Resource curse or resource disease? Oil in Ghana

Democratic Institutions, Natural Resource Governance, and Ghana’s Oil Wealth

“…Kopinski and colleagues share a similar view on Ghana's future. For them, the democratic qualities could help withstand what they have described as 'structural immunity' to the natural resource curse ( [8], p. 582).…”

“…For instance, the creation of the Ghana Extractive Industries Initiative (GHEITI), which is part of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), is commendable. The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) is another positive step toward broader transparency initiatives [8,45].…”

“…In other words, Ghana's strong democratic institutions and governance practices are likely to help create a pathway of escape from the curse. For Kopinski and colleagues, Ghana's readiness against the resource curse could be rooted in its stable political order, strong civil society, independent media, governance practices, and other political credentials [8]. In fact, Gyimah-Boadi and Prempeh describe Ghana's strong credentials as democratic dividends for the country [6].…”

A Swiss‐Army Knife? A Critical Assessment of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Ghana

“…Other African countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Ghana still have to do more work to ensure that business practices facilitate sustainable development instead of inhibiting it (Forstarter et al ). Contrary to the Niger Delta, for example, Ghana is not necessarily seen as a typical case of the “resource curse.” With reference to the evolving oil industry, Kopiński et al () argue that the country possesses some kind of “structural immunity” to the resource curse due to political stability, economic diversification and active civil society engagement. Other writers contest this claim, pointing to real evidence that the curse is surfacing in Ghana due to the continuous exploitation by global capital and perpetuation of an oil enclave that leaves many people on the fringes of socioeconomic development (Ayelazuno ).…”

New Wealth, New Wisdom: Understanding the Changing Profile of Countries Creating Sovereign Wealth Funds

“…Although the Government of Ghana followed development programs authored in collaboration with the IFIs aimed at decentralizing the government, local government leaders were still appointed by the president and were expected to remain loyal (Ayee et al 2011). This loyalty was required as there were only two main political parties in Ghana, leaving the political landscape polarized (Kopiński, Polus, and Tycholiz 2013).…”