Ghana is setting a democratic example

Ghanaians are proud of their country’s track record of clean elections. Their political leaders respect the relevant institutions. This time, John Mahama, the incumbent president, conceded defeat gracefully. Four years ago, Akufo-Addo, accepted a Supreme Court ruling that had declared Mahama’s victory valid without a run-off election, which would have been needed had no candidate won more than 50 % of the vote in the first round. Mahama only reached that threshold thanks to a few thousand votes, and there had been some technical problems at some polling stations. Even though the judges’ decision was controversial, Akufo-Addo did not challenge it, but chose to accept the institutional order.

A comment in the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation spells out several reasons why Ghana is indeed setting an example for other African countries:

• Though there are ethnic tensions in the country, the main presidential candidates’ rhetoric did not fan the flames of tribal resentments.
• Ghanaians resent leaders that instigate violent action and are likely to punish candidates who organise or condone rioting.
• In Ghana, leaders of different political parties disagree on many issues, but they do not consider one another enemies. There is a basic sense of trust in institutions as well as adversaries.

In particular, the author praises Ghana’s Electoral Commission, which has a long track record of excellent performance. Even though its website crashed this year, people stayed calm, trusting the institution. The author adds, however, that the sense of trust that is prevalent in Ghana, however, has grown over time, and it cannot be transplanted to other countries over night.

As president, Akufo-Addo will now have to prove trustworthy. He has promised to kick-start the economy and turn the country into a hub of light manufacturing. One reason he won the election is people’s frustration with the state of the economy. Many young people cannot find decent jobs and poverty is wide-spread. In view of poor prospects, corruption haunts the public sector. Things have been growing worse under Mahama in recent years.

A particularly worrying trend is Ghana’s growing debt. It cannot be blamed on the government alone. Its international creditors bear responsibility too. Too some extent, the loans were granted with an eye to Ghana’s oil resources. Production will start soon, but oil prices are currently quite low, so the stream of revenues will not be as strong has expected. Adding to the problems, the expectation of oil money has been driving corruption. Apparently, some loans were not used well.

In macroeconomic terms, the challenges Akufo-Addo is facing are huge. His budgets will be restrained by the debt problems, so he will not be able to boost employment fast by spending on infrastructure. Unemployment and underemployment tend to get worse in times of governmental austerity, however. The focus on improving the conditions for light manufacturing makes sense in this context. The snag is that building the right kind of infrastructure matters very much for achieving that goal.  

There is a serious risk that Ghana’s economy will get worse before it gets better under Akufo-Addo – and that might yet undermine Ghanaians’ trust in democracy.