GHANA’S REBELLIOUS CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF #FIXTHECOUNTRY MOVEMENT

Abstract

Abstract

Just as many countries in Africa and the developing world, Ghana’s response to the “third wave” of global democratization process in the late 1980s resulted in the 1990s political liberalization, democratic transition, and the current efforts towards democratic consolidation. Along all these chains of democratic processes spanning three decades (1992 to 2022), various civil society organizations have played instrumental roles within the nation’s public sphere. Using #FixTheCountry movement as a case study, this paper explores the role of civil society in Ghana’s efforts towards democratic consolidation. In highlighting the impact of civil society on Ghana’s democratic processes, the study relies mainly on secondary information from the official website of #FixTheCountry movement, media publications, and government reports, among others. The study concludes that despite their radical posture, particularly the constant attack on Ghana’s 1992 constitution, #FixTheCountry movement has expanded the frontiers for youth activists and other dissident groups within the political system to demand democratic accountability from members of the political class.