Ghana Must Beware: The Domestic Politics With The US-Ghana Defence Cooperation Agreement Might Leave

I have followed the recent turn of events in Ghana with regards to the US-Ghana Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). I must confess that I am very sad and worried with the way the populace and the main opposition party in particular are approaching this deal. Despite the Minister of Information clarifying this deal, it seems quite unfortunate that the main opposition party in the country has succeeded in taking advantage of a number of the uninformed populace. I understand the need for the opposition party to be on the heels of the government in a reputably democratic country like Ghana. Furthermore, it is understandable that they will want to take advantage of any mishap by the incumbent to come back to power in 2020. However, issues that might lead to a negative effect on the international reputation of the country may be not be the best avenues to use. Apart from thinking of these reactions are self-conceited and selfish, I will be mild and consider it as a lack of information on the possible mud they may be dragging Ghana into. Hence, I wish to add my voice through this medium to enlighten those spearheading these demonstrations on the possible consequences Ghana might suffer.

Before I proceed, I will be glad to let every reader acknowledge that I am a patriotic Ghanaian who believes in the sovereignty and the development of Ghana. However, attention must be drawn to the fact that no nation is an island on its own. The main issue is to choose which countries you prefer to associate yourself with. These choices may not always be explicit as seen in trade deals but can also be affected by the actions and inactions of the populace in response to bilateral agreements. As a trade economist, I must say that I have studied to a large extent how cooperation among nations have led to the development of several economies. Most notably, the reconstruction of many economies destroyed due to World War II was enabled through cooperation among nations.

To understand the possible negative impact of the 'Ghana First' demonstrations to this deal, it is cogent to look at some aspects of the relationship between Ghana and the United States. I will dwell on the positives, as it is evident that the leaders of these demonstrations have already propagated the negatives about historical US-Ghana relationships, making some part of the populace think that the US has no good intentions for the development of Ghana.

Let us first consider the area of education. Ghana is the African country with the third highest number of students studying in the US [1]. According to US Embassy data, the 2016/2017 academic year saw about 3111 Ghanaian students in the US representing about 8.24 % of the total number of African students studying in US (a number of which I am also included). The good thing is that the majority of us are on scholarships to study here and go back to improve our countries with the knowledge and expertise gained. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly I have not heard anyone demonstrating back home about why Ghanaian students have been given scholarships to study in the US.

Secondly, the presence of the USAID in Ghana has yielded conspicuous benefits to the people of Ghana, particularly the Northern part which has battled an age-long poverty. This agency has worked hand-in-hand with several governments of Ghana to enhance development through poverty alleviation mechanisms such as innovations in agricultural production, technology adoption, affirmative empowerment, health services improvement just to mention a few. The USAID through its foreign aid programme spent US$724 million on Ghana from 2001 and 2017[2]. This figure makes Ghana the fourth highest sub-Saharan African beneficiary of US foreign aid. Among the 49 possible sub-Saharan African beneficiaries, the average spent by the US over this period was US$235 million per country. Well, it looks to me as if nobody complains when we are benefiting from the US.

In the area of trade, the US through its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) have helped several African countries to improve their export revenues through increased access to U.S. markets. Ghana, which has been a member since its inception in 2000, has also benefitted immensely from this act. Ghana's exports to the US increased from US$116 million in 2002 to US$222 million in 2008[3].

Well, if Ghanaians after these benefits and more of which have not been mentioned above believe in our sovereignty and are reacting to a perceived unfavourable agreement in this way, we must also endeavour to accept the fact that the US is also a sovereign nation and reserves the right of association. The US and Ghana have had some unfriendly relationships in the past. Particularly starting with the bitter revelation of CIA involvements with the overthrow of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Other instances were the two countries’ spout over the trial of the two Libyan suspects of the Lockerbie Bombing and the Sharon Scranage espionage scandal. These were not particularly pleasant periods and hence it will not be prudent for both nations to revisit similar relationships. The key lies in the hands of Ghana now.

In addition, the world has two groups of countries; allies of the US and the rest. The world has become a global village where information spreads across its surface in a matter of minutes. We must therefore note that our reaction to this deal is being observed by other countries. Let us be rest assured that how we conduct ourselves with this issue will affect other countries’ perception of Ghana as a nation with regards to bilateral agreements.

To conclude, I wish to plead with those spearheading the demonstrations to be weary of the possible negative effects of these reactions on the international image of Ghana. I am not in any way suggesting that the US will retaliate to these events, for I don't know how Washington is receiving this news and what perceptions it is forming about Ghana. However, we must all bear in mind that international alliances are meant for both parties to benefit. There are deals in which one country may "seem" to benefit more than the other as perceived by some Ghanaians in the case of this DCA. But no matter the grievance Ghana bears, there is an appropriate way to handle this issue. Let's us bear in mind that the US is watching, so is the world. This behaviour might create a disincentive for other nations wishing to enter into any other form of agreement with Ghana.

A Cross-Section of Ghanaians Rallying Against the US-Ghana DCA

References

[1] US-Ghana Embassy 'Ghana Sends Third-highest Number of Students from Africa to the U.S.' Retrieved from https://gh.usembassy.gov/ghana-sends-third-highest-number-students-africa-u-s/

[2] U.S. Foreign Aid by Country. Retrieved online from https://explorer.usaid.gov/cd/GHA

[3] Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Census Bureau, “Trade in Goods with Ghana,” 2011.