Economist and Professor of Finance, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has called for a broader national conversation on Ghana’s democracy, arguing that the country must look beyond partisan politics and confront issues that threaten free speech, institutional independence and citizens’ confidence in democratic governance.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, August 8, Prof Bokpin said the debate over whether Ghana’s democracy is under threat should not be reduced to accusations and counter-accusations between the two major political parties.

He said there is a need to examine the evidence objectively and determine whether there are emerging patterns that could undermine the country’s democratic institutions.

“Is it possible that we can go beyond ‘I do you, you do me’ and all of that, and begin to look at whether there’s an element of truth in this?” he asked.

Prof Bokpin said Ghana has accumulated enough experience under successive NDC and NPP governments to critically examine how both parties behave when they are in opposition and when they assume power.

“We’ve seen how the NDC behaves when they are in opposition. We’ve seen how the NPP behaves when they are in opposition and also when they are in power,” he said.

Prof Bokpin said the country must pay attention to how political interests increasingly influence public discourse, particularly through social media and other platforms where citizens express their opinions.

He noted that political narratives now extend beyond the traditional political class to ordinary citizens using platforms such as TikTok and Facebook.

“If you look at the entire value chain, you see the politics all the way through to TikTok, Facebook, comments that people make and all of that,” he said.

He expressed concern that political loyalties could increasingly determine how citizens interpret events and institutions, potentially undermining objective public debate.

According to him, Ghana must ensure that political disagreements do not gradually erode the freedoms and institutions that sustain democracy.