An international relations expert with the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, Ken Ahorsu, has declared that Ghana’s international image now is no different from other African countries that have been tagged with corruption.
Citing several court cases, including the Election 2020 Supreme Court petition, Ahorsu said even though the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the case, it succeeded in casting doubt on the credibility of the judiciary when the bench refused to allow the chair of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, to testify.
Speaking on The Big Bulletin with Beatrice Adu on Thursday (2 September), Dr Ahorsu said Ghana used to be revered in the comity of nations as having a high pedigree when it came to the rule of law and the fight against corruption.
“To be very frank, our image is no longer different from other nations in Africa though we had so much pride in ourselves that [with] Ghana, when it comes to the judiciary, when it comes to the tenets of democracy and when it comes to due process, we’re different and not one of the rest,” Dr Ahorsu said.
CDD survey
Meanwhile, a survey by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development has shown that a majority of Ghanaians do not believe President Nana Akufo-Addo can fight corruption.
The report, which sampled the views of 2,400 Ghanaians from all 16 regions of the country between 23 May and 3 June, also blamed the reduction in the president’s vote between the 2016 and the 2020 polls on his own performance and that of NPP MPs.
“Fewer than half [sic] of Ghanaians are optimistic that, in the next four years, the Akufo-Addo NPP-led government will perform ‘much better or better’ in addressing educational needs (45%), providing reliable supply of electricity (44%), maintaining roads and bridges (44%), and providing water and sanitation services (43%). Only one-third (35%) are optimistic about government’s ability to reduce crime,” the survey said.
“Only about three in ten Ghanaians or fewer are optimistic about the government’s ability to fight corruption (30%) and promote collaboration between the ruling and opposition parties (25%),” the report said.
It further noted: “While Ghanaians are split (48% vs 48%) on the government’s ability to ensure that the rule of law is upheld in the next four years, majorities are not confident in its ability to protect the country’s financial resources (53%) and curb corruption and official impunity (62%).
“Ghanaians are evenly split in their confidence in government’s ability to consolidate the gains made in the Planting/Rearing for Food and Jobs programme in the next four years, but a majority (61%) express lack of confidence in the government’s ability to expand the one million-dollar per constituency initiative,” the report said.
It however noted most Ghanaians are hopeful that some things will get better in the second term of the Akufo-Addo government.
“In general, most Ghanaians expect changes in the way the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government handles a number of national development issues in the next four years. A majority of Ghanaians (52%) are confident that the second Akufo-Addo-led NPP government will consolidate the gains of the Free SHS programme, but a similar proportion (57%) have no confidence in the government to expand the 1D1F initiative across the country.”
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