Ghanaian voters are becoming more discerning – Lydia Forson

Ghanaian actress and entrepreneur, Lydia Forson has spoken to the BBC in a recent interview about how the Ghanaian electorate is gradually moving away from voting on political or tribal lines.

This comes on the back of the defeat of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 7 election.

Expressing how "discerning" the Ghanaian voter has become, Lydia told James Copnall on BBC's Newsday on December 9, 2024 that Ghanaians voted out the NPP due to factors such lack of accountability.

"Accountability is one of the main things a lot of young people are angry about. The reality is, is there a global crisis? Yes. But when you factor in growing economy, we are going to be hit much harder. Now you have a people who are frustrated and they want to be heard. They are protesting and don't feel like they can protest, they are speaking up and they don't think they are being heard," she said.

Asked what should be done by the incoming government to make life better for Ghanaians, the celebrated actress suggested the new leadership pays attention to the plights of the people.

"So one of the most important things is having a listening leadership. Because if people are upset about something and they come to you and you tell them 'don't talk about it', or you are not allowed to be angry about it, that is a big problem. This election was really about the people, it was about any political party. The electorate is becoming more and more discerning. They are no longer voting necessarily based on tribal lines or loyalty to one fixed party.

When it comes to this new government, it is not about whether we like you or not. Are you going to deliver and if you can't, we are going to hold you to your promises," she said.

Lydia also told the BBC about how she has been affected by the economic woes of the country.

"I make natural hair and skin care products. I source most of my ingredients locally but there are other other ingredients that I source from outside the country. And so I have to pay for these goods in dollars and pounds. So when the cedi depreciates my cost of producing goes up and there is only so much of it you can put on the consumer, so now you are trying to create jobs but our ability to create those jobs is hindered by how well the cedi is doing. So I am not able to produce so much and consumers are not also buying. Because if you are producing what people don't feel they need everyday, [or] it is a bit of a luxury, you are affected. So no matter how well you think you are doing, you are affected.

And you have families. I have family in the village who also depend on you and the harder things get, the more they depend on you," she noted.

Lydia Forson is one of the few creatives in Ghana who are vocal about issues affecting the citizens. She was on the show with Ghana rapper M.anifestive who also intimated that the NPP's loss is as a result of the "anger" and "hunger" of the people.

The results of the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary election are yet to be officially announced by the Electoral Commission of Ghana but the flagbearer of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat to Former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In a public address broadcast from Dr. Bawumia's residence hours after results started trickling in, he acknowledged the victory of John Mahama and expressed his gratitude to Ghanaians for the opportunity to serve as a vice president and presidential candidate.

Dr Bawumia acknowledged the provisional results from the party’s internal collation, which indicated a victory for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama.

In the meantime, the Electoral Commissions has urged citizens to patiently wait for the official results.

Listen to Lydia Forson's interview on BBC's 'Newsday' here.