On 7 December, former President John Dramani Mahama won Ghana’s presidential election with 56.4 per cent of the vote, defeating Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who secured 41.8 per cent. Voter turnout stood at 64.0 per cent, down from 79.0 per cent in 2020. The election also resulted in a strong parliamentary win for Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC), which secured 186 of the 276 seats (67.4 per cent), giving it a two-thirds majority. The country will now have its first woman Vice-President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang. According to Ghana’s Electoral Commission, 12.8 per cent of parliamentary candidates in 2024 were women. Election results were initially delayed as political parties incited their supporters to gather in large numbers at collation centres. While Bawumia conceded on 8 December, reports of vandalism, looting, and property destruction led security forces to disperse crowds with tear gas and pepper spray. Observers from the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations lauded the Electoral Commission for conducting a transparent and credible election.

Sources: Electoral Commission Ghana, African Union, Commonwealth Observer Group, The Africa Report, Africa Confidential, British Broadcasting Corporation, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

The President signed the long-awaited Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Bill into law on 19 September 2024, ending a process that began in 1998. The law’s primary objective is to improve women’s representation including by increasing the proportion of seats held by women in parliaments, local governments and managerial positions to a minimum of 30 per cent by 2030, with a longer-term goal of 50/50 gender balance. Today, women hold less than 15 per cent of parliamentary seats in Ghana. The law introduces mechanisms such as compliance certification and gender-responsive budgeting, along with support structures like political party mandates and committee oversight to enforce its goals. The law does not impose heavy penalties for noncompliance. This development has been hailed by the United Nations as a significant step in addressing gender disparities in Ghana, while gender scholars caution that full implementation and monitoring will be critical to ensuring its impact.

Sources: Parliament of Ghana, The Africa Report, Reuters, Inter-Parliamentary Union, United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, The Conversation, BBC

On 14 September, mass protests erupted across all 16 regions of Ghana, marking one of the largest demonstrations in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people reportedly participated, demanding greater electoral transparency and accountability. The protests were sparked by accusations from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which claimed the Electoral Commission had manipulated the voter register ahead of the 7 December 2024 general elections. The NDC raised concerns about missing names, irregularities, and the inclusion of over 50,000 deceased individuals on the voter roll. In response, the opposition called for an independent forensic audit of the voter roll and a bipartisan probe into the Electoral Commission’s conduct. Despite the Electoral Commission’s denial of wrongdoing, the scale and geographic spread of the protests highlight growing public demand for electoral reforms.

Sources: The Africa Report (1), The Africa Report (2), Jeune Afrique, BBC, AP News

On 30 September, a coalition of civil society organizations, labor unions, media outlets, and religious leaders staged a three-day protest in Ghana, demanding stricter enforcement of laws against illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey”. While galamsey has long been an issue that has severely degraded the environment over the years, these protests are significant for the unprecedented involvement of such a wide range of actors. Protesters called for a state of emergency in affected areas, the removal of illegal miners, and the revocation of mining licenses. The environmental toll, including poisoned rivers and deforestation, threatens livelihoods and water sources for millions. The government clashed with protesters, leading to dozens of arrests and raising concerns about the suppression of dissent. Galamsey has been blamed for polluting 60 per cent of Ghana’s water bodies, with analysts warning the country may need to import water by 2030 if the crisis continues.

Sources: ISS Africa, The Africa Report, Africa News, Jurist News, BBC

On 28 February, the Parliament passed a law that would impose new penalties not only on same-sex sexual acts (up to five years in prison), but also on people who are open about a non-heterosexual orientation (up to three years in prison). The law, entitled the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, had its first reading in Parliament in 2021, but received a great deal of opposition within Ghana and abroad. Ghana’s Finance Minister warned the government that approval of the law could endanger funding from the World Bank on which Ghana’s economic health depends. On 5 March, President Nana Akufo-Addo stated that he will not assent to the law and give it legal force until after a review of its constitutionality by the Supreme Court.

Update: On 18 December, Ghana’s Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge seeking to block the anti-LGBTQIA+ bill from proceeding in Parliament but did not rule on its constitutionality, leaving the decision to the President. Outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo deferred the bill to his successor, John Dramani Mahama, who was sworn in on 7 January. During his first week in office, Mahama declared the bill void as it was not signed before Parliament’s term ended, suggesting it be reintroduced as a government-backed bill, rather than a Private Members’ Bill, with broader national consensus.

Sources: Ghanaian Times, Pulse, Business Ghana, Ghana Web, The Africa Report, Modern Ghana

On 24 January, the High Court in Accra concluded Ghana’s first treason trial since 1966, convicting six people of high treason and sentencing them to death by hanging. Three others who had been charged were found not guilty. All nine co-defendants had pleaded not guilty. The group was accused of plotting to overthrow the Ghanaian government in 2019. They were arrested in 2019 in a large police operation that also seized a cache of firearms, ammunition, and three grenades. Three of those convicted were members of the armed forces. Ghana has not carried out an execution since 1993, and abolished capital punishment for most crimes in August 2023 while leaving open the possibility to impose the death penalty in cases of treason.

Sources: Africa News, Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Guardian