Elections in Ghana? What should be straightforward moments of choice, citizens walking to the polls, casting their ballots, and returning home to await results, have instead become costly exercises weighed down by tension, suspicion, and the looming threat of chaos.
Beyond the printing of ballots and running of polling stations, the country is now saddled with a growing bill for security. Each election is treated less as a civic duty and more as a potential conflict, forcing the deployment of thousands of police officers and sinking excessive millions of cedis into protecting the process from citizens themselves.
The upcoming Akwatia by-election is the latest example. The Ghana Police Service says over 5,500 officers will be deployed to secure the polls. That deployment means millions of cedis will go into food, accommodation, transportation, fuel, and allowances for the security personnel. What should have been a simple by-election is now set to resemble a major security operation.
The question, however, is why? The answer lies in a culture of dishonesty and mistrust. Over the years, elections in Ghana have been overshadowed by allegations of rigging, intimidation, and chaos. Parties approach the ballot not with confidence in the process, but with suspicion of their rivals. This mistrust has forced the state to overspend on protection, not because it wants to, but because the alternative is unrest.
Yet the costs go beyond the ballot box. In Accra, Ridge Hospital has been battling with broken MRI and CT scanners, equipment that could save lives but have remained out of service for years. Doctors and patients are left stranded, while many are forced to seek costly alternatives. This is not an isolated case; hospitals across the country face shortages of staff, beds, and equipment. At the same time, millions of cedis are being poured into securing ballot papers.
The contrast is that funds that could have repaired vital medical machines, purchased drugs, or trained nurses are instead being spent on feeding and housing security officers during elections. In effect, the price of dishonesty is not just political, it is economic and deeply social. Citizens lose twice: first through mistrustful elections, and second through underfunded public services.
This problem is not new. Since 1992, every election cycle has been marked by tension, accusations, and heavy police presence. What should be routine has become ritualized chaos. Over time, dishonesty has hardened into culture, and mistrust has become the default setting of Ghana’s politics. The result is a country that overspends on protecting elections while underinvesting in protecting lives.
What emerges is a troubling trade-off. As thousands of police prepare for duty in Akwatia, Ridge Hospital struggles without vital equipment. Until mistrust is reduced in Ghana’s politics, the cost of every ballot will remain higher than the nation can afford.
