Gearing up for December elections
Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for December this year and eyes are on a successor to incumbent President John Agyekum Kufour in office since January 2001 for the permitted two four-year terms. Ghana has consistently topped international rankings for Africa on economic reform, respect of political rights, civil liberties and press freedoms over the past few years.** During his period in office, the country has registered good economic growth. Criticism levelled by the opposition is that President Kufuor is simply a lucky man with the surge in commodity prices such as gold, in his favour. The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is pointing at cronyism in government and says that nearing end of his administration, President Kufuor no longer has full support of his New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ghana’s legacy of participation in UN missions. Member of Ghanian police force Leopoldville, Republic of Congo (August 1960), part of two Ghanaian police contingents sent under UN Security Council resolution 14/7/1960.
© United Nations
Robust growth rates have been registered since 2000, in spite of oil price hikes. Growth of real domestic product 2000-2005, was up 3.7 per cent to 5.9 was 6.2 per cent in 2006. This is put down to the strong performance of cocoa production and marketing, construction, gold, forestry and logging transport storage and communications, according to European Commission statistics.
In the first two months of 2008, Ghana’s Central Bank Governor, Paul Acquah says, merchandised exports for the first two months of 2008 amounted to US$868M, compared with US$690.3M for the same period in 2007.Gold has shone, says Acquah: “Gold exports were US$404.4M for the first two months of 2008 as against US$263.71M recorded for the same period in 2007.” He says exports of cocoa beans and products have, however, dipped slightly, amounting to US$227.4M for the first two months of 2008 compared with US$247M recorded for the same period in 2007.
Whereas oil and food price hikes are causing widespread dislocation of economies globally, Kufuor recently noted that, “because of its innate strength and resilience, our national economy has managed to withstand the terrible shocks of the market.”
That does not mean that the country has been spared from the effects of the global crises. According to Kufuor, over the past year, the nation’s crude oil import bill had risen to US$2.1bn from US$500M in 2005.
Calming nerves
The President recently said, “some dire effects of the escalating cost of oil include hikes in the ex-pump price of petroleum and swelling transportation costs which are affecting the distribution of food and general goods, and making life more difficult for citizens.” But to counter this, “agriculture has done well over the past year as a result of which local staples like maize, yam, plantain, cassava and cocoyam are available” and the government is to step up attention and investments to agriculture. President Kufuor has promptly calmed the nerves of Ghanaians over increasing food prices. Import duties on rice and vegetable oil were removed to bring the price of the staples down.
The government’s Deputy Information Minister, Frank Agyekum, says that Ghana living standards survey shows that these are highest level in eight in eight years, but Elvis Efriyie Ankrah, deputy general secretary of the opposition NDC, disputes this. He says that the poor standard of living “has been brushed aside with figures which do not reflect the true living standards of the people.”
Others argue that given healthy commodity exports, Ghana should be should be having
“field day” which is not the case. Agriculture is still low tech. There are land tenure uncertainties, limited access to inputs and poor roads. And the industrial sector is dominated by small firms with low productivity. Foreign direct investment was only US$156M in 2005 according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (UNCTAD).
Tony Aidoo, a former NDC defence minister says that the ruling NPP “came to power at the time the economy was recovered and foundations laid for a take-off. In 1982, the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which metamorphosed to the NDC, registered negative eight per cent growth. This picked up to a positive seven per cent growth and stabilised at five per cent by 2000.”
Aidoo says, “the government is fortunate to be in power during a boom time for commodity prices,” adding that it continued to increase taxes and utility tariffs thereby making life unbearable for the people.” He adds, “This government has been characterised by cronyism, vindication, and tribalism at level never seen in this country before.’’
He is referring to the members of a previous NDC government being tried and jailed under the country’s notorious ‘Causing Financial Loss to the State.’ Incidentally, this was a law that was enacted by the NDC whilst it was in power. Frank Agyekum points out that, “no one is in jail today that has not been through the court.” He adds that the government has continued to receive praise world-wide for its good governance. “The government has repealed the criminal libel law and today people speak their mind and this is supported by the numerous FM radio stations scattered all over the country with their phone-in segments that allow ordinary Ghanaians to call in to air their views.”
Influential civil society
And civil society’s influence in decision-making is increasing. Farmers’ movements, Trade Unions and professional associations have always been on the scene but others such as ’home town’ development organisations; women’s rights groups, welfare clubs, parent-teacher associations and faith-based organisations are giving the new vibrancy to the civil society.
Says Steve Manteaw, campaign coordinator of ISODEC, a social development and advocacy Non Governmental Organisation (NGO): “The only attempt at real opposition in the country within the past seven years has come from civil society.” Manteaw says parliament is weak because of those who make it up. “Some are hollow and have no research background to properly analyse issues critically.” He said he was approached by government to help build the capacity of the members of the House this year for instance, holding a training workshop for 30 parliamentarians on the budget.
According to Manteaw, ISODEC has been backed by the Churches in efforts to strengthen strengthen democratic practice. He mentions the Christian Council which has been involved in the Global Campaign Against Poverty and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, also doing a lot of work in the area of good governance.
Taking some of the shine Ghana’s model international image is slow progress in gender equality. Women are under-represented in public life and have weak entitlements to economic assets There is legislation to protect the rights of women and children such as the National Gender and Children’s policy 2004 and Early Childhood Care and Development policy, but implementation is trailing say observers.
And decentralisation is also lagging with the concerns over local capacity. Although the 2007 budget authorised a significant transfer of civil servants from Ministries departments and agencies to district authorities for implementation 2008, political reforms at local level are still an issue. One third of the members of District Assemblies and the District Chief Executives are appointed by the President rather than being elected. And chieftaincy related disputes about land inheritance and succession potential to lead to local conflicts.
“The government has for the past seven years not been clear with what it wants to do with governance at the local level,” says John Larvie, Programme Coordinator of the Centre for Democratic Development expressing a personal view: “Even though governance at the local level is supposed to be non-partisan, the government has tainted it with the appointment of District Chief Executives along party lines. Even the 30 per cent members of the district assemblies that the government has appointed have been chosen purely on party lines and decisions continue to be taken at the centre and this has come to negate any attempt at decentralising government.”
Looking ahead, some political observers in Ghana are already talking about the country going the Kenyan way - referring to the disorder that followed the mishandling of the elections in Kenya says Vladimir Antwi-Danso, a senior Research Fellow at University of Ghana’s Centre for International Affairs. He cautions that, “There are pockets of conflicts that can escalate if the politicians do not handle the elections very well.”
Agyekum agrees that the, “security of the nation is at stake and it is for this reason that the government has strengthened the Electoral Commission to enable it to organise credible and fair elections so that the gains that the government has achieved are not derailed by rancour and violence during and after the elections.”
President Kufuor on his part has promised that, “The Electoral Commission would be provided with all the necessary resources to enable it organise fair and credible elections”.
So far, the political parties have embarked on their campaigns without any hitch but this does not mean that the government has no problems to deal, says John Larvie. “President Kufuor does not seem to have firm control over his ministers. This stems from the way he has frequently reshuffled them,” he says
And the NDC’s Ankrah said the there seems to be a kind of schism between the presidency and the ruling party. “When the President expressed support Stephen Ntim at the last national delegates congress, the party members decided to vote their own choice. These were followed by the delegates deciding against Alan Kyermanten, who was the President Kufuor’s choice as his heir apparent. Now the party is against him for deciding to nominate Evans Atta Mills, the NDC’s presidential candidate, for a national award.”
At the last elections, the John Kufuor won 52.45 per cent of the vote and John Atta-Mills of the National Democratic Congress, 44.64 per cent in Ghana’s traditional two-party race.
Ankrah added that discerning voters “would best go into the elections to pick whom they think is best to put things right in the country”.
* Accra-based journalist
** In the most recent Doing Business rEport (World Bank, 2006) Ghana ranks amongst the top 10 reformers. IN 2005, Ghana ranked fourth in Africa in the growth competitive index of the World Bank.
