Democracy For Sale - What’s Ghana Worth?

Ghana, a poor west African country , according to Paul Adom Otchere , a Metro Tv presenter, is indeed at a crossroads, and contrary to this assertion by this presenter, Ghana is indeed a RICH west African country that is being POORLY managed by its leaders .

In a recent survey conducted by Fitch Solutions, a reputable data analytics firm , John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress is the most favoured to win the 2024 elections , and this ignited a flurry of show of Cash money amongst members of the ruling party, who are seen openly sharing money to would be voters in a bid to woe them into voting for the National Patriotic Party.

This unpatriotic act has confused many young Ghanaians , many of whom are without jobs, and desperate for any sort of livelihood that can put food on their tables . Ghanaian youth activists are doing what they can to empower young Ghanaians into thinking about their future as not be swayed by these human ATMs that tend to throw free cash money at them , but rather take a critical look at the performances of the government in power , and how their policies have affected everyone within the country. One such activist in the person of Black Rasta , a renowned Ghanaian artist , has repeatedly hammered on the ills of corrupt government officials , scandals that make the famous WAYOME scandal look like child’s play , and expose that sends the American government into rethinking its aid programs to Ghana .

Now, with the current election climate in the country , the human ATMs of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have again started their cash spending spree . The Vice President of the Republic Dr. Mamudu Bawumia , has demonstrated that indeed DEMOCRACY can be bought with cash money when he gave free cash to all the over 200 journalist that attended his engagement with the Ghanaian press. Leaked information on social media stated that journalists were given 30,000 cedis in brown envelopes (1900 US Dollars) per journalist adds up to a total of 385,000USD , three hundred and eighty-five thousand American dollars from the Bawumia campaign , when a dialysis machine costs just 7,500 US Dollars, and many kidney patients around the country are suffering for lack of these machines in health facilities in the 16 regions of Ghana.

Metro TV’s presenter Paul Adom Otchere took to the airwaves to glorify the fact that the Bawumia campaign funds given by the sitting government was justified to have thrown free cash money at the journalists because they left their families to attend the Vice President’s meet the press engagement. This which many SMEs and CSOs in the country did not condemn showed the world that indeed Democracy is for sale in Ghana, and that this year’s election is one that Ghanaians have to wary about .

Ghana, in the eyes of the international community is a country living on the edge, and our leaders are being frowned at for allowing such a rich country to push its people into the corridors of hardships and poverty . The rate at which Ghanaian governments officials are buying properties in Europe and America is indicative of a larger net of corruption being perpetuated under the watch of the Nana Akuffo Addo presidency.

Discerning Ghanaians by and large are hoping that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by former President John Dramani Mahama can indeed correct the corruptive precedent set by the ruling NPP government, and reset the country onto a path of growth and self dignity for all Ghanaians and not just a small click or tribe of Ghanaians .

The 24/hr Economy policy which communicators of the ruling government are trying desperately to water down is indeed a policy that can reset Ghana’s economy growth , because Dr Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s first president) actually built Tema township on the pillars of a 24/hour economy, with companies like Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), Tema Steelworks, Tema Textiles Limited (TTL), NESTLE, Ghana Aluminium Products, Pioneer Aluminium Products, Crocodile Matchet, Cocoa Products Ltd etc all run 24/hr shifts which boosted Ghana’s economy at the time, so falling back onto old templates to revive our economy is an option worth endorsing . Those that lived in Tema can attest to how living standards were improved and jobs were all over Tema , so fast forward to 2024, that business model can now be replicated nationwide and our youth would no longer be on that desperation track that seem to have destroyed several lives .

Ghana deserves a second chance , and the second coming of a John Dramani Mahama NDC government could very well be the way forward for our beloved country Ghana.

Choose wisely and vote for your own future as a Ghanaian . God bless our homeland Ghana

A. Dodoo
Social Commentator and Chairperson for the Diaspora Development Network (Europe)

ALL VIEWS ARE PERSONAL AND NOT THE VIEWS OF DIASPORA DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (DDN GLOBAL)