Ghana is a secular state by definition. This implies that religious liberty is protected, and all people are free to believe in and practise whatever religious faith they want. Religious appeals are not permitted for political parties.

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However, things are changing. Church leaders in Ghana are becoming increasingly vocal on matters of national importance. The Pentecostal Church recently suggested establishing a Christian morality council to supervise private and public conduct. Some Christian leaders are likewise pursuing "insider" status among political elites and prominent media exposure.

They intend to recreate Ghana by their ideals and ideas. The question is how this will affect democracy.

Many Ghanaians consider their country to be a "Christian nation." According to the census of 2021, around 71% of the population is Christian. Muslims account for 18% of the population. 5% of people follow indigenous or animistic religious beliefs. Another 6% belong to other religious organisations or have no religious convictions.


Politics and Christianity

The booming Pentecostal or Charismatic churches, which have recently become the most popular churches in Ghana, are influential forms of Christianity in Ghana. According to census figures, they account for 44% of all Christians in the country. These churches often have a conservative political stance, a strong trust in the Bible's authenticity, and a message that the country is experiencing catastrophic moral deterioration.


Some prominent Christians would desire to see Christians manage the government and society as a whole according to biblical law. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, the leader of the Action Chapel, one of the country's most notable charismatic churches, declared in a 2019 interview that Christians "should rule in corporate, politics, the marketplace, and everywhere." The inference is that Christianity should be the dominant social, political, and economic expression in Ghana, projecting a worldview to which all Ghanaians, Christian or not, should subscribe.

Archbishop - Duncan Williams


The challenge is determining what ideals Ghanaians should subscribe to. On the one hand, Archbishop Duncan-Williams has proposed a Christian perspective. On the other hand, there is a "secular" approach in which values are not related to religious belief.


According to Afrobarometer data, most Ghanaians are socially conservative, particularly when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights. Many people are also concerned about the country's apparent moral degeneration, which is defined by major corruption, as well as democratic collapse. Extra-parliamentary, but peaceful and pro-democracy, resistance to the government has occurred, including demands for a new constitution and a more fair political structure.


The challenge is determining what ideals Ghanaians should subscribe to. On the one hand, Archbishop Duncan-Williams has proposed a Christian perspective. On the other hand, there is a "secular" approach in which values are not related to religious belief.


According to Afrobarometer data, most Ghanaians are socially conservative, particularly when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights. Many people are also concerned about the country's apparent moral degeneration, which is defined by major corruption, as well as democratic collapse. Extra-parliamentary, but peaceful and pro-democracy, resistance to the government has occurred, including demands for a new constitution and a more fair political structure.


Ghana was classified as a liberal democracy by Sweden's V-Dem ("Varieties of Democracy") Institute in 2003-2014 and again in 2017-2020. This definition shifted to "electoral democracy" in 2021 and "autocratic" in 2022, suggesting a sharp collapse in democratic institutions.


According to the American group Freedom House, the fall is due to "discrimination against women and LGBT+ people." It also mentions "deficiencies in judicial independence and the rule of law." Corruption, poor public service delivery, political violence, and illicit mining are all mentioned.


Is there a Christian solution?

There are numerous approaches to dealing with these problems. One option is to alter the constitution to reform government and the state, making officials more responsible and policies more transparent.

Apostle-Eric-Nyamekye-Chairman-of-The-Church-of-Pentecost


The Church of Pentecost, Ghana's largest church with almost three million followers, believes in a different path. It proposes establishing a National Morality and Integrity Council with legislative authority to monitor private and public conduct, including at the state level.


The church believes that to promote democracy and combat corruption, practising Christians must take on leadership roles in society, including government. Joyce Aryee, a former government appointee and Christian leader, believes that this will "infest others with their purity" and change conduct for the better.


Critics, on the other hand, claim that putting more Christians in positions of power and establishing a morality council to regulate society will undermine democracy. Ghana must cultivate a wide range of ideas, motives, and actions. It might therefore seek the common good by relying on a wide range of worldviews, reasoning, values, goals, and habits, not only those derived from Christianity.


Mutual admiration

Democracy can only be achieved when citizens make a moral commitment to treat one another with the same respect that they would want to receive. It is vital to consider each other's well-being in the same way that one considers one's progress and enjoyment.


Ghana's democracy will fail unless individuals use their moral agency to mitigate economic and social inequities by modernising democratic institutions.