National Commission for Civic Education Chairperson Ms. Kathleen Addy says Ghana has reached a pivotal moment that requires a renewed social contract grounded in accountability, inclusive development, and institutional trust.

Delivering a paper examining the relationship between the Ghanaian state and its citizens, Addy argued that while the 1992 Constitution restored constitutional governance and Ghana’s Fourth Republic has delivered over three decades of political stability and peaceful power transfers, the democratic order is showing signs of strain.

“More than three decades later, Ghana's democratic order is showing signs of strain.

Declining public trust, economic hardship, institutional weakness, corruption, youth unemployment, and widening inequality have exposed the growing gap between constitutional promises and citizens-lived realities,” she said.

Addy traced Ghana’s political history from colonial rule through the First, Second, and Third Republics to military interventions and the current Fourth Republic.

She said each phase reflected attempts to redefine the state-citizen relationship, with the 1992 Constitution representing the most comprehensive attempt to reconstruct democratic legitimacy.

She noted Ghana’s democratic gains: no coups since January 1993, regular elections in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, and peaceful transfers of power between the NDC and NPP in 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2024. Poverty also fell from 52.7% in 1991 to 23.4% in 2016, according to World Bank data.

However, Addy said recent trends show growing public dissatisfaction.

She cited Afrobarometer 2024 data showing 78.4% of citizens described the national economy as very bad or fairly bad, and World Bank 2025 figures putting poverty at 39.6% in 2024.

Ghana Statistical Service data also showed youth unemployment at 32% for ages 15-24 in Q4 2024.

The NCCE Chair argued that Ghana must move “beyond procedural electoral democracy towards a more substantive democratic order” capable of delivering social justice and economic dignity.

She said legitimacy depends on the state’s ability to protect rights, provide security, uphold justice, and create conditions for citizen participation.

Drawing on global examples, she said South Africa shows constitutional rights alone are insufficient without economic inclusion, while Rwanda shows service delivery can strengthen legitimacy but risks sacrificing democratic pluralism.

Addy concluded that the challenge is not just constitutional reform or economic recovery in isolation, but whether Ghana can renew legitimacy by building trust between political institutions and citizens.

She stressed that the social contract is reciprocal: the state has obligations, and citizens have responsibilities under Article 41 of the Constitution.