Ghana: John Mahama pardons 863 inmates and commutes eleven death sentences

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has granted pardons to 863 convicted individuals, his spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who is also the Minister of Communications, announced on October 5, 2026. The measure is presented as a gesture of clemency linked to the country's 70th independence anniversary.

Who is affected

According to the presidential statement, reported by Ghanaian media outlets Citi News and Daily Graphic, 819 first-time offenders are being granted immediate release. In addition, thirteen inmates aged 70 and older, six seriously ill inmates, two people released on special recommendation, three following petitions, and three others from various categories are also included.

The decision also affects death row: eleven capital sentences have been commuted to life imprisonment. Six life sentences have been reduced to twenty years of firm imprisonment.

A constitutional prerogative

The head of state exercised his power of pardon under Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution, following consultation with the Council of State, the statement specifies. The relevant institutions have been instructed to implement the decision.

The official text describes the operation as an occasion for "an act of clemency and national reflection." Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence on March 6, 1957, will officially celebrate its 70th anniversary on March 6, 2027.

What this says about the prison system

The weight of first-time offenders on the list—more than nine out of ten pardoned individuals—sheds light on the composition of Ghanaian prisons: a majority of people convicted for a first offense, often of a minor nature, whose continued detention is costly to the state without clear benefits for public safety.

The commutation of the eleven capital sentences constitutes the strongest signal. It reduces the number of people facing execution by eleven, although the presidency has not announced any fundamental reform regarding the death penalty at this stage. The fate of the seriously ill inmates and those over 70 raises the question of healthcare conditions and aging in prison, which are rarely documented publicly in West Africa.