The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has expressed concern over the rising cost of presidential elections, warning that the trend risks turning democracy into a preserve of the wealthy elite.
Speaking at an Open Society forum in Accra, Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, disclosed that it now takes an estimated $200 million to mount a successful presidential campaign in Ghana.
According to him, such costs make it nearly impossible for competent but less-resourced individuals to participate in the country’s highest office contest.
“You now need about $200 million to win a presidential contest. How many of you can realistically meet that bar? Even at the parliamentary and primary levels, the barriers are already far too high for many,” Prof Prempeh noted.
He cautioned that if access to political leadership is determined solely by wealth and connections, Ghana’s democratic and developmental progress will be at risk.
“We cannot have that kind of democracy and expect it to be developmental. That is why campaign financing and the regulation of internal party democracy must become urgent national priorities,” he stressed.