Nathaniel Qainoo, a 29-year-old accountant-turned-mechanic, embodies the struggles of many young Ghanaians facing a deep economic crisis. Unable to secure an accounting job since graduating five years ago, he now fixes cars under a mango tree in Kasoa, a small town near Accra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many others, he speaks of “the hardship” \u2014 a term that has become synonymous with the economic challenges Ghana has faced since 2022, when the government defaulted on debt repayments, inflation surged to 54%, and the cedi lost 70% of its value in eight years. A $3 billion IMF bailout provided some relief but came at the cost of pensioners and investors, many of whom saw significant losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Qainoo, this hardship has eroded faith in the political system. He has no plans to vote in the December 7 elections, instead focusing on his dream of emigrating to North America or Europe for a better life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I don\u2019t know how this country will recover from this crisis,” he laments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qainoo\u2019s sentiment is widely shared among Ghana\u2019s youth, who make up nearly 40% of the population. With unemployment at 14%, many young people are disillusioned, seeing few prospects for a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economic issues have thus dominated the election campaign, with the two leading candidates, former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), offering starkly different visions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Representing the governing NPP, Bawumia faces the challenge of incumbency. As head of the government\u2019s economic management team, his reputation as an “economic whizzkid” has taken a hit due to the collapsing economy. Critics have likened him to underperforming Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire, but Bawumia has rebranded himself as “the driver\u2019s mate,” distancing himself from past government decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the campaign trail, Bawumia has touted a vision for a digital economy, promising skills training for one million youth and investments in tech innovation hubs and start-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Bawumia has transitioned from being an economic manager to a digitalisation champion, and this is a major drawcard for his campaign,” said political analyst Clement Sefa Nyarko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bawumia\u2019s slogan, “It is possible,” reflects his optimism about stimulating economic growth and making history as Ghana\u2019s first Muslim president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former President Mahama is campaigning on a promise to “reset” the economy. His pitch highlights his leadership during difficult times, asserting that Ghana did not experience an economic crash under his watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics, however, recall the electricity crisis during his tenure, which earned him the nickname “Mr. Dumsor” (referring to the frequent power outages). Allegations of corruption also cloud his record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time, Mahama pledges to create a “24-hour economy,” promoting night-time jobs and enhancing productivity. His plan emphasizes addressing the cost-of-living crisis by removing unpopular taxes, such as the electronic levy on mobile transactions and carbon emissions taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both candidates face scrutiny over how they will fund their promises under an IMF-backed economic recovery programme that requires increased revenue and reduced spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economist Prof. Godfred Bokpin expressed skepticism: “It\u2019s unclear how they will navigate these fiscal constraints without creating gaps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With polls showing Mahama at 52% and Bawumia at 41.3%, the race remains tight. Analysts suggest a run-off is possible, as Mahama may fall short of the 50% threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Election Day nears, voters must decide which leader they believe can best steer Ghana out of its economic crisis and toward a brighter future. Whether it\u2019s Mahama\u2019s promise of a reset or Bawumia\u2019s vision for a digital economy, the stakes are high for a nation in search of stability and growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nathaniel Qainoo, a 29-year-old accountant-turned-mechanic, embodies the struggles of many young Ghanaians facing a deep economic crisis. Unable to secure an accounting job since graduating five years ago, he now fixes cars under a mango tree in Kasoa, a small town near Accra. Like many others, he speaks of “the hardship” \u2014 a term that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,21],"tags":[183],"class_list":["post-1921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-politics","tag-election-2024"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1923,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921\/revisions\/1923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winsmediagh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}