President John Dramani Mahama has strongly rebuked Ghanaians who suggest the country would have been better off remaining under colonial rule, describing the view as a sign of ingratitude for the sacrifices made to win independence.

He made the comments while fellowshipping at the Ringway Gospel Centre of the Assemblies of God Church on Sunday, August 2, 2026, as part of a wider appeal to Ghanaians to speak more optimistically about the country and resist growing pessimism about its future.

Addressing the congregation, President Mahama said citizens have a personal responsibility to complement government policies and efforts, and lamented what he described as a growing trend of despondency among Ghanaians.

"Our forebears rose because they believed their nation would become great. In many of our societies, people give up and say Ghana will never change. We can never become great," he said.

It was in this context that he turned to what he called the most troubling form of pessimism—the suggestion that Ghana would have fared better had it remained under colonial rule.

"The worst one is those who say we should even have left the white people to continue to rule us. It shows a lack of faith. It shows a lack of gratitude for the fight that our forebears fought to give us independence, the sacrifices Kwame Nkrumah and his colleagues made, and the vision they had," he said.

The president said building a prosperous nation requires hard work, integrity, and a collective rejection of corruption, alongside faith in the country's future.

"We must work hard. We must tell the truth. We must be honest. We must reject corruption. We must look after the most vulnerable in our society. And we must have faith in serving the common good," he said.