In the lead-up to Ghana’s December 2024 general elections, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), an anti-corruption organization, has called on state-owned media outlets to ensure equal coverage for all political parties.

Mrs. Mary A. Addah, Executive Director of the GII, emphasized that the constitution mandates state media to offer a fair platform for all parties, highlighting the importance of balanced reporting during election campaigns.

Speaking at the launch of a project aimed at monitoring campaign spending, abuse of incumbency, and vote-buying, Mrs. Addah outlined GII’s efforts to promote comprehensive reforms in party and campaign financing.

Partnering with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), GII seeks to collect new empirical data on campaign finance, enhancing public awareness about the influence of money in politics.

Mrs. Addah expressed concern about the common misuse of state resources by incumbent governments during election campaigns.

She cited examples such as the illegal use of government vehicles and buildings, state media manipulation, and the use of security agencies to intimidate political opponents.

The GII plans to closely monitor these abuses during the upcoming elections.

Mrs. Addah announced plans to estimate the extent of favoritism in media reporting on the incumbent party’s presidential campaign, using a nationally representative sample of constituencies.

Professor George Ofosu of the London School of Economics explained that the project will include monitoring political advertisements and campaign events across selected constituencies. Experts will be deployed from September to December to observe campaign activities and evaluate state media coverage.

The project also highlights the need for reforms in Ghana’s Political Party Act, calling for punitive measures against incumbents who misuse state resources. Addah urged all stakeholders to prioritize fairness and transparency.

At the same event, Frederick Adu-Gyamfi, Director of Programmes at CDD-Ghana, reiterated the urgency of campaign finance reform.

Despite existing legal frameworks, such as the Political Parties Act 574, which requires political parties to disclose their financial accounts, compliance has been weak, and enforcement by the Electoral Commission remains minimal.

“We aim to train and deploy experts for a period of three months from September to December to conduct monitoring. 

“This includes observation and reporting on campaign events and material in selected constituencies for all presidential candidates. 

“Then there will be a media monitoring system to record advertising in print and other forms of media channels to assess the extent of bias in state-owned media," he said.

The collaborative initiative, supported by USAID, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and other civil society organizations, aims to track campaign spending and document instances of resource misuse. The data collected will provide the foundation for future reforms aimed at enhancing transparency in Ghana’s electoral system.

AM/KA

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