In a recent poll conducted by Global InfoAnalytics, it has been revealed that a significant majority of Ghanaians are opposed to Ghana's decision to send troops to Niger as part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) efforts to restore democracy in the country.
The poll, which took place over a span of two days between August 18 and 19, sheds light on the sentiment of the Ghanaian populace regarding their nation's involvement in the regional crisis.
ECOWAS had made the decision on August 10 to deploy its standby force to Niger with the aim of reinstating constitutional order in the country.
Despite exhausting diplomatic avenues to resolve the crisis, ECOWAS concluded that deploying troops was necessary due to the lack of fruitful outcomes.
However, the decision to send Ghanaian soldiers to Niger was met with skepticism and concern from various quarters.
The poll, which sampled 1,618 respondents from all sixteen regions of Ghana, reveals that 52% of Ghanaians are against their country's involvement in the intervention.
This underlines the widespread apprehension within the population regarding the potential ramifications of such a move.
One notable aspect highlighted by the poll is that a significant 76% of respondents believe that coups in African countries are primarily triggered by the prevalence of bad governance.
This perspective underscores the strong sentiment that addressing governance issues is crucial in preventing political instability.
In contrast, 17% of respondents do not share this view, while 7% remain undecided.
The poll also delved into the question of whether coups are a durable solution to addressing bad governance.
The findings indicate that 49% of Ghanaians do not believe that coups provide a sustainable remedy to governance challenges, while 43% hold the opposite viewpoint.
The remaining 8% did not express a definitive opinion on the matter.
The response to this poll highlights the complexity of regional interventions and the cautious approach that citizens advocate for when considering military involvement in neighboring nations.