One of the five flagbearer hopefuls of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has argued that Ghana’s democracy has failed to live up to the expectations of the nation’s founders who fought for self-rule.

He made the remarks at a press engagement where he unveiled his six-pillar policy framework, outlining his vision for governing the country should he win the party’s presidential primary and subsequently secure the mandate to lead Ghana.

Mr Agyepong maintained that, despite decades of constitutional governance, democracy in Ghana has not delivered the depth of accountability, inclusion and national progress envisaged at independence.

“We have not created enough hope with our politics. Democracy has not yielded the expected dividend. This certainly is not our destiny; this was not our dream. The dream of our forebearers has been clouded,” he said.

“This was not the Ghana our martyrs died for,” he added.

According to the flagbearer hopeful, the gap between democratic ideals and lived realities has fuelled public disillusionment and weakened trust in state institutions, pointing to challenges such as “poor sanitation, high unemployment, galamsey, [and] a chaotic explosion of slum settlement”.

He pledged that, if given the opportunity, his administration would deliberately work to restore the true essence of democracy by strengthening state institutions, deepening citizen participation and upholding the rule of law.

“That is why I stand before you this afternoon, my countrymen, fully determined to usher in a new dawn,” he said.

Mr Agyapong noted that his six-pillar agenda is anchored on renewing democratic values, promoting good governance and repositioning the state to serve the collective interests of Ghanaians.

The NPP’s flagbearer primary is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026.