This months elections occurred in two African countries, Ghana and the Gambia. On Dec 1, 2016, Gambia went to the polls in which, unexpectedly, opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. Ghana followed up on Dec 7. Here also the leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the main opposition party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo defeated the incumbent president John Mahama, in what can be described as a landslide, looking at how close elections have been in Ghana over the past 20 years or so.
The post elections developments in the two countries though are different. In Gambia, Mr. Jammeh alleges widespread voter fraud and is calling for another fresh elections, in line with how politics is done in many African countries. In Ghana, President Mahama has called to congratulate Nana Addo and has promised to assist in a peaceful transition and his support for the incoming president to move the country forward.
These are the two faces of Africa. Maybe in the years to come, the Ghana story will be the norm but for now, we will be leaving with the two sides.
While the western media makes so much about events such as happening in the Gambia, there are many examples of the Ghana standard, and that deserve the same amount of media coverage.
