GHANA'S DEMOCRACY UNDER THE FOURTH REPUBLIC: A CASE FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION IN AFRICA

Ghana's Fourth Republic has been marked by a stable and thriving democracy since its inception in 1992. The Fourth Republic began after a series of military governments and coups in the country's history. Ghana's democracy has proven its mettle under the Fourth Republic by upholding democratic principles such as the Rule of Law, free and fair elections, freedom of expression and association, a multi-party system, political tolerance, separation of powers, and effective participation. Despite its commendable success over the past 30 years, there are still some critical challenges that need to be addressed, including low participation, corruption, favoritism, nepotism, extreme political polarization, winner-takes-all mentality, and politicization of illegal mining (Galamsey). This paper aims to establish the undeniable relationship between democracy and economic liberalization and suggests remediation strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of Ghana's democracy by thoroughly reviewing relevant literature.