On Ghana’s Next Saturday’s Election: Why Ghanaians Should Move Beyond the NPP and NDC - A Call for Political Transformation.

(Today, we continue writing on the affairs of Ghana, where a crucial election is slated for this Saturday.)

As they head to the polls on December 7, 2024, Ghanaians face one of the most consequential decisions since the Fourth Republic began in 1993. They must decide whether to continue with the jaded political system that has failed to improve their lot all these years.

In this analysis, we will shed some light on what it portends.

Before that, let’s illuminate the country's recent political history, which would educate readers unfamiliar with the subject under discussion.

Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in 1957, has had a turbulent political history. The optimism that greeted independence under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah and his Convention People’s Party (CPP) was short-lived.

Nkrumah was a man in a hurry to develop Ghana and Africa. He pursued rapid industrialization with an almost maniacal zeal. However, his government, despite its monumental achievements in industrialization, education, and infrastructure, was overthrown in a coup in 1966 instigated by the American CIA, which viewed him as the most dangerous progressive voice in Africa.

Since his demise, things have never been the same for the country the British cobbled together to satisfy their colonial ambitions. They called it the Gold Coast.

A series of military interventions, some of them very brutal, stymied both democratic governance and retarded economic development. Between 1966 and 1992, Ghana experienced multiple military coups, each justified by promises of reform, but often, they were marred by authoritarianism, corruption, and economic mismanagement.

However, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings's 21-year rule dominated this era.

JJ, as his supporters affectionately called him, led two coups and stayed the longest in power before eventually transitioning to civilian rule in 1992. This birthed the Fourth Republic, marking a turning point in the country’s political evolution.

Whatever his critics might say, JJ’s constitution endures, and it has been widely celebrated as a model for Africa.

Over the past three decades under the Fourth Republic, Ghana’s political landscape has been dominated by two main parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), founded by JJ, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Five presidents later (3 NDC, 2 NPP), Ghanaians have serious questions to ask themselves as they head off to perform their civic duties this Saturday.

This year’s election has witnessed serious discussions on why political tranquility has not translated into meaningful economic development or a significant improvement in the quality of life for many Ghanaians.

Despite the political stability and peaceful transitions that the two parties have upheld, the challenges facing Ghana are profound: severe economic difficulties, the collapse of the national currency, massive deindustrialization, extremely rampant corruption, and environmental degradation brought about by the illegal activities of illegal miners who have become untouchable.

Despite their postures and pretensions, both parties have failed to address these structural problems that have retarded the progress of the birthland of the doyen of Pan-Africanist - Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah.

This election, therefore, offers Ghanaians a unique opportunity to seek an alternative—a party or coalition capable of delivering a vision reminiscent of Kwame Nkrumah's dynamism and sovereign “we look neither East nor West, but forward” self-sufficiency.

It would be an understatement to say that most Ghanaians are increasingly disillusioned with the status quo. Citizens can see that the NPP and the NDC are two wrong sides of the same coin. They see the two-party system as limiting and unresponsive to the country's evolving challenges. Neither party brought anything fundamentally new to the table.

While it has won significant international kudos, after 32 years of the Fourth Republic, the cracks in Ghana’s democratic edifice are becoming glaring and can no longer be papered over. The duopoly of the NPP and NDC has led to a cycle of governance that prioritizes partisan interests over national development. The system has turned into one revolving door where entrenched interests of politicians with no other professions have turned the Republic into a veritable and profitable money-making venture.

Ghanaians seem increasingly inclined to agree with Einstein’s dictum that doing the same thing all over and expecting a change is the definition of madness. They now think that moving beyond the NPP and NDC could open up opportunities for a more diversified, effective, and inclusive political system that will prioritize the country’s interests and development over partisan wrangling, even contrived ones.

Citizens appear to have understood the cynical game the two parties play by blaming each other for the country’s woes while doing nothing to solve them.

Let us explain why Ghana might benefit from rethinking its political landscape dominated by two parties and highlight some potential avenues for reform.

We will first highlight some of the most pressing problems in Ghana today:

1. Entrenched Corruption and Lack of Accountability

Corruption is a perennial issue in Ghana; neither the NPP nor the NDC has effectively addressed it. It is so pervasive that it has become almost a culture - a way of life. Former president Kufuor (NPP) told his compatriots that corruption is as old as Adam. President Mahama (NDC) failed to answer a simple question from the BBC about whether he had ever received a bribe.

Corruption scandals have plagued both parties while in power. They only play games of accusing each other of financial mismanagement and embezzlement when they are out of office. Far too few corrupt officials have been punished to make any impact.

Corruption has become so endemic in the country that stories of mind-bending corruption in high and low places no longer faze citizens. Both parties have been buffeted by cases of corruption under their administrations.

Public trust in leadership has been eroded from the GYEEDA and SADA scandals under the NDC to the PDS and “cash for seats” controversies under the NPP.

What is more lamentable is that Institutions meant to fight corruption and ensure accountability, such as the Auditor General’s Office and The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), have often been undermined or politicized. The office of a Special Prosecutor, set up to keep officials on their toes, has suffered the same fate.

Corruption perception indexes and other international assessments frequently cite Ghana as among the most corrupt countries in the world. Neither of the two parties shows any firm commitment to tackling the albatross strangling the country.

2. Environmental Devastation:

Recently, Ghanaians took to the streets to protest Illegal mining, or galamsey, which has devastated the country’s rivers and forests. While officials slept on the job, the country’s major water bodies, like the Pra and Ankobra Rivers, are heavily polluted, threatening millions of citizens' access to clean water.

Despite numerous highfalutin pledges, including the current president putting his credibility on the line to combat the menace of galamsey, successive governments have failed, mainly due to complicity by political elites. Even the security agencies are alleged to be in cahoots with the lawbreakers.

An alternative political system or grouping could prioritize transparency, empower anti-corruption agencies to make them more meaningful and impactful, and create a framework where accountability is expected and vigorously enforced.

3. Economic Decline and Currency Collapse:

Once regarded as one of Africa’s fastest-growing countries and widely believed to be on the correct trajectory toward solid development, Ghana's economy is now in dire straits.

The national currency, the cedi, has witnessed catastrophic collapse (it was recalibrated to 1:1 against the dollar in 2000; it is now 1:16 and rising), eroding the purchasing power of ordinary citizens. Inflation remains stubborn, and public debt has ballooned to unsustainable levels (now 85% of the GDP).

Both parties have borrowed heavily, with little to show for it in terms of infrastructure structure (the construction of the road to link the capital Accra to the country’s second city, Kumasi, has been going on for like forever and a half), economic development or improvement in public services.

4. Deindustrialization and Job Losses:

Given Nkrumah’s quest for rapid industrialization - he established — industries; sad is the only word that one can use to describe the state of Ghana today regarding industrialization. The government of Kwame Nkrumah set the benchmark for what is possible when leadership is guided by vision.

Today, the country imports virtually everything it needs for domestic use and to feed the few remaining disarticulate industries. The industrial base established by Nkrumah has all but disappeared. Iconic factories such as the Tema Steel Works and the Komenda Sugar Factory have either been abandoned or operate below capacity. Ghana now imports essential goods, including sugar and rice, that it once produced domestically. The country’s three textile factories have folded; Ghana is now a leader in importing used clothes from Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Naturally, all these have exacerbated unemployment and deepened economic dependency, which is why Ghanaians must look beyond the NPP and NDC in this Saturday’s election.

The 32 years of the NPP and NDC's dominance have stifled innovation in governance. Both parties have turned the country into one giant laboratory for neoliberal economic policies prioritizing foreign investment over domestic empowerment. Both parties are faithful apostles of the IMF and the World Bank, whose policies have wreaked havoc across Africa.

For Ghanaians, this year’s election presents a now-or-never opportunity to explore alternatives—parties or coalitions of parties that will put Ghana First (yes, we shamelessly borrow from Mr. Trump), re-energize internal dynamics, and prioritize Indigenous Ghanaian solutions over the diktats of the Breton Woods Institutions.

Unlike the current Jurassic economic model imposed on the country by the IMF, a progressive and purposeful government or coalition inspired by Nkrumah’s vision would center its policies on self-reliance, pan-Africanism, and social equity.

This approach would involve:

• Reclaiming control of critical sectors such as energy, banking, mining, and agriculture to ensure that profits benefit Ghanaians.

• Building regional alliances to negotiate better trade deals and reduce dependency on Western financial institutions.

• Promoting science and technology as tools for development, as Nkrumah did with establishing the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and other research institutions. The future is science and technology, simple.

The world is undergoing seismic geopolitical shifts. China's rise, Russia's resurgence, and the increasing influence of non-Western powers have created a multipolar world order. Ghana must partner with its ECOWAS and the African Union to navigate this emerging landscape wisely. Ghana and Africa must diversify their alliances and reduce their overreliance on Western aid, technology, and investment. The truth is that it has not helped them in any tangible way.

The current global climate crisis plus emerging revolutionary technological developments also call for leaders who understand mathematics, science, and international trends and can better position Ghana as a competitive, sustainable economy.

This would require breaking free from the NPP-NDC duopoly, dominated by professional politicians with little capacity for such forward-thinking governance.

Ghanaians should see next Saturday’s election as more than a contest between political parties; they are a defining moment in Ghana’s history. This election allows them to break free from the inertia of the Fourth Republic and chart a new path that prioritizes the embracement of science and technology, industrialization, and the addition of values to the natural resources that are being carted away at thieving prices by foreign corporations.

Ghanaians should not lose this opportunity to send the current crops of entrenched, otiose, and corrupt politicians whose ambitions do not soar beyond winning elections and continuing with their corruption and oppression.

If they refuse the golden opportunity to march to the beat of history, they will have themselves to blame.

©️ Fẹ́mi Akọ́mọ‌láfẹ́

(Farmer, Writer, Published Author, and Social Commentator.)

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