Manasseh Azure Awuni, an investigative journalist, has raised concerns regarding the USA’s recently announced visa restrictions targeting individuals who instigate violence during Ghana’s upcoming elections.

While he acknowledged that these restrictions are aimed at promoting peace and deterring electoral violence, he cautioned that they could also be open to abuse.

Awuni stressed that such measures, if not carefully monitored, might be wielded unfairly, potentially affecting individuals without proper justification.

He urged Ghanaian authorities to be vigilant in ensuring that these visa restrictions do not infringe on citizens’ rights or become a tool for targeting political opponents.

“However, the exertion of foreign influence is welcome if crimes, such as the killings of unarmed people in Techiman South during the 2020 elections, go unpunished and the citizens have no recourse to justice.
“Many top politicians in Ghana have their families safely secured in the United States and Europe. In fact, some travel to the US and other countries to give birth so their children can be citizens there”.
Manasseh Azure Awuni

Awuni further expressed concern over the lengths to which some politicians in Ghana are willing to go to maintain their grip on power.

He pointed out that many are unafraid to manipulate and incite the youth to engage in acts of violence and disruption during elections.

According to Awuni, these actions are often driven by personal motives, as politicians seek to accumulate wealth and secure financial resources to sustain their families, many of whom live abroad.

He lamented that the well-being and future of the nation are frequently compromised for individual gain, with politicians prioritizing personal power and prosperity over the stability and peace of the country.

Accordingly, Awuni pointed out the recurring issue where political ambition can undermine the democratic process, putting citizens, particularly young people, at risk. “At the hint of chaos, they would jump on the next available flight and leave”.

Awuni Advocates for Leaders to Face Ghana’s Challenges

Furthermore, Manasseh Azure Awuni remarked that if Ghana were to reach a stage where political leaders, along with their families, were required to experience firsthand the adverse conditions they contribute to creating within the country, it could drive meaningful change.

According to Awuni, the privilege of shielding families abroad often allows leaders to evade the consequences of policies and actions that foster instability, economic hardship, and inadequate social services at home.

He argued that if duty bearers had to face the reality of these challenges alongside ordinary citizens, they might be more accountable in their decision-making, leading to genuine progress for Ghana.

“In March this year, the United States announced it was ‘designating eleven Zimbabwean individuals and three entities, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program for their connection to corruption or serious human rights abuses’”.
Manasseh Azure Awuni

He further noted that, much like the conflicts in Bawku, Nkonya-Alavanyo, and other regions in Ghana, those who instigate or finance these tensions typically do not live within the conflict zones themselves.

Instead, they remain at a distance, shielded from the violence and instability they help fuel, while the affected communities bear the brunt of the unrest.

By maintaining physical and emotional detachment, these individuals avoid direct consequences, allowing them to perpetuate division and discord without accountability.

Awuni suggested that this pattern of remote involvement worsens the cycle of violence and hinders the potential for long-term peace, as those driving these conflicts lack an immediate, personal stake in the stability of the regions they impact.

Accordingly, he argued that if those who siphon millions and billions from Africa were prevented from enjoying their ill-gotten wealth abroad with their families, they might be more inclined to focus on improving conditions within their own countries.

Awuni suggested that deprived of the luxury of an escape, these individuals might feel a stronger responsibility to address issues at home, fostering genuine progress rather than relying on foreign havens for personal gain.