The Political Economy of Galamsey and Anti-Chinese Sentiment in Ghana

by Richard Aidoo Abstract Recently, as Chinese engagements in Africa involve a diverse array of actors, including states, corporations, private and public ventures, individuals, and groups, Beijing’s economic and diplomatic relationships on the continent have become rather variegated and complex. The colliding of these actors and varied interests/motives is also shaping the discourse of anti-Chinese sentiment, […]

Father of the Nation: Ghanaian Nationalism, Internationalism and the Political Iconography of Kwame Nkrumah, 1957 – 2010

by Harcourt Fuller Abstract This article addresses the ways in which Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s prime minister and president, sought visually to propagandize the complementary, yet competing demands of nation-building, Pan-Africanism, and internationalism (most notably Cold War politics and Third World non-alignment) from 1957 to 1966. In order to illustrate the complexities inherent in juggling these […]

Age of Elegance: An Italianate Sobrado on the Gold Coast

by Courtnay Micots Abstract Upon first glance, two-story buildings constructed in brick and stone in coastal Ghana appear to be British colonial homes. However, though their façades were inspired by British styles, these early colonial period residences were actually built for Africans. Russell House, completed in 1898, manifests a deliberately constructed hybrid style of architecture […]

The Okada War in Urban Ghana: A Polemic Issue or Policy Mismatch?

by Martin Oteng-Ababio and Ernest Agyemang Abstract In recent years the government of Ghana and a section of civil society have clashed over whether motorcycle taxis, christened okada, which are fast becoming a major public transport mode, should be encouraged or not. In an apparent submission to public pressure and in pursuance of sustainable urban development, […]

The Okada War in Urban Ghana: A Polemic Issue or Policy Mismatch?

The Cattle are “Ghanaians” but the Herders are Strangers: Farmer-Herder Conflicts, Expulsion Policy, and Pastoralist Question in Agogo, Ghana

by Azeez Olaniyan, Michael Francis, and Ufo Okeke-Uzodike Abstract The phenomenon of farmer-herders conflict across West Africa has prompted management strategies by several governments across the subcontinent. One of the conflict resolution mechanisms has been the policy of expulsion, which the Ghanaian state adopted as a response to incessant conflict between the settled agriculturalists and migrating […]

A Community-Based Program in a Non-Existent Community

by Kwadwo Adusei-Asante Abstract Community is one of the idealized terms used frequently in contemporary development discourse. This paper argues that community is a complex and portrays the outcomes of development programs that apply it loosely. It draws on qualitative research methods and a case study of the World Bank’s Community-Based Rural Development Project implemented in […]

Party Youth Activists and Low-Intensity Electoral Violence in Ghana: A Qualitative Study of Party Foot Soldiers’ Activism

by George Bob-Milliar Abstract Within the literature, there is growing concern about how competitive politics are contributing to electoral violence in Africa. The focus of scholars has been on large‑scale organized political violence, referred to here as high‑intensity electoral violence. This article fills a gap in the literature and introduces a “new” concept I call low-intensity electoral violence by youth […]

Citizen or Client? An Analysis of Everyday Politics in Ghana

by Lauren M. MacLean Abstract This paper reconsiders the abstract concepts of citizenship and clientelism based on the political attitudes and everyday practices of people living in Ghana. Drawing on survey and ethnographic research at the village level in Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana as well as two rounds of Afrobarometer data, the paper reveals a hybrid […]

Bread and Freedom: Linking Democracy and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Kirk Harris Abstract This article looks at the effect of politics on food security in thirty-eight Sub‑Saharan African nations since 1990. In so doing, it helps clarify the causal mechanisms through which democracy impacts hunger. In contrast to previous empirical research where democracy is often treated as one‑dimensional, this study incorporates multiple measures of democracy and freedom. The […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Ghana