DEMOCRACY: A REFLECTION ON GHANA’S REPUBLICS, 1960-1992

Ghana has been touted as a beacon of democracy in Africa since 1992. As the country was preparing for independence from Britain, the educated natives formed political parties along Western models to push their demands. Two of the earliest political parties to be formed were the UGCC and the CPP in 1947 and 1949 respectively. The 1951 elections gave Ghana its first taste of democratic voting for the people to use their thumbs to choose leaders they trusted could alleviate their plights. The 1954 and 1956 elections further consolidated it. The country is endowed with enormous manpower and natural resources. In 1960 when the First Republic was announced politics was all about development, massive projects, sound policies, and improving the welfare of the people. However, the vitriol that emerged between Nkrumah and the army and police by 1966 introduced putsches into Ghanaian politics. Since then, Ghana has experienced five putsches in its young history. Consequently, this reduced Ghana’s politics to economic stagnation, corruption, propaganda, ill-thought-out policies, and the advent of short-sighted and ultracrepidarian leaders who borrow to consume, thereby leading to the impoverishment of the citizens. Perhaps Ghana would have been more developed than it is now if the first putsch had not occurred, and if Nkrumah had had ample time to carry through his vision for the country. Thus, from this perspective, the paper weighs up Ghana’s Republics. The paper uses archival sources, primarily newspapers, with secondary sources to explore the country’s democratic trajectories up to the present time.

Since 1992, Ghana has been held up as a beacon of democracy in Africa. As the country prepared for independence from Britain, educated natives formed political parties based on Western models to advance their demands. Two of the earliest political parties were the UGCC and the CPP, formed in 1947 and 1949 respectively. People from different ethnic groups joined one of the two parties to create a consensual democratic model. It was the adoption of a British type of representative government, but with a unicameral legislature. The 1951 elections gave Ghana its first taste of democratic voting, allowing the people to choose leaders they trusted to alleviate their hardships. Elections in 1954 and 1956 further consolidated this. The country is endowed with enormous human and natural resources. When the First Republic was announced in 1960, politics was all about development, massive projects, sound policies and improving the welfare of the people. By 1966, however, the rivalry between Nkrumah and the army and police introduced coups into Ghanaian politics. Since then, Ghana has experienced five coups in its young history. As a result, Ghanaian politics has been reduced to economic stagnation, corruption, propaganda, ill-conceived policies and the emergence of short-sighted and ultra-credit-hungry leaders who borrow to consume, leading to the impoverishment of the citizens. Perhaps Ghana would have been more developed than it is now if the first coup had not taken place and if Nkrumah had had enough time to realise his vision for the country. It is from this perspective that the paper assesses Ghana's republics. The paper uses archival sources, mainly newspapers, and secondary sources to explore the country's democratic trajectories to the present day.