Election 2024: The Main Issues That Will Influence The Votes Of Ghanaians On December 7
Ghanaian voters will again have some familiar issues on their minds as they look to choose a new person to lead the government and hopefully bring about positive change
'It’s about the economy, stupid'.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Mahama’s provocative assessment, one of the driving issues influencing voters, was met with some derision from the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) camp, which he is seeking to defeat in the upcoming election.
Source: Getty Images
Recent polling by Global Info Analytics shows 77% of voters are concerned about the state of the economy as Ghana wrestles with an economic crisis that saw a return to IMF bailouts.
Afrobarometer has recently noted that many Ghanaians experienced some level of poverty in the past year. They suffered shortages of basic necessities such as food and clean water amid a cost-of-living crisis. Most citizens rate the NPP government’s economic performance negatively.
This has manifested in the party's presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, generally shying away from issues of the economy during the campaign season. The Vice President has faced criticism for this posturing, giving he started his political career with a foundation of economic expertise.
In contrast, the NDC's flagship policy proposal has been the 24-Hour Economy, as the opposition party has used Akufo-Addo's mismanagement of the economy to drive its campaign.
The next most pressing issue highlighted by the Global Info Analytics survey is jobs, which concerns 65% of voters. Education is followed by 52% of voters, road infrastructure at 22%, and healthcare at 19%. Other less prominent issues that concern votes include taxes and corruption.
Afrobarometer's issues that will influence Ghanaians' votes
A 2024 Afrobarometer survey highlighted similar issues but in differing order of priority. Although not accounting for voters in particular, the survey noted that Ghanaians identify unemployment as the most important issue for the government to address, followed closely by roads and health.
According to the survey, 41% of Ghanaians believe unemployment is the most important problem, followed by 38% who prioritise roads or infrastructure, 33% who prioritise healthcare, 26% who prioritise education, and 25% who prioritise the management of the economy.
Source: Facebook
Afrobarometer indicates that Ghanaians support some existing initiatives aimed at social and economic improvement, like the free SHS programme.
While that will bode well for the NPP and Bawumia, the survey notes that another key government initiative, the electronic transfer levy, is wildly unpopular. More than 75% of Ghanaians want it scrapped. Notably, both parties have pledged to scrap that 1% tax on electronic financial transactions.
The apathy factor
Apathy is expected to be a significant survey that also brings attention to election-related apathy among certain demographics, notably younger voters and those experiencing high poverty levels.
For example, approximately 19% of persons aged 18-25 indicated they would not vote if elections were held tomorrow. This trend is prevalent among people facing significant economic hardships, which may reflect disenfranchisement in the current political climate.
Bawumia and the NPP are more likely to be affected by this apathy, with 6% of his supporters likely to abstain from voting, as opposed to 1% for the NDC. 24% of people who don’t plan on voting refused to disclose their political affiliations.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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