{
  "id": 17956829,
  "title": "Political rivalry and the rising cost of politics in Ghana",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/political-rivalry-and-the-rising-cost-of-politics-in-ghana",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-03T10:58:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/political-rivalry-and-the-rising-cost-of-politics-in-ghana/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In November 2010, former President Jerry John Rawlings cautioned about the dependence of Ghanaian political parties on financiers who expect rewards when elections are won. This observation highlights one of the key issues that Ghana's constitutional reforms must address: the increasing cost of political campaigns and the pressure to repay sponsors after winning office. While political competition is vital to a functioning democracy, when it becomes dependent on financial resources, there is a risk that public service becomes more like an investment for candidates and their backers rather than a public service. To combat this, Ghana needs reforms that reduce these pressures, enforce existing obligations, and protect the independence of institutions responsible for political finance.\n\nCompetition and financial dependence often go hand in hand. As one candidate increases spending on advertising, rallies, transport, and mobilisation, opponents feel compelled to match these efforts. The result can be escalating expenditure without any tangible advantage for any side. Research conducted by CDD-Ghana and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy shows that parliamentary campaign costs in Ghana increased by 59% between 2012 and 2016. Inflation, constituency demands, and transport costs also contribute to these rising costs.\n\nDuring the 2018 conference of the NPP, UK Conservative representative John Hayward raised concerns about the proliferation of campaign posters. His comments illustrate how internal rivalry can generate considerable spending even before a national election takes place. The danger arises when candidates rely on sponsors whose support comes with expectations of appointments, contracts, or privileged access once they win. If public office provides opportunities to satisfy these expectations, campaign financing becomes a governance issue with significant consequences for public expenditure and development.\n\nThe 1992 Constitution of Ghana requires internal party organisation and public disclosure of party revenues, assets, and their sources, along with annual publication of audited accounts. The Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) implements these provisions, with Section 14 requiring pre-election statements of assets and liabilities, Section 21 demanding annual returns and audited accounts, and Section 21 empowering the Electoral Commission to order audits on reasonable grounds. However, the implementation of these laws has been inconsistent, and there are gaps in the safeguards. For instance, only seven out of 25 registered parties had submitted financial statements by the EC's May 2016 deadline, with the NDC and NPP submitting their reports late. The EC eventually published these accounts in March 2019 after advocacy efforts. Despite these efforts, citizens often need to resort to litigation to obtain routine financial information about political parties.\n\nThe Electoral Commission of Ghana's (EC) own accounts must be audited annually by law, but there is no requirement for the EC to report its oversight of political finance to Parliament annually. This accountability gap extends beyond party disclosures. The EC's Act 451 mandates annual auditing of its own accounts, but it does not require an annual report to Parliament explaining its oversight of political finance. Without such reporting, it is difficult for Parliament and the public to determine which parties complied with requirements, whether their accounts were checked, and what discrepancies emerged or actions were taken as a result.",
  "summary": "In November 2010, former President Jerry John Rawlings questioned political parties’ dependence on financiers who “naturally expect to be rewarded when elections are won”. His warning captures a problem that Ghana’s constitutional reforms must address: the growing cost of winning power and the pressure to repay political sponsors afterwards. Political competition is essential to democracy. […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}