The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has raised alarm over the increasing monetisation of Ghana’s electoral process, warning that capable leaders without deep financial backing risk being sidelined.
Speaking at an Open Society forum in Accra, CDD-Ghana’s Executive Director, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, cautioned that the spiraling cost of contesting elections poses a serious threat to inclusivity and good governance.
“It has become nearly impossible for many qualified citizens to consider political leadership. Even at the parliamentary primaries, the financial demands are overwhelming, and at the presidential level the barriers are even higher,” Prof. Prempeh explained.
He emphasised that democracy cannot deliver developmental outcomes if it is dominated by only the wealthy and well-connected: “When leadership becomes about who can pay the most, the system shuts out visionaries and innovators who could transform the country.”
The think tank’s warning adds to growing calls from civil society for comprehensive campaign finance reforms. Advocacy groups argue that without tighter regulations, Ghana risks entrenching inequality in political participation, thereby weakening accountability and eroding public trust in democratic institutions.
