Politics as Business: How Akwatia’s By-Election Breathed Life into Hotels, Traders and Transport Operators

The by-election in the Akwatia constituency provided more than a contest for political power. It delivered a sharp, short-lived boost to the local economy, turning towns across the Eastern Region into unexpected business hubs.

In the week leading up to the September 2 poll, Akwatia and nearby towns, including Kade, Asamankese, and Oda, saw hotels fully booked and guesthouses oversubscribed as campaign teams, police officers, civil society observers, and journalists converged on the constituency. 

Food vendors and chop bar operators extended working hours to meet soaring demand, while roadside traders and hawkers reported brisk sales.

The contest followed the death in July of Ernest Yaw Kumi, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker for the constituency, and was fiercely fought between the ruling party’s Solomon Asumadu and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Bernard Bediako Baidoo. Baidoo secured victory with 18,199 votes against Asumadu’s 15,235. A total of 33,819 ballots were cast, with 303 rejected.

The Electoral Commission’s organisation of the poll drew a heavy security deployment. More than 5,500 police officers were stationed across the constituency, driving demand for fuel, accommodation and catering. 

The scale of the operation also reflected the high cost of mistrust in Ghana’s electoral process, with the state bearing expenses far above what would ordinarily be required for a local by-election.

Transport operators saw steady business moving campaign supporters and party officials between towns, while printing presses, fuel stations, sound system rentals, and seamstresses producing campaign attire also benefited.

Cash circulation increased in the days before the election as political parties distributed campaign materials and support, further boosting retail trade. Small businesses and informal operators, often operating on thin margins, experienced a surge in activity that far exceeded their daily averages.

Akwatia, once the centre of Ghana’s diamond industry, has struggled to replicate its past economic vibrancy. With mining in decline, local commerce now leans heavily on agriculture, small-scale trading and episodic events such as funerals, festivals and political campaigns. 

The by-election underlined the degree to which politics functions as a temporary economic stimulus in towns that no longer rely on extractive industries.

As the ballot ended and campaign teams departed, the intense commercial activity quickly subsided, returning businesses to their usual pace. 

The by-election delivered a temporary windfall for hotels, traders and transport operators, but the broader challenge of building a sustainable economic base in Akwatia remains.

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