Vol 64 No 25 | GHANA Questions on electioneering budget 14th December 2023 The government's attempts to 'postpone austerity' could backfire as debt restructuring hits new obstacles President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's success in securing the return of enough MPs from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to push through the 2024 budget by 138...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 23 | GHANA Vice-President Bawumia wins ruling party presidential ticket 9th November 2023 With candidates chosen for two main parties, next year's election has started The victory of Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia in the ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP)'s presidential primaries on 4 November seemed assured with strong backing from the President and most... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 23 | CÔTE D'IVOIREGHANA Putting a LID on cocoa 16th November 2023 Civil society groups are demanding that European Union lawmakers include a guarantee of minimum prices for cocoa producers in the latest agreement between the EU, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire...
Vol 64 No 21 | GHANA Governor in the firing line 19th October 2023 Opposition demands for Ernest Addison to resign over $5.2bn loss have exposed the politicisation of the Bank of Ghana Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison reacted angrily after hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Accra on 3 October demanding that he and his two deputies...
Vol 64 No 20 | GHANA Was there a plot against the police chief? 5th October 2023 MPs probe claims of a conspiracy to remove the Inspector General of Police ahead of next year’s elections Police in Accra are on tenterhooks as they wait for a parliamentary committee to conclude its investigations into a leaked audio tape hinting at government plans to oust...
Vol 64 No 19 | GHANA Bawumia leads race for NPP ticket 21st September 2023 President Akufo-Addo is helping his deputy in the succession campaign despite growing internal dissent Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia's landslide victory in the New Patriotic Party's Special Delegates' Conference and the withdrawal of former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen, has put Bawumia in pole position...
Vol 64 No 17 | GHANA Government stonewalling on corruption comes under fire 21st August 2023 Worsening financial strictures and revenue shortfalls are adding to the urgency of independent calls for tougher action against state skulduggery As investigations multiply into conflicts of interests in state agencies, lawyers and rights activists are accusing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of covering up malfeasance. Their calls...
Vol 64 No 13 | GHANA Supreme Court outlaws presidential decisions 19th June 2023 President Akufo-Addo's sacking of the Auditor-General has been condemned raising questions of accountability Ghana's highest court has ruled unconstitutional President Nana Akufo-Addo's demand three years ago for the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo, to go on leave. After Domelevo complied under heavy pressure,...
Vol 64 No 11 | GHANA The ruling party could benefit from its IMF U-turn 25th May 2023 After losing a by-election, the opposition NDC is crafting its campaign on government failure ahead of next year's elections The IMF approval of a US$3 billion bailout to support Ghana's ailing economy is being held up as a victory by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), but...
Vol 64 No 11 | GHANA The IMF offers some breathing space 25th May 2023 Accra has secured concessions from the multilateral banks as well as China in exchange for promises on debt Although West Africa's second largest economy had been expected to receive an International Monetary Fund deal in the coming months, the IMF's 17 May announcement – that its... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 11 | GHANA Deeper reforms needed after the bailout 25th May 2023 Slowing inflation and a strengthening cedi after the IMF credit will help the ruling party’s election campaign Ghana's US$3 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund will not be painless, and comes with demands for a diet of structural reforms and spending cuts. Key...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 11 | GHANA Mahama wins NDC presidential ticket by landslide 17th May 2023 Most of his party backed his candidacy in the 2024 elections but the ex-president faces a bruising campaign John Dramani Mahama didn't disappoint backers this time. With his national and regional network, he scooped up the presidential nomination for the opposition National Democratic Congress at its... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 10 | GHANAUGANDA Presidents face growing pressure on draconian anti-gay laws 2nd May 2023 Populist politics clash with diplomatic imperatives in debate over planned legislation on sexual behaviour and information services Weeks after Ghana's President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo played down the prospects of his approving a draconian anti-homosexuality bill, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni had appeared to be following... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 8 | GHANA After delays, new hope for a debt deal 13th April 2023 Geopolitical shifts and multilateral concessions at the Washington meetings could speed up Accra's IMF deal In the end, the sceptics were correct. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's promise in his State of the Nation speech that the US$3 billion IMF Extended Credit Facility... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 8 | GHANA Banks count the cost of debt restructuring 13th April 2023 The government's debt exchange deal piles up pressure on the banks and the wider economy After much lobbying and protest, Ghana's pension funds avoided the onerous terms of the government's domestic debt exchange finalised in February. Few others in finance were celebrating with...
Vol 64 No 8 | GHANA The Opposition hides its teeth 13th April 2023 Despite a near hung parliament, the opposition has done little to challenge the government An evenly split Parliament between the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears not to have resulted in greater parliamentary oversight over...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 7 | GHANA Finance minister Ofori-Atta talks up progress on China debt 28th March 2023 Accra is trying to navigate the east-west geopolitics of debt negotiations 'Great progress and on all fronts', was finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta's verdict following two days of meetings with Chinese counterparts in Beijing, with the finance ministry briefing reporters... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 7 | GHANA A commission under fire 30th March 2023 The appointment of three new members to the seven-member electoral commission has prompted concerns that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is packing the institution ahead of what...
Vol 64 No 6 | GHANA Fights over debt and public spending are shaping the election campaign 13th March 2023 The opposition is revelling in criticisms of the government's economic management by the Auditor-General, who is in the spotlight again In a rowdy session in parliament on 8 March, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo used his state of the nation address to explain how the government planned to...
Vol 64 No 6 | GHANA Khaki vigilantes 16th March 2023 The Ghana Armed Forces have come under fierce public criticism following an apparent vigilante operation they conducted at Ashaiman, a densely populated town near Tema, in the Greater...
Vol 64 No 2 | GHANA The succession race starts 19th January 2023 There's no date yet for the ruling New Patriotic Party's (NPP) presidential primaries but prospective candidates are preparing for the elections required within 12 months of the next...
Vol 64 No 1 | GHANAAFRICA IN 2023 Financial meltdown weakens NPP 5th January 2023 Pushed into a U-turn as it negotiates a $3 billion bailout with the IMF, the governing party’s credibility has crashed Militants of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have a spring in their step in the new year as they gear up to fight the December 2024...
Vol 64 No 1 | GHANA Ructions over debt deal hold up IMF bailout 2nd January 2023 Political fights over where the cuts should fall are testing finance minister Ofori-Atta's staying power and may prolong the crisis The speed at which the IMF and finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta's treasury team agreed a provisional deal for a US$3 billion bailout in mid-December after intensive talks and...