The map of West Africa is being redrawn by soldiers. As coups topple governments from Mali to Gabon, and a recent attempt rattled Nigeria, Ghanaians watch from a democratic island increasingly surrounded by a sea of junta rule. The question is no longer abstract, but urgent: Are we safe?
Since 2020, a coup wave has re-drawn the political map of Africa. From Mali and Burkina Faso to Gabon and Niger, soldiers have toppled governments. Just recently, the world watched as a coup attempt in Nigeria, the region’s giant, was narrowly thwarted. Meanwhile, in Madagascar, a political crisis featuring arrests and a disputed election echoes the region’s authoritarian drift. This isn’t distant news; it’s a creeping reality at Ghana’s doorstep.
The fallout is already inside the house. Over 15,000 asylum seekers, fleeing the chaos of Burkina Faso’s coup, have crossed into Ghana’s impoverished Upper East and Upper West regions. This humanitarian crisis strains local resources in one of the country’s most vulnerable areas. Next door in Togo, the construction of a new military base, with reported Russian experts, signals a region bracing for conflict.
Ghana stands as a democratic fortress in this turbulent neighborhood, but its walls are showing cracks. The World Bank labels its economy “in distress,” burdened by unsustainable debt. This economic squeeze is a classic vulnerability that coup-plotters elsewhere have exploited, capitalizing on public frustration over corruption and a high cost of living.
Now, a profound constitutional drama threatens to shake Ghana’s democratic foundations to their core. The unprecedented lawsuit by dismissed Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo against the state at the ECOWAS Court is more than a personal legal battle; it is a stress test for the entire system.
Her dismissal by President Mahama and her subsequent demand for $10 million in compensation have ignited a national firestorm. Is this a necessary constitutional process or a political witch-hunt? The public is deeply skeptical. This case, playing out on both national and regional stages, risks deepening that cynicism.
The outcome will resonate far beyond the courtroom. A prolonged crisis risks scaring away the foreign investment Ghana’s fragile economy desperately needs. More importantly, it could weaken the very institutions that protect Ghana from the kind of instability engulfing its neighbors. When citizens lose faith in the judiciary and see political battles overshadowing governance, the appeal of “strongman” alternatives can grow.
The coup trend in Africa is not random. It thrives where institutions are weak, economies fail, and people lose faith. Ghana’s democratic resilience, once taken for granted, is now its most valuable and vulnerable asset. How it navigates this internal judicial crisis will determine not just the fate of a chief justice, but the strength of its fortress walls against the gathering storm.
By Seun Faleye