a margin of more than 30 percentage points between those who approve of his performance and those who do not.
The IEA said the decline suggests that while many Ghanaians remain supportive of the President, they increasingly expect improvements in the economy to be reflected in their daily lives.
Economic indicators improve
According to the institute, economic indicators have improved over the past 16 months.
Inflation fell from 23.5 per cent in January 2025 to about 3.4 per cent in April 2026, while the cedi appreciated by 26 per cent against major foreign currencies.
The Bank of Ghana’s policy rate declined from 27 per cent to 14 per cent, and average commercial bank lending rates dropped from about 32 per cent to around 20 per cent.
The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio also declined from 61.8 per cent at the end of 2024 to 45.3 per cent by the end of 2025. During the period, Fitch, Moody’s and S&P upgraded Ghana’s sovereign credit rating.
Why Ghanaians approve
Among respondents who approved of Mr Mahama’s performance, the economy was the most frequently cited reason.
About 73.5 per cent pointed to the government’s handling of the economy, while 16 per cent mentioned road infrastructure.
Energy and electricity accounted for 2.7 per cent of responses from those who expressed approval.
Why Ghanaians disapprove
Economic concerns also featured prominently among respondents who disapproved of the President’s performance. About 30.9 per cent cited the economy as their main concern.
The IEA said this may point to a disconnect between improvements in national economic indicators and the day-to-day experiences of many households, particularly regarding incomes and the cost of living.
Electricity supply ranked as the second most common concern among respondents who disapproved, with 29.9 per cent citing power-related challenges.
The institute noted that the survey was conducted shortly after temporary power supply difficulties in May 2026 led to frequent outages in parts of the country.
Corruption was cited by 19.1 per cent of respondents who disapproved of the President’s performance.
The IEA said the findings suggest that many Ghanaians continue to expect visible action in addressing corruption.
Conclusion
Overall, the institute said the survey indicates that Ghanaians remain broadly supportive of Mr Mahama’s leadership while expecting economic progress to produce more noticeable improvements in their everyday lives.
The survey forms part of the IEA’s regular assessment of presidential job performance.
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