The JoyNews team has officially touched down in Tamale ahead of the highly anticipated “Democracy Is Not For Sale” regional forum, marking the start of a nationwide citizen and politician dialogue on the growing influence of money in Ghana’s politics.

Led by the JoyNews Impact Makers Foundation, the initiative seeks to confront the rising cost of political participation, the surge in vote buying and the increasing role of illicit financing in shaping electoral outcomes.

In the lead up to Friday’s forum, the team has been actively engaging residents across Tamale, from busy markets and lorry stations to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and the University for Development Studies, gathering firsthand accounts on how money is influencing political choices.

These interactions form part of a broader research effort aimed at ensuring the conversations are grounded in real citizen experiences, rather than held in isolation.

The Tamale dialogue is the first of ten regional forums to be held across the country, creating a national platform for citizens, political actors, governance institutions and civil society groups to interrogate issues of campaign financing, vote buying and democratic accountability.

The initiative, which will be hosted by JoyNews’ premier news anchor Fostina Sarfo, comes at a time when concerns are mounting over the escalating cost of elections in Ghana, with studies indicating that campaign financing particularly during party primaries continues to favour wealthy candidates and raises questions about transparency and fairness.

Beyond discussions, the forums are expected to generate citizen driven recommendations that will feed into a proposed Citizens’ Blueprint for Campaign Finance Reform, while also pushing for concrete commitments from political leaders and institutions.

Friday’s forum in Tamale will be held at the GNAT Hall at 4 PM and will be broadcast live on JoyNews, Joy 99.7 FM and affiliate stations.

As the conversations begin in Tamale, the broader goal remains clear, amplifying citizen voices, exposing the realities of money politics and driving meaningful reforms to safeguard Ghana’s democracy.