Why Ghanaians care about U.S. presidential election outcomes

Ghanaians have shown a keen interest in the outcomes of U.S. presidential elections, and this connection goes beyond simple curiosity.

Despite being separated by thousands of miles, the political, economic, and ideological ties between Ghana and the United States make U.S. elections highly consequential for Ghanaians.

Since 1992, Ghana has had a stable political system characterized by two dominant parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which alternate power in a way similar to the Republican and Democratic parties in the U.S.

Over the years, Ghanaians have observed a fascinating trend where their election results mirror those in the U.S., especially in years when ideologically similar parties come into power.

The NPP often aligns with the Republicans, favoring pro-business policies and conservative approaches and even with the same symbol—an elephant, while the NDC is ideologically closer to the Democrats, leaning toward social welfare policies and progressive reforms.

For instance, in previous election cycles, when the Republicans won in the U.S., the NPP also triumphed in Ghana, and similarly, when the Democrats secured victory, the NDC found success.

This pattern only broke in 2020, when the NPP won in Ghana while the Republicans lost in the U.S—a year many deem an outlier and unfit to use in trend analysis.

The 2024 elections hold unique importance in both nations, with both countries seeing their sitting vice presidents, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in Ghana and Kamala Harris in the U.S., contesting for the presidency.

Additionally, both elections feature former presidents—John Dramani Mahama in Ghana and Donald Trump in the U.S.—attempting to reclaim leadership.

The U.S. concluded its elections on November 5 and Ghanaians are preparing to head to the polls on December 7.

A change in U.S. leadership often signals shifts in trade, foreign policy, and investment flows, all of which impact Ghana’s economy.

For instance, U.S.-Ghana relations have strengthened under various administrations, with American policy decisions affecting sectors like trade, investment, health, and security in Ghana.

However, a striking difference is that the U.S. determines its president through an electoral college system that requires 270 out of 538 electoral votes, while Ghana’s winner is determined by a majority of 50% plus one.

As at the time of this report, Trump has declared winner after winning key battleground states bringing him to 267 electoral votes, on the cusp of victory.