Ghana's Successful Election

Photo: Bertil van Vugt/
Africa Interactive

This entry is a follow up from my post discussing how developing nations can learn from Ghana's recent presidential election and peaceful transition of power (see "Ghana: A Model for Democratic Elections"). The Economist published an article in its January 8th, 2009 edition about how Ghana held the November election and subsequent run-off election on December 28th fairly and with civility (see "A damned close-run thing—and a fine example to the rest of Africa").

After losing by small margin in the initial election against Nana Akufo-Addo, John Atta Mills won the run-off election that was so close, Mr. Mills won 50.2% of the vote compared to Mr. Akufo-Addo's 49.8%, Mr. Mills was not officially declared a winner until January 2nd. He was sworn in five days later. Although there were a few issues during the election process including "several reports of intimidation and attacks at polling stations during the run-off on December 28th, more so than in the first round of voting."

Ghanaians should be proud of the way they exercised their democratic freedom to elect their president. More importantly, Mr. Akufo-Addo's supporters should be commended for not replicating the unfortunate incidents of spilling bloodshed we witnessed in Kenya early last year.

"It was the smallest margin of victory in Africa's electoral history. Just as important as the result was the conduct of the poll—and the readiness of the loser to accept defeat with grace. After fiascos in Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe in the past couple of years, everyone in Africa (and abroad) was hoping that Ghana would start to redeem the continent’s tarnished democratic credentials with a fair poll. The power-sharing agreement that was meant to resolve last year’s electoral stand-off in Kenya seems increasingly shaky; the one in Zimbabwe was never implemented. Africa needed a decent election in one of its leading countries—and a loser who would concede defeat."

I congratulate Mr. Mills for his victory and I commend Mr. Akufo-Addo for his statesmanship to respect the electoral process. Ghanaians have several issues to resolve if the country is to become a regional and continent leader, but exercising their right to vote and ensuring a peaceful transition of power is a step in the right direction.

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.

Ghana: A Model for Democratic Elections

Voters in Ghana went to the polls on December 7, 2008 to elect a successor to President John Kufuor who is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms. According to the CNN article, "Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo of the incumbent New Patriotic Party and John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress are the leading candidates, but neither was able to garner more than 50 percent of the vote. The Ghanaian constitution requires a second round of balloting if no candidate wins a clear majority." At a time when African nations are looking for a leader in social and economic development including free democratic elections, Ghanaians are showing that they can serve as a role model in choosing government officials without corruption and violence that plagued Zimbabwe and Kenya's elections earlier this year.

Ghana is making an effort to become a leader, not just in West Africa, but for the entire African continent. I had the chance to meet Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, on June 4, 2008 in Washington, D.C. where he spoke at an event, "Democratic Governance and Economic Growth in Ghana," sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Africa Program. Mr. Akufo-Addo talked about his vision for Ghana's future. Accra, Ghana's capital, should be the financial center for West Africa similar to how Dubai is becoming the financial capital for the Middle East. In addition, Mr. Akufo-Addo explained the recent discovery of offshore oil will help provide needed capital to the country, exploration and extraction should be done without damaging the environment or causing civil unrest like we are witnessing in nearby Nigeria. The discovery of oil, Mr. Akufo-Addo said, should benefit the Ghanaian people not foreign corporations.

There are fair reasons to criticize the Ghanaian government. The former British colony is the world's second biggest cocoa grower and Africa's second largest gold producer. Many Ghanaians, however, say they not have received the benefits from the increased wealth. In addition, cocaine trafficking last increased in West Africa over the past few years. Despite these issues and regardless which candidate prevails as Ghana's next president, Ghanaians should be proud to demonstrate the ability to exercise their democratic right to vote in a civil manner. As explained in the CNN article, "'All of us agreed that these were high quality, very transparent, orderly, peaceful, patient fine elections,' said observer John Stremlau with the Carter Center...'My colleagues with more experience than I have think these were probably the best elections they have observed.'"

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.