The Ghana Integrity Initiative is concerned about the increasing cost of political campaigns in the country.
They are urging the Electoral Commission (EC) to take its mandate of demanding audited financial statements of political parties more seriously as a way of scrutinizing party financiers. The think-tank believes this is necessary to minimize organized crimes, especially those believed to be perpetrated by party financiers.
GII is also proposing that businesses awarded contracts under a party’s governmental regime must disclose their ownership and influence on the ruling party. This, they believe, will bring transparency to the process and minimize the influence of organized crime in political activities.
During a workshop aimed at sensitizing youth leaders on Serious and Organized Crime and its threats to the 2024 elections, the Fundraising Manager at GII, Michael Boadi, emphasized the importance of the EC going beyond the mere presentation of financial accounts from political parties to scrutinizing who the financiers are and where the funds are being generated from.
Mr. Boadi also pointed out the need to interrogate the ownership of businesses getting new contracts in any new regime that comes after 2025. He believes that the country must not be lackadaisical in smoking out perpetrators of organized crime and voter-inducements that taint the integrity of elections.
The cost of political campaigns has shown a significant increase since 2016, with studies indicating that a parliamentary aspirant in Ghana must pump in a minimum of 600,000 dollars to fund campaigns. Mr. Boadu has called for decisive action to combat organized crime and voter-inducements to ensure the integrity of elections in Ghana.
The participants of the zonal workshop also expressed concerns about the negative impacts of organized crime on the country’s electioneering process, stating that it hinders developmental growth and affects the election of the rightful leaders to change the fortunes of the country.
Addressing this issue will require a collective effort from all stakeholders to ensure that electoral processes in Ghana are free from the influence of organized crime and are conducted with integrity and transparency.
