The libertarian head of IMANI Center for Policy & Education (Ghana) opines: "What else have we done right? Yes. We have averted a potential war in
Ghana on the eve of the fourth republic [during the 2008 elections, which was decided by less than 1% of the vote]. We may have to be grateful
for small mercies. I recall the tense atmosphere that engulfed the
courts when a member of the public challenged the citizenship of then
candidate Jerry Rawlings to contest the 1992 elections."
He continues his commentary: "We also managed a transition on the passing of our late President [John Atta] Mills without incidents and to the loud applause of the world. The Global Competitiveness Report has Ghana performing quite well;
this year, Ghana moved up 11 places from its previous position. This
means investor confidence is not waning although we have seen a few
dips. All in all, Ghana tends to protect its investors well. The fourth is that Ghana was ranked 71 out of 141 on the Fraser
Institute’s Economic freedom of the world report. Crucially [o]ver the
past decade, Ghana has moved from 101st to 53rd. There is more work to be done in that department. This last ranking is the most powerful indicator for Ghana’s democratic future."
Mr. Cudjoe argues that Ghana should focus more on the
micro side of managing the economy and stop managing the macro side of
the economy: "First we must continue to push our leaders to reduce
economic intervention, decentralize the management of power and
resources, free financial markets, remove bureaucratic obstacles to
setting up businesses, establish property rights and enforce contract
law. These are the forces that release entrepreneurial energy & and
ultimately buy insurance against poverty, disease ignorance and despair."
Franklin Cudjoe Op-Ed: The Future Of Ghanaian Democracy
