NDC-Business Relations: The Case of Brong-Ahafo

Abstract

Thus far, I have focused on government-business relations at the national level. I now focus on the regional and local levels to further develop the thesis that, despite economic liberalization, the government retained the means by which to influence the fortunes of capitalists. The previous chapter showed that, whereas the NDC became a vehicle of rapid mobility for regime insiders and their allies, businesspeople that allied themselves with the opposition faced discrimination and decline. Drawing on material obtained from Brong-Ahafo, one of Ghana’s ten administrative regions, I will show that similar developments occurred at the regional and local levels. Government-business relations beyond the major cities have been a neglected area of study with the result that very little is known about the nature of these relations. In that regard, the current focus will be particularly illuminating, filling an important gap. Further, it will provide vital insights into the NDC’s storied political success in small-town Ghana—a success that derived partly from businesspeople’s contribution to NDC resource mobilization. Finally, it will enable an assessment of NDC claims that (1) it was not the party of established business interests; and (2) that it was the party of relative probity. Thus, I provide another angle to examine NDC-business relations.