President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to defending democracy by safeguarding the independence of state institutions and protecting media freedoms.
Delivering the keynote address at the Democracy Dialogue 2025 in Accra, President Mahama said Ghana will continue to uphold democratic governance not only in rhetoric but in practice.
“As host, Ghana recommits to upholding democracy not just in rhetoric, but in practice. We will defend the independence of our institutions, we will support free expression, and we will continue to democratic governance across West Africa,” he said.
The President stressed that democracy cannot survive without development, pointing out that citizens must experience tangible improvements in their daily lives.
READ: Democracy Dialogue 2025: Democracy at risk without development – Mahama warns
“Democracy without development, democracy without roads, democracy without schools, hospitals and jobs will always be at risk,” he cautioned.
He identified five major threats to democracy: weak institutions that fail to protect rights, corruption and elite capture that erode trust, exclusion and inequality that alienate citizens, leadership deficits that undermine legitimacy, and external pressures that exploit vulnerabilities.
President Mahama drew lessons from global history, referencing democratic collapses in Latin America in the 1970s, the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe, and the reversal in Myanmar.
He also highlighted positive examples from South Korea and Taiwan, where democratic systems thrived alongside economic development.
He quoted Vaclav Havel, the former Czech president, who said democracy must be fought for every day, and also recalled Abraham Lincoln’s timeless words that “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
On Ghana’s journey, President Mahama noted that since 1992 the country has earned recognition as a beacon of democracy through peaceful political transitions, a vibrant media, and resilient civil society.
Yet, he admitted that inequality, monetization of politics, youth unemployment, and misinformation continue to pose threats.
He stressed the importance of civic education, invoking the words of Thomas Sankara: “A soldier without political education or ideological training is a potential criminal.” He linked this to the need for ethical leadership, saying that leadership without moral grounding can undermine democratic survival.
According to him, democracy requires an open civic space, strong regional solidarity, and the protection of press freedoms, which he described as “democracy’s immune system.”
“Democracy dies when citizens lose faith, when leaders abandon integrity and institutions succumb to capture. But democracy can be renewed when citizens rise to defend it,” the President said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh
