State Funding: Time to End Politics of Money

Ghana’s Political Parties Act says no individual should contribute more than necessary and requires parties to have offices in all the 16 regions. In reality, the NPP and NDC run global branches and access state resources when in power, while smaller parties struggle to survive.

The result is politics driven by money, not ideas. Campaigns are won by those who can pay, not those with the best policy. The law is unenforceable, entrenches inequality, and hides the true cost of campaigns from voters.

Fourteen African countries now regulate party finance. Sought Africa bans foreign donations and publishes donor reports. Uganda ties state funding to democratic conduct. Kenya links it to inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Ghana should adopt a two – pillar model. First, allocate state funding based on electoral performance - seats or vote share. Second, make funding conditional on internal democracy and inclusion.

Some argue taxpayers should not fund politicians. But taxpayers already pay for the misuse of assets by governing parties. Formal funding makes the cost visible and controllable.

This is not about NPP or NDC. It is about the next party that cannot rent an office in Bawku because it cannot compete with diaspora cash. Ghana’s renaissance will come from institutions that make competition fair. State funding, done right, is one of them.

Ali Arime- Yawo, 3^rd National Vice Chairman, PNC. Email: [email protected] Tel. 0244254128.