By Andy Sena Agbley
The Fourth Republic of Ghana’s constitutional democracy is now 33 years old and counting, and Ghana is as dynamically young as my mother, Daa Afi, yet, unlike Malaysia and Singapore, countries with whom we once shared the same post-colonial starting point, Ghana appears trapped in a cycle of political competition that has not translated into real economic transformation. Singapore, which gained independence a decade after Ghana, has become a global benchmark for economic, social, and infrastructural progress, to the point that President Mahama’s recent visit resulted in signing of some MOUs for technical assistance for Ghana. Ghana, by contrast, risks moving in circles.
At the core of this issue is our nation’s obsession with political power at the expense of economic strength. Ghana Statistical Service’s 2021 Housing and Population Census revealed that 38% of our population is youthful, a figure expected to rise further by 2031. A country with such a demographic advantage should be leveraging this energy for innovation, production, and sustainable development. Instead, politics has become an all-year-round enterprise, consuming attention, resources, and focus.
The Cost of Endless Politicking
Since 1993, Ghana has conducted nine successive elections, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) alternating in power. In principle, this is a democratic success story. In practice, however, political activism has consistently overshadowed development.
After every general election, instead of a pause for national reflection and collective development, the nation slips immediately back into campaigning mode. Just six months after the December 2024 elections, Ghana is already engulfed in political activism. The NPP in June 2025, having handed over power on 7th January 2025, is fully engaged in internal campaigns, announcing January 31, 2026, as the date to elect its flagbearer for the 2028 elections, a full three years in advance.
This cycle is not new. Under President Kufuor, early presidential ambitions of ministers and the vice president in his second term disrupted the government’s focus. Under President Atta Mills, the infamous “FONKAR–GAME” battles between supporters of Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and the incumbent destabilised governance. Under President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia’s early presidential ambitions undermined his role as head of the Economic Management Team, focusing more on his visibility than, the performance of the economy, a mandate the president assigned him. Now, in President John Mahama’s second term, subtle campaigns are already emerging around leading party figures.
This is the danger of an all-year-round political activity: effective governance is sacrificed at the altar of personal ambition. Ministers, appointees, and party executives serve not Ghana first, but the factions they hope will secure their political future.
The Price Tag of Politics in Ghana
Early this year, the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) report estimated that it costs almost $200 million to win Ghana’s presidency, and about $600,000 to secure a parliamentary seat. Staggering, it is right. One will marvel, for a nation of 34 million people, with a GDP of $77 billion and a per capita income of just $2,254 (2024 World Bank data), this is unsustainable.
The link between the exorbitant cost of politics, corruption and the early, prolonged nature of our campaigns is direct. When politicking stretches across four years, politicians must raise and spend astronomical sums, often turning to patronage, corruption, or rent seeking to sustain their ambitions. Development suffers from loss of focus and diversion ofresources.
Lessons from Other Democracies
Some democracies regulate the campaign window with clear laws. For instance:
India: The Election Commission tightly regulates campaign periods, limiting them to weeks before polling.
Nigeria: Under Section 94(1) of the Nigerian Electoral Act (2022), campaigning in public elections by every political party must commence 150 days
Mexico: Presidential campaigns officially last 90 days.
Kenya: A recent High Court decision directed the Attorney General to draft legislation to regulate political campaigning outside the designated election period because early campaigns were deemed unconstitutional
France, Canada, UK: Campaign timelines are legally defined and strictly enforced.
These countries demonstrate that freedom of association and expression can coexist with campaign regulations designed to protect governance and the public interest. The public interest must and should overtake the interest of the political comforts of individuals, because resource of the nation belongs to the public.
The Governance Window
To restore focus, Ghana needs a Campaign and Political Activities Regulation Act, which should:
a. Restrict political campaigns, primaries, and internal contests to the third quarter of the third year of a government’s four-year term.
b. Ban premature flagbearer announcements, rallies, and campaign advertising outside this window.
c. Institute penalties for parties and individuals who breach the timeline.
d. Empower the Electoral Commission to monitor compliance and sanction offenders.
This would give governments at least two and a half years to govern without political distraction, a third year for accountability and scorecards, and a fourth year for campaigns leading into elections.
Legal Feasibility
Critics may argue that such regulation infringes on constitutional freedoms. However, Ghana’s 1992 Constitution already allows Parliament to regulate the conduct of political parties and elections in the public interest.
Article 21 guarantees freedoms, but they are subject to laws “reasonably required in the interest of public order, public morality, or the rights of others.” The Public Order Act regulates demonstrations without abolishing freedom of assembly. In the same essence, a campaign regulation law would not abolish political activity; rather, it would structure it for national development and cohesion
Why This Matters
Such legislation and its enforcement ensure that the governance window:
a. Provide breathing space for governments to govern.
b. Enhance accountability by creating a clear reflection period before campaigns.
c. Reduce the cost of politics by shortening campaign seasons.
d. Shift national focus from perpetual politicking to sustainable development.
Ghana needs to break free from underdevelopment, but it must first break free from ceaseless politicking. Our democracy is maturing, but there are good practices around us to propel us now into an evolving one. A Campaign and Political Activities Regulation Act would not diminish democracy; it would deepen it by ensuring that politics serves development, not the other way around.
Ghana needs this reform now. Parliament must act. Civil society must demand it. Citizens must embrace it.
With President Mahama’s agenda of RESET, we must not only reset institutions, but we must also reset our thinking, reset our way of politicking, and embrace Ghana’s development first as the ultimate aim. There must be a time for politicking (campaigning) and a time to focus on development.
Source: Andy Sena Agbley
