Ghana’s Foreign Policy in the Fourth Republic: Trends, Complexities, and Future Implications

Ghana’s independence in 1957 paved the way for political freedom after decades of colonial rule. However, the country’s democratic trajectory was punctuated by military interventions in the 1960s. After the First Republican government was overthrown by the military in 1966, Ghana has gone through the Second Republic, Third Republic, and currently in the Fourth Republic due to the interruptions of military regimes. Unlike the previous eras where most of the republics lasted for a short period, Ghana’s Fourth Republic has been unique and currently the longest in the country’s political history. The Fourth Republic emerged when the PNDC led by Jerry Rawlings transitioned the country from military rule to a democratic form of government in 1993. One of the key features of Ghana’s statecraft in the Fourth Republic is the country’s role in regional, continental, and global affairs through its foreign policymaking. To better understand Ghana’s foreign policy posture in the Fourth Republic, the chapter draws on the role theory of foreign policymaking to interrogate how the country’s foreign policy goals have been shaped in the different governments of the Fourth Republic in terms of their trends, complexities, and the future implications for the country.