Dr Kojo Asante, Director, the Programmes and Advocacy, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), says the local governance electoral process in Ghana is challenged by citizens’ apathy.

It is further challenged by the under-representation of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the youth, he said.

Dr Asante said historically voter participation in local government elections was low and it was a mockery that out of over 6,000 assembly members, only 460 were women in a society where there were more women than men.

“This issue is really troubling, and we must do something drastic about it,” Dr Asante remarked at the National Stakeholders Dialogue on the Upcoming District-Level Elections (DLEs).

The Stakeholders’ Dialogue was organised by the CDD-Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and the GIZ Ghana.

The dialogue was to assess the local government elections in Ghana in the last two elections (2015 and 2019 elections), focusing on the major issues that characterised and shaped the two elections (e.g. court injunctions); the preparedness of the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct local government elections, as well as the role of the National Commission for Civil Education.

The National Dialogue provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on the preparedness of key electoral stakeholder institutions as the event approaches.

Dr Asante reiterated that local elections played a crucial role in promoting citizen participation in decision-making at the level, explaining that both local government, District Assembly and Unit Committee elections, were and to be held at least six months before or after the parliamentary elections.

“The country is scheduled to hold District level elections before the Elections 2024 and one is wondering whether we really want to bring democracy to the doorstep of the people or we want to tick a box,” he said.

“As of now, we are not sure if this October date will hold, citizens seem oblivious, except for the political parties who are busy holding their illegal primaries to informally sponsor candidates.

“We are yet to see the platforms mounted for candidates to campaign and sell their message to the people, and we don’t even know whether all the Ghanaian citizens who turned 18 after the last voter registration (now estimated to be about three million) will be registered to vote with just seven weeks to go.”

Dr Asante said the Stakeholders’ Dialogue would give participants insight into the various challenges regarding voter turnout and the underrepresentation of women and other marginalised groups within the governance system at the local level.

He said although efforts had been made to address these challenges, more needed to be done to encourage the active engagement of voters and remove the structural barriers faced by marginalised groups.

Dr Asante said with about seven weeks to the announced 3rd October date for holding of the District Level Elections, the National Dialogue was timely and essential.

He said its objective was to raise public awareness and interest in District Level Elections (DLE) in Ghana, which had historically suffered voter apathy and low voter turnout.

“For the 2023 edition, we have an added challenge to the state of stakeholder preparation towards the elections.”

He noted that Ghana in 1988 initiated the decentralisation programme, which aimed to transfer significant powers and responsibilities to the local level.

The initiative was expected to promote popular or grassroots participation in the administration of the various areas of government policies such as planning, implementation, monitoring and delivery of services through the Area and Zonal Councils and the Unit Committees.

This sought to drive the interest and participation of all citizens and to bring governance to the doorstep of the citizen for a successful democratic dispensation.

Raphael Victor Frerking, the Programme Manager for the Governance for Inclusive Development (GovID) Programme, GIZ Representative, said the District Assemblies system established a level of governance in which the aspirations and needs of the citizens found their voice.

He said by empowering these local communities to elect their representatives they were providing a powerful way for citizens participation in local governance and accountability.