Ghana Centre for Democratic Development — civil society organisation calling for accountability in election violence cases and reform of political financing across Africa.
… The organising partners were the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Open Society Foundations and Transparency International. …
… But tracing where this money actually goes is nearly impossible. “CSR has become a slush fund, says a researcher at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), and continuing with “Traditional leaders, district assembly officials, and even MPs demand direct payments …
The Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has raised concerns about the Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards. …
The Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has warned that awarding individual ministers for performance could undermine teamwork in government and complicate the President’s ability to manage his appointees. …
The Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has cautioned that privately organised awards ranking government ministers could create unintended consequences for governance and weaken the President’s authority in managing his team. …
… In 2012, he delivered a landmark lecture in Accra on “Credible Elections and Governance in Africa,” organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development. …
The Centre for Democratic Development has demanded justice for victims of 2024 election-related violence, arguing that accountability and completion of investigations into violence from the 2020 and 2024 elections are crucial to prevent future incidents and maintain national cohesion.
The Centre for Democratic Development has demanded justice for victims of 2024 election-related violence, arguing that accountability and completion of investigations into violence from the 2020 and 2024 elections are crucial to prevent future incidents and maintain national cohesion.
The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development has called for investigations into unresolved electoral violence cases from the 2020 and 2024 general elections, arguing that lasting peace requires justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators. A CDD-Ghana official warned that without investigation and accountability, affected families risk retaliation during future election periods.
Ghana's Supreme Court ruled that limiting political party primaries to delegates is unconstitutional, requiring parties to expand participation to all members in good standing. The ruling creates an opportunity to reform Ghana's political finance architecture and address the escalating cost of politics, with parties given one year to amend their constitutions.
Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, UN Special Representative for Libya and former Foreign Affairs Minister, has urged Ghana to strengthen its institutions, deepen regional diplomacy through the AU and ECOWAS, and build a resilient economy as the post-World War II international order weakens and geopolitical rivalry reshapes global relations.
James Agbey, an NDC member, has accused some government appointees of undermining President John Mahama's administration and warned the party will not allow "internal saboteurs" to derail the President's agenda. He said while Mahama enjoys strong public support, the conduct of some ministers and heads of state institutions is generating growing frustration.
African policymakers, anti-corruption agencies, and civil society organisations have adopted the Accra Declaration on Regulating Financing of Politics to Advance Democratic Integrity in Africa, calling for coordinated continental action to strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in political financing. The declaration, adopted at a three-day conference in Accra held from July 14 to 16, warns that growing influence of money in politics is threatening democratic governance and eroding public confidence in institutions.
A CDD-Ghana fellow argues that state institutions will struggle to separate their actions from politics as long as their heads are political appointees, noting that leadership changes in these institutions often follow changes in government and that cases involving high-profile or politically exposed persons add further complexity.
A CDD-Ghana fellow says political appointment of heads of key state institutions makes it difficult for the public to distinguish administrative actions from partisan politics, a challenge that deepens when institutions investigate politically exposed persons or high-profile party figures.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Second Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament, has urged African governments to invest in economic empowerment of citizens alongside political financing reforms, arguing that poverty drives money politics and that legal frameworks alone cannot safeguard democratic governance.
The Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption has identified opaque political party financing as a major enabler of corruption, illicit financial flows, and state capture in Africa, urging governments to enact and enforce laws regulating political funding to ensure elections reflect the will of citizens rather than hidden financiers' interests.
Ghana has called for urgent reforms to political financing across Africa, warning that growing money influence is undermining democratic integrity, excluding capable leaders, and weakening public trust in institutions. Deputy Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem told attendees at a regional convening in Accra that rising campaign costs are preventing competent citizens, women, and young people from participating in politics.
Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer and the world's sixth-largest, accounts for nearly 40% of total exports but faces deep mismanagement and corruption. Successive governments have failed to establish transparent mechanisms for tracking mining companies' investments, production, taxes, and royalties, enabling systematic underreporting and loss of revenue.
The Supreme Court will deliver a judgment on July 29, 2026, in a constitutional case brought by lawyer Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, challenging whether Parliament lawfully granted the Office of the Special Prosecutor independent investigative and prosecutorial powers, arguing the 1992 Constitution vests prosecutorial authority exclusively in the Attorney-General.
The Deputy Attorney-General and 14 civil society organisations appeared at the Supreme Court for a case filed in December 2025 challenging whether Parliament unconstitutionally granted prosecutorial powers to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. The Attorney-General's office argues that Article 88(3) of the Constitution vests prosecutorial powers solely in its office and that Parliament acted unconstitutionally by passing the OSP Act, 2017.
The Deputy Attorney-General and 14 civil society organisations appeared at the Supreme Court for a hearing on a constitutional case challenging whether Parliament had the authority to grant the Office of the Special Prosecutor independent prosecutorial powers. The case, filed by private legal practitioner Noah Ephraem Tetteh Adamtey, argues that Articles 88(3) and 88(4) of the Constitution vest prosecutorial authority solely in the Attorney-General, and that the OSP Act 2017 was unconstitutional.
The Executive Director of Ghana's Centre for Democratic Development has warned that the Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards could undermine cabinet cohesion and complicate the President's management of ministers, noting that a third party's publicly declared "best minister" could create complications if the President is evaluating that minister's performance against internal benchmarks.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development has warned that individual ministerial performance awards could undermine teamwork in government and complicate the President's ability to manage appointees, noting they may interfere with the President's constitutional authority to assess ministers based on internal benchmarks.
The Executive Director of Ghana's Centre for Democratic Development has cautioned that privately organised awards ranking government ministers could interfere with a President's internal assessment and complicate decisions on appointments and reshuffles. He noted that a minister publicly celebrated through such awards might simultaneously be facing removal by the President's own standards.
Festus Mogae, Botswana's third president who served from 1998 to 2008, died early Friday after a period of declining health. He was remembered by current President Duma Boko as a statesman devoted to discipline, good governance, and economic prudence.
IMANI Africa has defended civil society organisations' participation in a Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017, saying CSO involvement is justified to support constitutional interpretation and strengthen accountability despite criticism that it may amount to advocacy rather than neutral assistance.
Fourteen civil society organisations, including CDD, IMANI Africa, and Transparency International Ghana, have filed to join a Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017. The groups say their involvement is motivated by commitment to constitutionalism, accountable governance, and anti-corruption, and is not partisan or personal.