Political Context In Ghana

(Begin with political context and see all other articles in this set below)

Fieldwork for the AudienceScapes national survey in Ghana began soon after U.S. President Barack Obama visited this country in July 2009, his first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa as head of state. Before heading to Ghana, the president stated his choice of destination was intended partly to highlight “the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development.” [1]

Indeed, Ghana’s political situation provides helpful context for analyzing the current development environment and how best to communicate with Ghanaians on development issues. The evolution of multiparty democracy, with vibrant competition between parties, has led to a political and social culture embracing free debate and open communication. Ghana has enjoyed relative political stability for nearly two decades, including two peaceful transitions of power between the two major parties—the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP)—in the course of the last five multiparty elections. The 2008 presidential election was so close that it led to a run-off election between the top two vote-getters, but the parties accepted the Election Commission’s final decision without a struggle or political upheaval.

This democratic tradition may help explain why a substantial majority of respondents in the AudienceScapes survey express trust in governmental institutions, as shown in Chart 1 (respondents could also choose to answer “somewhat” or “very” untrustworthy in each case). Ghanaians’ trust in government bodies my partly reflect a belief that elections give them a say in who runs these bodies and what policies they pursue.

Chart 1
             

Various nongovernmental institutions rank relatively high in the trust measures, though the military was the clear leader. The latter’s strong image may also reflect the country’s political history; former Air Force officer and coup leader Jerry Rawlings is now credited with paving the way for a functioning democracy. He ruled as a military leader from 1982 to 1992, and was elected president that year for a four-year term under a new democratic constitution. He was reelected in 1996, but barred from running again in 2000 because of constitutional term limits, which he honored.

These trust measurements are helpful for the many development organizations that need to work with or through existing institutions to publicize or implement projects and programs. The question results are encouraging in the sense that international development organizations rank highly on the trust measure, as well as the media and local NGOs, which often assist in the dissemination and exchange of development information. Of particular relevance to the development community, the data suggest trust ratings show little difference between rural and urban areas (Chart 2).

Chart 2