Democracy and Development (D&D) Fellow at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. John Osae-Kwapong has expressed concern about Ghana’s performance in the Economic Intelligence Unit’s 2023 Democracy Index.

Dr. John Osae-Kwapong noted a decline in the country’s global ranking and scores over the years. Ghana’s score in the 2023 index is 6.3 out of 10, ranking 65th globally, and it’s classified as a flawed democracy.

According to Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, the country has seen a drop in scores across various categories.

“On functioning of government, scores have been on the decline since 2020″.
John Osae-Kwapong (PhD)

Again, Dr. John Osae-Kwapong highlighted the decline in Ghana’s Political Culture. “Scores declined in 2023, after growing steadily over an eight-year period and maintaining that score for another seven years.” The current score stands at six out of ten (5.6) points according to Dr. John Osae-Kwapong.

According to Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, by 2016, Ghana’s score in the category of civil liberties had improved to 7.4 out of 10, which was a significant improvement from the 5.9 score in 2006. However, since then, the country’s score has declined to 5.8 out of 10. This decline in scores suggests a slow deterioration in the state of civil liberties in Ghana since 2016, He emphasized.

In contrast, political participation improved, with scores maintaining at 6.7 out of 10 since 2017, and the electoral process and pluralism have remained stable, with a score of 7.4 out of 10, Dr. John Osae-Kwapong emphasized.

Dr. Osae-Kwapong pointed out that while Ghana has managed to address the electoral part of democracy, such as regular elections and the presence of political parties, there is a need to deepen the substance of democracy, particularly in areas like political culture, civil liberties, and the functioning of government.

Dr. Osae-Kwapong emphasized that these areas are not just an end in themselves but also a means to an end. In other words, a substantive democracy is not just about having democratic institutions but also about achieving positive outcomes for the citizens, such as improved public services, better governance, and enhanced quality of life.

Dr. John Osae-Kwapong’s statement reflects the ongoing concerns about the state of democracy in Ghana, particularly as the country approaches an election year. The two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), are prioritizing economic issues in their campaigns.

“There are two possible signals from this observation – efforts at deepening democracy have stalled and other countries are making strides in their efforts thus outranking Ghana”.
John Osae-Kwapong (PhD)

Possible Course Of Action Can Lead To Progress

However, Dr. Kwapong highlighted the importance of addressing other critical aspects of governance and democracy, “corruption, the number of ministers, and constitutional reforms.”

Dr. Kwapong called for attention to these issues and the need for a comprehensive approach to governance that addresses not just economic concerns but also the broader aspects of democracy and governance.

“But the best economic ideas and programs will struggle to produce optimal results in an environment of major governance challenges”
Dr John Ossae Kwapong

He suggested that the current political campaigns should address democratic regression and offer substantive ideas to halt this trend and move the country towards democratic consolidation.

The Democracy and Development (D&D) Fellow at CDD-Ghana, emphasized that the positive dispositions towards democratic norms as reflected in the Afrobarometer survey results provide a solid foundation for addressing democratic retrogression in Ghana.

The Afrobarometer survey is a tool that measures public attitudes towards democracy and governance in African countries.

According to the survey, the support for non-democratic forms of government, such as one-party, one-man, and military rule has declined. For instance, the disapproval of military rule dropped from 89% in 1999 to 69% in 2019.

The survey also showed that a majority of Ghanaians still prefer democracy over other forms of government. In the most recent round of the survey in 2019, 65% of respondents said that democracy is preferable to any other form of government, although this represents a five-percentage point drop from 1999.

Despite the challenges, Ghanaians recognize that there is room for improvement in the functioning of democracy. When asked about the extent of democracy in the country, they described Ghana as a democracy with minor problems, indicating a willingness to address these issues.

Dr. Osae-Kwapong’s assessment highlighted the importance of building on the existing support for democracy and leveraging it to tackle the areas where democratic performance has declined, as indicated by the Democracy Index.