Ghana’s endless protests

Every few months, the streets of Ghana erupt in chants, placards and political slogans. Protesters, mostly aligned with the opposition party, march in the name of “the people.” 

But let us not be deceived: these are not demonstrations for industrialisation, job creation or a revolution in trade policy.

They are not cries for a national vision or a blueprint to transform Ghana’s abundant natural resources into a global economic power. 

No. These protests are ritualistic performances in a dangerous political dance — where the goal is not transformation, but rotation.

Not to build, but to rule. Not to serve the nation, but to seize the throne.

This is the sad and mind-blowing reality of Ghanaian politics.

Power chase disguised as activism

In a truly conscious and development-driven nation, protests should demand better healthcare systems, technological advancement, agricultural reform, youth employment or sovereign economic policy.

But in Ghana, these issues are buried under party colours, cult-like loyalty and endless blame games.

When the opposition takes to the streets, they are not calling for local industries to reduce imports.

They are not demanding trade schools to equip youth with practical skills.

They are not agitating for Africa-centred economic sovereignty or pushing for Ghana to be a key player in global trade, based on gold, oil, cocoa or bauxite. 

Instead, they chant slogans like “Break the 8” or “Mahama reba,” seeking to return to power not to do better — but to continue a legacy of mediocrity, dependency and empty political pageantry.

The saddest part? The people cheer.

They wear the T-shirts, wave the flags and forget their hunger, joblessness and frustration — mistaking the opposition's ambition for their own liberation.

Democracy without direction

Western democracy, as it is practised in Ghana, has become a counterfeit tool — a distraction from development rather than a vehicle for it. Every four years, billions are spent on elections while hospitals lack basic equipment and schools have no chalk.

The leaders promise heaven and deliver dust. Democracy should mean the rule of the people.

But in Ghana, it has become a fight between two political families — the NDC and the NPP — who switch places at the table of national wealth while the masses scramble for crumbs.

Ask yourself: what lasting national project was built that outlived the term of a president?

What major industrial reform survived beyond election cycles?

What long-term trade policy made Ghana a competitive global player?

There is none — because our politics is not built on vision.

 It is built on vengeance.

Politics of forgetfulness

Each time a new party comes into power, it spends its energy undoing what the previous administration did — whether good or bad.

Projects are abandoned, loans are redirected and international agreements are trashed or renegotiated, not because they are harmful, but simply because they came from a rival.

This is not governance.

This is childish score-settling.

In such an environment, how can a nation rise? Ghana’s young people are creative, resourceful and ready.

But without a national policy that protects their industries, encourages exports or gives them access to credit, their energy is wasted. 

Many escape to Canada, the U.S. or Europe.

Others drown in the Mediterranean.

And those who remain are forced to choose between political loyalty and economic survival.

It is a tragedy — a generation sacrificed on the altar of party politics.

Nation that only consumes

What nation can develop without producing anything of value? Ghana is a net importer of toothpicks, rice, tomato paste and even sachet water.

This is not just economic mismanagement — it is a failure of imagination.

The same politicians who cry about the dollar's strength have done nothing to ensure that Ghana produces and exports value-added goods.

We dig out our gold and sell it raw.

We harvest cocoa and export it unprocessed.

We sell crude oil and import refined petrol.

This is not trade; it is modern colonialism supervised by black faces in expensive suits.

If we really cared about change, our protests would be at the ports demanding better trade agreements.

Our marches would be in front of foreign embassies that use us as dumping grounds for cheap goods.

Our placards would demand a national gold-backed currency and local production hubs in every region.

But instead, we dance to the drums of NDC and NPP — two sides of the same coin spinning endlessly in the mud.

The illusion of opposition

The Ghanaian opposition is not the solution; it is merely the other side of the problem.

It does not seek to break the system — it only wants to inherit it.

And when it does, it repeats the same old rituals: appointments based on party loyalty, not merit; loans for consumption, not development; praise-singing media and corruption disguised as service.

So what are we really protesting for?

To swap colours while keeping the same broken engine?

To reset the same trap and fall into it again?

That is not democracy.

That is a national delusion.

Where are the visionaries?

Ghana needs leaders, not rulers.

Builders, not looters.

Visionaries who understand that sovereignty is not just about elections — it is about economic control, resource ownership and cultural dignity.

We need leaders who can design a 50-year development plan beyond party lines.

Leaders who will anchor our currency to gold and silver and build trade relationships that bypass Western financial manipulation.

Leaders who will educate the youth in practical skills, empower farmers with technology and industrialise every region based on its comparative advantage.

Such leaders exist.

But the system is rigged to exclude them.

They are mocked, silenced and discredited because they threaten the political mafia.

Yet, until we rise to support such men and women, we will continue dancing in circles —shouting in the streets while sinking in poverty.

Enough of the noise
Ghanaians must wake up.

The protests we see today are not revolutions — they are auditions for power.

The opposition is not a saviour — it is a shadow of the same monster.

And democracy without vision is a prison with open doors.

We must demand more than slogans.

We must fight for a new political culture — one rooted in accountability, productivity and sovereignty.

Our children deserve a nation that makes, trades and leads — not one that begs, borrows and blames.

Until then, every protest will be a cry, not for change — but for a turn to rule over the same decay.