Lhe Ghana is a mature country which seriously combines democracy and development, far from the political infantilism in which some of our countries still vegetate (all French-speaking, curiously!) and where, with the exception of Benin and Senegal, political life flows to the rhythm of coups, presidential dynasties and the cacophony of the third term. Normal, it is the first decolonized country in Africa and it is the homeland of Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry Rawlings, the two most emblematic figures of contemporary Africa after Mandela and Lumumba.
The last presidential election held in this country, on December 8, did not make the headlines, and for good reason, we do not talk about the trains arriving on time. Everything took place quietly, the electoral campaign like the vote, the counting as well as the proclamation of the results. No outcry, no street demonstrations, no recourse to the courts in force! Enough to make the Guinean that I am lose weight with jealousy!
Just look! Mahamudu Bawumia, the outgoing vice-president, was defeated by a former president, John Mahama, himself eliminated in 2017 after a first term. The defeated sent a message of congratulations to his challenger even before the official proclamation of the results: “The Ghanaian people have expressed themselves, they voted for change and we respect them with all humility. I am making this concession speech ahead of the official announcement by the Electoral Commission to avoid further tensions and preserve the peace of our country… It is important that the global investment community continues to believe in the peaceful and democratic character of Ghana. » That a politician places national interests above his miserable personal career is rare enough in Africa to be highlighted in fluorescent lights!
A political alternation without a false note
The defeat of the candidate of the NPP (New Patriotic Party), the party in power, is easily explained: galloping inflation, increase in the cost of living, political and financial scandals with twists and turns, increase in debt, etc. The country even had to cede its place as the second economic power in ECOWAS to Côte d'Ivoire, which now comes just behind the Nigerian giant. The kind of blunder that Ghanaians do not forgive!
Despite this economic boom, this dynamic country, with solid institutions, still benefits from a solid reputation and not only among investors. Political stability sometimes attracts much more than cobalt or diamond deposits. It is the surest guarantee of prosperity: it promotes the social climate and even better, the business climate.
An air of Scandinavia in Accra since 1992
It is no exaggeration to say that since 1992, there has been a feeling of Scandinavia in Accra: elections take place there with the same regularity as the seasons. We dance even if it's not quite a party yet. In Central Africa, there is still immobility. In Cameroon, Biya is still there, as is Sassou in Congo. In Chad, there were indeed elections but under the boots of the man we must call the “marshal-son”. As for Gabon, we are waiting to see, although Bongo has fallen… In West Africa, democratic experiences have all turned into a nightmare.
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Kangaroo of the day
Answer
But hey, Africa has had worse than that. And whatever anyone says, it is better equipped today to face rising dangers. In one year, the opposition has won presidential elections in no less than five countries. This is not nothing when we look at the field of ruins that our enlightened guides and our supreme leaders have left us. Amateurs of the third term and professionals of the transition can do nothing about it, Africa is following its own path, it is slowly emerging from the twists and turns of absolute power and it is Ghana which is pulling the others.
*1986, Black African Literary Grand Prize ex aequo for “Les Écailles du ciel”; 2008, Renaudot Prize for “The King of Kahel”; 2012, Erckmann-Chatrian Prize and Grand Prize for the Métis novel for “The Black Terrorist”; 2013, Grand Prix Palatine and Ahmadou-Kourouma Prize for “The Black Terrorist”; 2017, Grand Prix de la francophonie for all of his work.
