The Case for Emotional Governance: Why Facts Alone Won’t Save Us

For far too long, the conversation around nation-building and governance has been dominated by a single, unyielding mantra: “Stick to the facts. Emotions have no place here.” As though facts are sacred and incorruptible while emotions are irrational saboteurs of progress. I beg to differ. Not only do I think this philosophy is misguided, I believe it is one of the core reasons many of our policies fail to reflect the true needs of our people.

Facts are necessary. Yes. But they are not sufficient.

Let’s take a hard look at governance across Africa, and Ghana in particular. Time and again, policies are rolled out based on numbers—GDP growth, inflation, debt sustainability, fiscal targets. But how often are these policies crafted by stepping into the lived reality of the people they are meant to serve? How often do our leaders ask, “If I were that father in the village whose child walks 10 km to school barefoot, would I still sign off on this budget?” Or “If I were that single mother at the market whose healthcare costs are swallowing her entire income, would I still be proud of this policy?”

This is where emotion becomes not just relevant but indispensable.

To be emotional is to be human. And to govern without that humanity is to lose sight of why we govern in the first place. Emotions aren’t enemies of reason; they are the compass that keeps reason aligned with moral integrity and human dignity. In our homes, it is emotion that causes a parent to sacrifice dinner so a child can eat. In our communities, it is emotion that compels us to lift others when they fall. And in our governance, it should be emotion—empathy, compassion, even righteous anger—that propels us to do right by our people.

A nation is not built by numbers; it is built by people. And people are emotional beings. If our policies do not take into account the emotional realities of citizens, then those policies are detached, elitist, and ultimately doomed to fail.

Think about this: all the great moments in our history—the abolition of colonial rule, the struggle for independence, even the fight for democracy—were not sparked by cold data. They were sparked by a deep emotional response to injustice, inequality, and suffering. They were born of pain, of hope, of dreams, and of a longing for dignity.

We need leaders who feel. We need policies that reflect not just what is measurable, but what is meaningful. We must ask ourselves: would I want to be on the receiving end of this law or reform? If not, why should anyone else?

This is not a call for irrational governance. It is a plea for balanced, emotionally intelligent leadership—one that marries logic with empathy, strategy with soul.

Facts tell us what is. Emotions help us decide what ought to be.

And in that delicate dance lies the future we must build.