Findings from a recent study by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana indicate that almost half (43%) of Ghanaians support military takeovers.

According to the study, the majority of people who believe these coups are sometimes justified are people in the Northern Regions.

With a sample size of 6719 across all regions nationwide, the “ Undertones and Public Perceptions of Military Rule and Democracy in Ghana” study discovered that the Savannah, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, and North East regions recorded the highest percentages of respondents who agreed that military rule is sometimes justified followed by the Eastern Region where 77% of respondents also believe these take overs are justified.

Also, the study reports that 34% of respondents would support military rule if democracy fails to improve economic conditions, while More than one in four (28%) people surveyed feel that if corruption continues unchecked under democratic governments, they would be open to a military government.

Speaking after the presentation of the report on Wednesday, June 9, the Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana, Prof. Isaac Owusu Mensah, noted that the findings show Ghanaians remain committed to democracy despite concerns about corruption.

“The position of the respondents is that even though democracy has a lot of shortcomings, they have a lot of issues and problems, but they still prefer democratic governments to military regimes because the military regimes curtail their fundamental human rights and also their ability to change and hold governments accountable at the end of the day.

“They are not happy with democracy at the end of the day because they think that corruption and also democracy are an inability to deliver economic outcomes as we expect. That’s why they have problems with democracy,” he said.

The report also recommended improving transparency, strengthening accountability, and ensuring government responsiveness to the critical needs of citizens.

Recently, military takeovers have become quite rampant in our region, with Guinea-Bissau becoming the sixth (6th) country to join the junta states in West Africa after the military announced a takeover on November 26, just a day before their election results were set to be announced.

Guinea-Bissau’s coup adds to the many others that have happened in the last four years in West Africa. In 2020, the military took over after ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in Mali. In September 2021, the military removed President Alpha Condé in Guinea. A year later, two coups happened in Burkina Faso, which remains under military rule under Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Niger also, in July 2023, saw a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Chad went under military rule in April 2021 after the death of President Idriss Déby. Though Chad is in Central Africa, it is often grouped with the West African “coup belt.”

After a military takeover, ECOWAS mostly suspends the country. Although Guinea remains suspended due to a military coup in 2021, it has not formally withdrawn from the bloc.

However, following their takeovers, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025. The three military-led countries released a joint statement accusing ECOWAS of betraying its founding principles and becoming a threat to member states and their populations. They cited what they described as the imposition of “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane, and irresponsible sanctions” following their respective coups. These sanctions included economic restrictions and diplomatic isolation, which the juntas argued worsened insecurity and economic hardship in their countries.

The trio also called ECOWAS ‘puppets’ of foreign powers, particularly Western nations, criticizing the bloc for failing to support their efforts to combat terrorism and restore stability.

One of the military coups seemingly supported by the population includes the one led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. He became the interim president of Burkina Faso after staging a military coup on September 30, 2022, with the help of junior officers and elements of the elite “Cobra” special forces, many of whom were aggrieved by poor equipment, unpaid salaries, and deteriorating conditions.

Traoré’s overthrow made him the youngest head of state in the world at the time. He ousted Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, another military leader who had seized power eight months earlier using similar means. Traoré attributed his takeover to Damiba’s failure to curb jihadist violence and restore security across the country. Since taking office, he has made significant changes in the administration that have attracted global attention.

He nationalised gold mines and created a state-owned mining company, SOPAMIB, which now controls several formerly foreign-owned assets. He approved the construction of Burkina Faso’s first gold refinery, capable of processing 400 kg of gold daily, creating thousands of jobs. He also cut ministers’ salaries by 30% and increased civil servants’ wages by 50%.

Growing taste for military rule among Ghanaian youth - CDD survey

Meanwhile, the 2024 Afrobarometer survey revealed that a growing number of Ghanaians are now supporting the idea of military involvement in politics if elected leaders abuse their power.

Conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD-Ghana), the survey showed that 51% of the population believes the Ghana Armed Forces should intervene in such cases, an increase of 11 percentage points from 40% in 2022.

On the other hand, resistance to military intervention is decreasing, with the percentage of Ghanaians who oppose military involvement dropping from 55% in 2022 to 47% in 2024.

These findings were presented during a regional dissemination event in Kumasi, organised by CDD-Ghana in collaboration with the Centre for Community Livelihood Development.

The event was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as part of the Participation, Accountability, Integrity for Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) initiative, which is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. It is commissioned by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance.

One concerning aspect of the survey is the strong support for military intervention among the youth. Fifty-two percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 believe the military should take control if political leaders fail, with 56% of those aged 26-35 sharing the same view.

There were also differences between men and women, with 53% of men and 48% of women supporting military intervention under these circumstances.