Since Ghana gained independence, a political model rooted in patronage has often overshadowed the promise of meaningful development.
Professor H. Kwesi Prempeh, Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in a statement, succinctly outlined the perilous effects of this deeply ingrained system, which prioritises political loyalty and ethnic patronage over equitable national progress.
His remarks offered a sobering critique of how this practice has undermined Ghana’s growth trajectory and fostered systemic corruption.
“Under this model of politics and ‘development, the appointment of a native son or daughter to an ‘important’ (read, “lucrative”) position in Government or the public services is seen as a way of channelling and delivering ‘development’ resources and opportunities to their communities, as those appointees are expected, both by the appointer and by their communities, to use their public positions to improve the material fortunes of their Indigenous constituents and communities.”
Professor H Kwesi Premeph, Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
This practice, as Professor Prempeh observed, has become a substitute for real development, creating hometown heroes while neglecting the broader structural needs of communities.
Here Professor Prempeh pointed out that many appointees succumb to self-enrichment, prioritizing personal gain over the collective welfare of their communities.
Professor Prempeh noted that those who do attempt to redistribute opportunities typically achieve limited outcomes and fail to address the systemic challenges of poverty, unemployment, and infrastructure deficits.
According to him, what remains is a cycle in which symbolic gestures of “development” take precedence over meaningful, long-term solutions.
The Cost of Development by Patronage
The ramifications of this dysfunctional model are profound. Professor Prempeh rightly highlighted how it perpetuates corruption and nepotism, making it politically costly to combat these vices.
“This ‘development by patronage’ model also implicitly fuels corruption and nepotism and makes fighting corruption politically tough, because corruption involving a hometown patron and hero is seen and defended by the appointees’ co-ethnics as getting their share of the national cake.”.
Professor H Kwesi Premeph, Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
This misplaced loyalty in the view of Professor Prempeh undermines accountability and entrenches a culture where corruption is normalized and even celebrated.
Moreover, the Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development argued that the patronage model fails to transform the fortunes of entire communities.
According to him, while individual beneficiaries may thrive, their hometowns remain locked in cycles of underdevelopment, with poor infrastructure, inadequate health services, and struggling schools.
This imbalance exposes the hollow nature of a system that prioritizes personal advancement over collective upliftment.
The Illusion of Inclusion
One of the few redeeming qualities of the patronage model, according to Professor Prempeh, is its ability to signal “inclusion” to Ghana’s diverse ethnic groups.
By appointing representatives from various regions and ethnicities, governments project an image of unity and national cohesion. However, Professor Premeph asserted that this optical inclusion often becomes a substitute for substantive development.
According to him, communities fixate on the symbolic representation of their “own” in government, overlooking the absence of meaningful investments in their local economies and social services.
This dynamic, Professor Prempeh argued enables governments to escape scrutiny for their broader failures.
For him, as long as key positions are distributed along ethnic lines, the illusion of inclusion persists, masking the reality of uneven and inequitable development across the country.
Professor Prempeh’s critique underscores the urgent need for a paradigm shift in Ghana’s approach to development.
The patronage model has outlived its utility and now serves as a barrier to progress. Ghanaians must demand more from their leaders—more than symbolic appointments and token gestures.
Real development must be inclusive, balanced, and transformative, addressing the systemic inequities that have plagued the nation since independence.
To achieve this, citizens must reject the notion that patronage equals progress. Instead, they should hold governments accountable for delivering tangible improvements in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunities.
The focus must shift from individual enrichment to collective empowerment, ensuring that no community is left behind.
As Professor Prempeh warned, allowing symbolic inclusion to overshadow substantive progress will only perpetuate the status quo, leaving future generations to inherit the same challenges that have hindered Ghana’s growth for decades.
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