With just five days to go before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana, the Ashanti Region has become the focal point of the campaign. Historically, the region has been a stronghold of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), but recent developments have given John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), a glimmer of hope to cause an upset .

According to Musa Dankwa, the Executive Director and Head of Research at Global InfoAnalytics, voters in the Ashanti Region are more likely to be swayed by a candidate's policies on education rather than the performance of the economy. This is interesting, given that the NPP has made significant strides in the education sector, particularly with the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy .

The NPP's candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, will face off against John Mahama of the NDC, as well as other candidates from smaller parties. The election is expected to be closely contested, with the Ashanti Region playing a crucial role in determining the outcome .