Ahead of the December 7 general election, the Foundation for Security and Development for Africa (FOSDA), a regional civil society organisation, has appealed to Ghanaian youth to eschew electoral violence.
Mrs Theodora Williams Anti, the Executive Director, FOSDA, said youth involvement in electoral gun violence was a symptom of deeper structural issues that Ghana must confront.
“It is a challenge that threatens not only the sanctity of our electoral process but also the future of our democracy and the well-being of our society,” Mrs Anti stated in Accra at the “Ballots not Bullets Non-Violent Election Dialogue.”
It was organised by FOSDA with funding support from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The event seeks to raise awareness of the impact of electoral gun violence in Ghana, especially among the youth, and strategise to minimize its occurrence in the upcoming general election.
Mrs Anti noted that electoral violence was a threat to peace and democratic development.
She appealed to Ghanaians to ensure that the election was violence- free with the shared commitment to safeguarding the peace, stability, and democratic integrity of the nation.
“Ghana has long been celebrated as a beacon of democracy in West Africa, a country that has successfully transitioned from military rule to a multi-party democracy and conducted multiple peaceful elections.”
The troubling specter of electoral violence, particularly involving firearms and the active participation of the youth, threatened to erode the hard-earned reputation and undermine the very foundations of the country’s democratic system, Mrs Anti said.
She reiterated that electoral violence, in its many forms, had become a recurring feature of elections across the globe; stating however that its manifestation in Ghana, especially with the involvement of firearms, was particularly alarming.
The Executive Director said this year alone FOSDA had recorded an increasing trend of gun violence from 10, 18 and 19 in the first , second and third quarters, respectively.
She said gun violence in Bawku remained a risk for the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Recent multiple gun attacks at Forex bureaus and jewellery shops, violence involving youth supporters during the limited registration exercise, the alleged gun attacks by youth on MPs in Gomoa East and Nhyiaeso Constituencies were worrying.
“This trend is not only a direct threat to lives and property but also a significant impediment to the credibility of our electoral process,” she said.
“Central to this issue is the role of young people—those who should be the future stewards of our democracy, yet who are increasingly becoming pawns in a dangerous game of political manipulation and violent contestation.”
Mrs Anti said that raised urgent questions about the socio-political structures that had allowed that phenomenon to persist and what could be done to reverse the trend.
She said the involvement of youth in electoral gun violence in Ghana was a symptom of broader socio-economic and political challenge.
She said it was crucial to understand the root causes to craft effective solutions.
“One cannot ignore the reality that many of Ghana’s youth face a grim economic outlook, characterized by high unemployment, underemployment, and limited opportunities for personal and professional advancement.”
She called on political parties to disarm their political campaigns and desist from arming their followers; saying “we also call on supporters of the various political parties to desist from the use of arms and electoral armed violence”.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, National Treasurer, West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA-Ghana) urged Ghanaians to choose the ballot over the bullet.
“We must choose ballots, and we must choose peace. Violence creates conditions for the use of bullets, and as a nation with progressive democratic development, violence has no place in our electoral processes.”
