A new report by policy think tank IMANI Africa has raised concerns that Ghana’s political discourse is becoming increasingly centred on political personalities and partisan rivalry, with policy discussions taking a back seat in the country’s digital information space.
The findings are contained in the June 2026 edition of the IMANI Pulse report, which examined 1,797 political mentions across Ghana’s online media ecosystem over the 30 days ending June 30.
According to the report, while Ghanaians continue to show strong interest in governance, the economy, infrastructure, elections and foreign policy, conversations on these issues are increasingly dominated by political leaders and party affiliations rather than the substance of public policy.
To assess the trend, IMANI introduced a new measurement known as the Substance Index, which evaluates whether online political conversations are driven by policy issues or personality-based narratives.
The think tank explained that policy-focused discussions examine legislation, governance reforms, public programmes and institutional performance, while personality-driven conversations revolve around political leaders, electoral competition, credibility and partisan identity.
“Rather than simply measuring whether political conversations are positive or negative, the June 2026 report examines the substance of public discourse, identifying whether digital political engagement is primarily driven by policy issues, institutional performance or personality-centred narratives,” the report stated.
The analysis found that discussions on foreign policy recorded the highest level of engagement during the review period, with 321 mentions. However, only 102 of those conversations focused on foreign policy itself, while the remaining 203 discussions—representing 67 per cent—were centred on political personalities and partisan considerations.
IMANI observed a similar pattern in discussions surrounding infrastructure development, where debates frequently shifted from issues such as project financing, procurement, engineering and maintenance to arguments over political leadership and historical accountability.
The report also cited the arrest and subsequent bail of NPP-affiliated social media commentator “Bawumia Ba” as another example of personality-driven politics.
Although the incident generated broader questions about due process, freedom of expression and law enforcement, IMANI said the public conversation was largely dominated by political symbolism and party loyalty rather than institutional reforms.
According to the report, the incident attracted nearly 29,000 online engagements, making it one of the most discussed political issues during the period.
Despite the trend, IMANI noted that the findings demonstrate that citizens remain highly interested in governance and national development, but warned that meaningful policy discussions are increasingly being overshadowed by partisan narratives.
The think tank urged stakeholders to encourage issue-based political engagement that prioritises governance outcomes, institutional accountability and evidence-based policy discussions over personality-driven political contests.
