SYPALA: Limited gov’t key to effective governance – Kofi Bentil

‎By: Godbless Asaana
‎The Senior Vice President and a Policy Analyst at IMANI Center for Policy and Education and Managing Partner at Lex Praxis Incoperated, Kofi Bentil, has called for limited government and stronger citizen oversight, arguing that democratic accountability is essential to effective governance and economic growth.
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‎Speaking at the SYPALA 2026, on Tuesday August 2026, Bentil said governments perform better when their powers are constrained and citizens have the ability to scrutinise their actions and remove leaders who fail to deliver.

One of the Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy 2026 (SYPALA 2026), discussion was on “Limited Government, Rule of Law, Property Rights, Economic Freedom and Free Markets: Are These Institutions Enough to Fix Africa’s Development Challenges?”
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‎“The governments that are most effective are limited governments. The governments that are most effective are the ones that are subjected to the dictation of their citizens,” he said.
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‎Bentil said, elections give citizens a powerful tool to hold governments accountable.
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‎“We use elections to do that. So in a limited government situation, elections will always control the government, and if they don’t do what you want, then they will be thrown out,” he stated.
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‎He said Ghana’s electricity challenges demonstrate the consequences of weak governance and inadequate long-term planning.
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‎According to him, Ghana’s electricity generation capacity should have expanded alongside population growth and rising demand after the construction of the Akosombo Dam.
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‎“Over time, as our population grew, what the leaders, what the governments had to do was to increase the generation capacity over time,” he said.
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‎Bentil said the failure to adequately address the country’s growing energy has contributed to recurring power crises, popularly known as Dumsor, which have affected businesses and households.
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‎According to him, civic action can also compel governments to respond to public concerns, citing the “Dumsor Must Stop” demonstration in which he participated.
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‎“When we started it, and I said ‘Dumsor must stop,’ it started solving the problem. If it was a military government, they would shoot us for that,” he said.
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‎Bentil urged young people to become active participants in demanding accountability rather than merely applauding those who speak against poor governance.