What voters are thinking in seven charts

Ghana is heading for its ninth general election since multi-party politics resumed in 1992.

During that time, there have been three peaceful transfers of power, with the two main parties – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – each holding the presidency for a total of 16 year.

Here, in the charts, are the big problems this time around as the NPP continues to hold power for an unprecedented third consecutive term.

Ghanaians were hit particularly hard by a bout of global inflation that, starting in early 2022, caused prices in the country to rise at the fastest rate in more than two decades.

The annual rate of increase peaked at 54.1% in December 2022. It has since eased, but this is just an average and prices of some key commodities continue to rise sharply.

For example, eggs and tomatoes were more than twice as expensive in February 2024 as they were 12 months earlier. Ghana’s other favorite football teams also skyrocketed with salaries not keeping up.

Although the famous national dish – Ga kenkey (fermented corn dumplings) with fish – has not made such a big leap, the kenkey balls are now smaller.

As a result, more and more people are pushed into poverty and their living standards are affected, The World Bank said.

In 2022, Ghana defaulted on its debt and was forced into lengthy negotiations with international creditors to try to restructure its loans, which are still ongoing.

Local lenders are forced to accept lower repayment rates.

Government also went to the International Monetary Fund for help with a relief program.

President Nana Akufo-Addo admits the country is in “crisis” but blames outside forces. The opposition and some economists blame the government’s poor economic management.

The amount of money Ghana owes creditors has increased steadily over the past two decades, but rose sharply in 2019, and by 2022 the government needs more than 70% of its income just to repay debt.

The country’s economic difficulties are accompanied by a steadily rising unemployment rate.

Going back two decades, one in every 20 Ghanaians who were able to work was unemployed – that number now stands at one in seven.

With more than half of the population – about 24 million people – under the age of 35, young people are especially hard hit.

For ages 15 to 24 The unemployment rate is double the general figurewith nearly 30% unemployed.

The views of young voters can have a major impact on the outcome of the election.

As Africa’s largest producer of precious metals and the world’s 10th largest, gold plays a large role in the economy.

Gold mining became a major topic of conversation in the months leading up to the election, with complain about the damage that illegal and small-scale mining is causing to the environment.

But with global gold prices more than doubling in the past decade, the appeal of getting into the business is obvious.

Gold is a major source of foreign exchange for Ghana – in 2023, exports amounted to $5.2 billion (£4.1 billion).

Along with gold, the country also has resources of oil, gas, diamonds, bauxite and lithium, among others.

It is also a major player in the global cocoa market, being the world’s second largest supplier of the key ingredient of chocolate.

These resources have transformed the economy over the past three decades and helped the country become much richer, with extreme poverty halving during that time, World Bank experts said.

The average annual income per person has undergone a significant change since 2005, with living standards rising markedly until 2017.

Since then, however, it has barely increased, except for a spike in 2021.

At election time, politicians must face the reality that voters tend not to take a long-term view but often make choices based on whether things will improve in the short term.

The past three decades have seen a series of tight and peaceful elections.

As a result, Ghana is often held up as an example of an open democracy that has turned its back on instability and its own history of coups in a region where they remain a problem.

In some cases, elections hinge on tens of thousands of votes, and despite occasional legal challenges, the results are often accepted by the losers.

We expect to know the results of this year’s race within three days of the December 7 election.