Ghanaian Election: Mechanic’s Perspective Amidst Economic Crisis

Ghanaian Nathaniel Qainoo, 29, has been working as a mechanic for five years, having been unable to secure employment as an accountant since his graduation. The BBC encountered him mending a taxi beneath a mango tree at his residence in Kasoa, a small town situated approximately 30km (18 miles) from the capital, Accra. He frequently referred to “the hardship,” a term that has become prevalent in Ghana following the severe economic downturn that began in 2022. That year saw the government default on its debt obligations, international rating agencies downgrade Ghana’s creditworthiness to “junk status,” and inflation surge to 54%. Compounding the difficulties for Ghanaians, their currency, the cedi, has depreciated by 70% over the last eight years. Consequently, Ghana was compelled to obtain a $3bn (£2.4bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The subsequent economic recovery measures have proven costly, leading to substantial losses for pensioners and investors holding government bonds. This situation has left Mr. Qainoo so disheartened that he does not plan to participate in Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, despite the electoral commission’s confidence in a high voter turnout. Mr. Qainoo conveyed to the BBC, “I don’t know how this country is going to be saved from this crisis.” His thoughts are directed towards relocating to North America or Europe. Mr. Qainoo further stated, “I would like to leave the country, go outside, live better, work harder.” His sentiment is shared by many. A significant number of young people, who constitute nearly 40% of the population according to the 2021 census, express a desire to leave Ghana. They perceive limited job prospects in a nation grappling with a 14% unemployment rate. It is therefore unsurprising that the economy has been the dominant theme of the election campaign. The two principal presidential contenders are: These two candidates are competing to succeed President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is concluding his two terms in office. Ghanaians are hopeful for a seamless transition of power to uphold Ghana’s reputation as a stable democracy. Bawumia, representing the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), faces the primary disadvantage of incumbency. Despite holding a master’s degree in economics from the UK’s esteemed Oxford University and leading the government’s economic management team, the deteriorating economy has diminished his standing as an “economic whizzkid.” In 2023, he was derided as “our Maguire,” referencing Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire, who was then experiencing poor performance. On the campaign trail, Bawumia chose to identify himself as “the driver’s mate”—a Ghanaian expression for a commercial vehicle driver’s assistant—in an effort to distance himself from decisions made during Akufo-Addo’s administration. He remarked, “We may be tired of hearing it, but there is no avoiding the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war resulted in the greatest economic depression in the world since the 1990s with most countries recording negative GDP growth.” Bawumia has traversed the country in a blue-colored bus, adorned with his image and campaign slogan: “It is possible,” signifying his belief in his ability to win and stimulate economic growth. Since Ghana re-established democracy in 1992, no political party has secured more than two consecutive terms, a tradition the NPP declares its determination to break by ensuring a parliamentary majority and Bawumia’s presidency. His campaign’s central pledge is the creation of a “digital economy,” including skills training for one million young people to significantly reduce the unemployment rate. His campaign website states, “Dr Bawumia’s government plans to invest in a digital economy hub and provide venture capital funding for tech start-ups.” It adds, “This will include creating innovation hubs, providing regulatory incentives, and supporting tech entrepreneurs with mentorship and business development resources.” Ghanaian political analyst Clement Sefa Nyarko informed the BBC that Bawumia’s commitment to establishing a “digital economy” represents his most compelling electoral appeal. Dr. Nyarko observed, “Bawumia has transitioned from being a so-called economic wizzkid to a digitalisation champion and I think that’s one of the big things he is riding on.” He further noted, “In fact, if you see his posters in town, he has this symbol of digitalisation, suggesting that he is the man to take Ghana forward.” Conversely, Mahama’s campaign has centered on a pledge to “reset” the economy, with the core of his message being, as articulated by Dr. Nyarko: “Give me a chance. At least the economy didn’t crash under my watch despite the difficulties.” However, his detractors express skepticism, highlighting that Ghana experienced an electricity crisis during his tenure from 2014 to 2017, questioning how someone who failed to maintain power supply can revitalize the economy. This, coupled with corruption allegations that plagued his government—which he dismissed as politically motivated—contributed to his failure to secure a second term in 2017. The severity of the power outages led Mahama to jokingly refer to himself as “Mr Dumsor” at the time, where ‘dum’ means off and ‘sor’ means on in the local Twi language. In the current campaign, Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has vowed to transform Ghana into a “24-hour economy” by generating night-time employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors. A document outlining his economic strategy asserts, “All the major and most prosperous economies in the world operate various degrees of 24-hour economies. They include the United States, where nearly 30% of the labour force work at night; the United Kingdom (19%); Germany (12%) and France (7%). In Africa, Kenya is contemplating a 24-hour economy.” To alleviate the cost-of-living crisis, both candidates have also committed to abolishing certain taxes, including the widely criticized electronic levy on mobile transactions and the levy on carbon emissions from petrol or diesel-powered vehicles. Economist Prof. Godfred Bokpin informed the BBC that the feasibility of these tax-scrapping promises remains uncertain, as they would create a “fiscal gap” at a time when Ghana is operating under an IMF-backed economic recovery program that mandates the government to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. He added, “They will face a challenge in terms of navigating within the IMF-supported programme.” Political analyst Asa Asante conveyed to the BBC his expectation of a closely contested election between Mahama and Bawumia. He commented, “Politics is nothing but a contest of ideas and a referendum of your work. People are going to see which one will really work the magic and of course what are their records.” The political indicators appear to favor Mahama, with an opinion poll released on Monday by Global InfoAnalytics assigning him 52% of the vote compared to Bawumia’s 41.3%. Nevertheless, given the poll’s 1.9% margin of error, some analysts suggest Mahama might not achieve the 50% threshold, potentially necessitating a run-off. Bawumia’s campaign team has dismissed the poll as biased, expressing confidence in his victory on Saturday and the historic achievement of Ghana’s first Muslim president.