Ghana and Ivory Coast are two countries to focus on when observing West Africa for the impact of colonial rule, democracy, cultural and ethnic cleavages, economic success and failure. Considering their geographical proximity (bordering each other), and having two completely different languages as a result of different colonial influences, it’s great to observe how these two countries are somewhat similar but very different.
The Berlin Conference from 1884-1885 was the determinant of the colonial legacy of Ghana and Ivory Coast. At the conference colonial powers (Portugal, Belgium, Britain ,France, German, and Italy) gathered to establish agreements as to which territories of land they could lay claims to in Africa. Britain acquired most of the countries south of Africa that would prove resourceful and two countries in West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana) while the French acquired most of West Africa at the time. France was not sovereign over Ivory Coast at the Berlin conference and actually was retreating from Ivorian territory till they speculated that the territory reaped of resources for the French to exploit. Nonetheless, British colonial legacy and French colonial legacy varied heavily in the manner in which colonial powers ruled. For Ghana, the British ruled from indirect rule with the aim of reducing the number of British officials in Ghana. The British in Ghana allowed for Ghanains to govern the British colony through the legislative council, executive council and local and regional administractions. This form of British rule also permitted for local and regional leaders within Ghana to also exercise some government as well.This proved to be cost effective because the British were able to control the resources within Ghana from abroad while still maintaining political control and dominance over the Ghanaian people through Ghanaian local officials. Aside from that, the British also established a cultural hierarchy in relation to the Ghanaian citizen, the british officer could respect the chief as his equal but not establish personal and social relations with the chief. This perceptual screen resulted in a majority of Ghanaians not being well integrated into British culture. British presence in Ghana also played a huge role in the infrastructural and economic development of the country. During the colonial period, Ghana had roads, rairloads, harbors, large exportation of cacao pods, commercial gold mining . Aside from that, the country had a Western-style education system introduced, which resulted in an elite educated class that was employed by the British, and the beginning of a country that embarked on the quest to self-governance and eventually independence in 1957. On the otherhand, Ivorians were ruled directly by the French. The French established dominion over the Ivorian territory after the speculation of lucrative trade and the presence of gold in Ivory coast. In about 1886, the French took control of Ivorian trading posts and later negotatied deals with chielf in the north-central and north east region of Ivory coast to legitimize the sovereignty of France in the country. Ivory coast then became a colony in 1893 after France slowly became sovereign over the Ivorian territory. In order to remain soverign over the territory, the French used military subjugation to subdue populations of Ivorian people who resisted the French and tried to sabotage and undermine their rule. The French constantly faced resistance from the Ivorian people due to manner in which the Ivorians were treated. People from Ivory goast were not given certain rights till 1946- Ivorians were subjugated to unlimited forced labor and had separate legal codes in comparison with the French. In 1946, the French formed the French Union where they granted African members the rights to free speech, free association and free assembly. Although the French provided these rights through the French Union they still denied rights to farmers who had the majority of crop prfits going to the French government. This injustince resulted in the creation of the Syndicat Agricole Africain which was created to fight for equal rights for the Ivorian people, particularly the faerms. This fight resulted in the ceeation of the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire Houphouet-Boogny’s leadership. The party gave rise to anticoloniasm resitance thereby resulting in French repression and use of violence. Eventually, the French conceded to the demands of the people of Ivory Coast and made the wealthiest colony in French qest Africa. Eventually, Ivory Coast favored the constitution that was proposed by the French and was led on to the course of independence, which the French acquired in August 1960 with Houphouet Boigny as the first president. During French Colonial rule in Ivory Coast, the French placed a heavy empohasis on incorporating French culture in Ivorian society. The French used their colonial rule to change the clture of Ivory coast through Literature, art, cinema and cuisine. Aside from that, they built extensive infrastructural projects such as roads, railways and harbors in order to exploit as much from the Ivorian colony. They also used technocrats to develop “colonial economies..and also to impart skills and knowledge” in Ivory Coast. Comparing the history of Ivory Coast with that of Ghana it is important to observe that both countries were very differnet due to the manner in which they were ruled. Indirect rule in Ghana allowed for the people of Ghana to retain control of their country and exercise eejuridsiction over certain territory in Ghana while direct rule in Ivory Coast prevented the Ivorians from exercising partial sovereignty over their own country. Aside from that, cultural influences and the leadership of Houghouet Boigny made the Ivorians develop a sense of French. French cultural influence was particularly influential despite the fact that Ivory Coast was ethnically diverse and divided. On the other hand, there was not much ethnic conflict in Ghana and particularly at the rise of independence there was a new sense of Ghanaian nationalism that had developed. Comparatively, both countries were advantaged to some dereee due to the infrastructural projects their colonial rulers undertook in order to exploit their resoyrces. At independence, one can assess that both counties were ready for self governance but at varying degrees. Comparing Ghana to the Ivory Coast purely on structural arrangement and operating during Colonial rule, Ghana seemed better equipped to face the challeneges of independence due to the involvement of the Ghanaian people in governance. On the other hand, Ivory Coast was ready because the Ivorian people had a strong sense of nationalism and had identified a leader who had been the figurehead and activist for the Ivorian people when they need access to certain rights.
The parties that drove for independence in Ghana were the United Gold Coast Convention People’s Party and the Convention’s People Party. At independence, Ghana was led by Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah. At independence, Nkrumah believed that all the African states would one day be united and Ghana would spearhead pan-africanism and also be the country to deliver Africa from Western colonialism. Nkrumah’s were too ambitious for Ghana after the country had just received it’s independence. Ghana was prepared for self-governane and could have developed economically resulting in a period of prosperity, but Nkrumah;s vision of pan-africanism lacked foresight into it’s impact on the Ghanaian economy and is the reason that Ghana had “many of it’s challenges at independence. Nkrumah had great ideas to centralize the Ghanaian government and develop areas of Northern Ghana that the British had neglected during colonial rule, but his drive for Pan-Africanism hurt the dream of driving Ghana towards an a strong economically sustainable state. Nkrumah was responsible for industrial and agricultural project that would transform the Ghanaian economy. He spearheaded the creation of the Akosombo dam and Volta Aluminum company while trying to make the public and private sectors within the country Ghanaian to increase foreign export and generate revenue for the country. Ghana however was not able to reach the dream that Nkrumah had for the nation itself due to his poorly constructed policies. Ghana would have been better equipped if Nkrumah had focused on developing Ghana first, rather than offering assistance to other countries. As a result, Ghana plummeted into deficit and resorted to borrowing money from International powers thereby resulting in huge amounts of debt. Ghana was economically mismanaged, there was no proper financial audting and accountability within the government thereby corruption, and there was a lack of manpower to properly carryout projects and properly execute the resources within Ghana. Aside from that, Nkrumahs repression of political opposition, and authoritarian ideals sparked resentment from the opposition within the country. In 1966, there was a military coup and Nkrumah was deposed from the presidency and Ghana entered into a period of instability and lack of proper development due to military rule. On the otherhand, Ivory Coast had economic boom and political stability or about 20 years after Independence under the reign of President Houphouet Boigny. Houghhouet boigny was able to properly shape the political a, social and economic structures of Ivory Coast after Independnece. He used political repression (similar to that of the French) to silence the voice fo the public and limited communication betewwen the government and it’s people. Nonetheless, he operated as an authoritatiran leader and dictated the direction of the country through policie without opposition from the public Houphouet boigny also took advantage of his power and used his position to appoint people who strongly supported him into positions of power. This administration was pro-french and therefore maintained close relationships with the French government even after ndependence. The relationship between the Frecnh and the Ivorians can explain the twenty years of economic prosperity of the Ivory Coast after Indepenednecne. With Houphuet Boigny’s pro-french ideals, he maintained very close relationships with the French and was able to acquire trade deals and also rely on the French government for military and financial aid. The relationship with the French brought about agricultural and industrial development. The president of ivoy coast improved transportation avenes, and assisted the agricultural sector in the growth of cocoa and coffee which were Ivory Coast’s largest eports.. Though Ivory Coast seemed to be heading in the right direction, Houphuet Boigny’s policies, repression on the public nd lack of proper economic structure would affect the trajectory of Ivory Coast. After Independence, the manner in which Ivory Coast operated was sufficient for the survival of a newly independent country, but the lack of proper structure in the economy, and politics would prove detrimental due to Houphouet boig’s shortsightnedness and inability to see where Ivory Coast would be headed if something went wrong. Comparing Ghana to Ivory Coast, it is important to recognize the similarities and differences between their political structure, economic policies, and democracy. Ghana’s political structure allowed for the Ghanaian government to operate in a manner that was efficient due to bureaucratic functioning and the presence of local and regional administrations even after independent. On the other hand, Ivory Coast had no proper political structure and the power embedded in the president followed French colonial structure which helped the president to retain his power of his people but not actually make a difference in their lives. Essentially, there was no communication, but there was leadership on the basis of repression. Similarly, both countries had leaders who sought to silence other voices. In the case of Ghana, Nkrumah silenced the voice of opposition party, while in Ivory Coast, Boigny had no communication with the public on how to lead the country, and silenced the voice of the Youth who opposed his pro-French leadership.
Comparing the nature of Ghana and Ivory Coast Today, Ghana is more democratic than the Ivory Coast. According to the freedom house index, Ghana is measured as free with a rating of about 83/100 of freedom while Ivory Coast is measured as partly free with a rating of 51/100. The reason why Ghana is more democratic than the Ivory Coast is based on the notion that since 1992 Ghana has held free and fair elections and there have “peaceful transers of power” between the two main political parties in Ghana. In comparison with Ivory Coast, which has had contentious elections and actually had “political turmoil and widespread conflict that ended in 2011”. Aside from that, there has been civil unrest and political instability within the country and political tension between the ruling party and the other major party. Ethnic and regional conflict also exist and pose a threat to the stability of Ivory Coast. The current president of Ghana is President Nana Akuffo-Addo who was elected to power in January of 2017 whilst the current president of Ivory Coast is President Alassane Ouattara who has been president since Ivory Coast’s contentious election in 2010. Both Ivory Coast and Ghana hold term elections, Ghana elects a new president after every 4 years while Ivory Coast elects a new president after every 5 years. Ivory coast is a dominant party state with a legislative branch, executive branch and judicial branch. The legislative branch of Ivorian the government is bicameral and and consists of the Senate and National Assembly. The National Assembly has 225 members who are elected every five years in single seat consistuencies and is responsible for appointing the Senate. One third of the senate is also appointed by the president-elect for a 5 year term. In 2015, Ivory Coast made changes regarding the constitution following the contentious election in 2010 and conflict that followed. With the new referendum on the constitution, people who were not born in Ivory Coast could contend for the president assuming one parent is Ivorian. Aside from that, the future changes to the constitution could be made without a referendum and with a two thirds majority in parliament. In Ghana, the only change that has kept the stability of the country since 1992, was the change to democracy spearheaded by former president Jerry John Rawlings. After going through a period of instability, Ghana was finally able to democratize because former president Rawlings placed value and democratizing the nation in order for there to be economic and political stability. Comparing the president of Ghana to the president of Ivory Coast, both presidents are very democratic and prove to be peaceful for the stability of their respective nations. The former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede power and his family organized armed gangs leading to civil unrest; however, despite his family’s crimes against humanity and their prime role in the ciil unrest in Ivory Coast after 2011, President Outtarra pardoned them for the punishment that they were meant to face. This delineates that the current president of Ivory Coast potrays traits of diplomacy, and is peaceful in comparison to other president Ivory Coast has had in the past. On the otherhand, President Nana Akuffo Addo of Ghana constantly advocates for democracy in Ghana and stresses that Africa will not develop a strong economy without the presence of democracy (an essential tool for nation-building). The military in both Ghana and Ivory Coast played a major role in the instances of political instability. For Ghana, the military overthrew the Nkrumah government due to mismanagement and inefficiency and subsequently became the avenue through which Ghana made the decision to become more democratic. Whiles in Ivory Coast, the military stabilized conflict and assisted in the ascension of power of the rightful president after the 2010 election.
Ghana and Ivory Coast are both ethnically diverse. Ghana has over 100 ethnic groups whilst Ivory Coast has 60 identified ethnic groups. In Ghana, there is the existence ethnic and cultural tension, but they have not escalated to the magnitude of conflict due to the manner in which governance is executed. In Ghana, the Akan’s are the largest ethnic group, but the Akans are fragmented. Due to this, political parties have to appeal to all other major ethnic groups in order to win competitive elections. Aside from that, there is also ethnic representation of all forms in the politics and in the public sector. Therefore, Ghanaian public policies and reforms are constructed in a way that includes people from all ethnic groups, with the intention of fosterning a spirit of nationalism. On the other hand, Ivory Coast is ethnically and culturally divided. With the reign of the French in Ivory Coast, economic and infrastructural development was aimed towards the southeast region of Ivory Coast .Aside that from that, arbitrary borders divided ethnic groups along the lines of Ivorian territory. Due to the foucs on the southeast region of Ivory coast, the northern region which consisted of mostly muslim people was neglected by colonial powers and the post-colonial government. Most policies that were created in Ivory Coast were geared towards ethnic groups in the south eats and therby enhanced the positions of ethnic groups that existed in the south eats. For instance economic policies in the south east reigin advantaged the Kwa-speaking of the south east in ivory, and the Baoulé people who were more centralized and closer to the southeast had access to privileges that many of the southwestern and northern and northern people did not have access to and therefore played a dominant in politics. Houphouet Boigny was from the Baoule ethnic group and ued his political power to advance the conditions of his people during his reign. Therefore, there was some form of clinetelism for specific ethnic groups and regions in ivory coast. Nonetheless, the southof ivory coat was more Christian while the north was Muslim. The economic differences in geographical location, religion and ethic group accounts for major polarization in Ivory. In 2002, there was an Ivorian War between the muslims of the north and Christians of the south that lasted till 2007. This war split the country into and ended because of the Ivorian national football team’s participation in the world cup that incited some sense of nationalism and a need to come together. In 2011, there was the second Ivorian started because the supporters of Laurent Gbagbo who refused to concede the loss of the former president Gbagbo and therefore attacked president Outtara’s supporters, UN Forces French forces and civilians. The 1st and 2nd Ivorian civil war delineate that Ivory Coast is ethnically polarized. On the other hand, Ghana has the presence of ethnic tensions but they have not escalated into ethnic conflict.
Comparing the economic performance of Ghana to that of the Ivory Coast, the Ivory Coast has a better economy than Ghana. The reason why Ivory Coast has a more successful economy than Ghana is because of its heavy dependence on its agricultural sector. Ivory Coast significantly produces coffee and palm oil and is also the largest exporter and producer of cocoa. Due to Ivory Coast’s commodity demand, the country sustains itself well on the premises that coffee and cocoa generate a lot of export revenue for the country. When comparing the economic performance of Ghana and Ivory Coast to the African average, both countries are doing better than the African average. Ghana has a GDP of $ and Ivory Coast has a GDP of $ while the African average is $. The economic performance of both countries are dependent on the ability of governing bodies to properly manage the country. For Ghana, economic downturn has been as a result of government mismanagement of the economy, and poorly constructed policies. On the other hand, Ivory Coast’s economic performance is dependent on the ability of the government to mitigate conflict and quell ethnic tension which affect foreign direct investment and economic output.
As evinced in this comparative analysis the social, political, and economic differences in Ghana and Ivory Coast are similar and also somewhat different. Both countries convey the potential to be Africa’s next star, if social issues are properly management, and leaders make decisions that are longsighted and wise. Ghana and Ivory Coast are two perfect examples of how colonialism determined the trajectory of African countries.