Ghana’s two leading candidates for are seeking to cover major ground preaching their policies and promises to voters.
Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), is facing off against John Dramani Mahama from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who served as Ghana’s president between 2013-2017.
Mahama is making his third attempt at securing the country’s top job, having failed to do so in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He lost to outgoing who has served the maximum two teams in office, so is not in the running for this year’s vote.
Tailored campaign strategies dominate presidential race
The frontrunners have taken different formats as they reach out to targeted groups to outline their policies.
“The campaigns over the years especially for the two major political parties have gone through some changes,” political analyst, Ibrahim Alhassan told DW. “So both the NDC and the NPP have decided to now adopt what is referred to as a tailored campaign strategy.”
Alhassan noted that rather than holding rallies that attract large crowds, they are favoring a more community-based approach.
Both Bawumia and Mahama have focused on Ghana’s economic recovery, which has been a major thorn in the side for the outgoing Akufo-Addo presidency.
is currently under an program to help restore its economy, having defaulted on most of its $30 billion external debt due to years of accumulated borrowing. The $3 billion (€2.78 billion) was to help the West African country restructure its debt.
Digital innovation vs. 24-hour economy
Bawumia, an economist and former central banker, has spoken of digital innovation policies as key solutions to Ghana’s economic woes.
“All the youth, we need jobs. I am going to give 1 million youths digital skills in Ghana,” Bawumia said at a campaign rally in Ghana’s southeastern Volta region. “Everybody, even if you are a school dropout, we can give you digital skills.”
Mahama though has been trumpeting his party’s 24-hour economic policy which he says would unlock Ghana’s economic potential.
He said that expanding economic activities outside of traditional working hours would enable businesses to grow and employ more young people.
“Despite the president and vice president claiming to have created over 2 million jobs, I ask where are these jobs and how many have reached the residents,” he told supporters at one of his campaign rallies in Ghana’s Ahafo region.
“This seems like mere rhetoric aimed at winning votes. That is why we are advocating for a 24-hour economy policy to create new job opportunities.”
Competing visions
Alhassan said the NDC’s flagship 24-hour economy policy has “caught on [with some voters] and that is what the party is pushing.”
“The NPP’s digitalization which has always been the mantra for the NPP’s flagbearer and the current vice president is equally being pushed,” the political analyst told DW.
Both candidates have also promised on their campaigns to remove some taxes including the 10% tax on betting income, COVID-19 levy, and e-levy, which were introduced by the current government.
“But by and large, what I have noticed about the campaign promises especially for the two parties is that they are almost all the same,” Alhassan noted.
What are voters saying?
Both the NPP and the NDC enjoy significant support in their respective strongholds, so their candidates have been targeting voters who are undecided about which party they will vote for.
Kwaku Amponsah, an undecided voter in Ghana’s capital, Accra, told DW that neither party’s campaigns messages have done anything to sway his choice.
“There is nothing promising about their promises,” he said, adding that he doubts they have any real solutions.
“The NPP … have not shown anything they can fulfill the promise they are elected into office again or when they retain power,” he suggested.
Amponsah’s concerns were echoed by Isaac Ayesu, another undecided voter, who told DW that he has little trust for the politicians.
“These two parties have nothing to offer this country,” he said. “Their promises are fake, they just want power and use it for their own good.” He suggested that he might not even cast his vote.
Alhassan said such concerns from voters are legitimate.
“More and more, voters are becoming discerning,” he said. “The economic conditions in the country are making things more difficult for the governing party and the expectation that after every eight years power shifts that has reinforced the messages of the NDC.”
Defections and Parliamentary chaos
Ghana’s 2020 election produced a hung parliament, with the NPP and NDC each securing 137 seats in the 275-seat Parliament. An independent candidate won the remaining seat.
The opposition NDC now holds a slim majority following the defection of four MPs earlier in October — two from the NPP, one from the NDC, and one independent lawmaker — who announced their intention to contest the upcoming election on different tickets.
Ghana’s constitution bars MPs from defecting from the party under which they were elected to run for another party or as independents, so the speaker, Alban Bagbin, declared their seats vacant, triggering a significant political dispute.
The Parliament adjourned indefinitely on Tuesday amid the turmoil.
Alhassan said the chaos — which has effectively halted all legislative activity less than two months before the elections and could freeze the passage of critical bills and budgetary approvals — has highlighted the importance of one party securing a clear majority in the December vote.
“Getting a majority in the next Parliament is very crucial and the two flagbearers have been campaigning along those lines,” the political analyst told DW. “That never again should voters return that verdict of the level of closeness in the lawmaking chamber.”
Edited by: Keith Walker
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