ISSUED BY THE DEMOCRACY NOT FOR SALE PROJECT (JOYNEWS IMPACT MAKERS FOUNDATION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JOYNEWS/MULTIMEDIA GROUP) HO — FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

On Friday, July 31, 2026, the Democracy Not for Sale project convened its second regional dialogue at the Freedom Hotel in Ho, bringing together academics, law enforcement officials, traditional authorities, civil society advocates, a sitting Member of Parliament, and a large and vocal cross-section of the Volta Region public.

The forum, organised by the Impact Makers Foundation in partnership with Joy News and the Multimedia Group, was broadcast live on Joy News television, Joy FM (99.7), and the Multimedia Group’s digital streaming platforms.

The dialogue was grounded in field survey data gathered over several days across the Ho metropolis, drawing on more than 200 interactions and 103 structured respondent interviews — exceeding the region’s calculated ideal sample of 82, derived from the project’s national target of 1,600 respondents across 10 regions at a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±2.45%.

📌 Key Details

This communiqué sets out, in full, the findings presented, the substance of the dialogue that followed, and the recommendations that emerged from both panelists and the audience.

Respondents were 64% male and 36% female, with a notably youthful profile: 51% were aged 18–25, 23.3% were 26–35, 20% were 36–50, and 7% were 51 and above.

Awareness of vote buying in the region is near-universal. 38.8% of respondents said they had personally witnessed a candidate offering money or gifts for votes, and a further 59.2% had heard credible reports of it within their communities; only 1.9% reported neither witnessing nor hearing of it — meaning approximately 98% of respondents are aware of the practice through direct experience or reliable accounts.

Exposure varied by occupational group. Within the informal sector, 56% had personally witnessed vote buying, 36% had heard of it, and 8% reported no exposure — the only group in the sample with any respondents reporting no awareness at all. Professionals reported 39.29% personal witness and 60.71% reliable reports. Religious and traditional leaders reported no personal witnessing but 100% awareness through reliable reports. Students reported 31.25% personal witness and 68.75% reliable reports.

Witnessed versus heard reports of vote buying, by occupational category.

A pronounced generational divide emerged when respondents were asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much money influences who wins an election in the region. Only 33.96% of 18–25 year-olds rated the influence as high (6–10); this rose to 58.33% among 26–35 year-olds, reached a 50/50 split among 36–50 year-olds, and climbed to 80% among respondents aged 51 and above — the oldest cohort was more than twice as likely as the youngest to believe money determines electoral outcomes.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana