The National Democratic Congress has set the cost of seeking its top job at GH¢100,000, approving a filing fee structure for its December 19 National Congress that critics say will price grassroots members out of the party’s leadership race.
The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) approved the fees covering 14 national executive positions, with the National Chairman slot attracting the highest charge. Aspirants for General Secretary will pay GH¢80,000, while the National Organiser position is pegged at GH¢70,000. National Vice Chairman and Deputy General Secretary hopefuls will each pay GH¢60,000.
National Communication Officer aspirants face a GH¢50,000 fee, while the National Youth Organiser, National Women’s Organiser, and National Zongo Caucus Coordinator positions each attract GH¢40,000. Deputy organiser roles — including Deputy National Organiser, Deputy National Communication Officer, and Deputy National Youth Organiser — are set at GH¢30,000 each, the same rate applying to the Deputy National Women’s Organiser.
Membership on the National Executive Committee carries the lowest fee at GH¢10,000. Across all positions, aspirants must pay a flat GH¢2,000 to obtain a nomination form, with all payments to be made online through the party’s designated portal, forms.ghanandc.com.
The party has introduced concessions for female candidates and persons with disabilities, who will pay 50 per cent of the approved fees for all positions — except the National Women’s Organiser and Deputy National Women’s Organiser roles, where the full rate applies.
A Ruling Party Counting the Cost of Money in Politics
The fees land as the NDC, now the governing party following its 2024 election victory, undertakes a constitutionally mandated reorganisation every four years. The process began with branch elections in early 2026, moved through constituency polls on October 24-25, and heads to regional elections on November 14-15 before culminating in the National Congress on December 19, where the party’s top leadership will be elected.
But the price of entry has drawn scrutiny. The FEC’s decision mirrors concerns raised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, whose executive director, Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has warned that Ghanaian politics is being financialised at an alarming rate.
“The average nomination and filing fees alone for presidential primaries across our two major parties, the NPP and NDC, rose from GH¢72,500 in 2016 to GH¢440,000 in 2024 — that is a 507 per cent increase in less than a decade,” Prempeh said in an interview with the Daily Graphic. “And let us be clear, those are merely the fees to enter the primary contest, before a single rally is held”.
Prempeh argued that when the system routinely demands such sums, “it is no longer selecting leaders based on conviction, competence or public trust. It is selecting based on capital”.
The NDC’s internal contests have already shown signs of strain. In February 2026, Alhaji Umar Sanda forfeited his party membership and ran as an independent in the Ayawaso East by-election after describing the GH¢45,000 filing fee for the parliamentary primary as excessive, alleging the process was “heavily monetised”. Former Kumasi Mayor Kojo Bonsu similarly complained about the GH¢500,000 fee set for flagbearer hopefuls earlier in the year.
The national filing fees represent a steep escalation from the party’s constituency-level charges announced in August, which set the Regional Chairman fee at GH¢50,000 — half the national Chairman price.
What’s at Stake
The December 19 congress will elect the officers who will steer the NDC through the remainder of President John Dramani Mahama’s term and into the 2028 general election. The National Chairman position is currently held by Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who has signalled his intention to contest again. Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has emerged as a leading figure in the party’s internal jostling, with polling showing him statistically tied with Asiedu Nketia among NDC delegates and leading among floating voters.
The General Secretary role, currently occupied by Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, carries the second-highest fee at GH¢80,000 — a reflection of the office’s operational control over the party’s sprawling machinery.
Whether the fee structure will deter credible challengers from outside the party’s wealthier circles remains the central question. The NDC has framed the reorganisation as a drive to “deepen internal democracy” and “consolidate unity”. But with the price of a chairmanship bid now equivalent to more than a decade of Ghana’s minimum wage, the party may find that its next generation of leaders is drawn from a narrower pool than its rhetoric suggests.
