ELS: MBN360 POLITICS
Transparency International Ghana (TI Ghana) is calling for stronger laws and enforcement mechanisms to improve transparency and accountability in Ghana’s political and campaign financing.
The organisation says gaps in the existing political financing framework are contributing to the rising cost of politics and creating opportunities for corruption.
Speaking at an engagement with Parliament and other stakeholders in Accra, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), William Nyarko, called for comprehensive reforms to Ghana’s political financing system.
Mr Nyarko proposed a cap on individual campaign donations, mandatory disclosure of political financing, and the introduction of an electronic system to track campaign funds.
He said the high cost of politics could leave elected officials indebted to financiers, potentially creating opportunities for corruption through the award of public contracts.
“The research also shows that for those who finance candidates, they expect something in return. When a candidate wins, the candidate typically gets into office already in debt,” he said.
Mr Nyarko said publicly disclosing political donations would help track financial relationships between politicians and their financiers and identify possible links to government contracts.
He also warned that receiving substantial financial support from a single financier could make an elected official unduly dependent on that individual.
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The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, also called for legislation to criminalise vote buying in intra-party elections.
He said expanding the delegate system alone would not be enough to address the monetisation of politics.
Mr Acquah argued that the law should make both the giving and receiving of money intended to influence votes an offence, particularly in intra-party elections.
He said an explicit legal framework would strengthen efforts to reduce the influence of money in Ghana’s political processes.
“If we really want an effective implementation of a move to demonetise politics, then we need an explicit law that makes it a crime for people who give money in politics or in elections, and those who also receive,” he emphasized.
The engagement forms part of an anti-corruption initiative aimed at enhancing governance and accountability.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Transparency International Ghana says its campaign finance reform efforts extend beyond Ghana, with the organisation also participating in international initiatives aimed at promoting greater transparency and accountability in political financing.
