Director of Programmes at the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana) Frederick Adu-Gyamfi, has emphasised the critical need for campaign financing reform.

He spoke at the media launch of a new monitoring initiative targeting campaign spending, vote buying, and the abuse of incumbency in Ghana’s elections, Wednesday September 11, 2024.

The project which is a collaboration between USAID, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and CDD-Ghana, aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to the country’s electoral process.

He noted despite the Political Parties Act 574 requiring political parties to disclose their accounts after elections, such disclosures rarely happened, while enforcement by the Electoral Commission (EC), also, remained minimal.

Mr Adu-Gyamfi argued this lack of transparency, coupled with the absence of limits on campaign spending, allowed financial power to disproportionately influence election outcomes rather than the genuine will of the people.

“For instance, when a Member of Parliament spends over US$70,000 on a campaign, they are likely to focus more on how to recoup their investment rather than serving the public interest,” he asserted.

This misalignment of priorities, he warned, compromises the integrity of elected officials and diverts their attention from the needs of their constituents.

Equally troubling, according to Mr Adu-Gyamfi, was the pervasive misuse of state resources during elections, which unfairly provides advantages to incumbents and compromises the electoral playing field.

He cited numerous instances in past elections where government assets were used to bolster the ruling party’s campaign, despite constitutional safeguards like Article 55, which mandates equal access to state media, and Article 284, which prohibits conflicts of interest among public officials.

He further stressed the abuse of state resources not only skewed electoral competition but also undermined public trust in the democratic process.

As Ghana heads toward the December 7 national elections, these challenges persist.

“This creates a governance environment marred by corruption, where political leaders prioritise personal gain over national development,” Mr Adu-Gyamfi admonished.

He further underscored the importance of the newly launched project in addressing these issues by tracking campaign expenditures and documenting instances of state resource misuse. The data collected from this initiative, he averred, will serve as empirical evidence to inform the much-needed reforms in Ghana’s electoral laws and practices.

Mr Adu-Gyamfi also emphasised the vital role civil society and the media will play in ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the electoral process.

“Reforming these practices is the responsibility of all stakeholders –k government, media, political parties, civil society, and voters themselves. We must all demand integrity in our elections,” he urged.

In concluding his remarks, Mr Adu-Gyamfi highlighted the broader implications of electoral reforms, stressing ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections was not just a legal requirement but a moral imperative.

“It is the foundation upon which our democracy stands, and we must all work to safeguard it,” he underscored.