IBRAHIM TRAORÉ ELECTRIFIES CROWD IN GHANA

According to the videos online, there was no mistaking it: the loudest roars of approval during Ghana's president's inauguration, John Mahama, were reserved for the visiting Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso's 36-year-old transitional leader.

What sets Ibrahim Traoré apart from Africa's elected officials, earning him such admiration and, judging by the raucous welcome in Accra, a glowing endorsement from many Africans?

Ghanaians, weary from years of unfulfilled political promises and a crippling debt crisis, were rallying behind what Traoré symbolises: courageous, decisive leadership and a commitment to prioritising the needs of the people. Since seizing power in a military coup in 2022, Traoré has initiated a groundbreaking decolonisation effort, expelling French influence from the media, military, and mining sectors. In contrast and particularly under former president Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians endured high inflation, a depreciating currency and a high cost of living amid harsh IMF bailout conditions.

Some have likened Traoré to a modern-day Thomas Sankara (1949-1987), Burkina Faso's assassinated pan-Africanist leader. Alongside Mali's Assimi Goïta and Niger's Abdourahamane Tiani, the trio has expelled French military forces, reduced French sway in the media, begun the nationalisation of natural resources, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation to unify defence, economic, and foreign policies.

The cheers for Traoré resonate across Africa as millions of citizens express their admiration for leadership that delivers actual results. This is a stark critique of Western-style democracy, where wealthy politicians often buy their way into power with empty promises only to serve the interests of imperialist nations. Ghanaians at the inauguration on Tuesday are hopeful that the newly elected president can also deliver results for the people of Ghana. Only time will tell.