Political parties must rebuild public trust — Asiedu Nketiah

Addressing the inaugural Inter-Continental Dialogue on Political Parties in Seoul on September 7, 2026, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah urged global political organisations to adapt to changing public expectations, invest in rigorous leadership preparation before winning power, and rebuild fading public trust across generations.

Political parties around the world spend decades honing the art of winning elections, yet many enter government entirely unprepared for the grinding realities of administration. That was the central warning delivered by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of Ghana’s National Democratic Congress (NDC), during a high-level international gathering in South Korea on September 7, 2026.

Speaking on behalf of participating parties from the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), Asiedu Nketiah addressed delegates at the inaugural meeting of the Inter-Continental Dialogue among Political Parties held in Korea on September 7. The landmark forum brought together the Africa Governance Centre (AGC), through APPI, alongside the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), establishing a new cross-regional channel for institutional cooperation among political parties from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He commended the Africa Governance Centre for establishing APPI and creating a structured platform for African political parties to engage with one another and political organisations from other regions.

The Danger of Prioritizing Electoral Wins Over Governance Readiness

Mr Asiedu Nketiah, who has spent decades in grassroots politics, Parliament and government, argued that the character of a government is largely formed long before a single cabinet minister is appointed or a ballot is cast. Internal party decisions regarding whom to trust, which behaviors to reward, and how seriously to treat policy eventually dictate the caliber of public administration once a party assumes control of the state.

“Long before people enter ministerial office or take seats in parliament, political parties have already decided who receives opportunity, which qualities are rewarded, what standards of conduct are accepted and how seriously ideas and policy are treated.”

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Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the NDC

“A country pays a heavy price when its political parties become highly effective at winning elections but insufficiently serious about preparing people to govern,”

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of Ghana’s National Democratic Congress (NDC)

He cautioned that political parties risk preparing themselves only to win elections when they fail to invest adequately in policy development, leadership training and institutional capacity. Electoral victories can easily mask institutional weaknesses, but government tends to reveal them. While political campaigns demand speed, persuasion, and broad electoral coalitions, actual governance exposes leaders to complex budget constraints and difficult choices.

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Bridging the Generational Divide and Evolving Public Trust

Beyond internal preparation, Asiedu Nketiah urged political parties to adapt to changing societies, strengthen leadership development, and make deliberate efforts to rebuild public trust. He warned that political institutions could no longer rely solely on historical identities, ideological traditions, or generational loyalties to retain public support. Each generation increasingly expects political parties to demonstrate their relevance to contemporary social and economic realities, encountering politics under different economic and social circumstances to ultimately determine whether existing political institutions remain relevant.

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He said political parties that failed to appreciate the depth of those changes risked losing the public confidence on which their political relevance depended. Political organisations once sustained by strong historical identities, ideological traditions, or generational attachment can no longer assume that historical attachments would automatically be passed from one generation to another, as citizens increasingly judge political institutions by their ability to respond to contemporary social and economic challenges.

Institutional Strength Through Leadership Succession

Addressing the structural health of political groups, Asiedu Nketiah urged leaders of African political parties to take succession planning seriously, stating it is not good for political parties to be built around individuals.

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“Leadership succession also tells us a great deal about institutional strength. A political organisation that becomes anxious whenever leadership changes has probably invested too little in building itself beyond individuals,”

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)

“The durability of a political party is ultimately found in its capacity to produce leadership beyond the generation that currently controls it. Political history and electoral success matter, but neither can compensate indefinitely for weak institutions,”

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)

He called for stronger political party institutions capable of producing quality leadership and sustaining public confidence beyond electoral victories. Whether the dialogue established in Seoul will develop into a sustained mechanism for cross-regional institutional reform remains to be seen as political organizations worldwide confront shifting public demands.