Ghana’s two leading candidates in December’s presidential election are seeking to cover important ground by preaching their policies and promises to voters.

Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) faces John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who served as Ghana’s president between 2013 and 2017.

Mahama is in his third attempt to secure the country’s top job, having failed in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He lost to incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, who served the maximum two stints in power and is therefore not in the running for this year’s vote.

Tailored campaign strategies dominate the presidential race

Pioneers adopted different formats to address targeted groups to present their policies.

“Over the years, the election campaigns of the two main political parties have seen some changes,” political analyst Ibrahim Alhassan told DW. “The NDC and NPP have therefore decided to now adopt what is called a tailor-made campaign strategy.”

Alhassan noted that rather than holding rallies that attract large crowds, they favor a more community-based approach.

Both Bawumia and Mahama have focused on Ghana’s economic recovery, which has been a major thorn in the side of Akufo-Addo’s outgoing presidency.

Ghana is currently the subject of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program to help restore its economy, after defaulting on most of its $30 billion external debt due to years of borrowing accumulated. The IMF’s $3 billion (€2.78 billion) support program was intended to help the West African country restructure its debt.

Digital innovation versus 24-hour economy

Bawumia, an economist and former central banker, spoke of digital innovation policies as key solutions to Ghana’s economic woes.

“All young people, we need jobs. I am going to give digital skills to 1 million young people in Ghana,” Bawumia said at a campaign rally in Ghana’s southeastern Volta region. “Everyone, even if you dropped out of school, we can give you digital skills.”

Mahama, however, touted his party’s 24-hour economic policy which he said would unlock Ghana’s economic potential.

He said expanding economic activities outside traditional working hours would enable businesses to grow and employ more young people.

“Although the president and vice president claim to have created over 2 million jobs, I ask where those jobs are and how many have been impacted by residents,” he told supporters at a from his campaign rallies in the Ahafo region of Ghana.

“This seems like mere rhetoric aimed at winning votes. This is why we advocate a 24-hour economic policy to create new job opportunities.”

Competing visions

Alhassan said the NDC’s flagship 24-hour economic policy has “gained momentum (among some voters) and that is what the party advocates.”

“The digitalization of the NPP, which has always been the mantra of the NPP flagbearer and the current vice president, is also being encouraged,” the political analyst told DW.

Both candidates also promised during their campaign to remove certain taxes, including the 10% betting revenue tax, the COVID-19 tax and the e-tax, which were introduced by the current government.

“But overall, what I noticed about the campaign promises, especially for both parties, is that they are almost all the same,” Alhassan noted.

What are voters saying?

The NPP and NDC enjoy significant support in their respective strongholds, so their candidates target voters undecided about which party they will vote for.

Kwaku Amponsah, an undecided voter in Accra, Ghana’s capital, told DW that campaign messages from neither party did anything to influence his choice.

“There is nothing promising about their promises,” he said, adding that he doubted they had real solutions.

“The NPP…has not shown anything that it can deliver on its promise to be re-elected or when it will retain power,” he suggested.

Amponsah’s concerns were echoed by Isaac Ayesu, another undecided voter, who told DW he had little faith in politicians.

“These two parties have nothing to offer this country,” he said. “Their promises are false, they just want power and use it for their own good.” He suggested he might not even vote.

Alhassan said these voter concerns are legitimate.

“More and more voters are exercising discernment,” he said. “The country’s economic conditions make things more difficult for the ruling party and the expectation of a change of power every eight years has reinforced the NDC’s messages.”

Defections and parliamentary chaos

Ghana’s 2020 elections produced a hung parliament, with the NPP and NDC each securing 137 seats of the 275-seat Parliament. An independent candidate won the remaining seat.

The opposition NDC now holds a slim majority after the defection of four MPs earlier in October – two from the NPP, one from the NDC and an independent MP – who announced their intention to contest the next elections on different lists.

Ghana’s constitution prohibits MPs from leaving the party under which they were elected to run in another party or as an independent. The president, Alban Bagbin, therefore declared their seats vacant, triggering a significant political conflict.

Parliament adjourned sine die on Tuesday amid the turmoil.

Alhassan said the chaos – which effectively halted all legislative activity less than two months before the election and could freeze the passage of critical bills and budget approvals – highlighted the importance for a party to secure a clear majority in the December vote.

“It is crucial to obtain a majority in the next Parliament and the two standard bearers campaigned in this direction,” the political analyst told DW. “Voters should never again render this verdict on the level of closeness in the legislative chamber.”

Edited by: Keith Walker