Ghanaian actress and entrepreneur Lydia Forson recently spoke to the BBC about how the Ghanaian electorate is gradually moving away from voting on political or tribal lines.
This comes from the defeat of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 7 election.
Expressing how “discerning” the Ghanaian voter has become, Lydia told James Copnall on BBC’s Newsday on December 9, 2024, that Ghanaians voted out the NPP due to factors such as lack of accountability.
“Accountability is one of the main things many young people are angry about. The reality is, is there a global crisis? Yes. But when you factor in the growing economy, we will be hit much harder. Now you have people who are frustrated and they want to be heard. They are protesting and don’t feel like they can protest, they are speaking up and they don’t think they are being heard,” she said.
When asked what the incoming government should do to improve the lives of Ghanaians, the celebrated actress suggested that the new leadership pay attention to the people’s plight.
“So one of the most important things is having a listening leadership. Because if people are upset about something and they come to you and you tell them ‘don’t talk about it’, or you are not allowed to be angry about it, that is a big problem. This election was really about the people, it was about any political party. The electorate is becoming more and more discerning. They are no longer voting necessarily based on tribal lines or loyalty to one fixed party.
Regarding this new government, it is not about whether we like you or not. Are you going to deliver and if you can’t, we are going to hold you to your promises,” she said.
Lydia also told the BBC about how she has been affected by the country’s economic woes.
“I make natural hair and skin care products. I source most of my ingredients locally but other other ingredients I source from outside the country. And so I have to pay for these goods in dollars and pounds. So when the cedi depreciates my cost of producing goes up and there is only so much of it you can put on the consumer, so now you are trying to create jobs but our ability to create those jobs is hindered by how well the cedi is doing. So I cannot produce so much and consumers are not also buying. Because if you are making what people don’t feel they need every day, [or] it is a bit of a luxury, you are affected. So no matter how well you think you are doing, you are concerned.
And you have families. I have family in the village who also depend on you and the harder things get, the more they depend on you,” she noted.
Lydia Forson is one of the few creatives in Ghana who is vocal about issues affecting citizens. She was on the show with Ghana rapper M.anifestive, who also intimated that the NPP’s loss is a result of the people’s “anger” and “hunger.”
The results of the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary election are yet to be officially announced by the Electoral Commission of Ghana. Still, the flagbearer of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat to Former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a public address broadcast from Dr. Bawumia’s residence hours, after the results started trickling in, he acknowledged John Mahama’s victory and expressed his gratitude to Ghanaians for the opportunity to serve as vice president and presidential candidate.
Dr Bawumia acknowledged the provisional results from the party’s internal collation, which indicated a victory for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama.
In the meantime, the Electoral Commission has urged citizens to wait for the official results patiently.
Listen to Lydia Forson’s interview on BBC’s ‘Newsday’ here.
Source: Kwame Dadzie
