Director of Programmes at the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Frederick Adu-Gyamfi, has emphasized the critical need for campaign financing reform at the media launch of a new monitoring initiative targeting campaign spending, vote buying, and the abuse of incumbency in Ghana’s elections.
The project which is a collaboration between USAID, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and CDD-Ghana, aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to the country’s electoral process.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi speaking during the launch, pointed to the persistent challenge of inadequate financial transparency, noting that despite the Political Parties Act 574 requiring political parties to disclose their accounts after elections, such disclosures rarely happen, and enforcement by the Electoral Commission remains minimal.
He argued that this lack of transparency, coupled with the absence of limits on campaign spending, allows financial power to disproportionately influence election outcomes rather than the genuine will of the people.
“For instance, when a Member of Parliament spends over $70,000 on a campaign, they are likely to focus more on how to recoup their investment rather than serving the public interest,” Mr Adu-Gyamfi observed. This misalignment of priorities, he warned, compromises the integrity of elected officials and diverts their attention from the needs of their constituents.
Equally troubling, according to Mr Adu-Gyamfi, is the pervasive misuse of state resources during elections, which unfairly advantages incumbents and distorts the electoral playing field. He cited numerous instances in past elections where government assets were used to bolster the ruling party’s campaign, despite constitutional safeguards like Article 55, which mandates equal access to state media, and Article 284, which prohibits conflicts of interest among public officials.
He further stressed that the abuse of state resources not only skews electoral competition but also undermines public trust in the democratic process. As Ghana heads toward the 2024 national elections, these challenges persist with incumbent parties usually diverting critical public resources from essential projects such as infrastructure, healthcare, and education into political campaigns.
“This creates a governance environment marred by corruption, where political leaders prioritize personal gain over national development,” Mr Adu-Gyamfi remarked.
He further underscored the importance of the newly launched project in addressing these issues by tracking campaign expenditures and documenting instances of state resource misuse. The data collected from this initiative, he averred, will serve as empirical evidence to inform the much-needed reforms in Ghana’s electoral laws and practices.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi also emphasized the vital role that civil society and the media will play in ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the electoral process. “Reforming these practices is the responsibility of all stakeholders—government, media, political parties, civil society, and voters themselves. We must all demand integrity in our elections,” he stated.
In concluding his remarks, Mr Adu-Gyamfi highlighted the broader implications of electoral reforms, stressing that ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections is not just a legal requirement but a moral imperative. “It is the foundation upon which our democracy stands, and we must all work to safeguard it,” he quipped.