Ghana is seven months away from another crucial election. As usual candidates are sharing their vision and ideas with voters. They are making promises and taking jabs at each other. All this makes for an exciting election season. As has been the case, the election is really a contest between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) […]
Election 2024: Who Will Make A Pledge To Ghana’s Democracy? Read More »
In our political lexicon, it often feels like the label “neutral” is unacceptable. In the lead up to the 2016 election on Facebook, where I am active, it was quite instructive to observe how “neutrals” were treated. No one is “neutral” argued the partisans. To them, the label was nothing but a way to disguise
Election 2024: The Politically Neutral Voter Read More »
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman has been officially outdoored as John Mahama’s running mate for the 2024 presidential elections. In accepting the nomination on Wednesday April 24th, 2024 she delivered a speech that touched on several important issues as Ghanaians get ready to decide which political party’s candidate gets their nod come December 2024. Key Points
Election 2024: Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman’s Speech Read More »
During her speech last week, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, NDC running mate for the 2024 election said this “I will share in our collective successes and, share responsibility for our setbacks if any. And, at the time of reckoning, HE John Dramani Mahama, I will not, in the advancement of self-serving ambition, declare to the
Election 2024: The Vice-President’s Dilemma Read More »
The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Research Project, which is headquartered at the V-Dem Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden produces the V-Dem database. The comprehensive database captures the state of democracy in countries around the world. The depth and breadth of the database makes it one of the richest sources of information
West Africa’s Democracy – More Worrying Signs Read More »
Freedom House’s Freedom In The World Report 2024 is now available. For countries covered in the report, each receives a) an overall score and classification as Not Free, Partially Free, or Completely Free; b) a score in two main categories – political rights and civil liberties; and c) scores in seven subcategories- electoral process, political pluralism and participation, functioning of government, freedom of
Freedom In West Africa Read More »
In 2020, Center for the Future of Democracy, published a research report titled “Youth, and the future of democracy.” The report observed among many things, the following – a) a decline in satisfaction with democracy among the youth, mentioning sub-Saharan Africa as one of four regions experiencing notable declines; b) economics explains the discontent; and
Has Democracy Been Good for The Youth? Read More »
In his State of The Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo made this statement – “In spite of all its shortcomings and difficulties, the people of Ghana have shown admirable commitment to multi-party democracy and have not fallen for the instigations to resort to the violent overthrow of an elected government. The past thirty-two (32) years of
This Year’s Independence Day Theme Read More »
“Democracy is preferable to any other form of government,” most Ghanaians (77%) say. Yet only fifty-on percent (51%) express satisfaction with “the way democracy works in the country.” Also, thirty-three percent (33%) describe the country as a “democracy, but with major problems.” This is all according to the most recent round (2022) of the Afrobarometer
The Democracy Project Read More »
In 2006, Michael Ross, a political scientist, wrote a thought-provoking article titled “Is Democracy Good for the Poor?” Among many things in that article, he said this “democracy unquestionably produces noneconomic benefits for people in poverty, endowing them with political rights and liberties. But for those in the bottom quintiles, these political rights produced few
Has Democracy Been Good For The Poor? Read More »
