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· In Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo, 76, representing the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is pitted against his predecessor John Mahama, 62, leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
· They fought the elections in 2012 and 2016 and narrowly won against each other. That way Ghana has a veritable democratic tradition
· There are many challenging issues that the country is facing now including unemployment, infrastructure and roads, education, and health, according to a pre-election survey conducted
In Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo, 76, representing the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is pitted against his predecessor John Mahama, 62, leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). They fought the elections in 2012 and 2016 and narrowly won against each other. That way Ghana has a veritable democratic tradition.
President Nana Akufo-Addo is seeking another four year term in office in Ghana’s presidential election scheduled for December 7, 2020.
Apart from them, there are 11 other candidates, including three women in the fray. The West African country has 17 million voters. More than half of them are under 35. A total of 275 legislators would be elected. There are many challenging issues that the country is facing now including unemployment, infrastructure and roads, education, and health, according to a pre-election survey conducted. The country is rich in gold, cocoa, and more recently oil and has experienced strong growth. And the rate of extreme poverty has been halved in less than 25 years.
But some regions, particularly in the North, continue to live in extreme poverty, without drinking water or electricity. On the top of it, the crisis caused by the coronavirus has hit the country hard. , According to the IMF, the growth this year is expected to fall to 0.9
percent, the lowest rate in more than 30 years. It was 6.5 percent in 2019.
The present incumbent has done commendable works in areas like management of crisis and he kept some of his campaign promises for 2016, including education and access to electricity. However, he could not achieve much in controlling corruption. According to a survey conducted in 2019, 53% of Ghanaians believe that the level of corruption has increased in the country. The special anti-corruption prosecutor, appointed after Akufo-Addo’s election, resigned in November, accusing the president of obstructing his work.
