In a blistering critique of the government’s approach to solving Ghana’s longstanding challenges, Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has sharply criticized what he termed “State Enchantment” regarding the country’s birth and death registration reforms under the current administration.
According to Bright Simons, government officials in Ghana have become more focused on securing lucrative contracts for superficial solutions rather than addressing the structural issues at the heart of the country’s problems.
His comment highlighted how Ghana’s political and bureaucratic elite often prioritize flashy, performative reforms that promise quick fixes but fail to deliver long-term solutions.
“Many of Ghana’s problems can only be fixed by properly tracing the root causes & doing the hard & persistent work to reform incentives & close loopholes over many years. But that’s too hard, too thankless, and too unlucrative for many politicians & officials”.
Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
According to Bright Simons, rather than undertaking rigorous reform, many in power opt for projects that “deflect attention” from the real issues while ensuring substantial financial gain through contracts.
The Case Study of Birth and Death Registration
The IMANI’s Honorary Vice President used Ghana’s birth and death registration system as a case study to illustrate how “State Enchantment” operates.
He noted that despite efforts dating back to the 1965 establishment of the Births and Deaths Registry to improve registration rates, significant gaps remain.
He drew attention to historical data, noting that in 1974, only 26% of births and 22% of deaths were registered, figures that severely hampered development planning and resource allocation.
Bright Simons pointed out that for decades, there has been a persistent narrative of attempts to reform the system, but the results have been mixed.
He explained that birth registration rates have improved significantly, with 69% of births registered by 2005 and around 80% in 2023.
However, he argued that this progress is more a reflection of societal incentives rather than governmental intervention.
“A careful study of important trends in Ghanaian society would show that, over the years, birth certificates have become important documents for travel, identity, and other vital reasons. As a major 1974 study concluded, the key issue driving registration of births & deaths is the INCENTIVE of individuals & relatives to do so”.
Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
On the other hand, Bright Simons noted that death registration rates have stagnated and even declined over time, exposing the ineffectiveness of state-led interventions.
“In 1974, 22% of deaths were registered, and this figure only marginally improved to 23% by 2005. Surprisingly, in 2020, the death registration rate dropped to 17% and further to 12% in 2022, despite the government’s much-publicized digitalization efforts and expenditures on equipment such as vans, pickups, and computers. By 2023, the death registration rate had barely recovered, standing at just 16%”.
Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
Bright Simons pointed out that death certificates, unlike birth certificates, have limited utility for most Ghanaians, rendering them less of an incentive to pursue registration.
“Currently in Ghana, death certificates aren’t very useful. Even for burial sites, many don’t bother to demand them,” he said, further explaining that the lack of estate planning or wills means there is little need for death certificates in probate or inheritance processes.
Flashy Solutions, Minimal Impact
Moreover, the Honorary Vice President of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education argued that the government’s emphasis on digitalization in recent years has been more about optics than impact.
He pointed out that since 2018, millions of dollars have been spent on digital transformation projects such as HISWAP and eTransform, funded by organizations like the UNDP and World Bank.
He posited that these initiatives have focused on acquiring vehicles, technology, and public relations campaigns, but the actual outcomes in terms of improved registration rates—particularly for deaths—have been dismal.
In his view, these expensive projects have become an avenue for officials to pursue lucrative contracts rather than tackle the underlying systemic challenges.
“The flashy solutions are presented in such fantastic robes that they deflect attention from the juicy ‘under the hood’ gigs,” Bright Simons noted.
He emphasized that while these projects create the illusion of reform, they often fail to address the root causes of the problems they claim to solve.
Bright Simons’ critique concluded with a call to Ghanaians to become more critical of these so-called solutions and to resist being “enchanted” by political and bureaucratic theatre.
“Stopping state enchantment is about, first, alerting citizens on how to spot the hypnosis (‘jujufication’) and stay focused on the scrutiny of policies & projects,” he asserted.
According to him, true reform requires a more profound and sustained effort that addresses the real issues, something that flashy and superficial projects cannot achieve.
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