Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has criticized the conduct of the Electoral Commission (EC) during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration exercise in Ghana.

Mr. Braimah expressed concern that the manner in which the exercise is being conducted makes it “difficult” and “expensive” for applicants living in underdeveloped areas to participate. Many residents of villages in the Pru-East municipality, for example, have reported that transportation costs from their residences to registration centers are prohibitively high.

Some have also raised concerns about the risks involved in traveling to district offices, which has discouraged their participation in the process. Mr. Braimah argued that the registration exercise creates an impediment to democracy.

He questioned why the EC would put a price on the fundamental exercise of civic rights to vote and make democratic participation so difficult and expensive for citizens. Mr. Braimah expressed concern that a significant number of Ghanaian youth are losing trust in democracy due to such circumstances.

He further criticized the EC’s conduct, suggesting that the Commission seems to refuse to listen to anyone except the governing party, which could undermine democracy in the country. Mr. Braimah emphasized that this approach is not conducive to building trust in public institutions, including the Electoral Commission.

He advised the EC to start “listening to people and listening to voices of conscience” for the betterment of Ghana and its citizens.