Can the NDC Sustain Voter Confidence Amid Unresolved Social Challenges?
By Alexander Kukah
In Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman, the debate about development is not merely about roads, government announcements or infrastructure projects. It is also about the daily struggle to secure water for cooking, bathing, washing, running businesses and maintaining basic hygiene.
For many residents, access to reliable potable water remains an urgent concern. At the same time, the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme has raised expectations about road construction, drainage and improved mobility.
These two issues present an important test of public accountability: how do residents assess a government that promises development while some essential services remain unreliable?
For the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which won substantial support in both constituencies in the 2024 presidential election, the question is whether that support can be sustained amid continuing concerns about basic services and the pace of infrastructure delivery.
The answer may depend less on political slogans than on what residents can see, experience and verify in their communities.
When Water Becomes a Daily Struggle
Water shortages are not new to Kpone-Katamanso. In February 2025, residents reported persistent interruptions in supply, forcing households and small businesses to rely on expensive alternatives, including water tankers and sachet water. Some residents also raised concerns about the quality and reliability of alternative water sources. Ghana News Agency, 19 February 2025.
The situation remained a concern in 2026. In April, residents of Kakasunanka, Gbetsile, Okushibri, Appolonia and Newland reported prolonged shortages, with some saying they had gone for more than five months without a reliable piped supply. The difficulties affected household budgets, businesses and the ability of families to secure water for everyday use. Citi Newsroom, 27 April 2026.
In Ashaiman, the challenge has also persisted. In January 2026, residents told the Ghana News Agency that water shortages were disrupting their daily routines and increasing household expenses. Some described difficulties bathing before work, preparing meals and carrying out routine domestic activities. The Ghana Water Company attributed that particular disruption to a major fault on the transmission line from Kpong to Tema. Ghana News Agency, 20 January 2026.
The concerns were still being reported in October 2026. Residents in areas including Valco Flat, Official Town, New Town, Night Market, Afariwa and Taifa appealed for urgent intervention after experiencing more than two weeks without a regular flow of water through their taps. ChannelOne News, 7 October 2026.
These reports illustrate the human cost of an unreliable water supply. Families must spend additional money to meet a basic need, while food vendors, hairdressers, laundries and other small businesses face higher operating costs or interruptions to their activities.
For residents, the issue is not simply whether the authorities have acknowledged the problem. It is whether water flows consistently, whether the supply is safe and whether the cost of obtaining it is affordable.
The Big Push and the Expectations of Development
While water supply remains a pressing concern, the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme has placed road development prominently on the local agenda.
In March 2026, the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Freeman Tsekpo, announced that major road corridors were being prioritised under the programme. These included the dual-carriage road linking Lashibi and Ashaiman, the stretch from the Ashaiman traffic light to Zenu, and a proposed interchange around the Underbridge-Adjokojo enclave. Ghana News Agency, 4 March 2026.
The municipal assembly also reported other local infrastructure interventions, including borehole projects intended to improve water access. In a separate inspection report published on the same date, the MCE said five of ten planned boreholes had been completed, with three already flowing and two awaiting the installation of water storage tanks. The report also outlined timelines for various road and drainage works. Ghana News Agency, 4 March 2026.
These initiatives are relevant to the development needs of Ashaiman. Roads can improve mobility, reduce travel difficulties and support commerce. Drainage infrastructure can help address flooding, while boreholes may provide relief to communities experiencing interruptions in their piped water supply.
But the existence of a project is not the same as its completion, and completion is not necessarily the same as a lasting solution.
Residents will ultimately assess whether roads are finished to an acceptable standard, whether drainage systems function effectively, whether boreholes provide safe and dependable water, and whether improvements reach the communities most in need.
In Kpone-Katamanso, where prolonged water shortages have been documented, residents will also want to know how national infrastructure priorities translate into reliable water delivery at the household level.
The challenge for government is to ensure that the visibility of major infrastructure projects does not overshadow the urgency of basic social needs.
The Political Question: Will Development Sustain Voter Confidence?
The NDC secured substantial presidential support in both constituencies in the 2024 election. Published constituency results indicate that John Dramani Mahama received approximately 75.4 per cent of the presidential vote in Ashaiman and 72 per cent in Kpone-Katamanso. Modern Ghana, 2024 election results.
Those results provide a useful historical baseline, but they do not establish how residents will vote in a future election.
Political support is shaped by several considerations, including party loyalty, local representation, economic conditions, candidate credibility, public services and the perceived performance of government.
The relationship between service delivery and voting behaviour is therefore not automatic.
A resident who continues to experience water shortages may question why the problem has not been resolved. Another may acknowledge the difficulty but remain supportive if credible repairs are underway and progress is visible. Others may assess the government’s overall record rather than a single service.
The same applies to the Big Push. Residents may welcome road construction while still demanding better water supply, sanitation, drainage, healthcare and other essential services.
The important question is whether government interventions address the problems residents consider most urgent—and whether the benefits are sufficiently tangible to inspire confidence.
For the NDC, the political significance of these issues lies in the relationship between public commitments and residents’ lived experiences. But the same principle applies to any political party seeking public support.
No party can assume that previous electoral backing guarantees future approval, just as service difficulties alone cannot establish that voters will withdraw their support.
Only future electoral evidence can show how these competing considerations ultimately affect voting decisions.
Announcements Versus Results on the Ground
One of the greatest challenges in public administration is closing the gap between policy announcements and outcomes experienced by citizens.
A government may allocate funds, award contracts, inspect project sites and announce completion targets. These are important steps, but residents experience development differently.
They experience it when a previously inaccessible road becomes usable, when flooding no longer regularly disrupts their neighbourhood, when water flows reliably from their taps, or when a local health facility can operate without spending scarce resources on emergency water purchases.
That distinction is particularly important in Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman.
The government and relevant agencies need to communicate clearly about the causes of water disruptions, the measures being taken to address them, the timelines for restoring supply and the steps required to prevent repeated breakdowns.
Ghana Water Limited has acknowledged continuing supply challenges around Tema and Ashaiman. In an October 2026 report, the company said repairs to weak sections of the transmission network had improved the volumes of water reaching the Tema system, although pressure problems remained in some areas. MyJoyOnline, 7 October 2026.
This illustrates why public communication must be accompanied by measurable results. Residents need to know not only what has been repaired, but also whether the intervention has restored a reliable supply to their particular communities.
Similarly, Big Push projects should be assessed against their announced scope, delivery schedules, construction quality and benefits to residents.
Transparent reporting can help citizens distinguish between work that has been announced, work that is underway and work that has actually been completed.
What Should Residents Expect?
Residents of Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman should not have to choose between better roads and reliable water. Both are important components of development, and progress in one area should not be used to dismiss continuing difficulties in another.
Several practical measures deserve attention.
First, the authorities responsible for water supply should provide clear, community-specific information about shortages, repairs and expected restoration dates.
Second, water infrastructure interventions should be assessed by their reliability, water quality, coverage and affordability—not simply by the number of boreholes constructed or projects announced.
Third, the Big Push programme should be monitored through transparent reporting on project completion, construction quality, drainage performance and the extent to which intended communities benefit.
Fourth, local authorities and elected representatives should maintain accessible channels through which residents can report persistent service failures and receive meaningful responses.
Finally, citizens, the media and civil society organisations should continue to scrutinise public expenditure and service delivery without reducing every development issue to partisan rivalry.
These measures would help make accountability a practical part of local governance rather than an exercise that intensifies only during election periods.
The Reality on the Ground Must Matter
The experiences of residents in Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman raise a broader question about the meaning of development.
Is development measured by the number of projects announced, the money allocated, the roads under construction or the facilities commissioned? Or should it ultimately be measured by how much these interventions improve the daily lives of ordinary people?
The most meaningful assessment must consider both investment and outcomes.
Roads matter. Drainage matters. Water matters. So do the reliability, accessibility and sustainability of the services that communities depend on every day.
For the NDC, the challenge is to demonstrate that its development commitments are translating into tangible and lasting improvements. For the opposition, the responsibility is to scrutinise performance using evidence and offer credible alternatives. For residents, the task is to demand accountability from all public officials, regardless of party affiliation.
The central issue is not whether the government can announce solutions. It is whether those solutions work, who benefits from them and how long the improvements last.
Conclusion: Can the NDC Maintain Its Support?
Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman present a revealing test of the relationship between infrastructure development, essential public services and political accountability.
The NDC enters this period with a record of substantial presidential support in both constituencies in 2024. At the same time, documented water shortages and the continuing implementation of major infrastructure projects have placed service delivery firmly within the local public debate.
Whether the party can maintain its support cannot be determined from these developments alone. Voters may weigh improvements against unresolved problems, consider the performance of local representatives, or make decisions based on broader political and economic circumstances.
What can be said with greater certainty is that residents have legitimate grounds to demand reliable water, effective drainage, improved roads and transparent explanations of public projects.
Government must therefore be judged not only by its intentions or announcements, but also by its ability to deliver results that citizens can experience and verify.
Ultimately, the reality on the ground must matter. For residents, access to water is not a political slogan. A completed road is not merely an election talking point. These are everyday necessities whose value is measured in the quality of life they make possible.
The question facing Kpone-Katamanso and Ashaiman is therefore bigger than whether the NDC can retain its electoral support. It is whether the promises of development will translate into dependable services, visible progress and a stronger sense of accountability.
When the taps run dry and infrastructure projects remain works in progress, residents will continue to ask a simple but fundamental question: when will the promised development make a lasting difference to our lives?
That is the reality on the ground—and the question every government must be prepared to answer.
Alexander Kukah
