President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government will no longer grant blanket tax waivers on import duties, moving to a case-by-case approval system.
Speaking on Thursday in Accra, Mahama assured that essential requests, especially for medical equipment, would be treated favourably.
“If you order any medical equipment, you can apply for exemption on that equipment, and I can assure you that we’ll look at it favorably.”
The President made the remarks during the commissioning of a state-of-the-art PET-CT scan for cancer diagnosis at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC).
Also read: The Front pages: Friday, 15th May, 2026 (Newspapers)
The PET-CT scan, an advanced imaging test that combines metabolic and structural data to detect and monitor cancers, was acquired by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in 2020.
President Mahama also unveiled two major housing projects for teachers:
- Teacher Dabre Housing Project – on-campus accommodation for teachers posted to schools.
- Mortgage Housing Project – a GH¢3 billion fund to provide cedi-denominated mortgages.
“We want to make sure that when teachers are posted to a school, they’re able to get accommodation on campus rather than commute from town every day.”
The fund will see contributions from the Republic Bank, the Government of Ghana, and GNAT
Money will be channeled to the State Housing Company Limited (SHC), Tema Development Company Limited (TDC), and other real estate developers to build houses.
Mahama stressed that the houses would be priced in cedis, shielding teachers from currency volatility.
“If you have a certain number of years ahead of you, you pay a down payment, and the rest is taken from your salary over the years.”
He added, “By the time you reach retirement age, you will not go to your family house and quarrel over which was your grandmother’s room or your grandfather’s room. You already have a place to go and lay your head.”